Prelude to Destiny

Finally, the day of the New Year's festival has arrived.

In the late afternoon, I left my dorm and began making my way over to Taiyori's apartment. Already, students were up and about with their own yukatas and kimonos, eager and excited for the coming festival. I can't say I'm all too different. Even though I tried to push it aside at first, I'm now looking forward to it.

Eventually, I made it to Taiyori's place. With a deep breath, I pushed the doorbell. Seconds later, Taiyori opened the door and leaned against the doorframe with an irritated expression and arms crossed. Not only that, she was still in her nightgown, so I saw a lot more than I was expecting.

"Tsuki," she said with a slight hint of annoyance.

"Y-yes, Taiyori...?" I gulped as I tilted my head away.

"Four-o-nine. You're late."

"It was only nine minutes."

"Oh, Tsuki, Tsuki..."

Taiyori pushed herself off the doorframe, keeping her arms crossed at her chest. A subtle smirk appeared beneath those dangerously narrow eyes.

"I'm rich. I have all the money in the world, but the one thing that money can't buy is time itself," she muttered. "I'm a girl with the thinnest of patience. You know that."

She then immediately shot forward, leaving me with barely enough space to back away. With her mouth just mere inches from my ear, she began whispering menacingly.

"And yet, you made me wait for a full nine minutes."

"Taiyori..." I nearly choked just saying her name.

"Speak."

"I can't help but think that..."

"That what?"

"That this might be just a tad bit... of an overreaction..."

"Oh~?"

After a heavy scoff, she backed away and held a confident stance in front of me.

"Are you saying that my time isn't precious?"

"What? N-no! I meant... W-well... I... S-sorry..."

Suddenly, she let out a soft giggle, and the hostile look immediately turned into the most gorgeous smile.

"Gosh. I almost forgot how fun it is to tease you like this," she smirked. "Honestly, the face you make whenever you're nervous... It's kinda cute."

"W-what the... So all of that just now...?" I mumbled.

"I was just messing with you. Did you really think that I'd chew you out for a measly nine minutes?"

"Well... It doesn't sound too farfetched when it comes to you."

With a much sterner tone, she uttered a single word that froze me to my core. "Hey."

"Erm... Sorry."

"Pft... Hahaha!"

It was as if these past couple of harrowing minutes never happened, as she was now laughing so gracefully and... gorgeously.

"I don't know what it is about you, Tsuki," she smiled.

"What about me?" I asked.

"Heh. I'll leave you guessing on that one. Anyway, come in."

With a deep breath, I walked into her apartment. Taiyori stepped into the kitchen area while I rested my school bag on the coffee table. This place looks messier than it was yesterday. She must've been busy getting ready.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" Taiyori asked.

"A little bit," I said. "I've never been to a festival before, but there's gonna be food there, right? Thought I should save my stomach for that."

"Good choice. So, have you picked out your yukata yet?"

"It took a while, but yeah. Sakuno had a whole stash in his closet for some reason."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go put it on and show me."

"Eh? Right now?"

"Yeah! Go!

"W-wha- Hey!"

She began shoving me towards the washroom and threw me my bag. Without giving me a chance to respond, she shut the door.

"Come out whenever you're ready," she snickered. "I'll be waiting."

"Hah... Sure," I said.

I took off my shirt and lifted the yukata, but I stopped at the sight of my reflection from a large mirror. Scattered across my entire body were numerous scars, from slash marks to bullet holes. This is the body of a person who put himself in danger almost every single day for more than a decade. Now, that person is about to head to a festival... for fun.

I threw on the yukata and tightened it around the waist area. It is a simple design, having the classic black and white color with symmetrical patterns running along it. I then grabbed a dark blue linen coat and slipped it on. It does look pretty nice now that I'm looking at it up close. I wonder if Taiyori will like it.

After looking at myself in the mirror one last time, I stepped out of the washroom. Taiyori, who was sitting on the couch, turned from her phone to look at me. The moment our eyes locked, her brows lifted.

"Well, look at you," she grinned.

"W-what...?" I mumbled.

"Hehe. It's nothing. Though... Why black and white? I feel like those are the only colors I ever see you wear. Can't you mix it up a little?"

"An assassin's favorite color will always be black. It makes it easier to move around in the dark undetected. I suppose I never thought about wearing anything else. Is it bad?"

"No, not at all. I actually think it suits you. However..."

She stood up to take a closer look at me.

"Aren't you gonna do something about your hair?" she asked.

"My hair?"

"Yeah. Don't you wanna style it? As nice as it looks for an everyday appearance, it's too ragged and messy for such a special occasion."

"I'm too lazy to get it done."

"Tch... How are you gonna complain about not being normal when you don't wanna put in the effort to be normal?"

"Oh? I didn't realize that styling myself is part of being normal. I'll keep that in mind."

"It's not like that. It's just that if you wanna be normal, then... I don't know. Do what normal people do." She then let out an excited gasp. "Wait! Tsuki! I'll do it!"

"What?"

"Yeah! I'm a pro at makeovers! Come, come!"

She pulled me back into the washroom, sat me down on a stool, and grabbed a box from a nearby cabinet.

"Okay!" she grinned. "Face the mirror for me."

"Taiyori... This really isn't necessary," I muttered.

"Oh, hush. Just trust me. I got this."

Taiyori picked up a spray bottle and squirted some water to wet my hair a little. Her arms crossed as she studied my hair. When a decision was made, she grabbed a comb and gently brushed it to the side. She then used a hair curler to shape it a little before topping it off with some kind of hairspray.

"There! What do you think?" she asked.

I turned to look at the mirror, surprised by a totally new look. My hair isn't that long, but it's long enough for gravity to have a significant effect. It was separated by a split towards the right side of my head. The shorter side curled back while the longer side bent down just over my left eye.

"It... looks nice," I said, astonished that I could look like this.

"Hehe, it does, doesn't it?" Taiyori giggled. "Looking sharp there. I think I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself."

"Thanks, Taiyori. I like it as well." 

"You're very welcome. Now, get out. I need to change."

She kicked me out of the washroom, leaving me to wander around the living room. I don't think I've ever done anything to my hair other than wash it every day. If I knew it could make such a drastic difference, then maybe I would've done it more as I was adjusting to the normal world.

Hah, who am I kidding? I'm way too lazy for that. Apparently, my natural appearance is enough since I get complimented every now and then. Still, if Taiyori likes it, then perhaps I should put in the effort to keep it that way.

"Tsuki," Taiyori called out.

I turned around, and the moment I saw her, my heart skipped a beat. She walked out of the washroom, her hand against the wall and an awkward smile on her face.

The kimono she had on was dark grayish-blue with violet hexagons flowing throughout the entire thing. Upon the many lines were arching branches of wisteria. To the side, several trinkets were left to dangle, which really brought out the overall style.

As beautiful as it was, it was nothing compared to Taiyori herself. Her elegant eyes, normally filled with confidence, now fell flat with embarrassment. Her lips trembled as she bit them while a thick blush covered her cheeks. A large bun rested on the back of her head, holding up her usual long and wavy hair. Several strands dangled on the sides, but it made her look all the more beautiful.

Instead of backing away like yesterday, she approached me slowly. "Well? Do I look okay...?"

"Okay? You look amazing," I replied. "I mean... I know I said that all your kimonos were tens, but this... Putting everything together, the kimono, the hair, the accessories... It's a one hundred from me."

"Y-you think so?"

"Of course."

The smile on her face stretched wider. Just like that, her confidence returned.

"Well, I guess I do look good in everything, don't I?" she gloated. "Can't help it, really. I'm just that good. In any case, you should be grateful, Tsuki, because tonight... this beautiful girl is all yours."

"... All mine?" I asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hah..."

Suddenly, she pushed me down onto the couch and planted her knee on it as her arm reached over my shoulder. Our faces were mere inches away from each other, yet she kept her expression still.

"It means that I'll be your date for the festival," she finished with a smirk.

"M-my... Date...?" I gulped.

"That's right. A lot of guys asked me, but I turned them all down because I wanted to go with you. So, you should be grateful. Now come on! We're gonna be late!"

For the entire walk to the festival, she pulled me by the arm with a smile so gentle yet excited at the same time. All the while, I was struggling to keep up with her.

Taiyori is my date. Shit... my heart feels like it's about to explode.