You woke with a start, heart pounding. You quickly sat up, hands clutching your covers with a white-knuckled grip. You were breathing too quickly, too heavily, leaving you lightheaded. Scrambling out of your bedsheets, you rushed over to the bathroom, fumbling with the tap and splashing cold water onto your face. Your head throbbed harshly, but you didn't stop until your felt your face cooling down.
With a deep sigh, you hesitantly glanced up at your reflection. Your hair was a mess, sticking uncomfortably to your face, your skin didn't look right to you at all, your eyes looked weighted and dull, rimmed red from the sudden awakening — all in all, you looked just as terrible as you felt.
A part of you wanted to remember what exactly startled you awake, but another side of you decided it was probably best not to remember. If it scared you this badly, would you really want to have it in your thoughts for the rest of the day?
Instead, you began washing up, taking your time so that you could recollect your thoughts before showing your face to your hosts. You brushed through your hair, making sure it wasn't all in your face, grabbing a hair tie and placing it around your wrist just in case. Wandering back into your room, you looked around for your phone, checking the time.
You wondered if anyone would be awake yet.
'Guess there's only one way to find out.'
You went to open your door, sliding it open—
"AAAH?!" You jumped away in fear, arms raised in fornt of your body. You blinked, then relaxed. It appeared that Dayoko was also planning on opening your door at the same time as you.
"I-I'm so sorry, Dayoko! Did I scare you?" You fussed over her, resting a hand on her shoulder with a concerned frown.
"Dayon...!" She sighed heavily with relief.
'I should be asking you that!'
Seeing she was fine, you moved away, taking in her outfit for the day. Her kimono was a warm yellow, reminding you of the sunflowers you had seen in the fields on your train ride yesterday. White lines of thread wrapped around the fabric, twisting and swirling elegantly. In her hair was a yellow primrose, vibrant with its petals unfurled.
"I love the flower in your hair," you smiled, watching as Dayoko smiled bashfully.
'Thank you! I can show you how to put it in your hair too after breakfast!'
She took hold of your hand once more, leading you happily down to the main room. You made sure to take note of where you were going this time, not wanting to get lost again anytime soon. Speaking of which...
"Dayoko? Where did you go last night?" she looked back at you with a confused look before her eyes widened in realisation. She halted in her tracks, whipping around to face you with a worried look in her eyes.
"Dayon! Dayon, dayon!" her arms were waving around as she explained herself, saying she was waiting for you but then Chorosuke needed her for something so she had to go and then she lost track of time and then when she realised what time it was she rushed back to the washroom but you weren't there and—
"Dayoko! Wait, slow down!" you paused her rambling, an amused but gentle smile on your face. "It's okay, I understand that you got busy. You don't have to apologise," you reassured her. She didn't look entirely pleased with herself, but she nodded slowly, sending one last apologetic look your way before heading down the hallway again.
'I'm just glad you managed to make your way back.'
"Well..." you rubbed the back of your head sheepishly, "I did get a little lost at first, but I got help, so it's fine!"
You hesitated. "From Ozo..."
Her face fell flat. Of course that idiot was still hanging around when he said he was heading off. She should have known he was going to try something, but you didn't appear to be hurt (or traumatised) by something he did, so Dayoko left it at that.
Entering the main room again, you smiled brightly at the sight of Chorosuke, who was already sipping away at his tea, seated comfortably on the wooden walkway in front of the garden. He perked up when he heard your greeting, turning with small nod of his head.
"Good morning, you two. Please, help yourself to some breakfast." He gestured to the table, various foods spread over the top in a neat arrangement. You eyed the table setting with awe, mouth salivating at the delicious scent of food. You quickly sat down, saying your thanks before digging in, keeping an eye on how quickly you were eating so as not to appear gluttonous.
Dayoko joined you, but Chorosuke stayed where he was.
"Are you not gonna eat, Chorosuke?" You asked after swallowing a rather large mouthful of omelet. He shook his head, lowering his cup from his mouth.
"I woke up quite early today for work, so I'm afraid I already ate. Perhaps next time I shall join you," he gave you an apologetic smile, to which you nodded in understanding.
The atmosphere was calm and relaxing, a simple summer morning rolling by as the clock ticked on. Chorosuke placed his cup down on a coaster beside him, folding his hands together onto his lap.
"What will you be doing today, [Y/N]?" He asked, breaking the silence. "The weather is perfect for some sightseeing today. Do you have anywhere in mind that you'd like to visit?"
Yo tilted your head in thought, taking a sip of your own drink. "Hmm... That's a good question, but to be honest, I don't really know any places around here," you admitted shyly. "I'd love to see some more of the scenery in Akashika, though. It's very beautiful here."
"Indeed," Chorosuke agreed. He sat in thought for a moment before lighting up. "How about you visit Iriabi? There's a cafe there that my brother runs. It's quite lovely — even though I hate to admit it — and the scenery along the way will surely satisfy you."
You mulled over his suggestion, the name Iriabi ringing a bell. Ozo had talked about it last night too, didn't he? Well, if they were both suggesting it, then it really can't be that bad.
"Sure! That sounds like a great idea!" You beamed. Chorosuke returned the smile, picking himself up off the ground.
"I'm glad that's settled!" He straightened out his kimono, which you noticed wasn't as plain as yesterday, having light decorations of sewn on white flowers scattered across the clothing. "Well, I must be going back to work. I'm sure Dayoko can help you should you need anything," he glanced fondly at his younger sister before bowing. "Take care, [Y/N]."
With that, he left the room, leaving you girls alone. Dayoko turned to you with an excited glint in her eyes, bouncing in her seat.
'I can help you get ready!' She offered, standing up and ushering you out of the room. You were glad that you managed to finish your breakfast, else you were sure she wouldn't have waited for you be done.
"B-But, the dishes—!" You started, only to be cut off.
'They'll get picked up, don't worry!'
She led you down a series of hallways that you were sure you hadn't been down before; although, every hallway looked almost exactly the same as each other. You whizzed past a few more doors before coming to an abrupt halt, and you just managed to catch yourself before you fell straight into Dayoko.
The door slid open to reveal a bedroom, coloured in a girly pink from head to toe. The furniture was a blush pink, the carpet was a rose gold, the flowers strewn about the room were a shocking hue... You felt like you had walked into Barbie's bedroom.
Dayoko pushed you over to the lavish vanity, which had a multitude of perfumes, cosmetics and accessories daintily organised across the surface. She seated you down on the plump stool, moving away to gather a few things as you made yourself comfortable.
She returned with a hairbrush in hand, and a large box. She placed it down, opening it to reveal bunches of fake flowers, like the ones she had placed in her hair. You admired each one before Dayoko tapped your shoulder, catching your eyes in the mirror in front of you.
You giggled at her excitement, a similar feeling welling up inside of you. In that moment, she felt like a little sister to you, too. It was cute and endearing. You grinned back at her saying with a hint of a laugh:
"Make me as pretty as you, Dayoko!"
