Just as he teleported to the front door, Riku's phone rang; he took it out.
Seeing the caller "Kei-chan," his eyes flickered. Kei had made up her mind.
He connected the call, but for several seconds all he heard was dead air.
"Kei-chan…" Riku prompted.
"Riku, I… I still want to be your girlfriend. Is that okay?" Kei said, lips pressed tight, her voice trembling.
"Of course. I couldn't ask for more," Riku answered, happy and a little tender. He understood all too well how hard this decision must have been.
"Riku, I think I should calm down a bit. Let's talk tomorrow," Kei added.
"I understand. Rest well," Riku said softly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Mm." Kei nodded to herself, ended the call, set the phone by her pillow, and stared blankly at the ceiling, thoughts spinning.
…
"I'll have to make this up to Kei-chan properly," Riku murmured.
He put away his phone, took out the key, opened the door, and stepped inside.
The lights were still on; evidently, Sora hadn't gone to bed.
In Sora's room, Riku gently pushed the door open. She was typing; the laptop screen showed a writing window.
At the sound, Sora snapped the laptop shut in an instant. For someone usually so frail, that speed surprised Riku.
"Idiot Riku, knock before you come into my room!" Sora glared, seeming angry yet a little flustered, her eyes shifting as if hiding something.
Clearly, what she'd been doing wasn't simple.
"Sora, you never knock when you come into my room. Don't you think that's… unfair?" Riku rolled his eyes.
"Don't care. Riku has to knock when he comes into my room; I don't have to knock when I go into Riku's," Sora said, hands on hips, deploying the ultimate girlish move: not playing fair.
Knowing there was no point arguing logic with Sora over something so minor, Riku let it go.
"Sora, were you… writing a novel just now?" he asked, shrugging.
"Mm-hm." Sora's delicate face flushed at that; she mumbled a nod.
"Sora writing a novel… honestly, I'm kind of impressed," Riku said, ruffling her hair with a smile.
"Riku, are you looking down on me?" Sora pouted.
"No, no. Not at all. What kind of novel are you writing? Planning to submit it to a label?" Riku asked, amused.
"That's… none of your business. I'm not submitting it. I'm writing it for myself," Sora said; her expression turned odd again, and her cheeks reddened a little more.
"I see. Your call," Riku said. He didn't press the point; even if Sora was acting a bit strange, everyone was entitled to their own secrets.
"Riku, why are you back so late today?" Sora shot back.
"Work," Riku coughed lightly. "Had to teach a disobedient student a little lesson."
"Oh." Sora didn't think much of it. Riku's work out in the world had always been mysterious. She knew he'd taken a teaching job recently, but not the details.
Not that school or work held much interest for her anyway.
"So, Sora, how's school?" Riku sat down on Sora's big white bed, at ease.
"School's boring. The way the boys stare… I hate it," Sora said, full of distaste.
That was about what he'd expected; Riku shook his head.
Sora's looks drew eyes; it was only natural that most boys couldn't help but stare.
"Made any friends?" he asked again.
"Friends…" Sora's brow knit as her expression settled.
In class, the girls mostly tried to chat her up, only to ask about Riku, which she detested.
But there was one student who was different…
"No friends? Sora, that won't do. Try to keep your temper in check at school," Riku said, pained. With Sora's temperament, it really was hard to make true friends.
"Who said I don't? I do have a friend. Yuigahama Yui is my friend," Sora huffed.
"I see. Then be sure to get along with her and go easy on the attitude," Riku said, smiling with his eyes.
From Sora's reaction, he could tell she approved of Yuigahama, just hadn't wanted to admit "friend" outright; a little prod, and she blurted it out. With a tsundere, you had to tease it out.
"Such a meddlesome Riku… always treating me like a child," Sora muttered, turning her face away.
"All right. If school's going fine, then we're good. I'm going to grab a shower. Turn in early, okay?" Riku said, rising with a grin.
"Wait, today… could we bathe together?" Sora turned her head and couldn't help blurting out.
"Together?" Riku's heart stirred a little; he looked at Sora in surprise.
"Mm." Having said something so bold, Sora's delicate face turned quite red. "We both haven't bathed yet, wouldn't it save more time if we washed together?"
"No." Riku arched a brow and refused on the spot.
"Why? You used to bathe me all the time when I was little," Sora protested with a frown.
"You said it yourself when you were little. It's not the same now," Riku said helplessly.
He could control his body well enough, but he wasn't a saint. To be honest, the fire stoked earlier by Kushida hadn't entirely died. If he took a shower with Sora, the result would be predictable.
"I'm still a kid," Sora glared, slipping straight into obstinacy.
"Aren't you always saying you hate it when I treat you like a kid?" Riku said, half laughing.
"I don't care!" Sora turned her face away, twin tails flicking pure, unreasoning girl logic.
Knowing full well that reasoning with Sora was useless in matters like this, Riku chose not to quarrel over a trivial point.
"Don't make a fuss. We have school tomorrow," he said, ruffling Sora's hair before leaving the room.
He was tempted, sure, but now wasn't the time.
"Idiot Riku." Seeing him walk off so decisively, Sora sat on the bed, tugged at her black rabbit plush, and muttered.
Even if he stayed clean without bathing, sometimes a soak was just…nice.
After Riku finished his bath, he headed to his room and lay down.
Before long, Sora finished bathing too. Still in a white set of pyjamas, she came straight to Riku's room.
"Sora, this is my room. What happened to knocking?" Riku palmed his forehead.
"Hmph, I'm not knocking," Sora huffed.
Then she walked right up to him.
Fresh from the bath, Sora was stunning, a faint fragrance drifting around her.
"We're sleeping together. No refusing. If you refuse, I'll get mad," she said, entirely unreasonably.
As she spoke, she lay down beside him and hugged him.
"All right, all right." Feeling Sora's softness, Riku nodded.
"Hmph." Sora let out a pleased little sound, rested her head on Riku's chest, listened to his heartbeat, and closed her eyes.
"You're completely defenceless… If I wanted to do something…" Riku murmured, stroking the silver hair of the girl in his arms, then shook his head.
He closed his eyes as well, enjoying a moment's peace.
…
Saturday was a slightly special day for Sora; she and Riku had promised to go on a date.
In a small plaza in Chiba City, Riku, dressed in a white casual spring outfit, stood before a statue, quietly waiting.
They lived together, and yet were meeting like this; it really was a date, wasn't it?
Riku shook his head slightly.
Because Riku's looks and bearing were so far above the norm, plenty of passersby couldn't help looking over. Most of them were women.
Just as men can't help looking at beautiful women, women are the same.
A few minutes later, Sora appeared, drawing gasps from many men.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Riku," Sora said with a beaming smile as she reached him. She smoothly hugged his right arm.
Today, Sora wore the same white one-piece dress as on her first day of school. Her brilliant silver hair fell down her back; at her snow-white neck she wore a silver cross; and, for example, that day she'd worn white over-knee socks, today she had on black pantyhose instead.
The black pantyhose wrapped her slender legs completely, all the way to the hem of her skirt, adding a touch of charm to her pure, saintly air.
"Do I look good?" Sora blinked up at him, eyes full of expectation.
"Very good," Riku answered truthfully. He had to admit Sora was captivating today.
"Good," Sora's lips curled higher; her smile deepened.
Around them, other pedestrians, men and women alike, found themselves looking away. This pair shone too brightly. They gave off the feeling of a golden boy and jade girl made for each other.
"Sora, where did you want to shop?" Riku asked.
"Ugh, a girl gets all dressed up, and you open with 'shopping'? That's the option that tanks your likeability," Sora puffed out her cheeks, annoyed.
"…" Riku was speechless. Sora, you were the one who said you wanted to shop. How did that become the bad-option line?
"Before shopping, obviously, we go play. We've got time," Sora said, practically bouncing.
"Mm. It's eight now, let's eat first. Then the pet store, movie at ten…" She briefly let go of Riku, pulled out her phone, checked the date plan she'd saved, and rattled off the schedule.
"Uh…" Riku looked at Sora in surprise. He hadn't expected the usually lazy Sora to research this much and pack the itinerary so tightly.
"Don't space out, Riku. Let's go. It's a rare date we can't waste it," Sora said, putting her phone away, hugging his arm again, and tugging him forward with a huff.
Riku wisely chose not to dampen her enthusiasm. For instance, by pointing out that she'd said it would be "just shopping."
If he did say it, he'd probably earn a long, frosty side-eye.
According to Sora's plan, Riku first accompanied her to an elegant pastry shop.
"Sora, you're having this much tiramisu in the morning, aren't you worried about putting on weight?" Sitting across from her and eyeing the three slices of tiramisu in front of her, Riku offered a reminder.
"…" At that, Sora, who had just taken a bite and was wearing a blissed-out look, froze, the hand holding her spoon going stiff.
Girls care about their figures. Even a tiny shift on the scale can send them into a tizzy.
Of course, Sora is the type who doesn't gain weight. She snacks constantly and still stays willowy. Shiro's similar. But Sora herself had no such awareness; needled by Riku's mischievous comment, she suddenly got self-conscious.
So she stared, conflicted, at the three tiramisus before her.
Riku could only chuckle and shake his head.
In the end, under his gaze, Sora ate half of each slice and then put her spoon down.
"Sora, don't waste food," Riku said, half-exasperated. "Taking a bite out of every tiramisu, what are you, some kind of serrated critter?"
"Hmph. I was really looking forward to these. Then you had to say that and wreck my mood." Sora huffed, wearing a face that said: It's not my fault, it's yours.
"Okay, okay, my bad. Happy?" Riku rolled his eyes. "If you're done, let's get going."
"No." Sora suddenly turned her head and fixed her eyes on Riku's mouth, and even the other girls in the shop couldn't help sneaking looks over.
"Riku's right wasting is shameful." She then said, very earnestly. "So, Riku, help me finish the rest!"
"Uh…" Riku rubbed his nose, fighting the urge to snark. Sound logic, nothing technically wrong.
But Sora, could you not look at me with those expectant eyes? The pressure…
He laughed helplessly. So she'd eaten half on purpose; this was premeditated.
"Riku, hurry and finish. We've got our next stop," Sora said, cheeks a little pink when she realised he was just staring at her.
"Got it." Riku could only shake his head, pull over Sora's three plates, and polish off the halves in one go. For some reason, it felt…odd.
"Come on, let's hit the pet shop," Sora said, eyes narrowing into happy crescents once he'd finished.
Riku obliged, accompanying her out of the pastry shop.
Since it was their promised date, he planned to indulge Sora's whims today as much as possible.
The pastry-shop proprietress watched the two of them go and could only shake her head. Kids these days really know how to have fun.
The pet store in Chiba's shopping district is fairly famous. Plenty of pet lovers frequent it.
Riku likes animals too; cats and dogs are endearing.
Though in his eyes, cats and dogs… often came with catgirl and doggirl associations.
Thinking of that made him miss Fia and the others.
"Hey, hey, Riku, this kitty is so cute." While Riku was lost in memory, Sora tugged him over to a cage holding a British Shorthair with sleek grey fur, face full of adoration.
"Mm. Not bad," Riku said with a small smile.
Cats are shy; when people crowd in, they tend to curl up in the corner…
But Riku radiated a natural affinity, and the cats meowed at him, acting cutesy.
Any cat lover who saw this would be jealous. Who knows how much work they'd put into building that kind of rapport.
"Riku, they all seem to like you," Sora said, curious.
"Not necessarily, maybe they like you," Riku replied, ruffling Sora's silver hair as she crouched.
"Do they? Meow~" Delighted, Sora extended a white finger through the bars to tease the cat, even making a cute mewling sound.
To be honest, Riku was a little melted by Sora's current vibe.
The British Shorthair hesitated at first at the white fingertip poking into its cage. Then, after a quick, intelligent glance at Riku, it rubbed its face against Sora's finger and gave it a lick in greeting.
That only made Sora happier; she kept "meow meow" -ing as she played with it.
Riku let his eyes roam the shop. All kinds of cats and dogs, hamsters, rabbits there was even a pet snake.
But his gaze finally came to rest on a particularly beautiful snow fox. Generally speaking, "snow fox" refers to the Arctic fox, a species that lives in the far north and doesn't fare well elsewhere.
Its snowy white fur was gorgeous; plenty of rich ladies love coats made from snow-fox pelts.
For a pet shop to have a juvenile snow fox was remarkable.
However, Riku wasn't surprised to see this snow fox thriving in Chiba.
Because she was a yōkai, a fox spirit.
Even as a juvenile yōkai, ending up sold as a pet is a bit too tragic, no?
The little fox in front of him genuinely surprised Riku. She wasn't injured or anything, and even as a youngster, a yōkai shouldn't be capturable by normal humans.
When the snow-fox noticed Riku staring, her body tensed on instinct; she blinked her golden eyes. Had she been found out?
"Little fox, what are you playing at? A yōkai being sold as a pet?" Riku tapped the cage, speaking plainly. "Isn't that a little embarrassing?"
'Huh, he saw through me? But that can't be right; there's no aura of the supernatural on him. Not an onmyōji, not a magus, and no scent of any other race…'
At Riku's words, the snow-fox's eyes widened; she stared at him, dumbfounded.
"How do you know I'm a yōkai?" she finally asked in a small voice. Thankfully, no one else was paying attention; otherwise, someone might've wet themselves.
"Intuition," Riku said with a straight face.
"…Do you take me for an idiot?" Her ears twitched. She sounded scornful.
"Pretty much. I mean, getting yourself caged and sold if that's not idiotic, what is?" Riku teased.
"I wasn't caught! I let myself be caught!" the snow-fox snapped.
"Still sounds like 'caught' to me," Riku said, holding back a laugh. This fox might be a little… airheaded?
"Hmph. If I weren't hiding from someone hunting me down, I wouldn't be here," she sniffed.
She was a rare member of the snow-fox clan, often targeted by other races. She'd been targeted too, by a powerful yōkai.
In the end, she had no choice but to hide here. Mixed in with the smells of other animals, and with her yōki suppressed to the bare minimum, she wouldn't have to worry about being exposed.
Plus, the free room and board were honestly delightful, so the snow-fox hadn't wanted to leave. Compared to her old life, this was paradise.
"You're very forthcoming," Riku deadpanned. As expected, adorably clueless, spilling her life story to a stranger.
"What a hopeless fox-spirit," he added, disdainful.
"Y-you believe it or not, I'll bite you to death!" Being looked down on by a mere human infuriated the little snow-fox; her fur puffed up, and she tried to sound fierce.
But no matter how she snarled, with that cute face, it only made her look more adorable.
"Go ahead, bite me, bite me hard," Riku said, suddenly in the mood to tease. Ever since "training" Gabriel and Kushida, he felt like he'd flipped some strange switch.
"I-I, go away! I don't want to talk to you!" the snow-fox sputtered, glaring and baring tiny fangs before, reluctantly, curling back into a ball.
If she used her yōki, she might draw her pursuer here, then she'd be finished. She couldn't resist that one.
This guy is so infuriating, taking advantage of my situation. Humans really are devious!
Her reaction only amused Riku further. As expected, fox spirits are pretty lovable.
"Riku, what are you looking at?" Sora had noticed him talking to a cage and came over, peering curiously into it.
"Waaah, she's so cute." In an instant, Sora's face lit with affection.
"Sora, I thought you liked rabbits," Riku said, ruffling her silver hair.
"Idiot Riku, liking rabbits doesn't mean I don't like other animals," Sora huffed. "But I still like bunny plushies best."
That line had…issues. Riku could only shake his head, amused.
Poor rabbits, turns out she only "likes" them when they're plushies. She hadn't so much as glanced at the real bunnies yet; it was cats and foxes getting all the attention.
"There, there." Sora slid a finger through the bars, trying to play with the fox like she had with the cats.
Eyeing the snow-white fingertip, the fox cut a glance at Riku. Hmph. If I can't bite you, I can at least bite your girl, right?
She leaned forward…
…and gave the finger a lick.
'Ugh, this girl is too cute. I can't bring myself to bite her.'
The snow-fox pulled back, conflicted. 'Forget it, this lady fox won't pick on innocent human girls!'
"Hey, Riku, can we buy her and take her home as a pet?" Sora asked, delighted, tugging his shoulder and laying on the charm.
"Buy her?" Riku rubbed his chin and looked at the fox, putting on a thinking face. "That's…not a bad idea."
'W-what! I graciously decided not to hold it against you, and you want to buy me as a pet? Humans are heartless!'
'Especially you! You know I'm being hunted and can only stay safe here, in this paradise, no, this safe house, and you want to drag me out? Cold-blooded!'
In an instant, thanks to their exchange, the snow-fox's mental state went supernova.