A Firefly's Glow

Chapter Twenty: Part Three

He hesitated before he reached towards the girl to touch her. He didn’t know where to touch her first to wake her. Should he just shake her shoulder?

How exactly did you wake up a sleeping girl?

After shifting his hand around in the air, reaching towards her shoulder and then reaching away and aiming towards her hands, her arms, and then back towards her shoulders, he rolled his eyes and whispered.

“Hotaru.”

She didn’t respond, or even move.

“Hotaru.” He repeated, lowering his head towards her ear. He didn’t want to call her name too loudly. She might have a start and start freaking out.

After about three more repeats, she still didn’t shift, move, or respond in any way.

Keita knew that Megane was still standing behind him, probably attempting to help in some way by holding his hands forward just in case something happened.

Keita’s shoulders slumped. “Megane. I’m going to shift her over. If she starts attacking or kicking or doing something violent, hop in and help right away, alright?”

“Why would she wake up as violent?” Megane questioned from behind him.

“I’m not sure, but I’ve never exactly woken up a girl before.”

Every girl that has woken up near Keita has either been woken up naturally or had been woken up without him witnessing or paying attention to anything. He wasn’t sure what a girl was like when she woke up.

“The airbags are on, sir,” Megane informed. Keita felt somewhat relieved by this, mostly because if this girl was very, very violent, airbags would definitely be necessary.

Keita lowered himself towards her. Where should he lift her up by? Her shoulders? Her arms? Her hair?

He reached towards the girl’s shoulders. He tucked his hands under the shoulder she was lying on and he slowly lifted her upwards. He needed to use both hands.

He was glad that she hadn’t been drooling. It didn’t seem like there was anything on her face or the seat she had been lying on.

She didn’t stir as she was being lifted upwards. She simply flopped over, bending her head downwards.

Once she was sitting up, Keita lifted his hand away from her shoulder and he turned back towards Megane.

“She’s still asleep. It’s safe.”

Megane curtly nodded. After Keita stepped into the car, Megane gently shut the car door before he rushed around the limousine to the driver’s seat.

Keita was very relieved that the girl hadn’t woken up. He glanced towards the girl, murmuring in a low voice, “I thought I told you to go home.”

This was when he noticed that she wasn’t exactly sitting fully in her seat. The seats were able to seat about four people, and she and Keita usually sat in the far end. But, she was actually sitting closer to his side of the seat, as if there were two more people sitting on her other side.

Keita should have scooted her over some more. He thought about doing so, but when he saw that if he tried to move her over, he’d have to wrap his arms around her or at least wake her up. He didn’t want to do either of those things.

Megane settled in his seat, and before he started the engine, he glanced back at Keita through the rearview mirror. Keita blankly glanced back at him.