Amidst the shadows and the secrets

Night Seventy

Making him laugh, Reiji pushed her back. "It will start soon enough. It's far too light to see it, anyway. From the car, you won't see much. I promise the view will be much better in ten minutes." 

The car stopped, and Chisana followed the others outside. "Then what is the best place for this spectacular view?" 

"We've done this when we were younger, Chiwa. Mandatory family time, none of us could escape it."

"I'll say. Even back then, we preferred to be alone but our father thought differently and made us spend time together," added Kanato.

Reiji held out his hand after checking if they were alone. "Would you mind, Chisana? I have a few questions about your father and that letter." 

Ah, so you do have a few tricks to lose your brothers. "Of course, and I don't want to bore them with it, or ruin the mood." Taking his hand, she was gone within a second.

"Yeah, sure, go and ditch us again." Laito's suspicion grew even more to the point of thinking they were a couple.

"Is it me or do they spend a lot more time together than usual?" Ayato still couldn't forget how easily his brother dismissed him at the fair.

Laito shook no. "They always spent time together since they have the same interests. Tea, a game of chess, books, enough for him to trust her with a few of his books to read. She's reading his collection of Remembrance of Things Past, and volume four."

"What do you mean again?" Subaru shook no. "You know what, I don't wanna know. They can get along, and he does arrange most of the things around the house." He left his brothers behind.

Shu shrugged. "We'll find them later, anyway." 

*** 

Reiji took her elsewhere before taking her to a rooftop. Before he could say anything he felt her pulling him down for a kiss. "I can get used to that." 

"You're not already used to it?" Chisana smiled widely. "And nice way of losing them."

With his arms around her, he pointed to a rooftop lower. "That's where we used to go to for the view. I took us to the highest point, so please be careful." He hoped no one else would come up there. "And no, I have no questions about your father. But it is a safe topic that the others won't be interested in."

"True, I have to get to know him all over again, but he needs more answers first and I can't give them to him. Using the 'I'm your father' thing just to get me to choose him isn't going to work. No matter what happens, he is and will be my father. We just have to work on it again."

He agreed in between sips. "That's more than enough and will take time." Again, his eyes went down to her dress. "Are you teasing me on purpose? You never wore many dresses. Always a long skirt or sweatpants."

"I adapt my clothes to the weather." She sat down and away from the edge. "It's nice and warm since it's summer. You even saw my sleep shirt. That changes too."

He hummed. "Have you ever tried something in your life that you want to do again, or learn something new?" Every night again, he learned something new about her.

"Looking for something to do together?" Sitting down next to her, she scooched over.

He didn't even tease or anything but nodded. "Like horseback riding?"

"Oh, I've never done that, but I don't mind to learn." She earned a smile from him. "I'm sure you know where to go."

"Don't let your tea get cold." He warned her.