Tsuyuki stands quietly while staring at the house, while Mie and Kouga are playing tic-tac-toe on small pieces of paper.
She fills an empty box. He fills another. She fills another. She wins.
KOUGA: Crap.
They play again. She wins.
KOUGA: Crap.
They play again. She wins.
KOUGA: Crap.
A window opens from the house. Ryuken pops his head out. He sees Tsuyuki, and waves at her. Tsuyuki notices.
TSUYUKI: Oi, Knuckle Head! Your turn!
KOUGA: Whaaaaat? Can't you see I'm winning?! (looks at the paper) Crap.
TSUYUKI: Just come here and do something, will ya?!
KOUGA: Ugggghhhhhh, fine. (throws pencil above his head)
MIE: (catches the pencil from the air, thumbs up at Kouga) Good Game! (kneels down, picks up all the papers on the ground while humming a tune)
KOUGA: (sigh) Why don't you do it?
TSUYUKI: Do I look like someone who loses in tic-tac-toe for the past 5 minutes?
KOUGA: I've won a few!
TSUYUKI: Sure...
Ryuken pulls the bag out of the window.
KOUGA: Alright, alright, alright. Come on, Ryuken. Give me your best sinker. All for the home run, baby!
TSUYUKI: ...
KOUGA: That's how baseball works, right?
TSUYUKI: (sigh)
With the bag in his hands, he raises his arms and back backwards, lifting it higher, preparing to throw the bag over the wall, only to hit his head on the windowsill.
BUMP!
RYUKEN: Ow!
He drops the bag on the bottom roof.
RYUKEN: Ah!!!
...
MAKI: You should try some, Kenzaki-san. (hands a bowl of food)
AKARI: I made them with my special sauce.
MAKISE: (stares at Kenzaki, furiously eating his rice)
KENZAKI: Ah, thank y-
CLINK! CLANK! CLUNK!
KENZAKI: (eyes widen)
AKARI: (shock) What was tha-
KENZAKI: (coughs loudly)
AKARI: Ah. Kenzaki-kun, are you al-
KENZAKI: I'm... fine. It's just... (coughs) my throat... has been dry all day. (coughs) Do you mind... if I could get some... warm water?
AKARI: Uh, okay. I'll bring you one. (stands up) Just a moment. (leaves the table)
KENZAKI: Thank you. (coughs)
MAKI: (stands up) There's some syrup in the fridge.
KENZAKI: (coughs) That would be nice.
MAKI: (leaves the table)
MAKISE: Damn... you sick buddy?
KENZAKI: (turns to Makise)
MAKISE: I feel bad for you. (drinks from his glass, smirks)
KENZAKI: (stares coldly at Makise, lets out a small cough)
...
RYUKEN: Ahhhhh... they definitely heard that...
KOUGA: Huh? Where the bag go?
RYUKEN: (wildly waves his hands to Kouga, pointing at the ground)
KOUGA: DON'T WORRY, BUDDY! I GOT THIS!
TSUYUKI: Don't shout! They'll hear us!
KOUGA: Oh... sorry. (whispers) Don't worry, buddy. I got this.
TSUYUKI: Why are you-
Kouga runs toward the house and with his last step, jumps 10 feet in the air, over the 8-feet wall, and lands safely on the grassy ground, astounding Ryuken the whole time. Kouga grabs the bag and slings it by his shoulder before he thumbs up at Ryuken, smiling.
RYUKEN: (shock) How did you-
Kouga jumps over the wall again, accompanied with a spinning somersault and lands safely on his two feet. He strikes a confident pose.
MIE: Woohoo! 10 out of 10!
TSUYUKI: Glad you didn't break a bone this time.
KOUGA: (smiles proudly) Thank you, thank you. (chuckles, rubs his nose)
Ryuken stood frozen, amazed by what he just witnessed.
He then snaps back, remembering what he has to do.
RYUKEN: Ah! I gotta hurry!
...
KENZAKI: (chewing, eyes glowing) W- wow! This is... really good.
AKARI: Aww... thank you.
KENZAKI: Do- do you mind if I have... one more bite?
AKARI: Of course! Help yourself.
MAKISE: (whispers angrily) I can't believe he's eating our food...
MAKI: (whispers) Mom... you gotta teach me how to make these.
AKARI: Oh, "now" you want to learn, huh?
RYUKEN: (rushes down the stairs with a stuffed schoolbag) Um... uh... Kenzaki-sempai.
KENZAKI: (chewing) Oh, Ryuken. You're done?
RYUKEN: Uh... yeah... I'm... ready to go now.
AKARI: Oh, Ryuken. Did you hear that strange noise a while ago?
RYUKEN: I... dropped some books on the floor.
AKARI: ... sounds too loud for books.
RYUKEN: ... they were heavy books.
AKARI: ... oh, well... sit down, Ryuken. Have some dinner first.
RYUKEN: But... we got... stuff to do.
KENZAKI: (stands up) My apologies, Ishinara-san. We are quite busy. I believe that it's best if we lea-
AKARI: No, no, no! I don't mind having my son working hard for your... whatever... but I won't let him do it on an empty stomach.
RYUKEN: But, mom...
AKARI: I can't let you starve all night. I save some chicken for you. See. (shows a bowl of sweet and sour chicken)
RYUKEN: (drools) Sweet and sour chicken...
AKARI: Come on.
RYUKEN: Hmm... okay... (drops his bag on the floor, walks to the table and sits down)
AKARI: You too, Kenzaki-kun. Join us, please.
KENZAKI: Um... (slowly sits back down)
AKARI: (fills a bowl with rice) Here. (hands it to Ryuken)
RYUKEN: (hands it to Kenzaki)
KENZAKI: (smiles softly, receives the bowl) Thank you.
AKARI: Your family won't mind about eating dinner with us, won't they?
KENZAKI: No worries. I already called my mom that I would be home late.
AKARI: She won't be mad?
KENZAKI: No. She's very understanding. Normally, by this time, we would be having dinner together.
AKARI: Does she cook?
KENZAKI: ... not really. Our cooks would prepare the meals for us.
AKARI: Oh... but she knows how to cook?
KENZAKI: Uh... kinda. She once tried helping the cook make roast chicken, but it didn't go well.
AKARI: (chuckles) I see...
KENZAKI: She knows how to boil an egg, though.
AKARI: Oh.
KENZAKI: Ah... I shouldn't have said that. She would be embarrassed.
AKARI: (laughs) There's no need to be embarrassed about it. Believe it or not, I was a mess of a cook once. I would screw up everything. Too salty, too raw, too bland... I've done them all. I even burned a rice cooker once! (laughs) Now that's even more embarrassing.
KENZAKI: (laughs) It must take a long time to hone these skills.
AKARI: Oh, tell me about it. It took way longer than I thought. I'm just glad Nao was there for me the whole time.
KENZAKI: Nao?
AKARI: She was a friend of mine. She taught me everything when it comes to cooking.
KENZAKI: ... "was"?
AKARI: Oh, uh... yeah. She... (stares at Ryuken, happily eating his chicken) ... she passed away.
KENZAKI: ... I'm sorry for asking.
AKARI: Don't be. It happened a long time ago.
MAKISE: Don't you start making my mom cry, you hear?
KENZAKI: Wha?
AKARI: Calm down, Makise. He was asking nicely. You should try learning a few things from him.
MAKISE: Why would I ever be like him?
AKARI: Why won't you wanna be like him?
MAKISE: What's so good about him anyway?
AKARI: I'll tell you what's good about him. He's nice and kind, he's proper and... dare I say it, a handsome devil.
KENZAKI: (chokes his food a little, clears his throat) Um... (chuckles nervously) that's very kind of you...
AKARI: Even Maki here got a little crush on ya...
MAKI: (spits her food) Um... no, I don't! I mean... not that I- uh... Mom!
AKARI: (laughs) Look at you, blushing like a peach. You should be more assertive with this kind of man. They don't fall off the tree that easily.
MAKI: (blushes, continues eating)
AKARI: Hell, if I was your age, I'd marry him in a heartbeat.
KENZAKI: (blushes, chokes on his food)
MAKISE: (sigh) Can you stop it, mom? I don't like seeing you fancying all over him.
AKARI: I'll fancy whoever I want to fancy. Just because I'm your mother, doesn't mean I can't feel all young again.
MAKISE: What do you mean "young"?
AKARI: (pinches Makise's ear, menacingly) You just hit a nerve, boy. Pray you didn't hit any further...
MAKISE: Ow, ow, ow! Okay! I give up, I give up!
MAKI & RYUKEN: (laughs)
KENZAKI: (chuckles, smiles faintly)
...
Tsuyuki, Mie & Kouga are still waiting outside. Tsuyuki taps her feet impatiently in front of the house, while Mie and Kouga, with the bag on his lap, are sitting by a wall, staring at the crescent moon.
KOUGA: Have you ever thought... that the moon is like... laughing at us, whenever it's all smiling like that?
MIE: Why would it laugh at us?
KOUGA: I don't know... because it's looking down on us, thinking that we are just stupid creatures, roaming endlessly with nowhere to go... or something like that.
MIE: Hmm... I like to think of it as a warm smile, telling us all to... keep moving and don't lose hope, to never forget yourself, and your sight of the road ahead, you know?
KOUGA: Huh... that's a nice way to think about it.
MIE: Yeah...
KOUGA: ...
MIE: ...
KOUGA: ... you should probably go back home, Mie-chan.
MIE: Huh?
KOUGA: You don't want your mom to be mad at you.
MIE: ... no. She won't be mad at me.
KOUGA: Hmm...
MIE: (hides her head on her knees, sadly whispers) She never does...
KOUGA: ...
MIE: What about your parents?
KOUGA: My dad won't mind. My mom though...
MIE: You didn't call her?
KOUGA: She would still smack me even if I did.
MIE: (laughs) She sounds fun.
KOUGA: Fun? (chuckles) She ain't fun when she shoots her sandal right at your butt cheek.
MIE: (laughs)
KOUGA: (stares at Tsuyuki) Wonder what she's thinking?
MIE: Eagerly anticipating for their arrival, mayhaps?
TSUYUKI: (whispers furiously) Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit-
KOUGA: More like pissed off, if you ask me.
MIE: ...
KOUGA: ...
MIE: ... Kouga-kun.
KOUGA: Hm?
MIE: Can I take a look at it?
KOUGA: ... aren't we supposed to wait?
MIE: I mean... you wanted to, right?
KOUGA: Of course, I want to look at the sword. It's a freaking sword!
MIE: Come on... just a peek.
KOUGA: And risk my life by the hands of her? No sword is worth her grasp of pain...
MIE: Please... just a tiny second.
KOUGA: No.
MIE: Pleeeeeeeeeease...
KOUGA: No!
MIE: ...
KOUGA: ...
She grabs the bag from his arms and pulls with all her might. Kouga fights back by pulling away. Unable to hold it any longer, she let go of her grasp and fell on her bottom.
MIE: Ow...
KOUGA: Ha! You think you can out-strength me? (menacing tone) You're a fool to believe that you cou- (notices a shadow casting from behind, looks up) Uh... Tsuyuki... um... we were just...
TSUYUKI: Open it.
KOUGA: What?
TSUYUKI: Open the bag.
KOUGA: ... shouldn't we wait fo-
TSUYUKI: Don't make me ask again.
KOUGA: Okay, ma'am. (proceeds to place the bag on the road, slowly opens the zipper)
TSUYUKI: (kneels down near the bag)
MIE: (crawls closer to the bag) Oooooo...
KOUGA: (opens the bag, revealing the sword) Woah...
MIE: Shiny...
TSUYUKI: (approaches to grab the sword)
KOUGA: Wait! You shouldn't do that!
MIE: Yuki-chan!
TSUYUKI: (grabs the sword, eyes widen)
KOUGA: Uh... what happened?
MIE: Do you... feel anything?
TSUYUKI: (slowly unsheathes the sword, inspecting it thoroughly)
MIE: Yuki-chan?
KOUGA: Er...
TSUYUKI: ... I'm not good in detecting the presence of souls, but... I can tell...
MIE: ...
KOUGA: ...
TSUYUKI: This blade... it's breathing.
End of Chapter 9
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