Suribachi's vagabond (english vers)

Chapter 0.4 : Marbles and bets.

"Noriko?"
Toru tilted her head slightly. It wasn't the first time she had heard this name being used for her. Her mother had told her that her father initially wanted to give her this name, and she liked it too... but she ended up preferring to be called Toru. When Toru asked her father if it was true, he simply said he had never mentioned such a thing and found the name awful. Toru, on the other hand, found it rather pleasant. She wondered how Mishima could have come up with this idea.
"Why Noriko specifically?"
Toru asked with some curiosity at this coincidence.

Mishima quickly understood that Toru had already heard about being called Noriko. His smile seemed to turn nostalgic for a moment before returning to its reassuring and confident aspect.
"It suits you perfectly."

Toru: "Ah... I guess I better get used to it then."

Mishima: "Don't worry, it'll only be for a short time, so it's not a problem if you don't get used to it immediately. The most important thing for now is to rest. And anyway, I'll only call you that in the presence of others, to avoid anyone knowing you're here."

Toru simply nodded before her empty gaze shifted to the floor... She sighed and remained like that for a moment before falling asleep again...

___________________________________

The next day, she woke up lying on the couch where she had been sitting when she dozed off. Mishima was already awake, working at his desk. She sat up and noticed the softness of the blanket that had been laid over her so she could sleep comfortably.

Mishima noticed her wakefulness and looked at her with a smile. It was obvious she hadn't directly addressed him to avoid disturbing him while he was working at his desk.

"Good morning, Toru. Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning... Mr. Mishima. Yes... thank you."
Toru stared at him with a vacant and thoughtful look. She wasn't physically, but mentally exhausted. Yet, despite her cold and distant appearance, it was evident to Mishima that she was desperately trying to detect any signs of ill intent from him. It was as if she felt she could trust him completely, but that it was too good to be true... After all, given what she had just experienced, it was quite normal. However, Mishima couldn't help but worry about what this distrust could lead to. In Toru's current situation, she needed to find trustworthy people to rely on after losing everything like she did. On the other hand... the more he looked at this utterly miserable child before him... the more guilt he felt for certain reasons. However, despite the anger he felt towards himself and his sadness, he always kept that confident and reassuring smile.

"Are you hungry? I can find you something to eat if you'd like."

Toru shook her head.
"I don't think I'll be able to eat anyway. Thanks anyway."

Mishima was about to insist that she eat something despite her persistent nausea, but at that moment, Ranpo and Fukuzawa entered the room and closed the door immediately behind them. Ranpo, who had already planned everything, carried with him a bag full of cakes and all kinds of sugary drinks, bursting into the room with an excited look.
He immediately joined Toru and handed her one of his packets (keeping the majority of them for himself...) as well as a glass bottle of fruit juice with a small ball inside.

"Hey Toru! Look what I found at the grocery store next door! I've been looking for this biscuit flavor for weeks! Everyone is raving about it!"

Toru looked at him curiously before looking at the packet he handed her.
"Hey Ranpo... Is this stuff really in such demand?"

Ranpo nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes, it is! That's why it's so sought after! The brand promised a lifetime supply of free sweets to the person who could guess the exact taste of these new biscuits!"