“Huuh—…”

Sighed Fuyuka for the hundredth time today at the groan and the suspicious look of her junior Kana.

“Like I said, it’s nothing.”
“No way! It’s definitely something! Because it’s weird. It’s Wednesday and I still don’t see that dead look in your eyes!!”¹
“So rude…”

It is the first week since Ohana arrived. Today is Wednesday, which is also the half-way point.
As a matter of course, she was home late on both Monday and Tuesday, and although motivation has not been something she ever had to begin with, mysteriously Fuyuka felt neither too languid nor too wearied.

“Where’s the Hiiragi-san who always seems like she’s about to die on Wednesday and Thursday, and is just teensy bit better on Friday before the weekend?”
“I don’t know… But it’s fine, isn’t? Even I can be cheerful every once in a while.”

Kana, plainly seeing through her facade, was involved with Fuyuka since early in the morning. Incidentally, Fuyuka’s impression of Kana was that she is always rather energetic. How enviable.

“It is fine for you to be cheerful… But! that’s not the issue!”

Stating this much, Kana lowered​ her voice a bit, and murmured, grinning:

“… Could it be a boyfriend, perhaps—?”

At the moment, Fuyuka almost let out a gasp. Even though she does not have a “boyfriend” but wife who brushed off the formalities, one of the factors of her slightly better shape must be that very wife.

“I-I don’t have boyfriend or anything. I just… Indeed, I’m only trying to keep early hours and eat healthy meals.”
“Eh—, really now—? You are quite popular, Hiiragi-san, so I was hoping that you were having an in-house romance…”

Kana hung her head, downcast.

“What are you expecting and being disappointed about? Or rather, what do you mean, popular?”
“I mean exactly that.”

Kana, in fact, was not exaggerating when she said that.
The person herself don’t mean it at all, but she works silently day-in day-out without a word of complain, does not berate anyone left and right like her supervisor does, seemingly being peaceful all together. And with all this, she is being mindful of her appearance.
Again, even if the person herself has no intentions of behaving this way, people around her can’t help but notice.

“Look, don’t say something so silly. Let’s get to work. I should get home as early as possible.”
“… As early as possible… Perhaps because someone is waiting for you there?”
“… … Because I won’t have time to eat properly.”

The suspicion in Kana’s eyes was getting stronger and stronger. By exercising her right to silence, however, Fuyuka was able (?) to cut her way through the situation somehow.

◆

“Welcome back!”

As usual, it was just before ten before Fuyuka managed to get back home. Today, however, the reason was that she stopped by the supermarket to pick up some groceries for the dinner.

“Uwah, I’m sorry. I asked you to buy so much.”
“It’s okay, Ohana. It is me who locked up you here… Just two more days, okay?”

They scheduled to go shopping on Saturday–and to teach Ohana money management while at it–as well as to buy clothes for her going-out-alone business.
Which is to say, until then, it felt like Ohana was placed under house arrest; Fuyuka was ashamed about doing this to her.

“You need not worry about it! For I have a room to dust, and I am, too, watching this tivi!”
“Of course… And what was on TV?”
“There was something they called moo-vi at noon today, so I watched that. It had a bunch of sharks in there.”

“I wonder if this is something to panic about,” thought Fuyuka, a little relieved, as the other appeared to be at liberty in her own way.
Fuyuka has hitherto not completely welcomed Ohana into her life. Although being as good-natured person as she is, she cannot chase the girl out still, and together with hectic everyday life she has, she kept the girl at her flat under excuse of, “Oh well, not like I have a choice.”

(And I’m sure she’ll leave before too long…)

The thought desperately clung deep within Fuyuka’s mind. Having been cast aside by her last girlfriend have unknowingly turned into a trauma for her.

“Now, come take your bath. I shall get the dinner ready!”
“Th-thank you.”

However sad it was, as things stood right now, in just a few days Ohana was able to bring colours back into Fuyuka’s life.

(I can’t help it, can I now! I’m back home, and here’s the hot bath ready, and there the tasty meal prepared, and also this precious girl with smile on her face!)

From Fuyuka’s perspective, both vixen ears and a tail have become but an extra touches.
Recently, after she dried Ohana’s hair after bath a few times, there she had a chance to pat Ohana to her heart’s content. And being that Ohana usually dozes off in the middle of drying, she has a good time stroking the girl for as long as she wants.
Albeit each and every time Fuyuka fails to fight down the gradually overcoming somnolence while feeling the touch of the vixen’s tail.

In this way, first week with Ohana had passed by. As always, Fuyuka kept being languid at work, but as a result of Ohana’s assistance in domestic chores, she felt like she was moving forward.

And now finally, the Saturday has come.

“Then, shall we.”
“Yes! Kindly!”

The Saturday of lessons upon life in this world for Ohana has arrived.

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Until the next time!

1. [Sihnda sakkana no me] - what literally translates as “eyes of a dead fish”, English equivalent is “empty look” or “blank gaze”; back