Girl from the Woods.

Warm colors. The outsides of the photograph were slightly blurred. A train rushing past the station, a girl in front of it, her hair blown to the side by the airstream. In her hands a camera, held in front of her face.

She seemed to look through the viewfinder, but it felt more like she was trying to hide behind it. Her head was tilted slightly, letting one purple eye peer at the viewer in curiosity. A single, majestic antler was painted on top of the photo, growing out of her head in shades of gold with a magical glow to it.

Takurō looked at the photography print closely. If her camera was the tool to capture the world as it was, her paintbrush captured the way she saw it. It was her unique view on the world nobody was able to replicate, nobody else was able to see. The way she viewed it made her works so special and beautiful, but it also shut her off from the rest of humanity.

Maybe that was why she decided to draw this one, single antler on her head: It looked pretty, but it was a weight to carry and with just one she was neither complete human, nor complete monster—caught on the edge between worlds; seeing the world of reality with one and the world of fantasy with the other eye. There was no one able to understand her—only someone with the same antler on their head.

The only aspect that seemed unfamiliar was Ashiya’s hair. The pastel lavender color was the same, but Takurō had never seen her wearing it open. The curt ponytail she had tied up today was how she had always appeared in school.

“Excuse my question,” Iyogi leaned towards Takurō. “You seemed to like Ashiya-sama’s works?” They both were sitting on a bench in the center of the gallery.

He smiled at the butler and nodded. “Yeah, they’re great. Creative and beautiful and …” He sighed lightly at how dismissive she had reacted towards him.

Kukai had dragged Ashiya behind her to fetch some refreshers before continuing. They had carried all the heavy prints from a van into the big cargo elevator of the shopping mall in all the heat.

They sure had earned themselves a small break, but the girls took quite some time to return from the vending machine inside the café.

“I have been working for 34 years for the Ashiya family.”

Iyogi took off his glasses and pulled out a cleaning towel to carefully wipe them.

“I know Akimi-sama since her very first days on this world. She had always been blunt about what she wanted, liked, or disliked. Most people need to get used to this at first, but she is a really good girl.” He lifted his glasses towards the light to look for spots he had forgotten and kept cleaning them.

“I haven’t had to do with her during school, y’know. This probably won’t change after today, f’sure.” This was one of those encounters that seemed like a spark of fate that was igniting a fire of friendship, but burned out before it even touched the ground.

“That would be a shame.”

“We’re baaack!” Kukai boasted into the room, victoriously holding up two soda cans in her hands. She skipped towards the bench. As Iyogi wanted to stand up for her, she said: “No, no! Stay seated!”

She sat next to him, leaving only the place between him and Takurō for Ashiya. She didn’t seem as happy about it, but sat down, nonetheless. “Here.” She held out one of the two cans towards him.

Takurō looked at her a bit surprised. “But … I didn’t help you carrying yet.”

“But you will, won’t ya?”

He took it. “Yeah … thanks!”

Kukai gave Iyogi her second can and they all opened them together. The four drank in silence for a while. It felt slightly awkward to be around Ashiya … she didn’t seem to enjoy his presence much.

Suddenly, she cleared her throat. “Should we maybe bring the remaining prints here, yeah? Iyogi-san and Rakuko can hang them, then.”

“Ojō-sama!” Iyogi interrupted. “I must object. You’ve carried all the big …” He halted at a sharp gaze from her and gently bowed his head. “As you wish.”

She stood up and placed her half-empty can underneath the bench, so that nobody would kick it over. Takurō looked up at her. She nudged her head, to hint him following her. Objecting did not seem like an option, so he stood up again and placed his can next to hers.

Together they went through the back door that led to the service area. At the end of the corridor, he already saw the remaining artworks, which had been leaned against the wall.

“Rakuko seems to really appreciate you, y’know,” Ashiya said, once they were a few steps away from the door. “She asked me to apologize for my commentary to you.”

Takurō looked at her in honest surprise.

Ashiya turned around and bowed apologetically. “I’m sorry, ‘bout what I said. I … really didn’t wanna hurt you.”

“Uh … n-no worries, ‘ight?”

She reared again, looking at him directly. “You should still know that you won’t stand a chance with her, yah.”

“Uh, what? No, no! You’ve gotten something—!”

“Oh, your exaggerated flattery was just an act of kindness! It’s so obvious, I should have figured.” She turned around to keep walking along the corridor.

Takurō timidly followed her. Were his intentions really that obvious? He exhaled. “Do you think, I don’t know that, yeah?”

She looked over her shoulder. “Know what?”

“That I don’t have a chance with her. You’re right … she might appreciate me, but not this way.”

Ashiya didn’t reply right away. She looked at Takurō and a sudden glint of sadness flashed through her eyes. “You … know,” she echoed his words and stopped right next to one of the paintings at the elevator, side eyed him cautiously. “When you’re aware of that: Why are you trying so hard to impress her?”

“She told me these artworks were created by her, and … I’m bad with feelings and confessing ‘n stuff, but I’m good with art. This is my world, y’know.” He mustered a smile. “For a brief moment she seemed like just a normal girl.”

“Do you even hear yourself talking? Rakuko is a normal girl! If you would appreciate more about her than just the pretty face, you’d have noticed.”

Takurō’s hands twitched lightly. Something about Ashiya’s words hit a soft spot. A lot of replies came to his mind. How was he to blame for becoming nervous around Kukai? What else should he do but accept that he was not as outgoing as everyone else?

He wanted to say so many things towards Ashiya, but in the end, only a mumbling came across his lips. “But … I dunno anything but her pretty face.” It was a guilty plea, but maybe he was, in fact, guilty.

“Some things just can’t be changed, huh?” Ashiya’s voice had gotten softer, dreamy almost. “You can’t stop putting her on a pedestal and I can’t stop yearning to be a little less weird and dreary to feel less invisible around her.”

“Y-you’re not dreary!” Takurō muttered.

“But weird, yah?”

“Uh … no, I mean—”

Ashiya giggled slightly. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m a blunt-as-hell weirdo, I know that.” She reached down and grabbed one of the bigger paintings.

Takurō took the other side and together they lifted the wrapped artwork. They carefully carried it towards the door of the gallery. “I think you’re very creative. And … you have a great eye for framing everyday life in a beautiful way! Something that I could only dream of.”

She eyed him slightly bewildered. “Wait, you … actually like them?”

“Uh … yeah. What I said earlier were my honest feelings.”

“Oh …” Ashiya lowered her gaze with a slightly embarrassed look. “I thought you were just trying to sugarcoat your opinion to flatter Raku.”

Now Takurō was embarrassed as well. “Sorry … I might have sounded a bit too excited.” He turned his head away. “When I really like something, I rave a bit too much …”

They both laughed awkwardly for a bit and finally reached the entrance to the gallery. Looking out for the edges, they maneuvered it through the door. Since it was not remotely as big as the one before, they had no troubles this time.

Takurō found Iyogi and Kukai still sitting on the bench. “Uhm … by the way,” he said towards all of them. “If you guys have the time and are okay with something more artsy than usual, I’d like to invite all of you to a movie.”

He just needed to convince Toyoshima to let him spend yet another of his shifts inside the theatre. Somehow Takurō always felt bad when his boss lectured him about how it was important to never egoistically waste working hours, only to agree him violating said rules in the end, anyways.

“Oh! That’s an amazing idea, thanks!” Kukai jumped off her seat happily but froze in her motion.

“Sure, why not.” Ashiya shrugged. “I have nothing planned.”

“Uhh … I’m really sorry guys, but … I just remembered … I have an appointment in about two hours. And I have to get home and shower and put on something nicer, y’know.”

Both Takurō and Ashiya looked at her with the same wary expression. How were there things that looked even nicer on her possible?

“I appreciate your invitation, Kanōya-san, but I would not wish to burden you or Ashiya-sama with my presence. I would suggest you enjoy the movie on your own, while I await your return.” Iyogi bowed deeply. “Therefore, I must kindly decline your invitation, but I wish you and Ashiya-sama the greatest of enjoyment watching it.”

Takurō and Ashiya exchanged a gaze. She gave him a wry grin.