Sweet Like Candy

R.I.P. Bon's Style

They arrived at Kyoto and both Rin and Rodan stared at the Kyoto Tower rising in the distance in awe. Kyoto was beautiful in a way Tokyo could never be.

“That’s the tower you were talking about?" Rodan remembered excitedly. "It's so tall!"

“Are you the party from the Japan Branch?” A voice asked Shura and the others. Rin hurried to catch up to them. “I’ve been waiting for you! I’m the errand boy for Kyoto Branch Office. My name is Doi.”

“I'm Japan Branch Reinforcement Squad Captain Kirigakure." Shura introduced herself formally, but with an air of laziness, like usual. 

“Thank you for coming!” Doi thanked them, bowing respectfully. “I have arranged a bus for you. For the time being, I would like to bring you to where you will be staying so you can put away your luggage and settle down.”

“Nice. Please take care of us.” Shura responded.

An uncomfortable bus ride filled with people glaring or staring nervously at Rin and leaning away from her later, they arrived at a very nice Inn. It was a little ways up the mountain,but reachable by tourists.

Suguro, for whatever reason, looked annoyed at the sight of the building. Did he have trouble sleeping in beds that weren't his own? Rin u der stood that. It had taken her a while to get used to her flimsy bed at the Dorm. When they got inside, Rin understood  why he looked like he'd rather be anywhere but there.

“Bon!”

“It’s Bon!”

“Bocchan?! You’ve returned, huh?”

“Welcome home!”

“And Konekomeru and Renzou too!”

“Wow! This is an occasion worth a celebration! Call Okami out here!'

"Okami, Okami!"

“Don’t!” Suguro growled. “This is no homecoming! I just happened to be assigned to come here because of my training as an ExWire and….Listen to me, damnit!” No one was listening to him and Rin was wondering what would happen next. Why was Suguro so frantic to stop them? And they called him Young Master too.

“Ryuji!” A beautiful woman came running from a hall of the Inn, and approached Suguro with a shocked expression on her face. She looked young, maybe in her twenties. Something about her face and her hair reminded Rin of Suguro. Were they related? She looked like she could be his older sister.

“You….” The woman's expression contorted and Rin recognized that expression too. It had been aimed at her by Suguro a handful of times. “You actually went and dyed your hair! You wanna turn into a chicken or something?! You sure have guts, stepping into this Inn again! Didn’t you say you were going to study and your only come back when you succeeded?!” That was quite a tongue lashing and the rest of the class was either uncomfortable or snickering. Izumo said something about Suguro being the young master of a temple, hence the nickname Bon. Rin was still confused.

“Like I said, I just happened to be assigned to come here for field training as an ExWire!” Suguro retorted, snapping right back. It was like watching two dragons fighting over gold. “And what did you mean, callin' me a chicken?! This hairstyle shows my determination!”

“What, the determination to look like a delinquent?!” The beautiful woman sneered. Rin had never seen such hostility between people without hands being thrown–not counting her and Shiro, that is. The woman wasn't wrong, what part of looking like a delinquent showed determination? Rin had the feeling Suguro had done the thing where he'd changed his look so when he came home after succeeding in his goal, he could show off and everyone would think he was cool. She didn't think he'd be the type of guy to do that before, but she could see it now.