[ａｓ] | 𝗕𝗡𝗛𝗔 𝗩𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦

origin

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

it was almost nighttime by the hour they left the apartment.

the seven year old was whining as the pair of them walked down the road - the street lamps the only thing illuminating them.

the little girl was pulling on the old woman's hand as she dragged her, complaining about how long it took for her to finish ironing their clothes.

the old woman did nothing but let out a little self indulgent chuckle at the girls behaviour - her freckles and moles showing up on her bright skin, all over her little body, like constellations.

"i know, i know - but it's a lot for this old woman do to on her own, y'know?"

with that, the seven year old stopped walking and turned around, a deep pout on her face as she stared up at her caretaker.

"i've told you - it would go a lot faster if you would let me help you!"

mizutani didn't need to have the running argument of 'you're too small to even reach the iron', and 'its just too heavy for you', and 'you could hurt yourself! it's very hot!'.

they had been going around in circles about it ever since the girl brought up the idea.

they continued their stroll in silence, the seven year old skipping and humming happily with her tiny hand still wrapped in mizutani's bigger and more wrinkled one as she led her down the road.

eventually, they made it to the end of the street and the girl stopped outside the big double doors, looking up in excitement at the big neon letters on the front of the building.

'OITA AQUARIUM'

its the aquarium she and her parents had took her to ever since she was little - the girl wasn't even born in the oita prefecture, actually just one over in fukuoka.

but since finding out that there was a larger aquarium in oita than in fukuoka, they used to take her there instead.

once again, the seven year old tugged on mizutani's hand, making her hurry up and sign in using her employee badge.

'mizutani tsumugi'

once those double doors opened, she immediately rushed inside, leaving mizutani to close the door behind them and smile.

the old woman leaned back and watched the little girl run around the carpeted aquarium, pushing her little hands against the jellyfish tank and not even realising that little strands of glowing hair near her scalp started to stand up as the jellyfish seemed to follow her figure.

mizutani remembered the times she would clock into her work when she was younger - the oita aquarium was a family business, set up generations ago, and due to the mizutani's quirks, they were the prefect fit to run an aquarium.

she still remembers getting into that wet suit and swimming through the tunnels into their tanks and feeding them, the gills on the side of her neck letting her take extra care.

that was around 50 years ago, now - with her nieces and nephews continuing the business while mizutani comfortably works in the gift shops instead.

she never expected someone like ikeya beni to enter her life, though.

at first, it was a favour from an old neighbour - a girl who helped her drunk husband up the stairs one too many times - and then it turned into actually caring for the kid.