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“Kyojuro-sama, I’m here!” Mitsuri calls at the entranceway of the Flame Estate. She knocks on the door for the second time. “Kyojuro-sama? Senjuro-kun? Are you guys ready yet? We’re going to be la—”
The words die on her tongue as someone unfamiliar opens the door. At first, he looks like Kyojuro, but then Mitsuri realizes that he’s older and wears a scowl that she’s never seen once on Kyojuro.
“Who are you?” he growls, his eyes burning with hatred. “What the hell are you doing here?”
This must be Kyojuro’s father , Mitsuri thinks faintly, taking a step back. She squeaks, “I—I was just—”
“Yeah, I don’t care what you’re here for! This is my house, so why don’t you—”
“Father!”
Mitsuri sighs in relief. Kyojuro appears behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Father, this is Kanroji Mitsuri. She was my Tsuguko, remember?”
His father shakes Kyojuro’s hand off. “I don’t care who she is! She shouldn’t be trespassing on my property—”
“This is our property,” Kyojuro says firmly. “We’ll be leaving soon, so why don’t you go back inside?”
His father shakes his head furiously. “You have no right to speak to me like that! You’re the one who should go back inside—”
“Father. Please, let me talk to Mitsuri. This is my business, not yours.” Kyojuro steps outside and gently shuts the door before his father can react. Once that’s done, he exhales and turns to Mitsuri.
“Sorry about that,” he says regretfully. “It usually doesn’t happen.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Mitsuri says softly. “Do you want me to wait here for a moment?”
Kyojuro sighs almost imperceptibly. “Yeah, that would be great. I won’t be too long, alright?”
“Got it,” Mitsuri says with a reassuring smile.
Turning back to the door, Kyojuro eases it open and slips inside. Immediately, she can hear someone—likely his father—scream something. Mitsuri frowns and backs away, wanting to give them as much privacy as possible.
A few minutes later, Kyojuro emerges from the Flame Estate. His expression is unreadable.
“All cleared up,” he says with a smile, but Mitsuri notices the way it doesn’t quite reach his eyes and how he hunches his shoulders.
Still, she decides to ignore it for now. “Where’s Senjuro-kun?”
“He’ll… he’ll come out from the back. I’ve already told him to,” Kyojuro says.
“Good.” Mitsuri smiles and tries to forget what just happened. They walk to the gate of the Flame Estate together and wait for Senjuro.
After a pause, Mitsuri says, “So, have you ever been to the carnival?”
Kyojuro shakes his head. “No—well, I think I went once when I was young, but I don’t remember it at all.”
“Yeah, it hasn’t been around in a while,” Mitsuri remarks. “Anyway, I’m looking forward to the food! Have you heard of the popcorn and candy floss and sweets?”
Kyojuro smiles wanly. “No, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Mitsuri continues, “There’s supposed to be candies we’ve never seen before! I bet we could commission someone to make one of those sugar-blown candies shaped like Senjuro!”
Even with that, Kyojuro doesn’t laugh.
“That’d be cool,” is all he says.
As Mitsuri is searching for something else to say, they hear Senjuro approach. The poor kid looks worried and rushed, clutching a straw hat as if it’ll fly away. Kyojuro waves him over.
“Hi, Senjuro-kun!” Mitsuri says cheerfully, reaching over and squeezing him in a hug. “How have you been? It’s been ages since I last saw you!”
After a second, Mitsuri realizes that she’s probably squeezing him too tight. This is the hug I usually give Kyojuro-sama , she thinks. Maybe I should give Senjuro-kun the one I reserve for Shinobu?
She lets up a bit, and Senjuro takes in a deep breath. “Kanroji-san,” he wheezes, “next time, please don’t hug me like that!”
At this, Kyojuro finally laughs. Mitsuri joins in, and soon, all three of them are laughing.
“I’m sorry,” she tells Senjuro, ruffling his hair. “I really can’t help it, I was so excited to see you!” She looks him up and down. “And I swear you’ve gotten taller! I expect you’ll be taller than Kyojuro-sama soon!”
“Hey!” Kyojuro says indignantly. “You mean he’ll be taller than you .”
Mitsuri laughs. “Yeah, yeah. Now let’s get going, or we’re going to be late!”
-
Thirty minutes later, the three of them arrive at the new carnival that just set up in town. They stand at the entrance, looking up at the elegantly shaped words mounted on top: Welcome to the Uebayashi Carnival .
“Wow,” Senjuro whispers. “It’s so… huge.”
“Yup!” Mitsuri says, staring up at the colorful striped tents. Various guests mill about, stopping at the various vendors and shows on the side of the roads, and the air smells of sugar and cooking oil. Children run around the tents, waving knickknacks and stuffing their faces with sweets.
“Let’s go inside!” Mitsuri says, pulling the two brothers to the ticket stand on the side. “We’d like three tickets, please,” she tells the worker.
“One child, two adults?” The worker asks.
“What—oh.” Mitsuri peers at the sign specifying the different age groups. “What if I’m eighteen?”
“Then you’re considered an adult,” the worker says blandly.
“Okay. One child, two adults,” Mitsuri says. She glances at Kyojuro, who’s been oddly quiet this entire time. Some food will cheer him up for sure , she thinks determinedly.
After Mitsuri pays for their tickets, they head inside.
“So, where do you want to go first?” She asks.
“Um, anywhere is fine,” Senjuro says meekly. He looks around at the carnival with wide eyes, likely overwhelmed by all the noise and activity. People are shouting and vendors are calling everywhere.
“What do you think, Kyojuro-sama?” Mitsuri says, poking him in the arm. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”
Kyojuro blinks at her owlishly. “Uh… I don’t know. What options are there?”
Mitsuri points at the sign mounted to the side of a tent opening. “This one has a trapeze artist… over there there’s a fire-breather, and a strongman, and I bet there’s plenty of other things. Oh! I should have asked the worker about it. Too late now,” she says glumly.
“There’s rides too,” Senjuro pipes up. “I think they have go-karting or whatever those tiny carts are.”
“We’ll go wherever Senjuro decides,” Kyojuro concludes.
“But… I don’t care.”
Mitsuri crosses her arms. “I can’t believe I’m stuck with such indecisive people! Come on, we’re going to get some food. Maybe that’ll wake you guys up!”
She takes both of them by the arm and drags them into the nearby food vendor. He wears a colorful jester’s hat and sells all kinds of fried foods: potato chips on skewers, French fries, and deep-fried something .
“I’d like three of those,” Mitsuri says, pointing to the potato chips. “Make two of them as spicy as possible.”
As the vendor dusts two of the skewers with red powder, Mitsuri pats Senjuro on the head. “Senjuro-kun, tell me, what’s your favorite food? Do you prefer sweet or savory things?”
“I… I like savory things,” Senjuro says.
Mitsuri nods thoughtfully. “Ah, the same as Kyojuro-sama! So, what is it you like to eat the most?”
“Uh—I don’t know,” he mumbles. “But I, um, had some crab the other day, and that was really good.”
Mitsuri listens intently before taking the finished potato skewers from the vendor and passing them out. Immediately, she digs into hers. “Mmph! This is really good! Thank you, sir!” She tells the food vendor. “Okay, Rengoku brothers, where do we want to go now?”
“Let’s go to the rollercoaster!” Kyojuro says suddenly.
“The rollercoaster?” Mitsuri looks around. “Where is that?”
Senjuro has an uneasy expression on his face. “I don’t know about a rollercoaster…”
“It’s on that sign over there!” Kyojuro points across the street to an arrow.
“We should go! Come on!”
“But—”
Mitsuri sighs. “Senjuro-kun, have you even been on a rollercoaster before?”
“No? But I’ve read about them—”
Kyojuro smiles. “You can’t judge a rollercoaster based off what you read. I agree with Mitsuri! We should go!”
“We should at least check it out before you decide anything,” Mitsuri says. “Let’s go!”
She walks purposefully in the direction the arrow indicates, leaving the Rengoku brothers behind her. As she walks, she observes the festivities going on around her. It seems that most of the vendors and performers are wearing brightly colored hats.
Finally, Kyojuro and Senjuro catch up to her. After another few minutes of walking, the rollercoaster becomes visible: it’s colossal, previously hidden by the tents around it. Painted red with a huge drop at the beginning, it’s possibly one of the tallest structures Mitsuri has ever seen, apart from the skyscrapers of Tokyo.
“Wow,” Senjuro murmurs, “and I thought those tents were tall…”
“Yup! Let’s go wait in line!”
“But—”
“You should at least try it!” Kyojuro says.
“If you bail, you’ll never be able to forget it,” Mitsuri adds.
“But isn’t it—unpleasant?”
“I’m sure it’s wonderful!” Mitsuri says enthusiastically. “If it wasn’t, people wouldn’t be going on it. See, look over there!” She points to the rollercoaster cart just now cresting the top of the structure. As it roars down the drop, screams pierce the air.
Senjuro flinches. “Isn’t that scary?”
“No, it’s exhilarating! That’s why they’re screaming, you know.”
He turns to Kyojuro. “Ainue, I don’t believe her.”
“Don’t be scared!” Kyojuro says. “It’s designed to be fun! You really can’t go wrong with rollercoasters.”
“See,” Mitsuri says, “you should go on the rollercoaster for Kyojuro-sama’s sake. If you chicken out, be very disappointed in you!” She glances at Kyojuro. “Isn’t that right?”
Senjuro sighs. “I am not going on that thing.”
Mitsuri frowns. “Well, I don’t care if you’re not going. You’ll have to wait in line with us. You can just stand on the side when we get on.”
He glances at the rollercoaster and shrugs. “Okay, I guess.”
“Great! Let’s go!” Mitsuri drags Senjuro over to the end of the line, which is around sixty people or so long. “How long do you think we’ll have to wait?”
“Probably a while,” Senjuro sighs.
“Mhm. Kyojuro-sama,” Mitsuri says, “I heard you got a new katana! Have you tried it out yet?”
Kyojuro looks at her blankly. “What did you say?”
“Have you tried out your new katana yet?”
“Oh! Yes, I have,” Kyojuro says loudly. “It’s quite nice.”
“Good! And, Senjuro-kun,” she says, “what have you been doing in your free time? I know you’re trying other things besides training.”
“Uhm… I do the cooking,” he mumbles, picking at his haori.
“Cooking? That’s awesome!” Mitsuri says cheerfully. “I’ll have to come over for dinner sometime. You know how much I love food, right? Probably even more than your brother!”
“Yup,” Senjuro mutters.
As they continue to wait for the rollercoaster, Mitsuri tries to keep up a constant stream of small talk. For the most part, however, Kyojuro stays out of it, which is very unlike him. I’m worried now , Mitsuri thinks after he’s given one-word answers for the past two questions. But I don’t want to discuss it with him right here, especially in front of Senjuro. I guess it’ll have to wait until later—
“Kanroji-san?” Senjuro asks tentatively. “What’re the other pillars like? I know you’re the Love Hashira…”
“Oh! Great question. Well, there’s nine Hashira in total: me, Kyojuro-sama, Shinobu, Iguro-san, Uzui-san, Tokito-kun, Shinazugawa-san, Himejima-san, and… Tomioka-san. I think you’d like Shinobu or Tokito-kun—Shinobu is the Insect Pillar and Tokito-kun is the Mist Pillar.”
Senjuro nods. “I’ve met Kocho-san. She’s very nice.”
“Yup! I’m good friends with her. Also, Tokito-kun is probably the closest to your age. I think he’s thirteen right now…”
“I’m twelve,” Senjuro points out.
Mitsuri nods contentedly. “Yeah, so that’s only a year difference! Anyway, I’m a bit worried about Tokito-kun because he doesn’t really have any friends… maybe I could introduce you guys sometime!”
Senjuro looks at her warily. “Maybe…”
“Did you say introduce Tokito-kun?” Kyojuro cuts in. “I think that’s a great idea!”
“Yes, I think so too,” Mitsuri agrees. “Oh, look, I think we’re going to be next!”
In front of them, the line of people starts moving forward. By the time it stops, there are only a few people before them.
“Finally,” Senjuro grumbles. “That took forever.”
“Yeah, and you should go on with us!” Mitsuri says.
Senjuro shakes his head. “No.”
“Please? Kyojuro-sama, help me out here.”
“What?”
Mitsuri sighs. “You’ve got to convince Senjuro to have this new experience!”
Senjuro shakes his head. “When will this experience ever be useful?”
“It’s to have fun!” Mitsuri counters.
Kyojuro adds, “How will you know if it’s fun or not without trying it? Besides, if you don’t like it, it’ll be over in less than two minutes.”
Mitsuri gasps. “Two minutes? You’re telling me we waited in line for” —she checks the clock mounted on the fence— “twenty minutes, just to have two minutes of fun?”
“It’s the paradox of rollercoasters,” Senjuro informs her. “See, I read about it, so I’m not shocked.”
“Well, aren’t you going to go on it?” Mitsuri asks. “We’ve waited for so long, after all.”
“Nope,” Senjuro says firmly.
Mitsuri puts her hands on her hips. “What can I do to convince you to at least give it a try?”
“Nothing,” Senjuro says, just as the line begins to move forward again. Mitsuri glares at him, and Kyojuro looks at him pleadingly, but Senjuro doesn’t budge. When they get onto the platform, Senjuro stands to the side as Mitsuri and Kyojuro get into a cart near the front. Once seated, they fasten their seatbelts and push the safety bar down over their laps.
“I can’t believe Senjuro-kun’s not here,” Mitsuri grumbles. Kyojuro just nods absentmindedly.
Then, some workers come to check if they’re secured right, and the rollercoaster starts to move forward.
“That was so much fun!” Mitsuri says, climbing out of the rollercoaster cart. She spots Senjuro and immediately goes over to hug him—but not as tightly as she did before, of course. “Senjuro-kun, you really missed out!”
“Mhm,” he hums.
“Anyway, where should we go next?” Mitsuri asks as they head towards the exit. “You know, I want to go see the trapeze artist over there! Any objections?”
The Rengoku brothers are silent.
“Okay, let’s go!”
For the next few hours, Mitsuri takes them all over the carnival: first to the trapeze artist, then go-karting, then the fire-breather. The trio had never seen so many new sights at once.
Still, Mitsuri is concerned about Kyojuro. He barely ate the popcorn we got , she thinks sadly. And it was good popcorn, too! Well, at least I was able to finish it.
Now, the three are walking down the food area, preparing to buy lunch.
“There’s sandwiches, burgers, fries, hot dogs, and fried chicken. What do you guys want?” Mitsuri asks.
“So much Western food,” Senjuro murmurs, wide-eyed with wonder. “I’ve never had a hot dog before. Is it really made of dogs?”
Mitsuri laughs and Kyojuro smiles. “It is not made of dogs,” Mitsuri says firmly. “That’d be awful. It’s made like… like a sausage.”
“Oh. Well, I want to try it.”
“Great! Kyojuro-sama, what about you?”
Kyojuro thinks for a moment. “I’ll take a sandwich.”
“Okay! Let’s go order!”
One hot dog, one turkey sandwich, and three burgers later, the trio take a break under the shade of an oak tree.
“That was nice,” Mitsuri says cheerfully. “They sure know how to make burgers here!”
“Yeah, that hot dog was pretty good,” Senjuro says wistfully.
“My sandwich was good as well!” Kyojuro adds.
“Okay, why don’t we rest here for a bit? That was a large lunch,” Mitsuri says, mostly for the benefit of Senjuro, who was absolutely appalled at the massive size of his food.
“Good idea,” Senjuro says. He sits down on the bench on the side and leans back. “Kanroji-san, do you have any siblings?”
“Oh, yes! I have a wonderful younger brother,” Mitsuri replies cheerfully. “I think he’s around your age—he’s fourteen. He absolutely loves animals. He’s got a rabbit, a cat, two snakes, and who knows what else! Last time I went to visit, he had butterflies flying inside his room…”
Mitsuri continues to talk on and on about her baby brother. It’s been so long since I’ve really talked about him! she thinks excitedly. I’ll tell Senjuro-kun as much as I can!
After five minutes of nonstop talking, Mitsuri finally pauses to take a breath. Senjuro takes the opportunity to change the subject: “Kanroji-san, what’re your parents like?”
“Oh, my parents?” Mitsuri thinks for a moment. “Well, of course they’re the most wonderful people ever! They worry about me, but they also support whatever I’m doing. Hmm, I think take more after my dad,” she says thoughtfully. “He and I, we’ve always been very close! Although he does snore when he sleeps.” Mitsuri laughs, throwing her head back.
Senjuro stares at her curiously. “So what does he do all day?”
“Oh, he works as a woodcarver. Mostly he makes furniture and toys and things like that!”
“Interesting,” Senjuro mutters. He glances over at Kyojuro, who’s staring off into the distance. “Ainue, Kanroji-san’s talking about her dad. Don’t you want to listen?”
Kyojuro blinks and looks at him. “Oh, yeah,” he says.
Mitsuri smiles. “My dad is wonderful! I should take you guys to see my family someday, actually. He’ll surely have to make something for you, Senjuro-kun! He makes all kinds of knickknacks—animal figurines for my brother, cup and ball games, little tea sets, and lots of other things!”
“Wow, that’s nice.” Senjuro seems a little taken aback. “Does he really do all those things?”
Mitsuri tilts her head. “Of course he does! Why wouldn’t he? Also—”
“Why don’t we talk about something else?” Kyojuro cuts in. His expression is unexpectedly blank, as if he’s uninterested in their conversation. Still, Mitsuri can sense his tension in the set of his shoulders.
“Um… sure, what do you guys think about going over there next?” Mitsuri asks. She points to a rollerskating rink a few tents down.
Instead of looking, Senjuro glances worriedly at Kyojuro, who refuses to meet his eyes. “Ainue?”
Kyojuro sighs. “Never mind. I think I’m just tired right now. Keep going.” He leans back and closes his eyes.
Mitsuri frowns. Maybe now is the time to talk to Kyojuro-sama, but not with Senjuro-kun here.
As she looks around the area again, she spots a carnival ring-toss game. “Senjuro-kun, do you want to go play that game over there? If you want to play, I can stay and keep Kyojuro-sama company.”
Senjuro’s eyes widen. He thinks for a moment, but he seems to realize what she’s trying to do. “Uhm… sure! Ainue, can I go try that game? It looks fun, and there are prizes!” Senjuro points at the row of chunky stuffed animals on the top of the stall.
“Mm, I guess that’s okay,” Kyojuro says, while Mitsuri’s grateful that he received her message. “Do you want us to come with you?”
Senjuro shakes his head. “No, I’m fine by myself.”
“Okay, then,” Kyojuro says softly, “make sure you come back in… let’s say ten minutes?”
“Fifteen minutes,” Senjuro says.
“Alright.”
“See you, Senjuro-kun!” Mitsuri calls. Suddenly, she notices another attraction across the street. Once Senjuro is out of earshot, she says, “Kyojuro-sama, do you want to go to the… House of Mirrors? I think it’s a mirror maze, and I’ve never been in one before!”
Kyojuro glances at her. “Maybe, but we should wait for Senjuro.”
“The thing is, I heard Senjuro-kun say earlier that he didn’t want to go there,” Mitsuri says. “But I really want to go. Come with me?”
After a moment, Kyojuro concedes. He and Mitsuri walk the short distance to the House of Mirrors, where they show their tickets to the lady at the entrance.
Once inside, both of them are clearly taken aback by the many reflections of themselves in the mirror maze.
“Wow,” Mitsuri breathes, placing her hand on a mirrored panel and watching three of her do the same. “This is crazy. It looks like it goes on forever.”
Kyojuro’s eyes are just as wide. “Yeah… you can easily bump into a mirror because it reflects its surroundings.” He walks up next to her. “We should definitely bring Senjuro-kun here.”
“We’ll have to drag him, but I agree,” Mitsuri says. “This place is just too cool.”
She steps forward, narrowly avoiding a mirrored panel. Putting her hands out, Mitsuri roughly navigates down twists and turns. Some of the mirrors are regular, but others are warped, and the reflections have outlandish proportions.
“This is so amazing,” she mutters, turning around to say so to Kyojuro.
Unfortunately, he’s nowhere to be found.
Uh oh , Mitsuri thinks, we might be here for longer than fifteen minutes. And I don’t want to call out in case it disturbs the other guests…
Mitsuri decides to search for Kyojuro without calling for him, and for a few minutes she wanders around with hands outstretched to feel for any mirrors in her path.
She’s been wandering around for a few minutes when she finally spots a piece of Kyojuro’s flaming hair just barely in a mirror frame.
“Kyojuro-sama, found you!” Mitsuri whisper-shouts, preparing to tackle him from behind.
But as she runs towards him, she realizes with a shock that Kyojuro’s face is in his hands. He doesn’t even react to her presence, even when she stands directly in front of him.
Something’s wrong , Mitsuri thinks with a burst of anxiety.
“Kyojuro-sama?” she asks tentatively, purposely making her voice soft. “What’s wrong?”
Kyojuro doesn’t reply. He just stands there silently, unmoving. Mitsuri sighs forlornly. It must be from this morning… well, it’s a good thing I was planning to talk about it anyway…
“Does it—does it have to do with your father?”
Kyojuro flinches back. His fingernails dig into his forehead, and he visibly tenses.
“ Kyojuro-sama ,” Mitsuri says quietly, “it’s going to be okay. I… I can’t imagine what it’s like, having somebody who can’t see you for what you are, but I— umph .” Kyojuro rushes forward and hugs her tightly.
Mitsuri smiles sadly, wrapping her arms around him. “You’re amazing,” she says fiercely, “and just know that you can tell me anything. You’re practically my brother, Kyo.”
Behind her, she can feel as Kyojuro recognizes the nickname. It’s something from months ago—before Mitsuri decided to be more serious and formal about her relationships.
After a few seconds, Kyojuro finally speaks. “I’ve just… had a bad day today. It doesn’t usually get to me like this, but—but I don’t know. I just—I saw myself in one of those mirrors, and I—I thought—” he cuts himself off, his voice ragged.
Mitsuri feels a stab of pain. I’ve never seen him so uncertain , she thinks bitterly. Her chest tightens when she imagines what his father must have said to him to be terrified of his own image.
“Kyo, you could never be him,” Mitsuri says gently but firmly. She squeezes him. “You’re the most amazing, strong, wonderful person I know. I… don’t know what I can say to make it better, but trust yourself.”
Kyojuro exhales. “…The thing is, I don’t feel much most days. It’s like oil on water, and I know… it’s just today , with Senjuro… I don’t want that for him, Mitsuri, and I’ve been—he doesn’t deserve that.”
“I know,” she says soothingly, rubbing his back in small circles. “You’ve done your best, and I’d say Senjuro-kun is doing pretty well.”
“Of course he is,” Kyojuro mutters, reaching up and rubbing his eyes. He sighs heavily, leaning back and looking at Mitsuri with red-rimmed eyes. “We’re going to be fine,” he says quietly. “Mitsuri, I—I’m sorry. I don’t mean to burden you with this—”
Mitsuri shakes her head. “Kyo, you would never burden me. I’m practically your sister, remember? I’ll always be here for you.”
Kyojuro sighs again, running a hand through his hair. She notices that he still refuses to look into his reflection.
“Thank you,” Kyojuro says at last. “I’ll have to repay the favor someday.”
“No need,” Mitsuri counters immediately.
“Oh, well. Now, let’s get back to Senjuro-kun! I’m sure he’s finished with that carnival game by now.”
Mitsuri frowns slightly. “Are you sure you don’t need some more time? I can go get Senjuro-kun if you’d like.”
Kyojuro shakes his head. “No, I’m all good!” He shifts back into a more solemn expression. “Your words helped me a lot, Mitsuri. I admit that this isn’t something that’s going to go away, but… I’m definitely good for now.”
“Okay,” Mitsuri says reluctantly, “but you’d better tell me if you ever need help, alright? I can’t have my onii-sama doubting his awesomeness.”
“You bet!” Kyojuro says with a small laugh. “Now, let’s get out of here!”
When the two finally make their way out of the House of Mirrors, they arrive just in time to see Senjuro also return to the meeting place. In his arms is a gigantic stuffed chicken, and there’s a huge, childish grin on his face.
“Ainue, Kanroji-san! I won the big prize!” He announces proudly.
Kyojuro laughs, and Mitsuri runs over and crushes him in a hug.
“Oh, Senjuro-kun, I’m so proud of you!” Mitsuri squeals. “I wish I could’ve been there to see it!”
“Mitsuri, you should probably loosen up a bit!” Kyojuro says helpfully beside her. “I think you’re suffocating Senjuro.”
“Huh?” Mitsuri looks down, noting Senjuro’s red face and wide eyes. She lets go immediately.
“I’m so sorry!” she says, holding her hands up. “I completely forgot myself!”
Senjuro only shakes his head, bending over and catching his breath. Then he straightens up, grimacing. “I told you not to, Kanroji-san.”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!” Mitsuri wails.
Kyojuro sighs, a smile on his face. “I’m sure it’s fine, Mitsuri.” He turns to Senjuro. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Nope, just sore,” Senjuro says. “You can stop apologizing, Kanroji-san.”
Mitsuri, who was in the middle of another apology, stops short. “So you’re okay?” She asks hopefully.
Senjuro narrows his eyes but nods. “Yep.”
“R—yay!” Mitsuri jumps up and down and rushes forward, just about to hug Senjuro when she stops herself. “Uh,” she says awkwardly, retracting her arms, “you didn’t see that.”
Senjuro takes one look at the expression on her face and bursts out laughing. Kyojuro joins him almost instantly, but Mitsuri simply stands there, defeated.
“Ugh, whatever…” she mutters, crossing her arms.
The Rengoku brothers laugh for another few seconds. When they’re finished, Mitsuri says, “So, where do we go now?”
“Wait, before we decide that,” Senjuro says, still recovering from the past minute. “Kyojuro-nii, this is for you.” He holds out the massive stuffed chicken to his brother.
Kyojuro smiles softly. “Thank you, Senjuro-kun. It means a lot to me.” He reaches forward and slings the chicken, which is almost as tall as Senjuro, over his shoulder. “I guess I’ve got to carry this around all day.”
“Yup!” Senjuro says cheerily. “Okay, now we should go see the parade! I saw it on the sign over there,” he adds. “It’s supposed to have all sorts of floats and people in costumes. What do you guys think?”
Mitsuri catches Kyojuro’s gaze. I’m pretty sure we’re not going back to the House of Mirrors—
“That sounds like a great idea!” Kyojuro tells Senjuro. He smiles at him and Mitsuri. “Come on, let’s go watch the parade!”
Mitsuri exhales, following Kyojuro and Senjuro. In front of her, she watches as Kyojuro ruffles his brother’s fiery hair and laughs. Those two are so precious , she thinks wistfully. I’ll have to keep an eye on both of them.