Goodnight Before D-Day

After the discussion Takeda led, on that Wednesday night, the three worked hard in training under Takeda’s guidance. And by no means was it easy. It may have only been 72 hours, but it challenged their bodies and minds, and may have even shaken some of the beliefs they held in their hearts. So, it stands to reason that after the final training session, Rentarou threw himself out the door.

“Finally, we’re done!” Rentarou sprawled himself out on the floor, leaving Shin, Hinako, and Yukimura to step around him. “You know what that means, right? Hot spring time!” As he said that, Rentarou picked himself up from the floor. However, before he could run to the nearby hot springs, he was immediately shouted at.

“No!” Hinako and Yukimura shouted it at the same time.

“S-S-Sorry, Yukimura, you can speak first.”

“Thank you, Hinako. And Rentarou, you can’t forget that Takeda said no hot springs or staying out in the cold tonight. You might get sick.”

“But… but… but—” Before he could finish his next sentence, Hinako spoke up.

“No buts, Rentarou!”

“Fine! But why is it such a big deal if we get sick or not?” When he said that, everyone in the hall stared dumbfoundedly at him.

“Did you forget what we’re doing tomorrow?” Rentarou’s eyes shifted away before he answered the question.

“N-No. Obviously, we’re taking a break from all the training tomorrow.” Immediately after his answer, Hinako chopped him on the head.

“Wrong. We’re going to fight the Yuki-onna tomorrow.”

“Oh, right. I forgot about that. That means we gotta get plenty of rest. C’mon, sis!” Before Hinako could respond, he dragged her along with him to their room to get ready for bed. This left only two people in the hallway now: Yukimura and Shin.

There was a slight awkward silence as they looked at each other. Shin stared into her eyes as a smile formed on his face. However, when he blinked once, he immediately turned his head to look away from her.

“Y-You heard what he said. It’s a good idea to get plenty of rest… So, you shouldn’t overwork yourself like last time.” While Shin looked away, Yukimura continued to look up at Shin’s face. She could see his face turning pink and could hear his bashful voice, and that made Yukimura smile.

“Don’t worry, I will get some good sleep tonight. But make sure you do too, okay, Shin?”

“I will!” After hearing that, Yukimura began to walk away from Shin, but before she could round the corner, Shin mustered up his voice to say something else. “G-G-Goodnight Yukimura!”

Hearing that made her pause and turn around. Her hair twirled with her body as Yukimura pivoted her feet with her hands behind her back. “Goodnight, Shin. Rest well.” She said those words with a smile that didn’t fade as she walked away. And neither did Shin’s flushed face.

It remained as he stood there, letting the sight of Yukimura’s smile burn into his memory. Despite no one being around, he covered his mouth with his right hand to try to stop his smile from leaking out. However, it was to no avail. He couldn’t stop smiling or giggling to himself as he walked to his room with one thought: It’s impossible. I don’t think I can sleep after seeing that.