Talks and Trial's - Part 1

Enveloped by the abyss, my awareness of time and my surroundings is non-existent, to the point where I don't even experience a dream. My blissful slumber is eventually disturbed by faint giggling, followed by the sound of someone quietly shuffling away from me as I stir from my unconscious state.

My eyelids flutter and resist opening, the lingering desire to slip back into slumber threatening to send me back to sleep. Someone small, curled up on my hand catches my attention, compelling me to open my eyes enough to see. 

Eliciting joy and a smile, I'm greeted by the adorable sight of Kiru's upper body nestled on my right hand, using it as her personal pillow. Her head rests tenderly on the ridges and hollows between my fingers, the silky sensation of her hair lined along the palm of my hand, while her arms comfortably coil around my thumb.

My attention is drawn across the room by the sound of faint shuffling once again. Lifting my head over the quilt while being careful not to disturb Kiru, I see Hikaru sitting in the chair by the desk, watching over us from afar. A mix of relief and disappointment washes over me as my gaze fixes on Hikaru, wearing the adventurous outfit I purchased for her instead of the barmaid outfit she was wearing earlier.

"Good morning, or evening. Eh, how does it work if it's still dark out?" With a waking greeting followed by Hikaru questioning herself, I cautiously prop myself up to properly address Hikaru, being mindful not to disturb Kiru as I do.

"It takes a while to get used to greetings based off the time here." I speak softly in an attempt to avoid distubing Kiru while being loud enough that Hikaru can hear me. "Usually, it's best to just open with a simple greeting like hello. Hello, Hikaru."

"Hello Osa... Takashi. Did you sleep well?" Correcting herself, Hikaru addresses me by my first name. Reflecting on her question and my dreamless state, I find myself a little unsure of how to respond outside of the usual means.

"Very well, I guess. How long was I out?" 

"About several hours. You didn't even stir when I entered the room a couple of times earlier." Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I survey the room noticing something odd, hidden under a rag on the desk Hikaru's sitting at.

Hikaru rises from the chair, quietly approaching the bed. She then crouches down by the pillows to observe Kiru as she continues sleeping in the palm my hand. As I settle back down, I share in observing Kiru, stealing a couple of glances at Hikaru. I can't help but note Hikaru's doting smile as she admires Kiru, watching her as if she were a cute animal.

Kiru herself remains in peaceful slumber, her head nestled comfortably between the gaps of my fingers, still grasping my thumb like it was her personal comforter. She stirs slightly, resulting in a gentle tug at my thumb before settling a moment later, prompting a soft 'Aw' from Hikaru.

"Hard to ignore her when she's like this, isn't she?" I smile as I watch the two girls before me, basking in the relaxing atmosphere. Hikaru shifts her gaze to me, her warm smile still in place as she prepares to respond.

"Yeah, honestly, she's so cute it make me wish I could have one of my own." Hikaru returns her gaze to Kiru, extending her hand with a desire to pet or poke Kiru, retracting it to avoid disturbing her.

"She's not a pet you know." I imply towards Hikaru with a teasing tone, resulting in a slight blush from her.

"I, I know. I'm just saying..." Hikaru pouts as she dismisses my teasing. However, both of us are taken by surprise when another voice speaks up from between us.

"You know you two are too loud for your own good." Hikaru and I exchange glances before settling our gaze on Kiru who remains nestled in my hand, gazing at us with her eyes wide open, projecting a hint of hostility. 

"I don't mind it if you shower me with compliments; in fact I welcome it. But if you're going to treat me like a commodity..." Kiru turns her head, opening her mouth wide, and chomps down on the base of my middle finger hard, eliciting a yelp of pain from me.

I try to pull my hand away from the tiny savage, only driving Kiru to bite down harder and use her arms to grip my hand with all her might. 'I'm tempted to shake her off, but Hikaru's watching us.' Watching us with a mixed expression of surprise and a hint of confusion, Hikaru follows my actions as I lift my hand into the air, level with my eyesight and Kiru clinging tenaciously to it. 

'Kiru's being a pain right now—it's irritating, but not necessarily in a bad way.' Eager to end Kiru's attack on my finger, I extend my left hand towards her.' As much as I'm tempted to tear away this little nuisance...' My left hand closes in towards Kiru in a claw-like fashion, but I opt for a more relaxed approach, gently stroking the back of Kiru's head in an attempt to pacify her vengeance. 

With success, Kiru releases her bite of my finger, arching her head back with a contented coo. The action earns a loud "AW" from Hikaru who appears to be suffering from a cuteness overload—her blue eyes glittering with stars. After enjoying enough of my soothing touch, I place her gently onto the bed. 'I'm glad to see she's recovered enough to be the same old Kiru. But damn that hurt.' 

I shake my right hand, attempting to ward off the lingering pain from Kiru's bite. Meanwhile, Hikaru, within moments of my setting Kiru down, has scooped her up and immediately starts cuddling her affectionately.

"Hey, personal space." Kiru vocalises a complaint, but makes no effort to resist or escape. In fact, she appears to be enjoying Hikaru's cuddles. A few seconds later, Hikaru releases her and cups her hands together for Kiru to stand on. Only for Kiru to surprise us by sitting with her legs crossed in Hikaru's cupped hands instead.

"Sorry, you're just so cute, I couldn't help myself." Hikaru's apology seems somewhat disingenuous, and personally, 'I suspect that she'll be doing that plenty more in the future. I'm glad those two are really getting along too.' I suppress a chuckle as I watch the pair interact. "Oh, are you feeling okay, Kiru? Takashi mentioned that you were exhausted after your encounter with those bandits."

"Huh?" Kiru gazes up at Hikaru before shifting her gaze to me, the on-the-spot moment has me shifting my eyes in all manner of directions out of concern. 'Crap! I haven't had a chance to clue Kiru in on the lie I told the others. Please catch on.' Giving Kiru a serious gaze with a hint of worry, her eyes opening in what I hope to be realisation.

"Oh, yeah. Those bandits turned out to be more trouble than they were worth. Not to mention my wielder can be pretty careless." The jab at me was a little uncalled for, but I let it slide as I don't want to add unnecessary concern to Hikaru or anyone else.

"Just make sure you're more careful in the future." Kiru glances in my direction, her gaze indicating that she is almost expecting something from me. "Now, You gonna lay down some ground rules concerning her handling me, or what?" Caught off guard, I can only sit in the bed with Kiru and Hikaru staring at me, awaiting a response.

"Eh." Glancing around the room for an escape from Kiru's question, my sight locks onto the white rag on the table. "So... What's that on the table over there?" Hikaru gazes back to the table as I point to the white rag on the table. 'Distraction successful.'

"Oh, Treia thought you and Kiru might be hungry after you woke up, so she prepared something simple for you to eat." Hikaru approaches the table as I lift myself out of the bed and reach to the floor in search of my shirt, which isn't where I dropped it. Noticing my actions, Hikaru quickly addresses me, "Oh, your shirt is over here, on the chair."

My gaze falls on the chair Hikaru had occupied earlier and is now standing beside, my one thought is: 'How the hell didn't I notice that earlier?' Dismissing the notion, I walk over to the table, shirtless, prompting Hikaru to avert her eyes as I retrieve my shirt from the chair and slip it on. 'Was her face flushed just now?' 

Lifting the rag, I unveil the plate adorned with an array of bread rolls and delectably soft, sweet fruits. I reach to grab a purple round bumpy fruit, the sweetest fruit on the plate, only of it to vanish as Kiru launches from Hikaru's hands and swiftly claim the fruit as her own.

"OI! That one was mine; I was about to eat that!" I reach out to snatch back the fruit from kiru, only for her to hiss and deliver a threatening chomp at my hand, warding me away before greedily sinking her teeth into the fruit. I glare daggers Kiru's way, which she responds to with a glare of her own while chewing aggressively, the tension  between us triggering sparks.

"Pfft, ahhahahha." Kiru and I share a glance at Hikaru as she laughs at the both of us, leading to shared confusion from us. Regaining her composure and taking in some much needed gasps for air, Hikaru wipes away tears from her eyes as she continues, "Sorry, sorry. It's just that you two are hilarious together. Honestly, I'm kind of jealous."

Kiru and I exchange a curious glance before sharing smiles and chuckling to ourselves. I grab a bread roll, take a bite of and enjoy the slightly dry bread, 'less than fresh, but it's food and it, hang on...'

"Where did this food come from? Did you buy it?" I inquire, curious about the food's origin.

"Huh, oh, it was a gift from Treia after I finished my shift. She's really nice..." Hikaru mumbles something else in a hushed tone, to soft for me to catch as I immerse myself in devouring the food on the plate, filling my empty belly. Hikaru grabs a couple of the fruits for herself, before long, the entire plate is empty.

With our hunger satiated, we prepare to leave the room. Reaching under the bed, I retrieve my coat, wrapped around the makeshift bag containing the equipment and blades I took from that beast controller, including the high-powered rifle I confiscated from Sataro. 

With nervous fervor, I take pains to keep it hidden from Hikaru's sight. I hang the strap over my shoulder and deftly conceal it beneath my coat as I put it on. After slipping on my shoes, I approach Hikaru. Reaching out towards Hikaru, presenting my open palm for Kiru to leap onto. Without skipping a beat, Kiru jumps onto my hand and skillfully ascends to my shoulder, settling onto a comfortable position beside my ear.

"We'll talk about this later." Acknowledging Kiru's statement with a nod, I approach the door. Placing my hand on the handle, I glance back, waiting for Hikaru to join me. 

"You coming?" My inquiry is met with an enthusiastic nod from Hikaru, approaching and standing beside me, ready to accompany me. Turning the handle I push the door open and we exit the room together, ready and resolute to face what I hope to be the final events of the day.