Garrett and Mizuki stepped through the open gates of Dawnmere, where the town's cobblestone streets stretched into the distance. Horse caravans traveled past, and the streets bustled with life.
"See? They let us in." She halted and grinned at Garrett.
"Are you sure we won't get harassed here?" He asked, still concerned.
"Absolutely!" She grabbed his hand and sprinted into the town.
The townsfolk glanced at the two for a second before continuing their daily lives. Garrett looked around, keeping his guard up.
Besides him,
Mizuki's stomach growled and she quickly looked away, embarrassed. "S-Sorry about that, but I'm really hungry." Garrett just stared. Her ears twitched. She clenched her fists, glaring at him. "Say something!"
He sighed, pointing at a nearby food stall. "We need coins. But maybe begging will work?"
Her voice was suddenly softer. "Let's hope it does."
They walked toward the food stall, the scent of grilled meat making their stomachs growl. Behind the counter, a tall, muscular twenty-three-year-old man, Shion Haruma, glanced up from the sizzling skewers.
"Hey there kids!" He called out with a grin. "What can I get you?"
Garrett shifted uncomfortably, his gaze locked onto the kebabs.
"Um… c-can we have something to eat for free?" her voice trembled and stammered.
Shion studied them for a moment, his gaze lingering on their dirty clothes–especially the wolf-bite scar on Mizuki's right shoulder. Without hesitation, he grabbed two kebabs from the grill and handed them over.
Shion gave them a warm smile. "Don't worry about it. You needed some food."
Garrett took it without hesitation and bit in. The rich, smoky flavour spread through his mouth, his eyes widening in surprise.
"It's… so good," he mumbled between bites.
Mizuki clutched her kebab, staring at it for a moment before taking a careful nibble, her eyes shimmered.
Shion chuckled. "Eat slowly or you will choke on your food."
She stuffed it all into her mouth anyway, her cheeks puffing like a squirrel. She coughed, pounding her chest.
Shion sighed. "See? What did I just say?"
Mizuki finally swallowed the food, exhaling loudly. Garrett looked at her while lazily chewing his kebab. "You good?" He asked.
"I'm fine… Didn't expect it to be so tough." she pouted, her cheeks still slightly flushed.
Garrett sighed, shaking his head. "Seriously, Mizuki, you struggle with the simplest of things."
Mizuki's expression shifted to serious. "Not everyone has teeth like yours, you know." Her voice grew quieter. "And you're… something."
He took the last bite and threw the stick to the side. "Something? Did you mean-" before he could finish, she raised her hand and covered his mouth. "Never mind."
Shion cleared his throat, giving them a pointed look. "Alright, enough. You two need to stop acting like a married couple."
Mizuki lowered her hand and looked at Shion. Garrett also turned his attention to him, raising an eyebrow.
"I usually don't take in strays but… Maybe, this time will be different."
Shion tapped his chin before responding. "At this point, I might as well adopt you two."
Her eyes widened upon hearing the words. "W-What? Adopt… us?"
Garrett tilted his head. "Adopt? What's that?"
Mizuki blinked at him. "You… don't know?"
Shion chuckled, crossing his arms. "It means I'd take care of you two, give you a place to stay, food, and all that."
Her ears twitched, trying to process his words. "You'd really do that… for us?"
Shion shrugged. "Why not? You kids needed some warmth." He continued. "My house is behind me, go take a look if you're curious."
Mizuki's tail swayed in excitement. She grabbed Garrett's hand and sprinted toward the house.
She slid the shoji door open, revealing a dimly lit tatami room. The scent of wood filled the air, reminding her of the times when her parents were still with her.
Mizuki released her grip on Garrett's hand and stepped inside, the tatami mats soft beneath her feet, she quickly slipped off her shoes, nudging him to do the same.
He slipped off his shoes, glancing around the quiet room. Just as he turned to Mizuki, a pillow smacked him in the face.
"Got you!" She giggled, already grabbing another.
He grabbed a nearby pillow and hurled it at her.
Mizuki yelped and barely dodged, laughing as she swung another pillow at him. Garrett ducked just in time, the pillow went past him and knocked over a small lantern.
"Oops." She muttered her ears twitched.
Garrett smirked, "Already getting distracted?" Seizing the moment, he launched his pillow and a blanket at her.
Before she could react, the pillow smacked her in the stomach, making her stumble back slightly. She blinked, then grinning mischievously. "Oh, really?"
She tackled him, sending them both tumbling onto the floor in a flurry of laughter, rolling until they hit the table.
Their laughter faded, and they lay there, staring at each other. Mizuki's ears twitched, her breathing stopped for a moment before realizing how close their faces were.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps outside.
Mizuki's ears twitched again. Her body tensed, her tail flicked anxiously. "Why do you look so anxious?" he asked, his eyes half closed. "It's probably the food stall guy."
"You don't have to embarrass me like that…" She huffed, her cheeks turning red.
Garrett let out a yawn and pulled a blanket over both of them. He slid a hand behind her, pulling her closer.
Shion carefully rolled his food stall inside, making sure no one could steal it. The wheels creaking softly against the wooden floor. He took off his apron and his gaze fell on Garrett and Mizuki.
Shion smirked, crossing his arms. "Cute. You two looked like a loving couple. But when will I get an introduction?"
His mind lingered on the question. Shion exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. No point dwelling on it. He looked away and turned on his heel, making his way to the kitchen.
Garrett opened one eye, glancing around the room. His gaze landed on Mizuki, "Wait what? She actually fell asleep? We were supposed to fake sleep!" he muttered under his breath.
He began poking her cheeks, then ears. She stirred, swatting at his hand blindly. "Stop…"
"No." Garrett said, grinning. "Let's play a game. Rock, paper, scissors. Loser gets slapped."
That caught her attention. She snapped one eye open, staring at him. "...What do I get if I win?"
He shrugged. "Anything."
She stretched her arms, letting out a yawn before pushing herself up. "Alright, don't cry when I destroy you."
A bead of sweat slid down his forehead, as if he already knew what was coming.
They raised their fists.
Rock…
Paper…
Scissors…
Shoot!
Mizuki threw out rock, Garrett had scissors.
"This is bad…" he muttered, closing his eyes.
SMACK!
Garrett's head snapped to the side as a sharp pain spread through his cheek. "Ow! Why did you have to hit so hard?" he grumbled, rubbing the red slap mark.
Mizuki smirked. "Hehe~ What can you do about that?" She teased.
They reset, and ready.
Rock…
Paper…
Scissors…
Shoot!
Mizuki threw out paper, Garrett had rock.
SMACK!
"Argh… I surrender!" he groaned, rubbing his cheek.
A smug grin formed up on her lips. "Sooo easy!" she teased again.
He blinked and let out a chuckle. "Oh? So you think you're clever, huh?" He smirked, cracking his knuckles.
Before she could react, he lunged forward. His fingers wiggling mercilessly on her sides, "Wait–what are you–?! No! NO!" she shrieked.
"St-Stop!" She gasped between giggles, her face turning red from laughter and frustration.
Finally, with all her strength, she shoved him off. "E-Enough!"
Before he could react,
SMACK!
Her hand collided with his cheek and steam rose up from the reddened spot.
"You're a freak!" she grumbled, and clenched her fists.
"Damn…" he mumbled, rubbing his cheek.
It didn't end there. Mizuki pinched at his cheeks and stretched them like slime. "Ow–Ow! I-I'm sorry!" his voice trembling.
His counterattack backfired on him in a way he never saw coming.
She huffed and finally released his cheeks. Garrett muttered under his breath, "geez… was that really necessary?"
Mizuki's stomach suddenly growled, loud enough for Garrett to hear. Her cheeks flushed, and she clutched her stomach. "D-Don't say anything."
Garrett smirked. "Rage burns quite a lot of energy isn't it?" he teased.
Frustrated and embarrassed, she snapped at him. "S-Shut up! You idiot!" Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Okay, I'm sorry!" his smirk faded, replaced with concern.
Before Mizuki could respond, the kitchen door suddenly slid open and
Shion walked out with a big plate of freshly cooked chicken with some veggies around it.
The rich aroma soothed her embarrassment like a warm blanket. "It's time to feast, lovebirds." Shion smirked, placing the food on the table as he settled down.
She shifted her position toward the table, not even surprised. Garrett did the same, settling beside her.
Mizuki shot him a glare before she plucked the chicken's leg and began biting aggressively.
"Slow down, Mizuki, you're going to choke," he said softly.
She ignored his warning and kept eating faster. Two seconds later, she started coughing violently.
"You should've listened to your friend." Shion sighed and handed a cup of water, which she chugged down immediately.
Garrett reached for a piece of chicken and ate it with some veggies. "Oh my…" the flavour exploded in his mouth, it was both sweet and spicy.
The three continued to eat until there was nothing left but bones.
Mizuki leaned back, patting her stomach. "That was… amazing."
Garrett still felt hungry, but he didn't ask for more.
Shion wrinkled his nose. "You smell awful girl. Go take a bath already," he teased.
She pouted. "Alright alright," she huffed, pushing up to her feet. "But why me, not him?"
Garrett chuckled. "Because you smell like garbage," He teased.
Ignoring his teasing tone, Mizuki headed toward the bathroom, which was just to Garrett's left.
She slammed the door shut–like she was angry or something.
His gaze lingered on the bathroom door for a moment before slowly leaned back on the floor. "I Hope she's not mad again." Garrett muttered.
Shion sighed, rising up to his feet. "I'm gonna head upstairs," he yawned, stretching his arms.
With that, he lazily walked out of the room and slowly slid the door closed behind him.
Garrett glanced at the clock on the wall, it was already 6:25 P.M. "How does time even work?" He asked himself, but soon abandoned the question.
. . . .
40 minutes later.
7:05 P.M
The bathroom door slid open and Mizuki finally stepped out. She was wearing the same clothes as before–her white tank top and shorts.
Her gaze landed on Garrett who was snoring on the floor with a blanket loosely over him. "What time is it?" She muttered to herself.
Mizuki quietly walked over, as well grabbing two pillows. "At least sleep on a pillow idiot." She knelt down and slid a pillow under his head with care.
She grabbed her own pillow and settled down beside him, pulling the blanket over herself before letting out a small yawn.
And just like that, the day ended peacefully.