“I think you’re okay,” Nagisa said, smiling.
“Yeah, I think I am.”
Nagisa checked Seiho’s injured hand which was slightly red.
“I’ll be alright,” Seiho said. “It was a bad reaction from when myreiryokubroke through the monster’s curse.”
Jumping to his feet, Nagisa helped Seiho up. “Let’s get out of here.”
~ * ~
The black slime had disappeared along with the monster, so all that remained on Nagisa was dried blood from the wounds the jikininki inflicted. They walked down the path, reaching Osore-zan Temple, where theitakowaited for them.
“We killed it,” Nagisa said before she could speak. He couldn’t help but feel a bit smug and held tight onto Seiho’s hand.
“I know,” she replied. “Thank you for getting rid of this monster.” She bowed, then turned to Seiho. “This boy offered you a second chance. Don’t waste it.”
“I won’t,” Seiho said.
They headed toward the main street, and Nagisa struggled to get a taxi with the state they were in. Though the driver glared, he pulled the car on the road, taking them to the hotel, but not before Seiho whispered his concern over the safety of the “noisy metal construction.”
Nagisa didn’t even care about the sharp pain in his arm anymore. Watching Seiho’s fascination with this new world was worth it. Seiho sat glued to the window, mouth ajar and gasping every now and then. He asked no questions. Perhaps he had too many and the wonders passed too fast in the car ride.
“I’ll show you around.” Nagisa rubbed a hand over Seiho’s back. “There’s a lot to see.”
Seiho looked at him with a wide smile and Nagisa wanted to push him down on the back seat and shower him with kisses. Nevertheless he waited until they reached the hotel and gently guided Seiho inside by the shoulders as Seiho paid no attention to the road he was walking on, his gaze turned skyward toward the lamp-posts.
“I have a feeling you’ll appreciate electricity a lot.” Nagisa chuckled.
“So that’s how they’re called.”
“Those are lamp-posts. Don’t worry, I’ll explain later.”
Nagisa ignored the horrified stare of the night receptionist and took Seiho quickly up the stairs to the second floor where his room was. He scanned the card and opened the door, letting Seiho enter first.
“This is where you live?” Seiho asked.
“No, this is a hotel. An inn,” he explained. “You’ll see my place too, once we return to Tokyo. I hope that’s okay? Going to Tokyo, I mean. And also, living with me,” he mumbled, feeling his cheeks reddening at the thought of bringing Seiho to live with him.
“Of course. There’s nothing left for me here.” His smile disappeared and he gazed out the window. Sadness replaced the earlier fascination and Seiho traced a finger over the glass of the window, lightly knocking on it with his knuckle.
“Are you all right?” Nagisa asked, carefully approaching.
“Yes. It’s strange not to be inside the castle anymore.”
Nagisa wrapped an arm around him. “If all this becomes too overwhelming, you tell me, and I’ll help you through it, okay?”
“Thank you.” Seiho smiled. “For everything.”
Nagisa smiled back, running his fingers through Seiho’s tangled hair. “What do you say about taking a bath together? But don’t get your hopes up this time. It’s a small bathtub.”
Seiho laughed and stepped inside the bathroom when Nagisa opened the door. “You weren’t kidding.”
“They’re usually made for one.”
“Please tell me that hot springs still exist,” Seiho said, looking worried.
“They do. I’ll take you to one. Until then, we’ll make do with this bathtub.”