One Year Later

7 | A (Literal) Fluff Chapter

"Peko-chan! Peko-chan! Aaaaaaahhhhh!"

He squeezed her and wailed into her shoulder. She froze for a moment, and once she'd figured out that this wasn't an enemy out to get the first strike, she smiled and gave a more gentle squeeze in return, accompanied by an affectionate pat of his head.

"Hello there, Taka-kun. I've missed you."

Peko had gotten taller. She was taller than Kiyotaka when she had her boots on. She also looked a little bit more confident than she'd been before, but he could have been imagining things.

"I thought you might be pleased to be reunited with the Silver-Haired Mistress of the Sword," Gundham mused happily, looking very proud of himself. "And as she, too, is fond of demon beasts, I thought it would be a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"We have to exchange cell numbers so we can better keep in touch," Kiyotaka babbled as he squeezed her hands. "I haven't seen you since you graduated!"

Kiyotaka was very happy to see Peko Pekoyama.

They'd become friends when they'd discovered their shared values of devotion and discipline, and their mutual interest in kendo. They'd seen one another often once they'd started taking the same martial arts classes. It had been such a natural routine that it had never occurred to Kiyotaka to ask her about her cell number or if she had any social media accounts. She'd promised to try and visit Hope's Peak in person when she had a chance, but surely her work with the yakuza kept her very busy. Kiyotaka tried not to think about that, though.

Peko and Kiyotaka also seemed to share a certain affinity for foul-mouthed, hot-tempered criminals with soft hearts, but that was a conversation for another day. Peko was shy, and she didn't much like talking about her obvious interest.

"I'm sorry for not doing a better job of keeping in contact," Peko said glumly. "I just haven't found the time, and I've never been terribly social as it is. But this place is closer to my current home than the school is, so I managed to make time to meet you all here. ...How is Oowada-kun? Fuyuhiko said he saw him recently."

Kiyotaka lit up at the mention of the biker.

"He's doing great! He's planning some kind of secret for our anniversary, but I'll let him keep it a surprise. Fuyuhiko-kun must have been helping him."

"And things are still going well for the two of you?"

"They're going really well!"

"...I'm happy to hear that."

Fuyuhiko seemed to be more easily able to clear time in his schedule than Peko, even though they were usually together. Kiyotaka suspected that Peko had thrown herself into some very heavy training. The kind of thing that she probably wasn't supposed to talk about. He'd leave the matter alone.

"Nice to see you all getting along," another voice greeted. "Thanks for the invite, Gundham."

"Behold: The Scarlet Witch! She has come to lend us the aid of her soul-capturing photographic device!"

"Hey— Don't call me a witch!"

"Oh!" Peko turned to face the doorway, and her pleasantly surprised expression told Kiyotaka that she hadn't know the other girl would be there. "Mahiru-chan. Such a pleasure to see you."

Peko bowed. Mahiru Koizumi, already adjusting her camera lens, bowed back.

"Hi, Peko. Hey, everyone. Gundham wanted me to take picture of the animals for the school website."

"Oh?" Kiyotaka asked after returning her bow. "Have you spoken with the headmaster?"

"I have! If it goes well, he might hire me as their regular gal. Which I could really use." Mahiru sighed as she tugged on the leather strap around her neck. Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow.