Hinata was in the lounge area, already wearing the school attire he had when he arrived for work, waiting for Callisto to finish changing in the girls' dressing room.
Callisto came out of the dressing room wearing the same uniform she had today and light makeup, though she had no idea why she took the effort of putting it on when all they were doing was walking home together.
"Sorry for the wait." She approached Hinata, who got on his feet the moment her voice was registered by his ears.
"Don't worry about it." Hinata studied her face, noting every detail to memory despite having done the same numerous times already, as if he were always finding something new every time he did. "Ready to go home?"
"Yes. Let's go."
Callisto and Hinata came out of the convenience store, standing side by side as they found themselves on the dark sidewalk.
For a moment, they simply walked alongside each other in comfortable silence. They could feel the cool air of the evening breeze seeping through their skin along with the heat radiating off each other's bodies like a gentle caress.
Hinata looked up to the sky, taking in the sight of the glittering stars that never failed to remind him how beautiful the nights could be.
Callisto caught the young man looking up from the corner of her eye and did the same. A small gasp escaped her lips as both of them stopped to admire the scenery above their heads together.
"Aren't they pretty?"
Hinata's gentle voice broke the silence, and Callisto found herself nodding in agreement.
"They are."
"Every once in a while, I'd go out alone at night just to admire them. It's nice to go out for an evening stroll with friends, but going solo is not so bad either."
"You know what? I haven't tried going out alone in the evening in a heartbeat, but I think you're right."
Hinata risked a glance at Callisto on his side and then back at the glittered night sky. He realized how tonight felt so different compared to his previous experiences.
Although it was true that he enjoyed hanging out with his friends and really loved going out alone at night to just take in the fresh air and admire the evening scenery without disturbance, Hinata couldn't believe himself that he was starting to think twice about what he really liked about going out at night.
Alone? With friends? Or to walk next to this breathtakingly beautiful, silver-haired girl next to him? Perhaps the restless pounding of his heart at Callisto's close proximity already knew the answer before he did.
As they resumed walking along the sidewalk, the street completely theirs alone, Callisto slowed her stride to look at Hinata from behind.
Her eyes raked over his tall frame analytically, guessing he was around 170ish centimeters in height compared to her, who was around 160ish centimeters in height. Though his uniform seemed to cover it very well, his toned arms indicated that the young man had a well-endowed body, meaning he was most likely doing workouts.
"Huh?"
Why was she thinking about those things? Why was she suddenly imagining how Hinata would look without his polo shirt, his toned body in full glory?
"Hm?"
The sound of Callisto's confusion escaped her lips, loud enough for the young man to look at her over his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Asked Hinata, slowing his pace to match Callisto's stride for stride.
Caught off guard, Callisto's heart started racing as she met the young man's searching eyes, faint hues of pink coloring her cheeks.
"I-I'm okay," she stuttered, her body tensing with nervous energy as she tried to find the words to respond. "How's the workout?"
"Huh? Workout?"
Callisto palmed her face internally. Those were definitely not the words she was looking for. But it was too late for regret. All she could do was to move forward and deal with it.
"Well... I noticed that your arms look like they're in great shape, so I thought you must be working out."
Callisto could only hope she did not sound awkward with her response.
"Actually, I do," confirmed Hinata, an almost sheepish look on his face. "But only to keep me in shape."
"I see," said Callisto; her voice came out with genuine interest and astonishment. "Maybe I should work out too."
Hinata lit up with excitement at the young lady's words, a glint of hope and anticipation in his eyes as he met the young lady's sky-blue marbles. "If you do, then do you want to do it with me? I'm not exactly an expert, but I can teach you some stuff for beginners."
"Huh? Are you sure?"
"Of course!"
A bit surprised by Hinata's enthusiasm, but Callisto gratefully accepted the young man's offer. Callisto let out an internal sigh in relief as their conversation about Hinata's physique finally shifted to making plans for their workout schedule, her once tense shoulders now relaxed as they took a turn on a corner. Even so, the thought of Hinata's exposed, toned body would probably never leave her mind thanks to her sharp memory.
Putting that aside, Callisto thought that working out was a good idea. The one thing she realized when she was tampering with her senses was that it wasn't just straining her mind but also her body. Training her body would certainly help handle the physical strain of using her powers, so she was looking forward to it.
That was only one of the reasons she was looking forward to it.
The other reason? It was because she would get to do it with Hinata.
Ever since that day during the EPT, when the connection she had with Hinata blurred her fear, when it felt real, Callisto realized just how much she enjoyed spending time with Hinata. Whether it was with Elesis and the others or just the two of them, Callisto would always get this warm, pleasant feeling whenever she was with Hinata.
Even now, when they were simply walking home together, Callisto was enjoying the moment more than she would probably ever admit.
Callisto wondered why she was feeling this way whenever she was with Hinata, why she was craving more of it, and now why she wanted to prolong this night for as long as she could.
How could she have those thoughts when she couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth about her?
"Boss was being very cautious, don't you think?"
"Huh?"
Callisto's voice came out more as a surprise than confusion as she set her thoughts aside and looked into the young man's features.
"But I get why she's so concerned about you. I mean, with so many kidnapping incidents that are happening recently, it's gotten dangerous to walk alone at night, especially for girls."
"Yeah. I heard there was another kidnapping that happened in the next barangay. That's very close. Thank you for agreeing to walk me home, Hina."
"Don't mention it," replied Hinata, looking down at the young lady fondly as he added, "But you know, if the boss didn't ask me to do it, I would have offered to walk you home myself."
"What, really?"
Callisto's cat ears shot up like spikes at Hinata's words, her breath hitching in her throat at the revelation.
"Yes."
Then, after a moment of silence, Hinata asked Callisto. His voice taking on a low, serious tone as he looked down at the young lady with earnest eyes.
"If I offered to walk you home, will you let me?"
Callisto could feel heat crawling from her neck to her cheeks, the sound of her rapidly deafening heartbeat ringing through her ears. Tension crackling in the air between them as the young man awaited an answer.
"Of course."
Callisto couldn't believe herself at her own answer, at her audacity to want Hinata to walk her home, and at the way her heart was racing to the idea that Hinata wanted to spend time with her, when she couldn't bring herself to show him all of her.
"Then, from now on, I'll walk you home, Calli."
"Sure thing. I'll be in your care, Hina."
Even so, despite how agonizingly painful it felt to keep herself from drawing closer to Hinata's side, her answer was the one thing she would never retract.