have patience | Kamisato Ayato x Reader

chapter 9 | the cunning fox and the clever commissioner

Day 1 of the Irodori Festival

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It was oddly chilly outside.

As the wind whistled through the cluster of maple trees that surrounded the secluded area near Ritou's plaza, the scarlet red leaves that adorned their branches swayed to a silent, unspoken rhythm, as if they were preforming a routine dance for the festival's sake. The air was serene as you observed nature's breathtaking presentation, and though you dared not break the sacred silence, quiet little shivers escaped your lips as the briskness of the morning breeze grew ever more intolerable.

It was almost no wonder the plaza was completely barren, despite it being the first official day of the festival.

With a sigh, you huddled yourself together for warmth while you waited for your eyes to fall upon any familiar sign of the commissioner who requested for you to be here, or the kitsune he called for you to meet. As moments turned to minutes, your focus wandered over to where a clock, neatly hidden from the plain unsuspecting eye, peaked out through a stall shelf.

8:05.

Why was it that Ayato had requested for you to be punctual, yet he, nor the priestess, lacked the sense to uphold that commitment on their part? It was either that, or you had ended up lost, and as you swore that you had permanently embedded the map into your visual memory, all due to the hours you spent glaring at the hastily constructed set of instructions over the late, sleepless hours of the night, you figured it couldn't possibly have been an error on your part. Or, at least, so you had hoped.

Eventually, your eyes fell upon a familiar shadow cast upon the plaza's stone grounds, and as its owner rounded the corner behind a stall, you sighed in relief, which, when considering who it belonged to, was quite the novelty.

"Ah, so you are here after all," Ayato said as he stood in place next to you, folding his hands close to himself. "Good morning to you, Y/N."

"Good morning to you as well, sir." you replied. Though you wished you could make a small remark in turn about how late Ayato was, you listened to your better judgement, and the only extra addition to your greeting was the inclusion of a respectful nod.

"Please forgive my tardiness. I'm afraid I had some... financial responsibilities that I had to settle on behalf of the Kamisato Clan before arriving here." Ayato began with a sigh.

"It's fine, sir—"

"...though, I suppose if somebody hadn't offered up my assistance without my consent, then I would've arrived here on time, hm?"

With a sharp turn, your puzzled eyes met his of lavender, filled to their brims with mock-disdain. As the murky mental fogs of confusion gradually cleared, you slowly remembered the events of yesterday, and you winced.

Then, the very moment he recognized you acknowledged the meaning of his words, Ayato's gaze turned mirthful, and you winced once more.

But for once, instead of shying away from uttering a rebuttal—and perhaps this newfound surge of confidence was born from the sufferings of spite, or perhaps this was as an act of protest against how he had the gall to use your own actions as an excuse for his shortcoming—you intervened.

"With all due respect, sir, you're Itto's friend. I feel as if I shouldn't have had to draw that conclusion for you."

"Hah, well. That's quite the fair assessment, I suppose." Ayato hadn't even flinched at her words. If he was taken aback by her defensive stance, no such evidence could be found upon his features. "Just try not to bestow my Mora in such a fashion the next time such a situation arises without my say-so, yes?"