Swords & Saniwa

Dryer

~Ichigo Hitofuri~
一期一振

Requested by shirayuki_ryu!

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As the rain poured, the sage quickly looked around to see if there was any cover nearby. Running towards a cafe, she stood under the shelter. Time passed, and yet the rain had no signs of stopping in a short while. Wiping off droplets of water using her sleeve, she took her phone from her bag and checked the time. It was 4pm. She only had an hour to return to the citadel and attend a meeting.

Looking at the cars moving along the street while passing time, the sound of heavy rain still did not dissipate. If she only took an umbrella before heading off to school, she would be at the citadel by now. Her university was a stone's throw from the shrine where a portal could be established. Looking at the dark skies, she contemplated whether to run back to the shrine or wait for the rain to end. A part of her didn't want to get sick from being soaked to skin, but another part of her wanted to rush back as quickly as possible.

Oh no, she thought. What should I do...

After minutes of contemplation, she used her bag as a cover and lifted it above her head before dashing out, careful to avoid incoming pedestrians. Numerous raindrops hit against her face and her body, but she continue to ran until she reached her destination. Sitting down on the stairs that led to the main hall of the shrine, she wiped off water from her face and body using her scarf. Looking at the time, the meeting was due in thirty-five minutes. Glad that she still had some time left, she rested for a few more minutes before opening the portal back to the citadel.

"Welcome back, Aruji-dono-" The secretary gave his greetings as usual but stopped his sentence as he saw her in her soaked dress. She knew what he was going to say. She didn't like that at all.

"Sorry, Ichigo. I ran under the rain since there's a meeting-" Upon realisation, she froze for a moment before scrambling her bag for the phone. Unlocking it, the time was now 5.45pm. Only fifteen minutes remain for her to change her clothes and get all the reports ready for the meeting. Running off, Ichigo took hold of her arm abruptly, causing her to look at him frantically.

"W-What are you doing, Ichigo! I have a meeting now!"

"The meeting is tomorrow... If I recall your schedule."

"...What?"

Letting his grip off her arm, she quickly went through the information in her brain before getting the grasp of the situation. Running her hand in her loose fringe, she sighed.

"Right... It's tomorrow... A wasted trip under the rain..."

"No more running under the rain, Aruji-dono. You do know what was the consequence when you did that two months ago, do you?"

Darting her eyes while not looking at him purposely, she bit her lips before apologising again, not missing a sigh from him even though it was almost noiseless.

"Go have a shower before you get sick again, L/N."

"...Yes."

~~

Looking into the clouded mirror while drying her hair with the towel, she grumbled at the sight of her dark eyebags.

I guess I really did make him angry...

Wiping off the mist, a face appeared at the corner of the mirror, shocking her out of her life. Screaming, she took a few steps backwards before stumbling herself, hitting against the mat with her entire weight.

"Oww...." Rubbing her bruised areas, she took a look and tried to soothe the pain before taking her towel lying against the mat.

"I-I am sorry, L/N! I thought you saw me earlier..." Running up to her, he carried her up and took her to her room where a hair dryer and a comb was seen on her table.

"Geez... Getting soaked in rainwater and now a fall after a warm shower... My luck's really bad."

Running his fingers through her semi-wet hair, he turned on the switch and started drying her hair while using a comb to prevent tangling. Both of them stood quiet while the sound of the dryer went on until her hair was completely dry. Turning off the power, he set the dryer aside before bending down a little, wrapping his arms around her neck. The sage, on the other hand, was surprised at his sudden act and couldn't help but jolt up a little before relaxing. She could feel his breath just beside her collarbone, twitching occasionally at the small itches it gave.

"You know, you could do more of this in the future. I like your small surprises, Ichigo."

Suddenly, he hugged even tighter and gave a peck on her neck before releasing his arms away from her. Turning to look at him, she couldn't help but grin at his reddish face.

"D-Don't look at me..."

"Why not, Ichigo~?" Teasing him, she caressed his cheek before giving a kiss on his forehead.

"That's what you always do to your brothers, isn't it? I've always wanted to try it~"

Unable to hold in any more embarrassment, he left her room while not forgetting a kiss on her lips. It was just a simple peck, but it was barely enough to hold himself back from her.