𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐣𝐨 || 𝐉𝐉𝐊

Ch. 34

𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐘𝐚𝐠𝐚'𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬. The hallway clocks read that it was an hour past lunch, signifying she finished her due time with Panda, who whined and bore weight onto her ankles begging her not to leave.

   Their time together comprised of training, breaks full of gossip, and even more training. It allowed them ample time to catch up and work out some new moves for Panda that helped Rintaro tap into her cursed energy after not using it for the elongated period of time.

   "Rintaro! Wait up!" Rintaro paused mid stride in search of the familiar voice. The long white tresses that reached down her back, swayed as she looked side to side for any sign of life near her. It wasn't until she turned around that she saw Nanami jogging towards her.

   The introverted blonde flashed a bright smile as their eyes met; a smile that he would only allow Rintaro to see. It had been some time since he'd last seen her at the airport for their Tengen assigned mission. But even then, he couldn't remember her looking so vibrant and healthy.

   "Hey, Nanami." Nanami slowed his pace and immediately hunched over, resting his palms against his knees as he panted like a dog in his fatigued state. Rintaro's wide eyes consciously measured the slow rise and fall of his back, checking to make sure he wouldn't collapse right at her feet.

   Suddenly, he shot up and straightened his posture, a nervous breathing rhythm disturbing the smile across his face. "Hey, how are things?" His textured hands shuffled vigorously around his body to fix his uniform, and comb through his blonde locks to ensure he looked decent before her.

   "Not too bad, and yourself?" Rintaro giggled to herself regarding his unusual behavior. A black strand of hair untucked itself from her ear and feathered her cheek . Reflexively, her hand reached up to pinch the small bundle of hair between her fingers. Not noticing, Nanami's hand reached up simultaneously. Their hands collided, causing the sorcerers to freeze in their positions.

   Nanami's hand shamefully dropped to his side first.  "Sorry, I didn't want it to bother you." A  light smile grew across Rintaro's cheeks in response to his kind gesture. She finished by tucking the loose black hair behind her ear. "I'm liking the new color, though, makes you look like Satoru."

   "Oh yeah, he likes it. It just takes some getting used to." Rintaro loosened herself from her thoughts and overlapped her hands in front of her.

   "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Nanami tried his best to settle down and match her body language, but instead, he awkwardly stretched his arm and   rubbed the skin of his neck.

   "Yeah it has been a while, and I'm sorry for that. I should've kept contact..." Her gifted eyes guiltily wandered the aged wall next to them, now focused on tracing the spider webs uniquely crafted in the corners of the ceiling and walls.

   "No, that's not your fault. Things happen... I just wasn't expecting to see you in uniform so soon." Nanami exhaled lowly, the disappointment in himself was growing by the second. He shuffled forward the distance of a small step to gain her attention. "Does that mean you're coming back to class?"

  Rintaro's focus returned to Nanami, her heavenly eyes twinkling in amusement. "I'm actually going to speak to Yaga about that now, he put me back to my old errand-running job today to see if I was fit to return." Her eyes playfully rolled while she shrugged.

   "Well, I hope he lets you come back, it hasn't been the same in class without you." Nanami's hand began to move on its own as it extended towards hers. The small movements he unknowingly made, would prevent her from flinching away or freaking out, and then entirely hating him.