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The sounds of birds chirping are what caused Nene to wake up. Then she started to hear everyone else outside of her tent moving and talking to each other.
They all had been allowing Nene to sleep as long as she needed since she wasn't used to everything yet but Nene didn't like it. She started to think everyone was slowly resenting her for it.
Well, besides Mei, Kou, and, of course, Yuri. She was fully convinced Teru hated her and Mitsuba didn't seem to like anyone.
Nene grabbed a jacket from the corner of the tent and tugged it around her and put her arms through the sleeves.
She opened the tent and exited. "Sleeping beauty woke up," Mei sang. Everyone looked at her. "Good morning," Yuri said softly.
"Good morning," Nene replied in an even softer tone. If that was even possible. Kou noticed how drained Nene looked and frowned.
He could tell that she had been crying all night. Standing up, he walked over to her and whispered, "Are you okay?" He gave her a concerned look.
Nene was taken aback by his sincerity. Kou was easy to read so she could tell that whenever he asked her if she was okay, he was genuine. Almost like Aoi.
How she missed Aoi.
She was about to reply but Kou spoke before she could. "It's okay to say you're not okay, Yashiro-San. I rather you not be okay and be honest than say you are and it be a lie."
Nene's eyes started to water and a smile tugged her lips. It was small not huge but it was still there. "Thank you, Kou-Kun."
His cheeks tinted into a light shade of red and he nodded.
"Um...What do you want to do today?" he asked and she shrugged in response. He thought for a few moments. "There's not much to do out here but we can just explore."
She stared at him, her mouth went gap. "O-Ok," she said. They walked through the woods and just took the time to look at their surroundings.
They found a spot in the forest that was full of newly grown grass that was bright green and many flowers. Nene kicked off her shoes, feeling the earth at her feet and she fell to the ground on her knees.
This reminded her of the times she'd go to the gardens at the palace. It made her grow to appreciate the earth and all it had to offer.
One of the pink bunny-like things came running out of one of the bushes and sprinted toward Nene.
She held her hand out as it jumped onto her palm. Kou sat a few feet away from her just carefully watching.
Her eyes held history. The history of experiencing every terrible thing...but also something else. The history of experiencing happiness and heartbreak.
Her hair gently followed the path of the wind. She had a soft smile, almost as soft as her pale skin.
