...
It's been roughly a week since Kurumi and I went on the date. I never knew how enjoyable it was to spend time with a single person. Eh, maybe I was just lonely and never noticed until now.
She introduced me to some of her favorite movies. I've never been one for movies, but they were quite good picks. I introduced her to my favorite video games. Got her hooked on Bloodborne. Never through today be able to say something like that! 'I got Tokisaki Kurumi to play Bloodborne'. She had never played console games before, only arcade games, but she picked it up rather quickly.
We didn't spend all the time inside, though. We sometimes walked around the city. Most of the time, I cooked for the both of us. Helel really came in handy there as I know have a veritable encyclopedia of recipes in my head. That, plus Emiya's cooking skill has made me a god of cooking, and Kurumi agrees!
She still has come and slept next to me every single night. I still turn beet red everytime I see her in her sleepwear, though I'm not sure if I can ever get used to seeing something so damn beautiful. Helel and I have also spoken most nights, and we confirmed some things.
Helel cannot Inverse, but that doesn't mean I can't imagine myself Inversing, which would most likely cause her to Inverse. Though, I'm not exactly willing to try it out. Unless... I could imagine myself Inversing, but having the same personality.
Hmm... better to save that plan for a rainy day.
Nothing major has happened this week, either. No spacequakes or Spirits or AST or anything, just peace and calm.
Like right now. Kurumi and I are sitting next to one another on the couch, my head leaning in her shoulder as she plays Bloodborne whereas I am browsing stuff on my phone I made earlier in the week. A calm, lazy October afternoon, where nothing can go wro-
FOOOOOOOOOOOM FOOOOOOOOOOOM
I loud sound blares in the distance, causing me to shoot up in alarm.
"What the hell is that?!" I turn to Kurumi.
"Oh that? That's one spacequake alarms in the city."
"In the city? How loud are those that it's so loud even over here?" Kurumi's apartment is on the very edge of the outskirts of Tengu City. The siren is horribly loud even here.
"So a Spirit's gonna appear, huh?" I ask rhetorically as I stand up and stretch. "I suppose I'd better go and meet 'em."
"Looking to save another Spirit, Issei-kun?"
I turn to Kurumi with a serious look and tone of voice. "Of course. Everyone who's become a Spirit has had more than enough heartache forced upon them by the world. I wasn't much of a fan of Shido. He's the stereotypical harem protagonist, willing to help, but also just kinda rides along with the plot, never taking any action ahead of time. Of course, this is for the plot, but still, it's annoying.
Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the guy, but I'm not just gonna sit around and wait for Spirits to appear to help them. I know where a few of them are, so I'm gonna help them out ASAP.
While watching/reading Date A Live, I always wanted to have the Spirits have a good life, especially after seeing all of the shit they've been through. So, I'm gonna make 'em have a happy ending, the one they deserve."
Kurumi stares at me for a moment before I break the silence. "Sorry about ranting like that."
She lets out a quiet giggle before speaking. "Not at all. It just shows you really care about we Spirits, even though you've never met us personally. You even wanted to help someone like me..."
"Enough of the self-depreciation, Kurumi."
"Ufufu~ Alright then. Now," she looks me dead in the eyes. "Go help that girl out."
I feel a smile stretch across my face as one breaks out on Kurumi's. With a nod, I walk towards the front door and open it.
I turn to Kurumi while standing in the doorway. "I'll be back later, don't worry too much, Kurumin~" She chuckles as I close the door behind me.
With an exhale, I calm myself and don my Astral Suit, controlling my Reiryoku to be as undetectable as possible. "Alright then. Now what's that line Kotori always used? Oh yeah..."
I feel a grin on my face. "Let our date begin!"
—————
I fly towards the spacequake's location. It hasn't went off yet, but I can 'feel' it for lack of a better word. The city is also horribly barren, it feels as though an apocalypse has occurred. A city should be filled with the sounds of people, traffic, and yet, this silence, it feels... wrong. Horribly wrong.
Banishing those thoughts, I near the approaching quake's location. It appears to be an amusement park. I see what appears to be a vortex appear in the air. It resembles a mini-Black Hole, warping the very air into it. The vortex shrinks before-
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
I shield my eyes from the bright light with my arm. I also made myself some earplugs before hand. Smart thinking, else I probably would've popped my eardrums! Un-obscuring my vision, I see the amusement park, or rather, the ruins of it. Buildings collapsed, merry-go-round horses crushed, the roller coaster bent and twisted around buildings and pieces of concrete in a disturbingly artistic way, resembling that of a vision of madness. Reminds me of the guy that pained Saturn eating his son.
I feel a source of Reiryoku in the center of the park. Mentally breaking the earplugs back down into Reiryoku, I float down towards the Spirit, dispelling my helmet.
Mentally preparing myself, I wonder who it will be. It's not Yoshino, due to there being no rain. Not the twins, due to no one wind. Not sure if Miku's a Spirit yet. Not Kotori or Mukuro. DEM probably has Nia, gonna need to save her from that hell soon. Very soon. So it could be Tohka or Natsumi.
Come to think of it, didn't Shido meet Natsumi in an amusement park post-spacequake? What could be the odds?
As I land near the crater's center, I see her.
Standing there is a beautiful woman, just a few inches shorter than me, clad in a dark grey, body-tight suit, which hugs her curves. Her long, green hair spills out from underneath her black and orange witch's hat. Her cuffs, cape, boots and skirt all share the same motif as her hat. Her beautiful green eyes scan the area for a moment before landing on me.
Yeah, this is 'Natsumi'. Not the real her, just an illusion, hiding her real self.
"Well, I wasn't expecting someone who isn't those flying girls to show up!" Her pretty voice rings out as she begins to walk towards me, a slight sway in her hips with each step. She's really trying hard to be seductive, isn't she?
Is it working? Hell no, the real Natsumi was always more attractive to me. Besides, no one can be as seductive as Kurumi.
"Well, they aren't the only ones curious about these spacequakes." I say as I begin to walk towards her as well.
"Hmm? Are you sure you're only here for the spacequakes?"
"When did I ever say I was only here for the spacequakes?" We both stand a short distance apart from one another. She smiles at me before asking "Say, boy. Do you think I'm beautiful?"
I figured she'd ask this...
"Of course you're beautiful." Her eyes seem to light up as I say this.
"Really?!" She shouts as she jumps up and hugs me, like she did Shido.
"Mmfuume maam, I kenn breeff." Translation: Excuse me ma'am, I can't breath. Thankfully, she lets me go right after that. I'd rather not die via oppai suffocation.
"Oh this makes me so happy! I knew I'd be pretty like this!" She seems to squeal in joy.
"Though, I'd bet you'd be a lot prettier if you dropped the illusion." Like a flipped switch, her demeanor does a complete and utter 180. Her emerald-like eyes narrow, and her mouth shifts into a frown.
"You... know...?"
"Of course, it feels like you've wrapped yourself in your Reiryoku. An Astral Dress is made of it, but it's like your entire body is made of it."
"So... you can see the real me...?" She asks in a low, dangerous tone.
"Kinda, I can only see an outline."
"You-" I cut her off before she finishes.
"Does it matter, though?"
"Huh?" She asks, confusion on her face. It seems I've thrown her for a loop.
"Does it matter that I've 'seen' the real you? How wrong is it really?"
"...the real me is ugly." She says crossing her arms, and turning her head.
"What does that matter? I only judge people based on what they do, not what they look like. So does it really matter what you look like?"
"..." she remains silent.
"Besides, I don't really listen to others opinions, I make my own. I'll be the judge and make my own opinions."
"So, what? You're gonna make me drop my illusion?"
"Of course not."
"Huh?"
"Why the hell would I do something like that? I ain't exactly a fan of forcing others to do things they don't wanna do. You want to keep the illusion up, that's fine."
"..." She remains silent, contemplating my words. My senses tingle, feeling multiple, small energies closing in fast. AST, probably. Turning my head, I see them in the distance, slightly.
I turn back to Natsumi. "Hey, we should probably get outta here."
"Why?"
"AST are coming."
"So?"
"So, do you really want to fight?"
She huffs and crosser her arms. "If those girls want to fight, then of course." She's gonna be stubborn, huh?
"Alright then." I make a copy of Michael in my hands.
"Wha- hey!" Grabbing her arm, I make a portal to the other side of the city, and jump in, pulling Natsumi along.
—————
We step out of the portal as I close it behind us and dispel the Michael clones.
"What is wrong with you?!" She all but shouts.
"I'd rather not deal with those annoying girls. I don't like violence, and I doubt you do."
She growls slightly at me. Seems I've pissed her off. "So you dragged us... where?"
"The other side of the city."
"Hmmm. I hope you'll make this up to me." Eh? That's a shift of emotions. Oh right, tsundere.
"Alright then, wanna grab a bite to eat?"
"Alright then." I dispel my armor as I begin walking.
We walk down the street, side by side as people stare at us, or more specifically, Natsumi.
"You sure you wanna wear that?"
"Why not? It accentuates my beauty."
"That, and people think you're in a damn costume." I say, a deadpan look on my face. "Oh well, let 'em stare, I suppose."
During the past week, I really have mapped out the city and found a few nice places here and there. Natsumi and I walk for about 10 minutes before we reach it. A small cafe, smaller than the one Kurumi and I went to a week ago. This is a regular cafe, though.
The two of us enter, and Natsumi begins looking around, almost in wonder. She's never been in a cafe before, has she?
"C'mon, let's sit down." I nudge her as she snaps out of her trance. The two of us sit down, soon after a waitress hands us both menus.
"So, what's your name?" I ask suddenly as I ponder the menu.
"Natsumi."
I smirk a bit. "Well, I'm Issei. Nice to meet you, Natsumi."
She goes back to staring at the menu, a frown of annoyance on her face.
"Having trouble deciding?"
"Of course not! It's just..." she trails off. "I don't know what most of this stuff is."
"Never been in a cafe before?"
"No."
"Any preferences on food? Sweets, maybe?"
She stills for a moment. "I can't really remember the last time I had sweets..." she says, a red of embarrassment on her face.
"Alright then, I'll give ya some suggestions."
—————
The two of us both order some warm tea and a kind of toast with jelly. Neither of us talk much, just eat. As we walk down a quiet street, away from the cafe, I break the ice.
"How was it?"
She is silent for a minute, before she quietly says "It was good."
"I'm glad. I really like this place, so I was hoping you would. Took me friend here the other day, and she liked it too."
"You're a Spirit, aren't you?" That's... an odd question to ask. She did see my armor and how I teleported us, right?
"Yeah? I wasn't really hiding it."
"But, you're a guy. I didn't figure there were make Spirits.
"Well I guess I'm just one of a kind, I guess." She chuckles as I say this. We fall back into an uncomfortable silence, again.
"Natsumi?"
"Yeah?"
"You have any friends?"
"...no. I can't really due to those girls always chasing me."
"Well, I'll just have to be your friend, then." Her head whips at me, a serious, yet hopeful look in her eyes.
"Are you sure? Even though I'm hiding my true self?"
"I judge based on actions, not appearance, remember?"
"...thanks." She says quietly, looking anywhere but at me.
"Well, it's still fairly early in the afternoon, so wanna do something else?"
"Like what?"
"You play video games any?" She stars at me, curiously before nodding.
"Well c'mon! Me and my roommate have got tons of games back home!"
—————
Natsumi trails behind me as I open the door to Kurumi's apartment. Natsumi's been rather quiet on the walk here, she's probably worried about what Kurumi will think of her.
"I'm back, Kurumi! And I brought a friend!" I announce as I open the door.
"Oh" I hear in the back. Kurumi steps out from the hallway. "So you did."
"You don't mind if we play some video games, Kurumi?"
"Not at all." She walks towards Natsumi and introduces herself.
"Hello, my name is Kurumi. Nice to meet you, cutie."
Natsumi seems kinda shocked at this. "Oh, it's uh- nice to meet you too." she stutters out.
I've already sat down on the couch and made a console and two controllers. "You ready, Natsu?"
She gains a blush on her face. "N-Natsu?!"
"You don't like it?"
"N-No, it's-" she stutters as Kurumi cuts her off.
"I think it's cute." This only serves to strengthen Natsumi's blush.
"Well, whaddya wanna play?"
—————
We end up playing a fighting game, whilst taking turns. Natsumi picked up the game really damn fast, Kurumi did as well, but not as quickly. During the fights, I've been siphoning a slight amount of Reiryoku from Natsumi's illusion, weakening it. Natsumi's competitive spirit really begins to shine as she focuses on the game intensely.
Eventually, during a battle between her and I, her illusion slips. This doesn't break her concentration, though, as I soon win, despite her focus.
"Aw man!" She says in a noticeable higher voice than before. "Again?! I'm gonna even up the score eventually!"
I look down at her and smirk "Bring it on then!"
Her face, full of confidence, suddenly shifts to one of confusion. "Why am I looking up at you now?" Her head turns down as she squeaks out in alarm. "HUH?!"
With that shout she shoots up off the couch. Her body is now noticeably smaller than before, standing at little under 5 feet. Her hair remains the same length and color, as do her eyes, though her outfit it significantly different. Her hat is smaller, she no longer has the body suit, but now has an odd orange top with puffy, who sleeves and black shorts. She has black and orange striped socks of mismatching lengths, and short shoes of a similar color.
"My illusion?! How?!" She all but screams.
"Maybe you got too focused on the game and it's sorta turned off?"
Her face is red and she looks as though she's about to erupt.
"Oh, we'll. C'mon, let's keep playing."
"What? You want to keep playing?!"
"Yes. Didn't you say you wanted to even up the score a second ago?"
A moment of silence passes, before she sits back down and picks up the controller. "Fine then. Don't expect me to go easy on you, after seeing this!"
I smirk, "Hmph. I'm counting on it!" With that, the game resumes. Kurumi merely smiles at my actions.
—————
After a while we stop playing. Natsumi suddenly asks in a small voice. "Do either of you really not care about my appearance."
"No." "Why would we?"
She grasps the edges of her hat, pulling it down slightly. "Because, I'm ugly..."
"I don't know who told you that shit, but if I ever meet 'em, I'll punch them in the face." I say in a serious voice, shocking Natsumi. "You aren't ugly, you're plenty beautiful and really cute, too." She blushes harder at this. "Hell, you could be even prettier than your illusion if you took better care of yourself."
"Better... care of myself?" She asks, bewildered.
"Well your hair is super messy, you haven't been brushing it, have you?" At this, she looks away. Clearly I hit the bullseye. "Your skin is pale, most likely from going outside with your illusion up. Sunshine is important. Vitamin D and all. You have bags under your eyes, either you haven't been getting good sleep, or you've been stressed. Taking care of yourself is important. If you do, not only will you look even more beautiful than normal, but you'll feel better too."
"What should I do then?" She asks, looking up at me. I ponder this for a moment, before an ideas strikes me in the head.
"I've got an idea, but it'll take some time to set up. Kurumi?"
"Yes?"
"Go take Natsumi to the bathroom and give her a towel to wear."
"Ara?" She seems confused. "Only a towel?"
"Yes only a towel."
"Huh?!" Natsumi squeaks between us.
"Alright. Come on then, Natsumi-chan." Kurumi then drags Natsumi off the the bathroom, kicking and screaming all the while.
"Okay then. Helel? It's time to get to work!"
————
A few minutes later, I'm waiting out in the hallway for Natsumi to come out. I can get the two of them arguing in the bathroom.
"No way!"
"Oh? What's the matter, Natsumi-chan?"
"What do you mean?! I'm only wearing a towel!"
"Are you embarrassed to be seen like this?"
"Of course!!"
The two of them bicker, as the older Spirit tries to coerce the younger out of the bathroom. I decide to cut in. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, it's all part of the plan, now c'mon, Natsu!" A moment of silence passes, before the door slowly opens, revealing the green-haired Spirit, clad in only a white towel.
"D-Do I really have to wear this?"
"Yes." I say with a tone of finality.
"Ara, Issei-kun?"
"Yes?"
"Why is a door there?" Kurumi asks, referring to the door on her wall that wasn't there before.
"That? It's where I'm gonna help Natsumi get all 'beautified' !"
"Did... you make that?"
"Yes, and the room within as well. Simply put, I used Helel to make a door to a small, room-sized pocket dimension."
"How?" Natsumi pipes up.
"My angel lets me make anything, so long as I can do imagine it. Now, come on." I open the door, inviting Natsumi to enter first. As she does, I address the black-haired Spirit. "You know more about girls clothes than I do, so here-" I stop taking for a moment, and use Helel to make myself a clone. A perfect copy of myself appears next to us.
"Wha-?!" Kurumi appears alarmed.
"You and 'me' can go figure out some cute clothes for Natsumi to wear. After that, you'll need to do her makeup. I know nothing about that stuff, being a guy and all."
"Ufufu~ I didn't know you could make clones as well."
"Helel lets me do anything I imagine remember? Now, both of you, go think up some cute clothes for her." I shoo them away.
"Alright then." "Can do, me." Kurumi and the other me go down the hall, as I step through the pocket dimension's door. Inside is a barber's shop, complete with a chair, a mirror and a desk, covered with various creams and such, a sink fitted in the center. Natsumi is looking around, taking in the sight of everything.
"Well, have a seat." I say, making her jump. With a nod, she sits on the chair. I make a towel and place it around her neck, like a cloak. I tell her to bend her head over the sink and get some soap, only to begin lathering her hair.
"You've got really long hair. When was the last time you got it cut?"
"I don't remember. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Of course." I say, still lathering her hair. Christ, she has a lot of hair. Makes me worry about washing Mukuro's hair, that'd be a nightmare. "I gave myself all the knowledge of those Turkish barbers I used to watch on YouTube from time to time. They made ASMR videos. Really calm stuff, I enjoyed it for some reason or another." Not long after, I rinse her hair out. After getting her to sit straight up, I pull the towel around her shoulders up and begin using it to dry her hair. After a few minutes, her long green hair is noticeably less curly. It's not quite straight, however.
"Now for the next step, go back to the bathroom and take a shower, but don't wash you hair again. Then come back, still wearing just the towel. The step after that is optional, but I think it'd really help you out a lot."
"Alright then." She gets up and leaves to go to the bathroom.
—————
About 10 minutes later, a towel clad Natsumi returns to the hall, smelling fresher than before. "Is that another door?"
"Yup. And another pocket dimension." I gesture her to follow me. Inside is a odd-looking chair, that resembles a table and not much else. "Now, like I said, it's optional, but I think it'd benefit you."
"What is it?"
"I'm gonna give you a massage." She shrieks in surprise, her eyes opening wide and her face becoming a vibrant crimson. "Like I said earlier, you have, or rather had, bags under your eyes. I would say it's because of lack of sleep, but you were really worried about me thinking you were ugly, so I think it's stress. So, I'm gonna give you a massage, the help with that."
"Just a massage?"
I take offense. "Of course! Why the hell would I do anything else?!"
"A-Alright then."
"Okay, now lay face-down of the bed." She does so. After I sit next to her on a stool, and undo her towel. She jolts, but I reassure her. "I need access to your back to massage it." She exhales and relaxes as I get to work. Turns out, Turkish barbers, or perhaps barbers in general, can do massages. Helel gave me knowledge of that too!
With my newfound massage knowledge, I realize her back muscles are super knotted up. Remembering her backstory, it's safe to assume she hasn't been able to relax with in a long, long time. My hands, covered in oil, rub her small back, her tense muscles seeming to relax before my very eyes.
"Muh~"
It seems it feels really good her her, she's letting out cute moans. Thank god I'm not pressed against her, I can feel myself harden down below. After a few minutes, with my pants excruciatingly tight, I finish the massage. "Well-" I say, standing up. "All done. How you you feel?"
"Great." She say, her face muffled in the chair.
"Okay, I'll turn around. You get up and put back on the towel, we need to get you some clothes.
—————
We enter Kurumi's room a minute later.
"...?!" Natsumi lets out a small sound of surprise. Of course she would, Kurumi and my clone are sitting on her bed. "W-Why is there another you?!"
"Oh he's a clone."
"Yo." He says, waving at the small Spirit.
"You did good, man."
"Thanks." He says as I snap my fingers, causing him to disappear. I ripped off Naruto as his memories get placed in my head.
"He's gone already?" Kurumi asks, feigning slight sadness.
"Yeah, but I've got all his memories, so it's okay." I turn to Natsumi, creating three pictures in my hand. "Now, which of these do you like the most?" The three pictures are of various outfits. The only one worth mentioning is the one in the middle, it's her casual outfit that was in the Date A Live mobile game, Spirit Pledge. A purple dress with a white top, complete with a brown belt, a gold butterfly emblem attached.
Natsumi ponders her choice for a moment before pointing to the middle one. "Nice. Now then, sit still." She looks at me questioningly as I step back. I hold out my hand and imagine Natsumi in the outfit and let, Helel do the work. The small girl is engulfed in light. When I dies down, her outfit is that of the dress from the picture, her long hair now bunched together and tied into pigtails, held by small butterfly hair clips.
She looks down in awe at her new outfit. "This is..."
Kurumi speaks, still sitting on the bed. "I told you it'd be cute."
"No, I told you." Referring to my clone showing her the outfit beforehand. "Well now, your turn, Kurumi."
"Alright then." She stands up. "Come on Natsumi-chan. We have one last thing to do."
"I'll wait for you guys in the living room." I say, walking out of the room.
—————
Natsumi-chan is sitting down, in front of my makeup desk. I don't wear any of it much anymore, but a girl likes to look good from time to time, you know?
"Uh, Kurumi-san?"
"Hmm?"
"I know Issei's been saying I'm beautiful and all, but-" I cut her off before she can begin.
"But nothing. You are an adorable girl. Those who told you that you were ugly should consider themselves lucky I don't know where they are~" Honestly, saying such things to a cute girl. How I'd love to make them regret doing that.
The small girl flushes at my praise. "Now then, let's begin."
—————
I'm left sitting in the living room for about 15 minutes before I head footsteps from the hallway. "We're done!" Kurumi announces. I turn around to see Natsumi.
She was cute before, but "Wow."
"Ufufu~ she's taker your breath away, has she?"
"Yeah, she looks even cuter than before."
"Eep!" Natsumi squeaks.
"Seriously, how did you make her even cuter? I didn't thing was even possible!"
"I'm not... that cute." Natsumi says shyly.
"Yes you are. Look for yourself." I make a standing mirror in front of the small girl. Her face morphs into multiple emotions. Shock, embarrassment, confusion.
"This is... me?"
"Of course it's you. I told you that you were beautiful." I leaned it against the back of the couch and I stand up and walk over to her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I look her dead in the eyes. "You are beautiful, Natsumi. Inside and out." Her eyes well up as tears threaten to spill from her eyes.
"It's okay." I smile at her. "You can let it out." That does it for her as she begins bawling her eyes out, while holding onto my torso.
"Really, Issei-kun? Do you enjoy making girls cry?" Kurumi says, jokingly.
"Oh shush."
After Natsumi calms down, I wrap my arms around her. "You've been through a lot, Natsumi. I won't let you go through that shit again. You don't have to worry about your mom or anyone that hurt you again."
"Huh?!" She stiffens in my arms.
"Sit down and let me explain."
—————
"So, this Shido guy helped a bunch of Spirits, including me?"
"Yeah, but that'll probably happen a year or so from now. Now way I was gonna let you suffer in your delusions for another day, let alone a year. When I realized I was in this new world, with these powers, I knew I wanted to help the Spirits. All of them went through some form of hell." I notice Kurumi, beside me, look down. "No one should be terrorized by others, least of all by their own parent." I feel my teeth grit together, and my fists clench just thinking about Natsumi's story.
"Out of all the Spirits, you were one of the ones I wanted to help the most. So, when I found you, I knew I wanted to help you. Free you from your worries."
A silent moment passes. No one saying a word.
"Issei."
"Yeah, Natsumi."
"Thanks." She looks up at me with a bright smile. "You really are a nice person. The first one I've met in... ever, probably."
"I'm not nice." I cut her off. "I only want to see you girls happy. That makes me more than happy. It's pretty selfish when you think about it."
"Maybe it is, but she's right. You're a good person, Issei-kun." Kurumi says to me, placing a hand in my shoulder.
"Thanks you two." I sigh, as I stand up. "Now, there's two things left to do. Make Natsumi a room, and 'seal' her power."
"Huh?" Green, confused eyes shoot up and meet mine.
"What? Did you really think I was gonna make you leave? You don't have a place to stay, so why not stay here? You don't mind, right, Kurumi?"
"I don't see why not."
"Then it's settled."
"B-But-" the short girl stutters, but I interrupt.
"Besides, it's what friends do."
"..."
"As for the 'sealing', I'm just gonna fiddle with you angel and make it easier to control. You won't have to worry about the AST or anyone else being mean to you anymore."
"...thank you, Issei." Natsumi says, quietly, a smile on her beautiful face. Kurumi shares a similar smile on hers, and I feel one grow on mine.
"You're welcome, Natsumi."
—————
AN
It's gotten really hot here in the south lately. Noting unusual, it is June, but the humidity these past two weeks has been hell. Because of that, I didn't want to write anything for a while.
I became a part of the Procrastination Nation.
On top of that, I kept coming up with more and more ideas of things to include here, but didn't want to split the chapter up, so here's a longer one than the previous ones! Maybe the next one will be longer, of maybe not, who knows?
I hope I portrayed Natsumi well. I'm still new to writing, so I worry. I feel like I'll worry everytime I write a chapter haha.
Speaking of the heat, my AC is trying its best while writing this part. It's 95 degrees outside, but the heat index is 108 here! Curse this southern humidity!!
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!