First Night with Saki

 Clutching a white pillow between her arms, Saki gently closed the door behind her. She stared pleadingly at Minoru with hoping eyes as the moonlight caused her hair to glisten like watery silver in the dark room.

“Saki?” Minoru sat up from his bed as the demure girl made her way next to the mattress. “What’s wrong?”

A loud roar of thunder reverberated through the air accompanied by a sharp white flash. Saki instinctively curled up as she pressed the ends of her pillow tightly against her ears to shield herself from the sound.

“You’re still afraid of thunder?” Minoru asked, a smirk resting on his face.

“I…I just don’t like it, okay?!” Saki defensively shouted back with an annoyed glare shot toward her friend. However, her anger quickly subsided as another thunderous boom broke the calm silence.

Ducking under the covers, Saki nestled herself into the empty space next to Minoru, causing the young boy to scoot back slightly to make more room for her. She plopped her pillow down below her face and lowered her head, facing Minoru before she pulled the soft bed sheets up to their shoulders.

“Y-you’re too close,” Minoru avoided her gaze as she inched closer to him. Saki let out a playful giggle as she let out a relieved sigh.

“This reminds me of when we were kids,” she recalled with a gentle smile. “Remember all those nights when we would stay up and just talk? It was so much fun until someone caught us, scolding us before we were tucked back into bed.”

“And how many of those times were caused because you were scared?” Minoru attempted to tease her back. Saki pouted as she gently poked his shoulder. The sleepy boy let out an amused chuckle as he lifted his hand up to block her jabs.

“I’d thought you would put me at ease,” Saki muttered under her breath. “Instead, you’re just making fun of me.”

“Shouldn’t you have expected that?”

“No! Minoru’s the one who’s supposed to be teased!” She asserted, trying to shift the focus onto her friend. But despite her efforts, the intensity of the storm continued to affect her, making it difficult to maintain her defensive stance.

Minoru gently placed a hand on top of Saki’s head as he closed his eyes, fatigue taking over his body.

“If it’ll help you fall asleep, you can tease me all you want then,” he declared before letting out a yawn. Expecting Saki to reply with playful banter, Minoru waited for a response. Instead, he felt the scared girl snuggle up against him with her head buried against his chest.

“As I thought, Minoru does calm me down,” she whispered, releasing a soothing sigh that left Minoru feeling flustered yet strangely content. The unexpected closeness had jolted him awake, exterminating the fatigue from his mind. As Saki remained cuddled against Minoru, he soon heard her breathing softly.

“That’s not fair of you,” Minoru mumbled, feeling a mix of emotions swirling within him. As the storm gradually waned, the rhythmic patter of calming raindrops outside gradually eased Minoru’s nerves. The soothing ambiance finally worked its magic and helped him succumb to sleep with Saki by his side.

The soft chirping of birds and the early sunlight streaming through the window gently roused Minoru from his slumber. After such a long festive night, he felt refreshed and grateful for the much-needed rest.

As Minoru slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning, he suddenly felt a pair of arms encircle his neck, followed by a soft kiss on his cheek. Startled and blushing, he turned to see Saki, her cover slipping off her shoulders.

“Good morning, Minoru,” Saki greeted warmly, looking at him with affection.

“S-Saki?!” Minoru placed a hand on his face where she had kissed him. “What are you doing?!”

“Giving you our morning kiss,” she tilted her head, her expression showing confusion at his reaction. “Is something wrong, Minoru?”

“Since when did we do that?!”

“We’ve done so much more than that before, Minoru,” Saki whispered, leaning in close and speaking softly into his ear. “We even did it just last night.”

“I-it?!” Minoru’s embarrassment surged, causing him to hastily launch away from her until his back met the wall. The flustered boy tried to recall last night’s events but his head only swirled.

The tranquility of the bedroom shattered as the door was violently kicked open, slamming against the wall with a thunderous crash. Minoru jolted in surprise as his eyes turned toward the entrance. Saki’s father, brandishing two silver cleavers with wooden handles, stormed into the room, his body tense with aggression. His furious gaze locked onto Minoru with heavy breaths.

“Minoru…” He seethed, his voice trembling with rage as he tightened his grip on the cleavers. Without warning, he lunged forward, brandishing the weapons with the intent to strike. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DAUGHTER?!”

Minoru’s heart pounded in his chest as he sat up from the bed, drenched in a cold sweat. His breaths came in heavy gasps and he frantically looked around, trying to ground himself in reality. As he glanced down, he saw Saki was still peacefully asleep beside him.

With a sense of relief washing over him, Minoru let out a long, calming sigh. It had all been a terrible nightmare.

Carefully sliding off the front edge of the bed so as not to disturb Saki, Minoru stretched his arms above him.

“Good morning, master,” Azurillia’s melodious voice called out from the glass bowl. Minoru glanced over, spotting the serene blue dragon fish calmly swimming within her aquatic home.

“Master?” Minoru repeated, puzzled by the address. “Since when did I become your master?”

“I had a long thought about it last night,” the spirited girl began to explain. “As listed in the agreement, the contractor is deemed to hold the higher authority within the contract and must be addressed as such. Please understand that I have no intention of perceiving you as my superior. However, according to the law, I find myself left with little choice if I wish to maintain my dignity as a princess.”

“To be honest, it feels like you would be doing the opposite…” Minoru sheepishly muttered under his breath. Unamused by his remark, the dragon fish retaliated by shooting a stream of water at his face in retribution.

“Do not test my patience,” Azurillia warned while Minoru wiped his face. “Otherwise, you’ll get what you deserve.”

“I thought the contract said you can’t attack me!” Minoru declared.

“Wrong! I can’t use your magic to hurt you but splashing water doesn’t count,” she smugly pointed out the details.

A soft knock was heard on the door, attracting Minoru’s attention. His mind immediately thought back to the nightmare he just had and he felt his heart rate quicken. Stealing a quick glance at Saki, Minoru began to wonder if the dream had been a premonition.

“Minoru, are you awake?” Saki’s mother gently called from the other side of the door. The young boy let out a sigh upon realizing it wasn’t her father and a smile graced his face.

Still careful not to let her mother learn of Saki’s presence in the guestroom, Minoru creaked the door open just barely enough for him to slide out.

“Good morning, Mrs. Fujisaki,” he greeted her as he closed the door behind him.

“I hope I didn’t wake you up,” she said with a sheepish smile as she held up a set of clothes. “I brought you a set of clothes.”

“Thank you,” Minoru accepted the set with a light bow.

“Will you be joining us for breakfast today?” Saki’s mother asked.

“If you don’t mind. That would be great,” Minoru beamed. She nodded with a smile before glancing up the stairs.

“I hope Saki doesn’t sleep in late,” she sighed, acknowledging her daughter's tendency to sleep in. “Saki! It’s time to get up!”

Upon hearing Saki's mother's call, Minoru froze in place. At first, there was no response, and he let out a sigh of relief, thinking they had avoided detection. However, his heart skipped a beat when he heard the door creak open behind him. Slowly, Saki emerged, standing at the entrance with a hand clutching the edge of the door.

“It’s so noisy today…” Saki moaned as she rubbed her eyes.

“S-Saki?” Her mother lifted a hand over her mouth in surprise.

“Morning, Mom…” Saki grumbled and let out a yawn. “What’s for breakfast?”

Saki’s mother fell silent as her eyes darted back and forth between her daughter and Minoru, trying to find an explanation for why Saki was in the guest bedroom and furthermore had stayed the night.

“Dear, have you seen Saki? She’s not in her room—” Her father’s words trailed off as he caught sight of her and Minoru downstairs.

“Dad, good morning…” Saki greeted, taking a hesitant step forward. Her hand slipped off the door, unintentionally brushing against Minoru's hand as she leaned against him, still groggy from sleep.

“Minoru…” As Saki's father fixed his intense gaze on Minoru, the young boy couldn’t help but gulp nervously. It turned out his nightmare was indeed a premonition.

“Serves you right, master,” Azurullia mumbled under her breath with a satisfied smirk.