"Alrighty then~"
With his messy golden hair splayed out, Shinobu smiled and reached up to pat Yoizumi's head, flattening a section of his hair.
It felt wonderful, fluffy with a slightly damp touch. Shinobu's beautiful purple eyes were full of tenderness as she rested her chin on Yoizumi's head, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him even closer.
Uncontrollably leaning into Shinobu's embrace, Yoizumi tried not to put his weight on her, yet Shinobu firmly pulled him further into her arms.
His every breath was filled with Shinobu's pleasant scent. Whenever he caught a whiff of this fragrance, Yoizumi always felt incredibly at peace, and he leaned a little closer into Shinobu's embrace.
"I like it..." Yoizumi's gaze lifted slightly, meeting Shinobu's smiling eyes. As Shinobu lowered her head, the still damp ends of her hair brushed against Yoizumi's face.
He blinked unconsciously. Shinobu's hair... it was ticklish... Shinobu seemed to absolutely adore Yoizumi's expression, and her hands playfully messed with his small face without restraint.
Helpless and unable to resist, Yoizumi let Shinobu mold him as she pleased.
As long as Shinobu was happy... Her skillful fingers pinched the soft flesh of Yoizumi's cheeks, causing his usually pale face to show a faint blush. Yet, his eyes held only trust for her, not a hint of reluctance, which made Shinobu want to keep teasing him.
"Cute... If their future child was also like Yoizumi..." A sudden thought popped into Shinobu's mind, making her movements abruptly stop. Her face slowly flushed, and even her ears, hidden by her dark hair, turned red.
"What's wrong?" Yoizumi tilted his head back, asking softly. Instead of an answer, Shinobu quickly covered his eyes, plunging his vision into darkness.
?
Had he done something again to displease Shinobu?
No, he hadn't done anything just now... Shinobu's heart was beating so fast, what was wrong?
Yoizumi felt Shinobu's suddenly accelerated heartbeat behind his head.
He raised his hand, tentatively trying to touch Shinobu's face, but Shinobu stopped him.
"Don't move, okay?" Shinobu's voice came faintly from above his head.
"...Mm." After closing his eyes, his hearing became more sensitive. Shinobu's breathing had quickened slightly.
"Yoizumi, what do you think... your future... child will be like?" Shinobu asked with a slightly bashful tone, her eyes lowered as she stared at Yoizumi.
A child?
Yoizumi thought about it, then realized he couldn't imagine it and shook his head honestly.
"I don't know."
"...Right, you're such an idiot who doesn't even know where babies come from." Shinobu muttered quietly, feeling like she must have been out of her mind to ask Yoizumi that question. No sooner had she finished speaking than she heard someone say,
"I know. I know how babies come."
"?" Shinobu's eyes widened abruptly, her shock evident on her face. Even the hand covering Yoizumi's eyes loosened.
Who was it?
Who had been filling Yoizumi's head with strange ideas when she wasn't around!
Could it be... Shinobu's suspicion wavered between Agatsuma Zenitsu and Uzui Tengen, the two biggest suspects.
Ultimately, she settled on Agatsuma Zenitsu.
It was that guy last time too!
A clear vein pulsed on her fair forehead, her smile turning to anger. The next time she saw that blond-haired kid, Shinobu decided she needed to cure him of his bad habit of not being able to control his mouth.
"Mother... Mother Kie told me."
Shinobu's lips parted in surprise. It wasn't that blond-haired kid after all. She had truly misjudged him.
Yoizumi recalled the scene at the time: young Hanako was nestled in Kie's arms, her large eyes full of confusion, her small hand pointing at Rokkuta in his swaddling clothes, and she asked in a childish voice,
"Mother, how did my little brother come to be?"
This was perhaps a question in every child's heart, and even Yoizumi, who had only recently arrived at the Kamado family, felt the same confusion.
He sat quietly at one side of the round table, letting Shigeru tug at his sleeve and play, his face devoid of any expression, like an empty puppet.
But his eyes were fixed on Kamado Kie.
Kamado Kie's gentle face instantly flushed. Facing the innocent gazes of her children, she cleared her throat, and after a long moment, she stroked Hanako's head and said,
"When two people become husband and wife and love each other enough, they will receive the approval of the Crane Deity."
"Couples who are approved will receive a child blessed by the Crane Deity."
"Mother Kie said it like that at the time."
Yoizumi's calm tone held a strange seriousness.
When he heard those words at the time, he actually had a question in his heart.
Yoizumi still held that thought now.
If sufficiently loving couples would receive approval...
Then was he, perhaps, an approved child?
He, with his distant memories at the time, couldn't figure it out, and now, having lost his memories, he understood it even less.
This... Shinobu was silent, unsure for a moment what to do.
"Is that not right?"
Looked at by such a pair of clear sapphire eyes, combined with Yoizumi's now tender face, Shinobu took a deep breath and reluctantly nodded in agreement.
"What she said... is correct."
How was she supposed to explain this!
"However, I hope it's a child like Shinobu..."
His small hand gently rested on Shinobu's cheeks, his blue eyes shimmering with anticipation, his brow slightly curved, revealing a gentle smile.
"It's best if they're like Shinobu."
His fingers delicately traced Shinobu's features, his eyes filled with a joy visible only to Shinobu.
With such fervent and distinct emotions appearing in Yoizumi, how could Shinobu not feel the emotions that arose because of her?
Her increasingly hot ears constantly proclaimed their presence. Every part of her skin touched by Yoizumi's cool fingers felt intensely warm, her dizzy head... all of it told Shinobu just how... happy she was at that moment.
She was included in Yoizumi's future... Shinobu's stirred heartstrings were clearly laid bare, beat by beat, under Yoizumi's keen perception.
Yoizumi slowly placed his hand over his own heart, carefully feeling his heartbeat.
"This is good... We are the same."
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