The Veil: Reimagined

Chapter # 21

"How is she doing, Shoko?" (Name) entered the room accompanied by Satoru. The physician was sitting by the girl, surprisingly playing with her.

"Oh, you two are here, thank goodness. I have an appointment elsewhere, could you two look after Ame?" Shoko stands up from her seat. The pair glanced at each other, their gazes retaining the same question.

"Who is Ame?"

"This is Ame," Shoko points at the young girl, "we don't know her real name so I just gave her one of my own, it's awkward referring to her as 'the child who you found in an alley'."

"Of course,"

"Look after her for me, I'll be back in an hour or two. The diapers are there in the basket, the formula is right beside it. I'm sure you two know how to make it, right?" she snatched her bag from the desk, discarding her lab coat on the chair.

"No---"

"Good, so I'll be leaving now."

"Shoko!"

"What is it now?"

"You are forgetting your cigarette packet." Satoru meekly responded.

"Oh, yeah," Satoru tossed her the packet, Shoko caught it with accuracy, "thanks a heap," Shoko blows a kiss to both of them and left closing the door behind her.

"Have you taken care of a baby, Satoru?"

"No, but I take care of a teenager fine all by myself," he answered, referring to his surrogate son, Megumi Fushiguro. How hard can it be to take care of seven-month-old?

"Teaching them sorcery does not equal taking care of them." (Name) spoke, she pulled a chair by the bed of the girl. She looked at the specimen with intrigue, "I've never seen a baby from so close, they look so---"

"Adorable,"

"---Vulnerable,"

"That works too." Satoru pulls a chair beside (Name), the young girl was awake and was looking at the pair with beady eyes, "it's strange thinking we were just as vulnerable at some point,"

"I can bet I was cuter than you when young." (Name) poked the cheek of the baby, it was squishy and soft like a ball of cotton.

"You are still cute." Satoru declared, leaning on his hand.

"Wow, aren't you feeling generous with compliments, save some for your girlfriend." (Name) playfully pushed his arm.

"The position for my girlfriend is currently vacant, I don't mind you filling it up," smirking, Satoru tucked a strand of strap hair behind her ear, "I assure you it wouldn't be so bad."

(Name) caught off guard by the implication, pulled back, "careful, some might mistake your playful behavior as flirting," the baby was blabbering to herself.

"Am I not allowed to flirt with you, tell me (Name), is it that big of an issue?"

"It's not an issue, it's the substance behind your words that do not hold meaning."

Satoru's expression declined to a serious one. He was well aware of his attitude toward her, but he was not also aware that their inconsequential banters were meaningless to her. She was completely disregarding his feelings on the matter.

"So according to you, I am a mindless idiot who goes around flirting with any woman I come across?"

"Well, no, I am just saying that someone else might mistake it for flirting or perhaps gain the idea that we are fixated on each other." She patiently explained, (Name) was not the one to take such behaviors lightly. Back home, most of the men she knew did not dare flirt with her. And the ones who dared were challenged to a battle. She confessed sometimes when she was sitting by herself in her study, reading all the romantic novels she was not supposed and envied the main characters for having such perfect love stories. At these times, she will console herself, saying that the romance was something far beyond of someone her status.

And then there was Satoru, his views on romance were the exact opposite of hers. He wasn't afraid to go out and experience more than the world has to offer.

"Are you not?" was a simple three words question and it had her confused about her feelings. Was she fixated on the man in front of her? The simple answer would've been no.
After all, she was (Name) (Last Name). It was below her to have such thoughts for a man.

"Are you?" She questioned, her eyes not wavering from the baby.

Satoru ignored her question and asked one of his own, "Do you want to know an embarrassing secret?" (Name) kept quiet, "I used to have a crush on you," He smiled, recalling her time at Jujutsu tech and his noticeable fixation with her.

'Used to? Right, not anymore.' the thought should've been relieving but for a strange reason it wasn't.

"You probably think I am an idiot for telling you this, but maybe I should've told you long ago."

"I would've rejected you,"

"See, that's why I did not take any chances." Satoru leaned back in his chair, wrapping his arms around himself. He was observing her for any reaction, a very rare surprised look crossed her face.

"right, was I that scary back then?"

"It wasn't you, I was just not as brave as I convinced myself to be. Can fight a thousand curses but can't take rejection."

"Whatever, it does not matter now, does it?" She uttered, for some strange reason she realized she was annoyed and not because of Satoru, it was quite a rare occurrence indeed.

"It does not," Satoru watched her caress the tiny fingers of the girl, she was lost in her mind. He asked himself, was he finally over his crush of years?

Was he?