Emerald King

Naofumi Iwatani for kinged-rp

[yaegashiryu]

a few steps forward || naofumi & shizuku

@shieldprison​

Carefully, Shizuku packed a few dishes into a bento, mostly leftovers from dinner. Now that she knew how her King lived, she wanted to at least make sure he was eating properly. Curry and cup noodles were fine, but he still needed some proper dishes in his diet too. Otto had also raised a good point, even if it had only been his own curiosity, but perhaps now that she’d earned Naofumi’s trust, it would work out. 

She hadn’t quite gotten used to knowing his name yet. He’d tried to tell her before, but his affliction must have obscured it. Even so! He ought to know her name by now! Since she had planned on visiting anyway, it was time to give him a piece of her mind! 

She placed the bento in a bag beside the envelope containing the shop money, and once she’d double checked to make sure she had everything, she left. After all, she could decide her days off when she wanted, right? She followed the now familiar route to the warehouse, feeling strange that the last time she’d been here had been such a mess. But she liked to think at least some progress had been made. 

Glancing around to be sure no one was watching, she easily slipped into the warehouse and shut the door behind her. Hm..should she give him a little surprise? “Naofumi-kun, are you here?” 

She wondered what sort of face he’d make, hearing her call him by his name.

[shieldprison]

He was in the process of doing some work on jewelry, and right now he was mainly manipulating some wire around a fake gemstone, trying to make it look as ornate as possible. When he heard the large warehouse door creak open, he immediately set the item down and jumped to his feet. The warehouse was located in a rather slummy area and all sorts of unsavory folk roamed around. By now, most knew not to mess with the guy who had taken up refuse in the abandoned warehouse, but it was not likely to stop some idiots. Besides, there was always the chance that the police could show up. One could never be too careful. "Shield Prison!" Naofumi visibly glowed in that familiar emerald hue as he called out the name of one of his special moves. He wasn't sure that most King's named their attacks, and he wasn't some shameless chuunibyou, but it did help him focus on moves when he called them out. A transparent green ball engulfed the girl just as she stepped into the room , trapping her in place. It was only a moment after that Naofumi got a good look at her and realized who it was. "Oh, it's just you." The shield prison vanished with a wave of his hand and Naofumi sighed. "Don't surprise me like that." He felt as though he also vaguely remembered his name being called which only added on to his anxiety, but maybe it was just his imagination after all. 

"Next time knock." He folded his arms across his chest, narrowing his eyes at her. "So? What do you want?" He really didn’t mean to sound so prickly with her, but he was still understandably stressed at the whole ordeal, especially given that he assumed someone had come to stir up trouble. 

[shieldprison]

bloodhorned​:

Prank Call // Power & Naofumi

Your phone rings. It doesn’t matter if you decide to ignore it because it will ring. Endlessly. Forever. This girl has a lot of time on her hands and she spends none of it productively. 

When you finally decide to pick up a voice on the other end shouts.

“HEY!! IS YOUR REFRIGERATOR RUNNING!?”

Naofumi didn’t own a phone. When he first went into hiding it was the first thing he had discarded. The internet left traces and who knew what other methods could be used to track him down. It was better to be safe than sorry. However..

Now that he was visiting the Emerald Moon store on some business, the phone had begun ringing nonstop. Shizuku had stepped out to do something and now he was just loitering around while the ringing grew ever increasingly annoying. With a huge sigh, Naofumi relented and picked up the phone only to have someone scream into his ear. 

This was obviously some kind of prank call. What a cliche line to use to. Without even dignifying the caller with a response he simply hung up the phone. 

[shieldprison]

Help Wanted - Naofumi & Tenka

He was green, like an emerald.

No, they were green. 

This was the power of a King? Despite her body being enveloped in what she now knew to be his light, she felt fairly normal. Besides the fact that she was glowing, and something about it made her feel more…powerful? But that was likely her mind playing tricks on her, right? Nothing could make someone like Tenka powerful. Not even shared power from a king. 

Even as Tenka was trying to get a grasp on whatever her new abilities meant, her king had no interest in showing her the ropes. It was straight to the work that she had agreed to do, and it seemed like she wasn’t even supposed to see him again until everything was sold. “U-um…King…san” She took the bag with care not to crush anything inside, looking at it curiously before looking back up to him. She didn’t even know his name.

And she was far too awkward of a person to ask him. She couldn’t ask someone who made such scary faces a question like that, even if she had just become a clansmen. She could however, ask him for a specific place of jewelry since he had offered that. If she didn’t do it now, she probably would never ask him. “I-if you could make a pendant to look like him,” she began, holding up her PDA to show off her case, which depicted a cute, round, devil mascot type character. “…then Tenka would be grateful…” She trailed off, fiddling with her fingers as she averted her gaze. 

There was no way he’d do something like that, even if he had offered! It had been stupid to even ask.

Naofumi blinked, his emerald eyes glancing over at her PDA to carefully memorize the character she showed to him. “A pendant, huh..” Mostly he tended to work on items involving jewels or gems, but lately he was trying to get into something more detailed. Among the things he was doing was practicing creating a simple representation of his Sword of Damocles. Well it was fairly simplistic in design so he could probably handle it without too much trouble.

Naofumi dug into the pocket of his green hoodie and pulled out his phone, holding it up and positioning it so that the mascot was clearly within frame and snapped the picture. This way he would have a reference to refer to in case he forgot. “Got it. I’ll try to have it ready the next time you drop by.” Well, he doubted she’d show up tomorrow so he figured he had plenty of time to work with. 

The male slipped his phone back into his pocket and then gazed at the girl who stood timidly before him. He lowered his head and sighed, closing his eyes as he lightly waved her off. “If that’s everything you can go.” He wasn’t trying to get rid of her, but in his own strange way being considerate, unsure if she knew what to do or was waiting for permission to leave regardless. 

He had no reason to stay where he was but decided to wait until she had moved away. It was like trying to move slowly or carefully for a skittish animal. The last thing he needed to do was set her off and have her screaming or set off those weird plants again. They had come seemingly out of nowhere so he deduced they were probably an ability of hers. He didn’t care enough to ask though so he didn’t. 

[shieldprison]

sanctuary || naofumi & shizuku

He’d said he was fine…but something about the way he’d said it made her think differently. It had to be unsettling, right? Even if he’d wanted to disappear… had she been imagining the small hint of relief that she could still communicate with him? Still, he didn’t seem to want to get into it, so she didn’t say anything more than that, murmuring a small “okay” as he left. The door suddenly opening and shutting was definitely jarring, as if the building were haunted, but she knew better. If he was a ghost, she wouldn’t have felt a solid torso against her hand. 

Her cheeks flushed at the memory and she hurriedly shook her head to rid herself of the thought. She let out a deep sigh, not for the first time wondering what she should do to pass the time until he returned. There was more exercise, of course, or a game on her phone–but she needed to conserve whatever battery was left in case she had to stay longer. 

As her gaze fell on the remaining ingredients of what she’d used last night to make dinner, she smiled to herself. Surely, there was something she could make with this. If he was feeling rattled by the situation, perhaps a home cooked meal would be soothing? Granted, it’d certainly take a bit of fine tuning to cook with the limited tools and ingredients available but she had plenty of time to figure it out. 

First thing’s first was making a broth, which was easy enough with all the instant ramen. There were plenty of things she could do to add a little more oomph to the cup noodles, especially with what was available to her. The noodles she’d chosen came with a spicy beef flavor, so that was what she used as the base, then she added some green onions. Finally, when she had everything to the desired taste, she added both noodles into the pot to let them cook and absorb the flavor of the broth.

He’d eaten last night’s dinner so enthusiastically, she hoped he’d like this too—wait. She remembered! Relief flooded through her and she smiled softly. “He must have found her,” she murmured. Unless things had simply worn off..? But no sooner than that, she heard the warehouse door open and whirled, all too relieved to see him once more. 

She greeted him with a bright smile, her head slightly tilted as she spoke. “Welcome back, King-san! Dinner’s almost ready!”

The familiar creaking of the large warehouse door as he pushed the heavy door forward had alerted his clansman to his presence and she greeted him, just as she had always done. He stood there and blinked, letting the door fall shut behind him. It was possible she hadn’t seen him, but just to be sure he kept his expressionless gaze planted on her as he thought about all kinds of things. Instead, the male was met with her curious gaze, her red eyes fixed on his emerald ones. 

“I’m guessing you can see me now.” He walked forward towards her and noted the ways her eyes followed him as he did so, confirming his suspicions. He heaved a shallow sigh of relief, as if expelling all the weight that had accumulated on his shoulders and burdening his heart, the build up of the last few days. He looked beyond her and at the food that she was preparing, his brow raised.

“What are you.. my mother?” Though there was a bit of an uncomfortable pang in his heart as he spoke this and his expression turned wistful. He hadn’t seen nor heard from his parents in such a long time. His forlorn gaze wandered downwards and he was thankful she could no longer read his thoughts anymore. What a relief. 

“You don’t have to stay here anymore.” Now that things were back to normal with him as well as her she needn’t have stayed. He knew this wasn’t the most luxurious of places to live in. There’s no way sleeping in that old, beat up recliner was comfortable either. Though on the subject of sleep, the past few days he’d been extremely busy. His mind had been so jumbled up, focused on the subject of his own erasure that he hadn’t slept well. Despite not having slept well, he still maintained the search and scoured the streets of Shizume endlessly for hours without pause or rest. 

The finality of the situation had caught up with him and his muscles relaxed, his eyelids drooping. Was it relief or fatigue? Maybe a combination of both. He was probably going to hit the ground hard but his body had already shut down on him and he fell forward, crashing right into his clansman. His breathing was steady, as was the rise and fall of his chest as he slept soundly for the first time in days. 

[shieldprison]

sanctuary || naofumi & shizuku

It didn’t seem to bother him any, so maybe he didn’t think anything of it. Then again, she couldn’t see his face so she had no idea if he was really as unbothered as he looked. Well, if he really wasn’t that concerned about it, she’d try not to dwell on it herself. But at the very least, his existence had been confirmed and a way to communicate had been established. That was step one she supposed. 

“I thought maybe it’d wear off by morning, but now I’m glad it hasn’t,” she remarked. “I’d never have known otherwise if I hadn’t heard your thoughts.” Either way, the one behind it was that crepe seller. If she could be found, then everything would go back to normal, right? She hoped her memory would return soon..

She blinked as he spoke his name, but she couldn’t understand just what it was he was trying to say. She furrowed her brows, wondering if it had something to do with why she couldn’t see him or hear him speak normally, and why he was missing from her memory entirely. A complete erasure of his identity….it was pretty unsettling when she thought about it that way. “I’m sorry,” she began, “for some reason, I can’t understand what you’re trying to say. It’s strange. I can hear all of your other thoughts clearly, but it’s like your name itself is being obscured..” she frowned slightly. “I suppose I’ll stick to King-san for now…You can tell me again when this is settled,” she added with a small smile. 

Though she knew he had a point, it still left a sour taste in her mouth. She wouldn’t be much use if the rampant thoughts of others were rattling around in her mind and making it hard for her to think or focus on anything. This must have been how she spent her days hiding out here, waiting for him to come back each time…but there was something more pressing on her mind.

“Before you go…are you holding up alright?” she asked. “This all seems like it’d be really unsettling for a person to go through, especially with your own clansman unable to remember or see you..”

I see.. That was all Naofumi could respond with. When he spoke his name he could hear it.. Well, he guessed he couldn’t forget his own existence. In a way it made sense. Both that she couldn’t hear his name while he still could. Then again it wasn’t as though he’d ever really told her what his name was so it was fine. 

He turned his back on her and started for the door but then stopped abruptly, glancing over his shoulder at her as she spoke. He tried not to think about how he was feeling given that she’d be able to read his thoughts but all he responded with was a curt I’m fine. He wasn’t exactly despairing over it even though it had been slightly unsettling at first. Besides, it afforded him the freedom to wander at his leisure now. 

I’ll be back. Or rather he wouldn’t return until this was settled. With his resolve renewed he opened the large, creaky warehouse door and exited. It must have been jarring for his clansman to see the door open and shut without actually seeing him do it. He soon banished the thought as he wandered back into town. 

After several hours of wandering, Naofumi reluctantly dragged himself back to the plaza where he’d originally encountered the crepe seller. Much to his surprise was the copious amount of men and women loitering around the area, each one of them donning the familiar blue uniform of Scepter 4. Naofumi stopped dead in his tracks, mouth agape. Of course! It was Scepter 4′s job to investigate things like this! If only they had sooner brought it to their attention.. 

Well, Naofumi couldn’t exactly be sure if that’s what they were currently doing. Ignoring the fact that they were standing guard at the perimeter, Naofumi moved past them, knowing that they couldn’t see him anyways. He actually didn’t get very far. 

“Excuse me, sir. But this area is being cordoned off. We ask that you please leave the area.”

Naofumi blinked dumbly for a moment, his mouth agape. “Are you.. talking to me?” The Scepter 4 grunt matched Naofumi’s confusion with his own. 

“Yes? You in the green hoodie.”

Naofumi could only stand there in shock. Either Scepter 4 was somehow immune to the abilities of this crepe seller or.. Emerald eyes moved past the man in blue towards the back where an empty cart stood. That vibrant red banner.. he recognized it instantly. It was the same one that damned woman had used. Had they managed to capture her after all?

“Sir, please.”

Without a word, Naofumi drew his hood over his eyes. He hadn’t felt the need to do it lately given that people hadn’t been able to see him, but if they could now.. Right. I need to return. With that thought in mind, Naofumi obeyed the command of the man in blue and left the plaza and headed back to the warehouse. If others could interact with him then maybe she...

[shieldprison]

sanctuary || naofumi & shizuku

It seemed like he’d picked up on it, as his voice rang out in her head once more. She felt a little relieved at that. Of course, an ordinary person might think they were going crazy. But she at least trusted something she’d written herself, something she remembered doing, to a point. That at least gave them a starting point, perhaps to get this solved. She didn’t think she liked the knowledge that there was something missing from her memories. 

She blinked as his thoughts rang in her head once more, indicating he was close by. It felt a bit surreal, and she couldn’t help but think it sounded like something out of an anime. Kaori would probably like it, come to think of it. Supernatural shoujos were a thing, after all. She took a deep breath and nodded, steeling herself. 

Slowly, she extended her hand in front of her and reached out for him, not entirely sure what to expect. Almost abruptly, her hand bumped into something solid, and she could feel the texture of a hoodie beneath her fingertips. Her eyes widened, her lips parting in surprise. 

“This is surreal,” she murmured, before her lips pulled into a smile. That meant he was real, at least. “Well, even if I can’t remember you, I’m not the type that would abandon someone I call a King.” Thank goodness she’d written that note. 

She paused, however, remembering her hand was still very much pressed to his chest and yanked it back as color rushed to her face. “A-ah, s-sorry…”

Naofumi registered the contact of Shizuku’s hand pressed against his chest and noted the look of surprise that laced her features. It confirmed that others could touch him and not just the other way around. It’s fine. I was the one that told you to do it. He shrugged off her apology as nonchalant as ever and tried to her his thoughts in order.

They could communicate and even have physical contact.. But if he was forgotten and his existence erased, he wondered what would happen if he tried to tell her his name. He figured since she already knew of his past, or at least she had before her memories were wiped it would be fine to tell her. Not only that since everyone had forgotten about him he didn’t see the harm in it.

My name is N̸̥̓̾͆a̵̦͈̣̼͎̒̈̈̽̃̚͝͝ö̷͇̳̣̞́̃͊̔f̸̧̟͙͈̬͔͖͚͓̓͊̔͗̉͐̈́ú̶̖̇̚m̸͍̙̟͎̋̽̃̔ȉ̶̡̧̧͉͍̯̰̈́̌̏̀̇́͗̋ ̶̮̺͔̖̣͚͋̀̈́͑͑͑̓I̷̝̣͍̾̋̿̓͛͜͝͝w̸̲͍̙͂̉̄͋̕͘͝á̶͓̼̟̙̩̞̳̜̚t̵̡̨̧̫͕͓͕̺̤̄͠a̵̛̯͉͕͇̖̼̔̎ͅn̶̢̧̜͔̝͈̯̿̒ͅi̴̢̼͙̺͈̟̖̺̾́̅͊.

To him it sounded perfectly normal in his head, but for her it was as if he were suddenly talking to her through a distorted walkie talkie. No matter how many times he tried to repeat it the result was the same, unbeknownst to him. In the meantime, you should stay here.. I’ll continue to search for that damn woman.

[shieldprison]

sanctuary || naofumi & shizuku

The voice ringing in her head startled her and she jerked her head up, blinking. Somehow, it lined up with the note on her phone. She definitely remembered typing something up last night before she went to bed but it seemed strange reading it back now. She thought she’d been alone but considering someone else’s thoughts were present in her head…something was definitely going on here.

She furrowed her brows, looking around the warehouse. Something about the voice sounded…sad, and resigned. Unless she was reading too much into it..? But the note did mention she had a King, and not to abandon him. Did that have something to do with this..? Suddenly, she almost felt grateful that she could still hear his thoughts, if that was the case. Some clansman she was, forgetting about her King…though try as she might, she still drew a blank.

“You’re here, aren’t you?” she asked, not sure where exactly she should look. It was strange to know she wasn’t alone, but being unable to see the other person. Or even remotely sense their presence. “…I’m sorry I don’t remember you,” it felt important for her to say that, at the very least. Even if she’d forgotten, she was the type of person who’d feel bad for something like that. “You’re my King, aren’t you? I…left myself a note..” It felt strange saying that, but perhaps she’d still remembered him last night. What a funny thing to wake up one morning and suddenly all traces of a person were gone from your memory.

“I can’t see you, so I don’t know where you are but…I can still hear your thoughts.” That meant they could communicate, at least, right? Really, that crepe seller must have liked interfering in people’s lives too much. How was this supposed to help anything? Well, at least hers was useful right now. But…knowing someone else was there did at least explain the ramen bowl and why it had been there waiting for her.

He must be a kind King, whoever he is, she thought. “Ahh…seriously, if I ever see another crepe, it’ll be too soon. I’d really like to give her a piece of my mind…”

Naofumi blinked, hearing his clansman speak the first line but having not paid attention he wasn’t quite sure what she said as it drew him from out of his thoughts. Here he was thinking about just taking a nap but she was suddenly speaking. Was she on the phone? But the more she spoke the more he connected the dots and immediately sat up, a look of surprise on his features, even if she couldn’t see it. 

The male cupped his chin in thought. That’s right.. She can probably still hear my thoughts.. He hadn’t even considered that. So even though he became invisible and everyone forgot about him there were still some things that hadn’t changed. He could still interact with the environment and now she’d confirmed she could hear him at least through his thoughts. Interesting..

Naofumi got to his feet and then walked over to her then stood directly in front of her. I’m right here. He thought and then stretched out his hand to touch her but then retracted it, deciding against it. It would probably only end up spooking her anyways. Though he wondered if she tried interacting with him if it would work? Try reaching out. 

[shieldprison]

sanctuary || naofumi & shizuku

Slowly, the smell of noodles roused her from her sleep. It felt like she’d had a strange dream, but her mind had already pushed it away. She yawned and stretched out her limbs slowly. Blinking blearily, her surroundings came into focus and she sighed. She was still in that abandoned warehouse, which meant she was still suffering because of that stupid crepe. She grimaced and rubbed her face before blinking at the noodle bowl. Her brows furrowed at the sight, slowly moving to pick it up. It was still warm..

“Did I make it and fall asleep again..?” she murmured. “That was irresponsible..” Though it wasn’t like it would cause any harm. Not like leaving the hot plate on or anything. With a sigh, she began to eat, blowing carefully to make sure she didn’t burn her mouth or anything. The taste was alright, but it felt like she’d been eating it for days now. The grogginess began to fade as she ate, slowly waking up more. 

The gears of her mind were turning, wondering just how much longer she’d have to stay here. Maybe she should actually try testing it out today. Each time she’d thought about it before, she’d hesitated. Then again, it had been overwhelming…But she’d still have to go out at some point. A content sigh left her lips as she finished her meal, and she stood to toss away her garbage. Yet not once had she even looked at or noticed her King.

With that taken care of, she rolled her shoulders and searched for the metal pipe she’d used in place of her sword to practice with, and once more started on her usual exercise routine. Exhaling carefully as she swung the pipe in powerful, precise strikes until she was satisfied and nodded to herself.

“…I should see if I’m still hearing thoughts,” she murmured. “I can’t hide here forever.” Her family was probably worried, right? Maybe she should text them again, just to let them know.. Patting her pockets, she realized she must have left her phone in the chair. Walking back over, she searched through the blanket until she found it and unlocked it, though she paused when it opened to a strange note.

“…Huh…?”

“Hey.”

No response.

“Oi.”

Nothing.

“... Number One.”

Not even the bat of an eyelash.

Naofumi hung his head and sighed. Just as he suspected, Shizuku couldn’t hear him or see him. The entire time she ate her breakfast he’d been trying to get her attention but his endeavors remained fruitless. So even clansman aren’t spared.. Huh.. He guessed that that crepe seller had been pretty thorough in that regard.

Well, there really wasn’t much else he could do. He guessed he was stuck like this. Probably forever. Maybe this is for the best.. No one will bother me. With those thoughts in mind he plopped back down on his futon and laid there, staring up at the ceiling. 

[shieldprison]

sanctuary || naofumi & shizuku

Well, that was the sort of response she’d expected, honestly, given what he’d said to her at their first meeting. Luckily, she had no plans of betraying him. She didn’t leave things halfway. She said she’d help him, and she had every intention of doing that. “I just wish I could help you search…If we both searched, we could cover more ground.” But if anything, she’d have to stick to the emptiest areas of the city, which…there honestly weren’t very many. “I’m sure there will be some sign eventually. She couldn’t have just vanished without some sort of trace.”

They’d just have to wait it out, she supposed, if he couldn’t find her. They wouldn’t really have much of a choice. She just hoped it would be resolved before they found out if she really couldn’t resist his affliction. 

Still, she waited, a smile on her lips as he began to eat, curious to see his reaction. He’d looked surprised at first, but she hoped the taste was alright. And moments later, the confirmation rang in her head. Her smile softened and she turned to her own bowl, letting out a content sigh as she began to eat. It felt good knowing that someone liked something you’d made, and honestly, this was probably the first time she’d cooked for a guy. That felt like some sort of achievement, especially since it was only yesterday he’d been so suspicious of her wanting to cook for him, and now there he was, wolfing it down like he’d been starved. She was even more delighted when he went back for seconds.

“I’m glad you like it,” she smiled, continuing to eat her own share. It really was good, despite how it had been sort of a challenge to make, but she was pleased it had turned out so well. Her mission had been accomplished, and seeing how eagerly he devoured his food, she quietly resolved to bring more food by. After all, curry and instant noodles weren’t exactly the best food to live off of. At the very least, she could make sure he had proper meals. As his first clansman, she’d make that one of her jobs. 

When she finished, she paused as he spoke, drawing her attention. “Oh, so that’s what you were doing earlier,” she noted, before nodding. “I’ll be sure to take them with me when this is all settled.” She was sure they’d sell quickly. His craftsmanship really was something to be commended. She watched as he got up, moving to lay down and she did her best to hide a giggle at the last thought that popped into her mind before he knocked out. “If you ate too much, that just means it was that good, which means I did my job right,” she smiled to herself.

Carefully, she pulled the blanket over him, making sure the motion didn’t wake him before smiling softly. “Sleep well, King-san,” she murmured softly before retreating to clean up everything and put it away. When she was finished with that, she settled back down in the recliner, pausing for a moment before she pulled out her phone and opened a note app. Despite the light mood of the night, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to happen. She didn’t know if it was good or bad yet, but she reasoned it was best to play it safe, and so she wrote herself a note. In the event she did forget about him, if she read this, she would at least know that he was her King, and to make sure she didn’t abandon him.

Finally, her eyelids grew too heavy, and she too slipped into sleep.

Naofumi awoke that morning thanks to the sun blinding his eyes through his eyelids. He blinked blearily and sat up, the blanket falling off of him and onto his lap. He blinked at it, confused, since he didn’t remember putting a blanket on and then looked over suspiciously to where Shizuku lay. Right, she’s still here..

He climbed out of the futon and stretched, letting out a yawn, and then rolled his stiff shoulders. Shizuku appeared to still be sleeping so he decided he’d just start on breakfast. She couldn’t complain this time if she was still out of it, and he was hungry now. Though, he didn’t have any ingredients for a proper breakfast as usual, so it was the same old instant noodle bowels he’d grown accustomed to. 

Naofumi grabbed two of the bowls, peeling back the lid and then worked on boiling the water, then poured the steaming, hot water into the bowls, pulled the lid back on as best as he could then set one down in front of his sleeping clansman, complete with her own set of chopsticks and then got to work devouring his own. Honestly, he was sick of the taste of these but beggars couldn’t be choosers. As long as it quelled his empty belly that was all that mattered. 

He finished up the bowl and then tossed it in the trash, blinking at the female passed out on the recliner. He was surprised she was still sleeping. He hadn’t cared whether he was quiet or not so it’s not as though he hadn’t been loud at certain times.. At least the smell of the noodles should be enough to rouse her, right..? Normally he wouldn’t have cared and let her sleep but for some reason he just watched her, brows furrowed. He couldn’t seem to escape this nagging feeling that maybe when she woke up she wouldn’t acknowledge his presence like most of the people in town had done.

[shieldprison]

sanctuary || naofumi & shizuku

“Hm..” she frowned slightly at his answer. Worse today? She wondered if he felt disconcerted with the idea of being forgotten now that it was happening. Granted, she was pretty sure both of them thought nothing of telling that crepe seller their worries. It wasn’t like they’d expected this to happen, though it wasn’t a relief at all. Not entirely, at least. In a way, it had helped her, but what did his mean for the two of them? It hadn’t affected her yet, so she hoped there was some way she could keep it from doing so. She didn’t like the idea of forgetting him, now that they’d come this far. 

“You don’t think she skipped town, do you?” she asked over her shoulder, making sure she washed her hands before she got to work. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised to see more curry ingredients, but there were some other things she’d be able to work with. It might not be exactly the same but she was reasonably confident she could make her idea work. 

She almost laughed at his thoughts that came her way, wondering if he was just really hungry or trying to cover up his true thoughts. “King-san, you must really like curry,” she noted, amused. She got to work, deciding to use the curry to make a sauce for the meat he’d bought. Then she’d cook it in the pan like a stir fry and add in some chopped vegetables. While that began to sizzle, she prepared the rice and let it cook while she made sure nothing was burning. She made sure to leave enough curry sauce set side in case he wanted to pour it over the top of the meal.

Once everything had finished cooking, she carefully served it in the same bowls they’d used the previous night. and observed her handiwork. Well, it was the best she could do for now. “Alright, King-san. It’s ready. There’s enough for seconds if you want more too.”

“It doesn’t matter if she wandered into Hell, I’d drag her ass back out and make her pay.” They were incredibly harsh words but said so nonchalantly with just a bit of a biting tone to show his displeasure. God help that woman if Naofumi got a hold of her. Seriously, she’d done nothing but cause problems for others. “I haven’t given up. I’ll try again tomorrow and expand my search.”

With that welcome distraction, Naofumi rested his head back against the chair and sighed. The scent of curry wafted through and unsettled his already empty belly. Well, it was just curry so he wasn’t really expecting much. “It’s inexpensive and simple to make.” he replied, but yeah.. He did really like curry. Though these days he wished for a bit more variety. Not much one can do with only one hot plate and no refrigerator.

As Shizuku finished with the meal and set that all too familiar bowl down in front of him, he received it with a look of astonishment. It was the curry he always got but she’d somehow made it just a little different. Naofumi stabbed his chopsticks into the meal and took a bite, no longer worried about it being poisoned like he used to be. It’s good.. he thought, as he shoveled more and more of it into his mouth. 

Once he’d finished with the bowl he climbed up out of the chair and went back for seconds, surprising even himself. Once more he climbed back into the recliner and devoured that bowl too. Naofumi sighed in content, his stomach now full and happy. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, his head tilted back on the chair. He then sat up and looked at his clansman seriously, pointing to the back where he’d been working just hours before his departure.

“I made more so you can restock the store.” Though he said this, he didn’t expect her to take it now and return, especially not when she still couldn’t deal with others thoughts. Honestly, the reason he’d made so much was that in the chance she forgot about him, she could still take the accessories and sell them off for money. If Naofumi’s existence became completely erased, he more than likely would have no need for the money. At the very least, he could still hunt down the damned crepe seller.

Though with that said, Naofumi covered his mouth, stifling a yawn and then got up from the recliner so that Shizuku had access to her bed and then crawled into the futon on the floor. He tried to fend off sleep but found it harder than usual this time to. Damn.. Ate too much.. He thought of that as the reason and then quickly drifted off to sleep, completely forgetting to cover himself with the blanket.

[shieldprison]

sanctuary || naofumi & shizuku

Shizuku ate quietly, wondering how she could get in contact with that woman again. Hopefully she hadn’t been by the shop while she wasn’t there. She’d just have to believe this would get sorted out soon, or she learned how to block it out, whichever happened first. Blinking, she looked up at him as he spoke. “Ah…It’s not that I’m resigned to it, it’s just that as of right now..if I can’t find a way to deal with it until it’s fixed, there isn’t much I can do, and for every day I can’t go in pubic, that’s another day the shop is closed..” She also didn’t want anyone to worry about her, but she wasn’t sure how to explain what happened to her family.

Still, he was trying to fix it, whether it was for his own benefit or hers, she couldn’t be sure, but she did suspect it was probably a mixture of the two. Definitely a tsundere. She was glad that she had a mouthful of food to focus on, to keep her from laughing at the thought. “I appreciate it though. I’m just…I wish there was more I could do to help right now.” If she could at least aid in the search, then perhaps they stood a better chance of finding her. 

He finished his food, and left her to finish her own in silence. She was grateful for it though, in a way, since he kept his thoughts silent, it meant there were no other thoughts bouncing around in her mind. Though she did wonder what she ought to do today. Perhaps she should have asked for a book last night…That would at least give her something to do.. Sighing softly, she reasoned the best thing to do was to at least try to follow her usual routine as closely as she could.

In the end, she simply resorted to training, after finding a short pipe of a similar weight to her sword lying on the ground. At least being active helped her stay busy, though she also did her part to stay as quiet as she could so she didn’t disturb him. After she reasoned she’d done enough of that, she realized he was speaking. “…Please don’t..” she grimaced at the idea of him taking the woman’s head, though the absurdity of it almost made her laugh. 

Time passed almost too slowly, and when she heard the door open, she blinked groggily, realizing she’d fallen asleep while playing a game on her phone. “Ah, welcome back,” she greeted on instinct, rising to her feet and following after him, ready to help put away the items he’d retrieved. As he spoke, a bright grin pulled at her lips.

“Yes! Leave it to me, King-san! I’ll turn this into something delicious, so please take a seat and relax!” she declared, clenching her fist. Finally, she’d have her chance to at least make a start on repaying his kindness…though she was surprised he’d bothered to remember that. Maybe they were making progress after all. 

“Judging from the lack of a woman’s head, I assume you didn’t find her again..?” she asked as she began to look through the food he’d brought, planning what she was going to make and just how she was going to do it.

That seemed to make her happy, so at least he’d avoided another confrontation over menial things. Nodding his head as though he approved of the outcome, Naofumi sank exhaustedly onto the cushiony, reclining chair that had become Shizuku’s bed, reasoning that since he’d been out and about that he deserved to rest on something comfy while she cooked. He removed the green hood from his head and brushed a hand through his jet black hair, smoothing it out although each piece stuck out once again as if resigned to their messy, assigned positions. 

“I didn’t.” he replied gruffly. He hated that she stated the obvious, but figured it was her own way of not only stirring up conversation but also to garner more information. “In fact.. It seemed worse today.” He didn’t feel the need to elaborate on just what he meant by that, but he could remember how hardly anyone seemed to react to him, almost as though the world was rapidly forgetting his existence. It was strange how he’d laughed it off in the beginning, but it was now starting to take it’s toll on him and he wouldn’t admit to the relief he felt when he returned and had his existence acknowledged by his clansmen. 

Just how much time was left before it effected her as well? He wouldn’t be surprised if it was as soon as tomorrow, but definitely soon. He lapsed into quiet and tried to still his thoughts from leaking out so that the female didn’t get a read on them. Instead he busied himself with thoughts of dinner.

[shieldprison]

sanctuary || naofumi & shizuku

Her eyes widened slightly, not expecting the words that left his mouth…until they were followed up with what she’d usually expect from him. Ah, wait. This was….He was a real life tsundere, wasn’t he? …Her life would never know peace again after stupidly helping Kaori to watch all that anime and read all those manga just to get closer to her crush. Now she had all this knowledge in her head and it wouldn’t leave. Though she supposed it was a little funny to acknowledge he was a tsundere.

“Of course,” she nodded. She absolutely wasn’t going to point out his tsundere tendencies, especially when he’d gone out of his way to give her food and let her spend the night here. Though there was no telling just how long she’d have to wait before she could venture into public again. “I’ve got to follow up with that heiress about the gems, after all.” She wasn’t going to let that opportunity slip past now that he’d expressed interest in the deal. 

There was a small victory though, in him telling her to do as she liked. She smiled, stirring her noodles with her own pair of chopsticks. “Very well then, I’ll do just that,” she remarked. “Either when I get better, or perhaps I can see what I’d be able to make here with what’s available..” Well, there’d be plenty of time to worry about that later. 

Her heart sank though, hearing he’d been unable to find her, the mysterious woman responsible for the current state of things. To have disappeared and have no one even know a thing about her… “Just who in the world is she?” she murmured, furrowing her brows as she raised some noodles to her lips, blowing gently. “Surely, there’s no way she just disappeared into thin air..” Even for Strains, there still ought to be some sort of trail they could follow..

“I tried to see if meditation would help with my..issue. If I could settle my mind, I thought perhaps I’d be able to block everyone’s thoughts out. Or at least, perhaps the majority..” she continued, pausing to eat. “But I suppose it didn’t make much sense to try it here, where there really aren’t many people around..”

“Un.” He nodded in affirmation at her resolve to better the business. After all, if they could score a good deal it wasn’t only good for Naofumi but for her as well. It was strange to think that some things were looking up despite.. Wait, if things continued as they were he’d be completely forgotten wouldn’t he? In that case..

Without trying to think of what he was planning to do so that Shizuku wouldn’t get a read on it, he simply finished up his noodles and listened to his clansman continue on. Naofumi sighed as he placed his chopsticks on top of the now empty disposable bowl. “Why are you resigned to this? I’ll find her and make her fix it.” He said that as if it was the most obvious and simplest thing in the world. It wasn’t that he thought it was so easy but he knew once he got a hold of this woman he’d make her regret ever messing with them. Although being forgotten, still.. He couldn’t quite say if he was still opposed to it or not. 

With that out of the way, Naofumi rose to his feet and threw the empty bowl and used chopsticks into a trash bag and then headed into the back where his tools and materials were. He didn’t exactly have a lot, but.. He’d work on what he could for the next few hours before he headed out. One might wonder what the point of continuing to work on them would be if he could now just walk into a store and take what he wanted but it wasn’t exactly for him. 

He kept his thoughts silent as he focused completely on his work and after a few hours he had completed quite a haul of accessories, all of his material’s now completely eaten up. Though he supposed he could just steal more later. If it happened that they couldn’t find that woman again, at least he knew he could still interact with the world around him. He’d just be little more than a ghost at that point. 

“Alright, I’m heading out. I’ll come back later with food and that woman’s head.” Saying this, Naofumi lifted the hood of his green sweater and brought it down over his messy hair, obscuring his emerald eyes from view and then once more headed out into the town. 

It was once again several hours later when Naofumi returned, the sky now dark. The warehouse door creaked and groaned as he pushed then pulled it shut behind him and he approached the area he’d deemed his kitchen and set the bags he was holding down. “Here. You wanted to cook, right?” It wasn’t like he was being considerate.. he just knew that she’d probably pout again if he started to do it himself once more.

[shieldprison]

sanctuary || naofumi & shizuku

Oh, he had been sleeping. She felt a bit guilty waking him up, wondering if she should have just gone ahead with her task. But his already messy hair was sticking up in just about every direction, his eyes barely open. It was honestly cute, a totally different look compared to the usual grumpy expression he wore. Though she now understood why he acted that way, it still caught her off guard and her cheeks flushed at the way her heart skipped a beat. Was he beginning to let down his guard around her..? She hoped so…At the very least, he deserved one person on his side. 

But then he got up and made his way over to begin preparing their breakfast himself and she paused, furrowing her brows as she watched him before looking down at the noodle bowl as she accepted it, a slight pout forming on her lips. “…I was going to make breakfast for you,” she murmured. “I wanted to thank you somehow, since I caused so much trouble yesterday..”

Well, there was always next time. Perhaps when this affliction was lifted, she’d be able to cook a proper meal. Well, he still hadn’t told her what he liked, but given the fact he was living like this, maybe he wasn’t a picky eater. Well, that’d make things easy then, if she could just cook whatever she felt like. At least, something that wasn’t instant ramen, though the curry had been delicious too. 

She clenched her fist, her mind made up. “Instead, I’ll bring you something…when I can walk in public again..” Or she supposed he could just go buy whatever, and she’d try to make something decent here? That could work, actually. But that did beg the question… “How did the search go yesterday..?”

While Naofumi waited for his noodles to cool down, he glanced over at Shizuku who spoke, a pout twisting her features, though he couldn’t understand why even when she explained why. How was he supposed to know what she wanted to do? He wasn’t a mind reader. Wow, the irony of that mental statement. Though when he stopped to think about it had she really been that much trouble? Other than her just being there there really hadn’t been too big a divergence in what he normally did.. Other than the fact that instead of working he had been out wandering the city. 

“It’s not a big deal. All that matters is that you get better. You can’t work properly in this state.” For a moment it probably sounded like he was about to say something nice, but then as usual his true intentions only muddied it up. Well, he wasn’t the type to beat around the bush and he especially had no sense of delicacy these days. 

That again.. Why did it matter if she repaid him? He couldn’t fathom it so he sighed, peeling the lid off his bowl and then stabbing his chopsticks in it. “Do what you want..” he mumbled, swirling the chopsticks around so that the noodles looped around it. He brought them to his lips and blew until the steam had gone down a bit and then chewed and swallowed them. 

At her inquiry to his search, Naofumi’s expression turned grim. He placed the bowl down, his emerald eyes staring into the noodles but seeing nothing. “I couldn’t find her. No one else knew anything about her either.” He wasn’t even going to mention the fact that half the people he had interrogated didn’t even react to him like he wasn’t there. Much like the clerk at the convenience store he frequented. Besides, Shizuku had enough on her plate to worry about. 

“I’ll try again later..” he mumbled it more to himself than to her and once again dug into his noodles. 

[shieldprison]

sanctuary || naofumi & shizuku

She wasn’t sure when exactly she’d fallen asleep in the chair, but she definitely didn’t remember having a blanket. She shifted slightly, stretching out her limbs slowly, wincing at the stiffness from being curled up for so long. She rubbed her eyes, taking in her surroundings. For a moment, in the blurry haze of waking up, she’d been confused as to where she was. It certainly wasn’t her room above the shop, but as her vision cleared and began to adjust, she recognized the warehouse. 

The events of last night came rushing back and she pressed her hands to her face. Her body had moved on instinct before she could stop herself, but just hugging him out of the blue like that was a little embarrassing. Come to think of it, she wondered if his search had yielded any results. Hopefully there was some way to nullify their afflictions. She was beginning to wonder if she’d have to learn to live with hearing everyone’s thoughts…but meditation to block them out hadn’t exactly worked in her favor. 

She stretched out her limbs as she slowly rose to her feet, moving to do her morning stretches. Just because the situation was strange, didn’t mean she should neglect that part of her usual routine. Though she was careful not to make any noise, she wasn’t sure if he was still sleeping and she didn’t want to disturb him if he was resting. 

Though come to think of it, maybe she could make some thing for breakfast? But it wasn’t like she could make anything fancy. If she ever got to make it back to her kitchen, she’d just have to make something there to bring to him. The instant ramen would just have to be good enough. She felt like that was the least she could do after how much trouble she’d caused him. 

“King-san?” she called softly. “Are you awake?”

Naofumi was really deep in sleep. He didn’t know the last time he’d slept so at ease and couldn’t help wonder if it had something to do with someone else being nearby. Honestly, he didn’t think he would have been able to sleep well at all considering it was a woman but that sort of anxiety and repulsion seemed to melt away when it came to her. Speaking of her, it sounded like she was calling out to him..

“Mm..” Naofumi grunted, stirring as his consciousness was roused. The dream he was just having was instantly forgotten, and he blinked his emerald green eyes sleepily at her for a moment. It took him a moment to adjust but once he finally did he sat up, his shaggy hair more of a mess than usual as he yawned. Oh, right.. She’s still here.. He thought, trying to wrack his memory for her name.Maybe it was because he had just woken up that he couldn’t remember it but he’d never made an earnest attempt at remembering it to begin with. 

“What...?” he questioned, gazing up at her through half lidded eyes for a  moment until it dawned on him that she was probably hungry. Well, now that he was up it was time to start breakfast anyways. Although.. he didn’t really have anything to cook with since he didn’t have a refrigerator. The only things would be junk food since they don’t expire at room temperature. 

He got to his feet and then wandered over to where the bags were stored and pulled out two large noodle bowls. Just add hot water and wait a bit and then they’d have an instant breakfast. A very unhealthy one, but it’d tide them over for now. Naofumi got to work turning on the hot plate, setting a tea kettle filled with bottled water, and then once it was piping hot he poured the water into the noodle bowl’s fill line then handed Shizuku her portion. 

[dreamerofeden]

Starless Sky | Maruki and Naofumi

@shieldprison

Usually, Maruki wouldn’t be out so late. After all, he had to be at his office to meet with patients who sought fit to schedule appointments with him earlier in the day due to various time restrictions they had, and Maruki was glad to fit himself to their schedules. Today, however, he wanted to expand his horizons. This city was massive, and he hadn’t seen much of it.

He probably should’ve charged his phone before leaving, since an online map of the area would’ve helped him out now. He wasn’t sure exactly how long he’d been wandering the streets, but it had been long enough that the sun had fully set, and a few wrong turns had already scrambled his sense of position in the city.

It definitely didn’t help that this part of the city was clearly rundown and neglected, and any street signs he might’ve seen were decrepit, had graffiti on them, or were just otherwise illegible, and the lack of lighting to illuminate his surroundings didn’t help. Even the sky itself seemed dark as the light pollution from the main city blotted out the stars.

It was just a bit unsettling, to say the least.

The sound of footsteps coming from up ahead gave Maruki as much anxiety as it did hope. Maybe this person would know the way back to the main city, or maybe he would get robbed. Well, even if it was the latter, it wasn’t like Maruki had much to take to begin with. But as the footsteps grew a bit closer, Maruki could make out the shape of a man who walked with a certain conviction that gave him the appearance of someone who knew the area well. So that was definitely going to be Maruki’s best bet if he wanted to get home before sunrise.

“Excuse me!” Maruki called out to the stranger. “I apologize for interrupting your night, but do you mind giving me some directions? I’m a bit lost.”

[shieldprison]

Naofumi’s eyes narrowed, his shoulders tensing as he walked onward, a plastic bag held tightly in one hand with tonights dinner in it. This wasn’t a good area so who could blame him for being on edge whenever he approached someone? Especially now that there had been far too many visitors lately that had triggered him in one way or another. The closer he got, the more details he could make out on the other person, and Naofumi immediately knew without being told this man was definitely not in the right place. This was further solidified by what he said as he was called out to. 

Naofumi sighed, his apprehension melting away once he realized that the man before him posed no threat. But still, what was with all these weirdo’s getting lost in this area? Was there a neon sign posted somewhere that just invited them all in? He was pretty sure this place was notoriously bad and even without it’s awful reputation it still gave off a feeling of foreboding to anyone that got near to it. 

“There’s a convenience store a few blocks from here. Go ask them.” He was as prickly as ever, not wanting to get involved with anyone. Even now, he was surprised at being approached given that he also gave of an unapproachable vibe. What’s more was that as usual, his green hood was drawn up over his head, completely obscuring his appearance from view, at least from the eyes up. With that said, Naofumi completely brushed past him without a second thought and continued forward. 

However, there was an unsettling thought that gave rise to a new concern. What if he never made it to the convenience store? Just as he said, this place wasn’t good. Honestly, some unsavory folk could jump out at anytime between now and there and this man was as good as a goner. Could he really have that on his conscious? It’s not as though he really cared one way or another about this complete stranger, but.. The last time some weirdo got lost here it had ended up horribly.. In fact, even now it plagued his nightmares. 

For the sake of just one less night without revisiting someone’s mangled corpse in his sleep, Naofumi stopped. He let out a very loud, heavy sigh and then turned around. “Wait, don’t..” Another sigh as he readjusted the bag he was carrying and then walked forward towards the man, then just kept going past him. “Follow me.” he muttered, although loud enough for him to still be heard as he led the way back from where he’d just come from. 

[shieldprison]

Help Wanted - Naofumi & Tenka

“Healing and shield making,” she repeated in a small voice, thinking back to how he had saved her earlier. Those must have been the shields he was talking about. As for the healing, that’d prove to be useful too. With powers like these, she’d be able to protect Naa-chan, and anyone else she troubled day to day by her shy nature that prevented her from going through her life easily. She could heal people who got hurt, and the shields didn’t sound useless either. She didn’t know how she’d use them, but she’d be able to protect the people precious to her…that was the most important thing to her.

Of course, the offer to make jewelry also appealed to her. Her sister loved little accessories like that, and maybe Tenka could even get something made for herself. She’d think about it later. His offer was becoming more enticing with each word he spoke. This man had to have been a King, if he could offer her such a power. Would that make her his clansmen? She wasn’t even quite sure what a clansmen was supposed to do, but she could try. For the sake of her sister, who always had to look after her. With this power, maybe Tenka could take care of herself. It was kind of…exciting!

“Nihehe…then, Tenka will do her best…!” With her soft, endearing laugh, she extended her arm and lightly took the other’s hand, having made her decision. She only hoped that she wouldn’t regret it later…

Naofumi was careful to take her hand, making sure he wasn’t too firm. This was only the second time he’d transferred his power to another, but it was easier since he knew just what to do. He closed his eyes and willed the power he held to flow from his hand and into her. The two of them were bathed in a brilliant emerald glow and once Naofumi opened his eyes, it disappeared from his body. Tenka still had that glow about her which confirmed to the both of them that the transference had been successful. He carefully released her hand and retracted it. 

“Here.” Without wasting a single moment, he reached into his other pocket and produced from it a drawstring bag. It was bulky and stuck out at odd angles but that was because it was filled with different accessories, much like the ones he had shown her earlier. “I’ll give you these to start with. They should have stickers on each of them with prices. Come back when you sell them all.” 

He didn’t even bother to introduce himself, but at least he knew her name, not that he’d ever address her as such. “Though if there’s payment you want let me know now so that I can make it for you, otherwise you can go.” He was still as a prickly as ever and only focused on the job. Even if she was leagues apart from the Bitch who framed him, he still felt uncomfortable in the presence of a woman. 

[shieldprison]

sanctuary || naofumi & shizuku

“Yes…it’s uncomfortable for both of us, really,” Shizuku murmured, a small, sheepish laugh escaping her. “Me not wanting to pry, and you not wanting to be intruded on..” They were difficult to block out though, and she wondered briefly if meditation might hold an answer. But then again, it wasn’t like she could empty her mind and center herself if she was hearing the thoughts of other people bouncing around inside her mind..but then again, if she could zero in on that feeling, perhaps it would be easier to tune those thoughts out..? It was something worth testing, she decided.

“Ah..! R-right.” Shizuku nodded, at his words, cheeks flushing a bright shade of pink as she suddenly realized their proximity. She let her hands fall to her sides and backed away a few steps so he could get up. She noticed his correction, her shoulders sinking a bit. She knew why. It wasn’t like she’d be of any use if her earlier condition had been any indication of that…however, it still made her feel useless. Even if that very same condition had led her to this understanding, she couldn’t lend her aid despite promising she’d prove herself to him.

“Right,” she repeated, more firmly, pushing those thoughts out of her mind for the time being. It certainly wouldn’t do any good to beat herself up over something out of her control. “I hope you can find her, at the very least so we can get some answers…and a possible solution.” Hopefully these weren’t permanent things they’d have to deal with. But if they’d wear off, when would that be..? 

“Good luck, and, ah, have a safe trip, King-san,” Shizuku murmured, the faint blush returning as she lifted her hand in a small wave. She watched him go, then let her shoulders sag once more as soon as the door was shut, leaving her alone with the silence. She wished she could be of more help, to help him find the crepe seller who’d gotten them into this mess in the first place. Unfortunately, her gift just happened to be a disaster in large crowds.

Well, she could at least be happy that some sort of progress had been made between the two of them. That should count for something. Probably the only good thing to come out of this whole mess, but she didn’t want to admit that the crepe seller had been right in knowing what he was thinking would help precisely because she hadn’t wanted to pry. Though thinking about it, she doubted he would have opened up about it any time soon. Shizuku let out a heavy sigh and shook her head, knowing there was no use dwelling on that right now.

Instead, she busied herself with picking up the bags he’d dropped, setting the items on the counter for the time being. She tucked the plastic bags away in case he’d need them for something later. With that taken care of, she moved to sit in the middle of the floor, her legs crossed as she closed her eyes, pushing any and all thoughts from her mind. It might have defeated the purpose in testing it here, where she could barely hear anything else nearby but it was best to start small. If meditation worked, and the ability to hear thoughts continued, then she could work her way up, but for now it was best not to overwhelm herself.

Naofumi’s trip into the city was odd to say the least. He couldn’t tell if some people were just without manners, bumping into him without sparing him a glance, but then there were some who did notice him, some who did apologize, and some who said nothing, spooked by his appearance. At times when he tried approaching the people who seemed as though they didn’t see him, they acted as though his words were mute. So far he could deduce, especially from the incident at the convenience store, that at least this affliction of his was working albeit slowly. 

He retraced his steps from the last time he’d ventured out this far but no crepe stand was in sight. He even asked around the area, but some had no idea what he was talking about while the rest didn’t acknowledge his presence. He must have wandered the streets of Shizume for hours with nothing to show for it. His feet were killing him at this point and so he decided to just simply return home.

When Naofumi returned, he was surprised to find Shizuku asleep. Well, he guessed it wasn’t so surprising given all that she had been through, but the loud creaking of the warehouse doors as they opened and closed certainly weren’t quiet. He walked past the dark haired woman, grabbed one of his lighter blankets and then wrapped it around her. It was strange that upon their first encounter he had wanted nothing to do with her, even up until earlier that day, but now he felt like she had grown on him a little. She had said the exact things he’d wanted to hear.. But he couldn’t be quite sure if it was because she’d read his mind or not. Though when he thought about it, he’d had no such thoughts like that around her. There was no way for her to know what he wanted to hear.

But now that he looked upon her serene face, he also felt exhausted. He’d wandered throughout Shizume for hours after all. While Shizuku was curled up in one of the larger, worn out, but still comfortable reclining chairs, Naofumi plopped down on the futon mattress. He laid there for a moment, staring up at the ceiling in thought until he too drifted off into sleep.