Finishing her day's work and leaving the laboratory, Shinobu stood in the long corridor, staring blankly at the fish swimming in the pond.
Of course, she couldn't have been unaware of what Tamayo had said yesterday; she also wanted to spend her first Valentine's Day as a couple with Yoizumi.
It was just... how should she bring it up?
Should she just go directly to Yoizumi and say she wanted to go on a date with him?
Just thinking about it made Shinobu feel too embarrassed.
How could a girl bring up something like this? Couldn't Yoizumi suddenly have a moment of clarity and appear before her to invite her on a date? Annoyed, she squatted down, her finger touching the surface of the pond, scaring the fish into hiding among the rocks. The ripples on the water blurred her reflection. A few seconds later, another familiar figure appeared on the pond's surface.
Shinobu saw Yoizumi through the water and initially thought it was a hallucination from overwork. She continued to touch Yoizumi's reflection with her finger, noticing it didn't disappear. It wasn't until she heard Yoizumi's familiar voice that she startled and stood up.
"Shinobu."
"Yoizumi, why are you here?" The person she had just been thinking about appeared so quickly that Shinobu didn't react immediately.
"To see you."
Shinobu seemed troubled just now. Yoizumi raised his hands to cup Shinobu's face, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. How long had it been since they last met, and she looked so much more haggard?
"Mm... what's wrong?" The touch of his cool hands brought Shinobu back to her senses. She felt Yoizumi brush her cheek with his thumb.
Yoizumi's eyes darkened slightly; Shinobu had gotten thinner again.
Blood Demon Art: Rotation.
The cool-feeling hands suddenly glowed, and a warm, comforting power surged through her body, expelling all fatigue and filling her with an unprecedented lightness.
"You're misusing your ability again!" She frowned slightly, looked up at Yoizumi, her tone full of chiding.
"It's not misuse." Yoizumi shook his head and gently pulled Shinobu into his arms. "Shinobu looks so tired, and I... well... I can't stand to see Shinobu like this."
Yoizumi couldn't quite explain this feeling.
Now, holding Shinobu in his arms, Yoizumi felt it more concretely: she had lost so much weight... "Shinobu told me not to push myself before; now it's my turn to say it."
"Shinobu, you're the one who shouldn't push herself."
Knowing Yoizumi was concerned about her, Shinobu buried her face deep into Yoizumi's chest, closing her eyes and leaning against him. Yoizumi's unique, comforting scent completely enveloped her.
"Mm..." A small sound escaped Shinobu's lips.
"Shinobu."
"Hmm?"
"Have you been eating properly?"
"Mm."
"Have you been resting well?"
"Mm."
"Will you go on a date with me tomorrow?"
"Mm... wha... what?" Shinobu instinctively agreed to Yoizumi's sudden invitation before realizing what he had just said.
Had she misheard?
Yoizumi just said... date!
Shinobu's breathing quickened. She pulled away from Yoizumi's embrace, lifted her head, and met Yoizumi's serious eyes in disbelief.
What she had just wished for had come true... Yoizumi had actually invited her!
"I said, will you go on a date with me?" Thinking Shinobu hadn't heard clearly, Yoizumi leaned closer to Shinobu and repeated it again.
After Zenitsu spoke yesterday, he went back and read many books, roughly understanding the general process of a date.
Since it was a holiday for lovers, how could Yoizumi let Shinobu miss out on this?
So today, he came to invite Shinobu.
Facing Yoizumi's close face, Shinobu gently tugged his sleeve, lowering her head slightly in embarrassment.
"Okay..."
She was invited... and Yoizumi was the one who initiated it.
The problem she had been worrying about just recently was now solved.
She had already mentally prepared herself to bring up the topic herself.
How did Yoizumi know about this? Did he suddenly gain mind-reading abilities?
Thinking of this, Shinobu herself almost wanted to laugh. If Yoizumi really had such an ability, he wouldn't have said so many things that made her angry before.
Did someone mention this to him?
After much thought, Shinobu could only come to this conclusion.
Someone must have told Yoizumi, which is how he knew.
Who could it be?
Shinobu agreed.
Yoizumi looked at Shinobu, unable to help but curl his lips into a smile.
"Yoizumi, why did you suddenly ask that?" Shinobu felt it was necessary to find out who it was.
"Zenitsu told me."
Zenitsu... it wasn't that Shinobu was prejudiced against him, but Zenitsu's usual behavior was really... "What did Zenitsu say?"
Yoizumi recalled what Zenitsu had said yesterday and repeated it to Shinobu.
Indeed!
Upon hearing Yoizumi utter that 'naughty' phrase, a vein throbbed on Shinobu's forehead. Her Yoizumi would never know such things!
Just a few days away from home, and he was almost led astray!
She should have disciplined him earlier.
"It's a pity, I don't drink alcohol, so I can't accompany Shinobu."
Drinking alcohol?
What did that have to do with anything?
He noticed Shinobu's confusion.
So Shinobu didn't know what 'naughty' meant either.
Zenitsu knows quite a lot.
Yoizumi thought this and explained Zenitsu's exact words from yesterday.
It seemed Zenitsu still had some conscience.
He didn't teach Yoizumi anything strange.
Given that Zenitsu was able to make Yoizumi proactively invite her, she would forgive him.
Following Yoizumi's words, Shinobu showed a regretful expression, but her tone subtly revealed a hint of amusement, "Yes~ what a pity."
She wondered what kind of expression this idiot would make if he ever understood what that meant... she could almost imagine it.
Just thinking about it was amusing to that extent~
"Then I'll have to look forward to tomorrow~"
With her hands behind her back, Shinobu was now in a very pleasant mood, the ends of her words filled with cheerfulness.
"Mm."
Yoizumi nodded. He could go out for a walk with Shinobu again.
Shinobu was not the only one looking forward to it.
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