Kūkaku’s smile was bright and direct, her eyes full of expectation.
Honestly, Kūkaku was very beautiful.
She gave off a young, vivid energy, and there was a wild, unrestrained beauty to her on top of it.
Under ordinary circumstances, Silas would have been glad to meet that expectation.
But right now…
Silas felt the hair rise on the back of his neck, the body’s own reaction to being marked by something dangerous.
“Um, Kūkaku…”
He picked his words carefully, the edge of his vision catching Nanao’s gaze fixed on him like a hawk’s.
“I actually have plans today. Sorry…”
Once he had said it, Silas felt the murderous air beside him ease off a little.
Kūkaku took in the faint tension on his face, then glanced at the expressionless little bean beside him who kept stealing looks at her out of the corner of her eye, and understood the situation perfectly.
The disappointment in her eyes lasted only a moment before something sly and knowing replaced it.
“Ohh~ You have plans.”
Kūkaku drew the words out.
“Well, nothing to be done about that. Another time, when there’s a chance.”
She waved generously, her smile as bright as ever.
“Never mind today, I’ll go find my brother!”
With that she turned smartly and walked away with light steps.
Once she had rounded a corner, Kūkaku glanced quietly back over her shoulder.
Under the setting sun, Silas seemed to be relaxing, his shoulders sinking a little, and Ise Nanao’s gaze beside him was no longer so sharp.
A playful curve lifted the corner of Kūkaku’s mouth.
That little girl Nanao might look young, but her intentions were plain enough.
Still…
Kūkaku didn’t mind in the least.
She was only a little bean who hadn’t finished growing, hardly a threat.
Someone like Silas surely appreciated a more mature, fuller sort of woman.
Kūkaku took stock of her own considerable assets and felt confident.
Humming a tuneless little song, she soon vanished around the street corner.
Back at the other end, only once Kūkaku was out of sight did Silas feel the pressure prickling his back finally lift.
He let out a quiet breath.
“Nanao, shall we go too?”
“As promised yesterday. The new branch of Ichiraku Ramen, my treat.”
Nanao paused before she answered softly.
On the way to the ramen shop, the mood eased a little compared with before.
The newly opened Ichiraku Ramen sat in West District One, better fitted out and in better surroundings, and it drew a far bigger crowd.
Even Shinigami from the Seireitei turned up there. This story is hosted at g.com.
With mealtime coming on, the place was already fairly full.
Every one of the individual tables was taken, so Silas and Nanao sat at the counter.
They had barely ordered when a familiar voice rang out in surprise.
“Huh? Silas, Nanao, what a coincidence!”
Silas looked up at the sound and saw Shiba Kūkaku walking over, an undisguised smile of surprise on her face.
Shiba Kaien followed behind her, and paused for a beat when he saw Silas.
Silas started, and glanced instinctively at Nanao beside him.
He saw her hand pause around her teacup before she calmly lowered her head to sip her tea.
But he clearly caught her eyes narrowing a fraction behind her glasses as her gaze swept over the approaching Kūkaku.
Kūkaku, meanwhile, had already leaned in like an old friend.
“Did you just order as well? My brother and I only got here.”
“What a coincidence…”
Silas could already feel the low-pressure system building beside him.
Kūkaku smiled brightly, her eyes moving between Silas and Nanao.
Nanao looked up at Kūkaku calmly and pushed up her glasses.
“It really is a coincidence. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Her tone was polite, with a faint chill running under it.
“Right?” Kūkaku said, smiling.
“And there aren’t any seats left, so let’s just squeeze in together.”
With that Kūkaku sat down next to Silas, while Kaien took the seat beside her awkwardly and raised a hand in greeting.
Before long, the ramen they had ordered arrived.
Kūkaku looked at the bowl in front of Silas, and a glint crossed her eyes.
“Is that a new flavor? I wonder what it tastes like. Can I try some?”
Her chopsticks were already reaching over eagerly as she spoke, her eyes sparkling at him with a hint of coquetry.
“You don’t mind?”
Before Silas could answer, another pair of chopsticks moved with lightning speed, lifted a single strand of noodles cleanly out of his bowl, set it on a small plate, and handed the plate to Kūkaku.
The motion was smooth, precise, and carried an unanswerable calm.
That done, Nanao said evenly, “Use a plate. It’s more hygienic.”
Kūkaku blinked, looked at the lone strand of noodles on the plate, then at Nanao’s expressionless little face, and let out a soft laugh, thoroughly entertained.
The rest of the meal went on in an eerie and rather noisy atmosphere.
Kūkaku stayed lively, striking up conversation with Silas and Kaien now and then, and occasionally throwing Nanao a cue.
Nanao mostly ate in silence and gave short answers where she had to, but Silas could tell part of her attention never left Kūkaku.
Whenever Kūkaku leaned too close to him, or smiled at him too brightly, Nanao’s chewing would slow and she would reach for her teacup more often.
Kūkaku looked at the studied calm of Nanao’s profile and found it entertaining rather than worrying.
This little Nanao, so plainly invested, and putting on such composure about it.
It was rather cute, though. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
The way she saw it, Nanao was more like a little sister with a possessive streak about a dependable older brother.
Nothing to lose sleep over.
This battle is definitely ending in my victory.
Heh.
In the end the meal closed in surface harmony, with the currents running hard underneath.
Silas settled the bill first, and they all walked out of the shop together.
“Thanks for the meal, Silas!”
Kūkaku waved, smiling brightly.
“Next time it’s my brother’s turn and mine to treat. Little Nanao, you come too!”
Kaien waved his goodbyes as well, and the two siblings walked off side by side.
Only once their figures had melted into the night did the tension go out of Silas.
That meal was more exhausting than a full day of hard training…
He looked at Nanao beside him.
In the dark, her small figure seemed almost frail as she quietly watched the direction Kūkaku had gone.
Nanao turned her head.
Moonlight and streetlight threw a faint sheen across her glasses.
“Miss Shiba is very beautiful, and lively. She seems quite attentive toward you.”
“Hmm…”
Silas scratched his chin, unsure how to answer that.
Before he could, Nanao skipped past the subject.
“There’s another exam tomorrow. Come on, we should head back early.”
Silas fell in beside Nanao, the two of them walking together.
Nanao tilted her head quietly to look at the boy next to her.
In the dark, the sharp lines of his profile stood out clearly, though for some reason he looked unusually worn out.
Moonlight spilled over his white hair and gave it a soft glow.
Nanao’s heart, though, was in turmoil.
A strange feeling, sour and sharp and warm all at once, spread quietly through her.
Why had she acted like a little cat guarding its food back there?
And that feeling of not wanting anyone else near him.
A vague thought flashed through her mind and made her heart tremble before she crushed it down by force.
No.
That isn’t it.
I’m just…
just used to having him around.
Yes.
That must be it…