IT BLOSSOMS, hatori sohma [Fruits Basket]

Chapter Sixty

As Ryu began to readjust to being back in her own body, she focused on spending quality time with her daughter, Himawari, and even with Ayame, making up for the lost time during the summer vacation.

However, no matter how hard she tried to act like everything was normal, she found it impossible to shake off the sense of hurt and betrayal she felt from Dragon. Even though she understood that the situation was unavoidable, the emotions she felt were far too potent to ignore or push aside.

Despite the occasional flare-ups of negative emotions caused by the revelation about Dragon, Ryu found solace in trying to enjoy the present as much as possible. But the scorching heat of the summer only served to make things more challenging.

During the times when the heat rendered her too drained to do much of anything, Ryu would often find herself reminiscing about the summer of that year and what Dragon did.

Ryu couldn't help but cringe every time she saw how Dragon treated Shigure, calling him names like "dog" and "mutt" with such contempt. Yet, she couldn't help but notice something different in Shigure's reactions. Surprisingly, he seemed more amused than affronted.

One moment that stood out was when Ryu observed Dragon giving Shigure some wise counsel. However, that kind gesture was quickly sabotaged when Shigure extended an invitation for Dragon to the summer villa—an invitation that only served to further sour their already rocky relationship.

Ryu observed how Dragon acted around her brother and Kazuma, noting how playful she was towards her brother and how she teased him lightheartedly about Tohru. There seemed to be no malice behind her interactions, just innocent fun.

Interestingly, Dragon also displayed a level of respect towards Kazuma and even sensed a genuine sense of care for Tohru. However, it was evident that there was a level of pity within Dragon for Tohru, who remained blissfully unaware of the twisted circumstances of her situation. Such feelings mirrored the complex emotions Ryu herself had towards Tohru.

Ryu found herself reflecting on the occasions when Dragon seemed panicked or uneasy around Hatori. Through introspection, she came to understand that there were two main reasons behind this uneasiness.

Firstly, when Ryu was in control, there was a protective layer of ignorance that shielded Dragon from Hatori's keen spiritual senses. However, with the roles reversed and Dragon in control, that shield dissolved, leaving the spirit vulnerable and easily detectable. It was an unknown factor as to if Hatori's spiritual presence could indeed detect Dragon within Ryu's body at all.

Alongside the first reason, Ryu discovered that there was a second layer to Dragon's uneasiness around Hatori. It turned out that Dragon had hoped Ryu would be the one to explain the situation to Hatori. However, the complication arose when Dragon had failed to inform Ryu of the situation in the first place.

Now, Ryu found herself contemplating whether Dragon would continue to abstain from talking to Hatori until she regained control, a strategy that might only serve to arouse suspicion.