He was well aware how he stood out, which was his reasoning for coming here. The other being how far removed his school was from the city. Away from the noise, it was almost serene. Here, the students who came here to learn how to duel, could do so in a state of near peace. When they weren’t dodging projectiles, that is.
“It would be,” he agreed, lowering the cloth that masked his face. He offered her a tiny smile, and shrugged his shoulders, “they don’t exactly allow this when I go to school. So no worries about that.” Untying it, he moved past her to open a door, revealing a long hallway. “If you follow this, there’s a door on the left. We keep spare civilian clothes there.” He didn’t elaborate as to why a school focused on dueling would have such a feature. And she could have some privacy.
“You’re safe here, for the time being. Once you have changed, meet me back here.”
“I'm glad we're on the same page, then,” she said with a soft chuckle, then headed to the room he'd described as per his instructions.
Indeed, there was a variety of civilian clothing for her to choose from, though Ruri made it a point to be as fast and efficient as possible. It was clear that just like her new 'bodyguard', this place, too, wasn't ordinary. Having visited the drama club of the middle school she'd lost her chance to attend before, it was apparent that next to none of the attires were suitable for being displayed on a stage, and she almost inevitably found herself wanting to learn more about the school's curriculum and about Tsukikage himself.
Once this was over, perhaps they could converse over a cup of tea.
Having decided on a plain beige trench coat and a beret in the same color to further conceal her hair, she quickly changed into a simple shirt and trousers and a different pair of shoes, then put on her actual disguise. She carefully placed her own clothes in a shopping bag she'd found, grabbed a dark brown scarf, a surgical mask, and sunglasses, so she could still modify her disguise in different ways, should the need to do so arise.
“I’ve found a suitable disguise. May I enter?”
As she waited for his response, her thoughts wandered back to the plan that'd been forming in the back of her mind for some time already. But could she really ask him to... No, in the situation at hand, there was no choice but to take the most optimal approach.
Upon hearing the confirmation that she could, in fact, come in, she took a deep breath and walked up to him.
“I've been thinking about this ever since you took my hand earlier,” she began, carefully scanning his features for the slightest sign of disapproval.
“I apologize if this is sudden, Tsukikage-san, but would you mind playing the role of my partner? Of course, this would only be necessary when others can see us. But I do believe it’d be our best chance to slip under my pursuers radar for as long as possible.”
