Ch. 7: Attacking Claws
The black bakeneko growled ferociously and leaped at us…-.
Shin: “OO!”
As I thought I heard my name called, I was pulled into a powerful embrace.
Shin: “!”
The sharp claws of the black cat tore into Shin’s arm.
OO: “Shin!”
Shin: “It’s just a scratch.”
Shin’s expression didn’t change a bit as he stared directly at the spirit.
Spirit: “Aah, that’s unfortunate… just a little bit more and I’d have gotten you.”
(Was that thing aiming… for me…?)
Shin tightened his hold on me as if to stop my body from trembling.
Shin: “Your mischief… has gone too far, cat.”
The spirit turned towards us again and smirked.
OO: “Shin… that’s…”
Shin: “In this country, there is one additional family beyond the twelve royal families. The Cat Family.”
(Eh…?)
Shin: “But the family of cats that lived here were horribly corrupted by thoughtless people, so they were expelled from the royal families. They must have lost their minds, not realizing their own worthlessness and then falling to the level of lowly spirits.”
Shin’s mouth curved into a sneer.
Spirit: “Speak no more, Rat Prince… torturing you is an easy thing.”
The spirit’s menacing gaze fell to me.
OO: “…!”
Shin: “Come on OO.”
As soon as he said it, Shin took my hand and ran, trying to protect me.
The castle, which had been busy just a moment ago, was deathly silent, as if we were the only ones in existence.
Ch. 8: To Protect
I kept running, pulled along by Shin’s arm, and we arrived at the treasure house.
I was pulled into the room and Shin started to line up the ink paintings as if to make a barrier around us.
OO: “Shin?”
Shin: “Don’t move from this spot. Like I said before, the spirits can’t come near the ink paintings. They should prove useful in protecting you. However, promise me that you won’t move no matter what happens.”
(No matter what…?)
It felt like his words held no concern for himself, and I reflexively grabbed his sleeve.
OO: “Shin…-.”
Shin: “We don’t have time to chat.”
OO: “But…!”
At that instant…-.
OO: “Nn…!”
As I was arguing, he stopped me talking by pressing his lips to mine.
(What…?)
I could only stand there and blink at the sudden turn of events.
He slowly pulled away, and I felt his hot breath against me.
(That… was a kiss…)
Shin: “… that was effective.”
In contrast to my utter bewilderment, Shin’s expression hadn’t changed.
Shin: “…like I said, don’t move from this spot. Don’t interrupt my train of thought by saying anything unnecessary. Just trust me.”
OO: “…alright.”
Feeling the heat that still resided in my cheeks, I let go of his sleeve.
Shin: “Good girl.”
He gently patted my head… then slowly left.
(Shin… what…?)
I couldn’t stop the loud pounding of my heart.
At that time…-.
I heard the sound of the door creaking and the black cat entered.
OO: “!”
Shin drew his sword, not taking his eyes off the cat.
The spirit looked at the ink paintings surrounding me and gave an annoyed snort.
Spirit: “…”
Shin: “As expected. You’re scared of the ink paintings, aren’t you? That’s why when you ripped the ones hanging in the town… you were injuring yourself each time.”
In a brief lull, Shin moved his sword to the ready position.
Shin: “I thought you were trying to provoke me but… it was just the temper tantrum of a cat.”
Spirit: “Silence! I won’t let you do as you please, you bastard! I’ll rip your precious things to shreds!”
Those eyes seething with hatred turned towards me, and my legs shook in fear.
Shin: “Don’t get cocky… you lowly spirit.”
Spirit: “!”
At Shin’s provocation, the spirit pressed its foot to the tatami floor, getting ready to pounce.
(Shin…!)
I grasped my hands tightly together and stopped myself from screaming.
Spirit: “You damn rat!!”
Shin: “I won’t let you make a move… or target OO ever again.”
In front of the onrushing black cat with its sharp claws bared, Shin raised his sword overhead.
Then…-.
The spirit made a loud noise as it collapsed to the floor.
Spirit: “!”
Shin: “OO, close your eyes and cover your ears.”
Shin addressed me quietly.
OO: “…right.”
As he instructed, I shut my eyes and put my hands over my ears.
In the next moment… I could sense something move, and at the same time the repulsive sensation I’d felt quietly vanished.
Ch. 9: The Person Waiting in the Flower Garden
After the black bakeneko spirit had vanished, a few days passed…-.
The kagura went by without incident, and it was a grand festival.
(Thank goodness…)
Having just returned to the castle, I was waiting for Shin to return.
But there was no indication that he’d be returning…
OO: “Excuse me, where’s Shin?”
Retainer: “Lord Shin occasionally goes on aimless strolls.”
OO: “A stroll…”
(Could he…)
A certain place came to mind, and I headed towards him…-.
…
……
The wind blew, causing the flower petals to dance as if they were trying to conceal his stoic form.
OO: “Shin…!”
Shin: “I thought it was about time you got here.”
He looked at me, then turned his attention back to the flower field.
(Does that mean he was waiting for me?)
My heart filled with expectation and a little bit of nervousness as I approached him.
OO: “Um… thank you for protecting me. I hadn’t gotten a chance to say it before, so I thought I’d say it now.”
Shin: “It’s not something you need to express your thanks for. It was my duty as the one who got you caught up in the incident.”
(Duty…)
As he told me with disinterest, I looked away, overcome with a feeling of loneliness.
But as if to keep those feelings at bay, Shin stroked my cheek with his fingers.
Shin: “Why are you still here?”
OO: “Eh…?”
Shin: “I thought after going through something so dangerous… you’d have left in a panic.”
OO: “I wouldn’t…-!”
I started to deny it, but Shin smiled as if he could see exactly what I was thinking.
(Not fair…)
He looked at me with a soft expression, and I felt my cheeks heat up.
Unable to stand the pounding of my own heart, I frantically searched for something to say.
OO: “Um… why do you think the spirit was targeting me?”
Shin: “Why indeed…”
Shin muttered those words as he cast a fleeting glance at the retainers behind.
Shin: “There are too many people around. I’ll explain the reason later. Tonight… come to my room.”
I could feel his breath as he spoke those sweet words with their hidden meaning close to my ear… and my heart pounded even more painfully.
Ch. 10: The Reason
Shin: “There are too many people around. I’ll explain the reason later. Tonight… come to my room.”
————————
The insects filled the air with their cries as they sat atop the grass, wet with evening dew.
(The reason the spirit was targeting me…)
My face flushed as I recalled the feel of Shin’s breath against my ear again.
I shook my head, trying to diffuse that leftover heat, as I stood in front of his room.
As I opened my mouth to call out…-.
Shin: “Come in.”
I heard a voice from inside and hesitantly opened the sliding door.
Shin: “I was waiting for you.”
His soft voice ushered me inside.
As I looked around the room…-.
OO: “! This is…”
I stood there frozen at all the ink paintings spread out over the tatami floor.
Different from the fearsome images of the Sacred Beasts, they were full of delicate and intricately painted flowers…
Shin: “OO, come here.”
Shin held his hand out to me as he called me over and I sat beside him.
As Shin relaxed his posture slightly, he leaned against the wall…
Shin: “I apologize for scaring you.”
OO: “You didn’t…!”
I tried to deny it, but Shin slowly shook his head and furrowed his brow in shame.
The lanterns near us illuminated his gentle expression.
Shin: “I’m most disappointed in myself.”
OO: “But you protected me, and I was glad for that.”
I wondered if he took my words as any form of comfort…
He placed his hand on my head and gently ruffled my hair.
OO: “These paintings are really beautiful…”
Shin: “I see… I was hoping they would make you happy… but in truth I was a little anxious. I wasn’t sure if you would like them.”
OO: “Eh…?”
Shin: “It is my private shame that I have no confidence in myself, and I find exposing myself like this unpleasant.”
For a while now, he had been showing me just fleeting glimpses of his problems, and for him to go this far, as if to say it was alright to get closer to him, made me happy…
(My chest aches…)
I couldn’t keep my heart from pounding loudly as my gaze fell to the ink paintings.
Shin: “I truly wanted to paint the thing you loved the most… but I still don’t know you very well. That’s why I painted the flower field that you and I saw together.”
OO: “Thank you. I really don’t know what to say…”
(I wonder if Shin also thought our time together in the flower field was special then.)
I was filled with happiness at the thought, and I carefully picked up an ink painting…-.
(But why is he doing this for me?)
As that thought came to mind, all the doubts I’d been harboring came flooding to the surface.
(He rejected me… but then didn’t he chase after me? And what about that kiss…-)
Shin: “Are you wondering… why the spirit targeted you?”
Shin adjusted himself so he was sitting in front of me.
OO: “Eh…?”
He carefully took the ink painting from my hand and put his own hand there instead.
Shin: “Why you were targeted, why I protected you from it. And why I kissed you…”
He traced the outline with his fingers… then his burning hot lips met mine.
I grabbed hold of his sleeve, unable to even breath under the burning affection in that kiss.
OO: “Nn…!”
In distress, I tried to pull away, but ended up being pulled down to the floor.
Shin: “Why did I kiss you like that again… I’m sure you must be confused.”
OO: “Shin…?”
He smiled, enjoying himself, and his sigh brushed against my lips.
Shin: “Did you not think about it at all? What I would do to you when you came here tonight. That I might be a man with a sense of urgency, who would selfishly kiss you.”
OO: “I…”
He took my hand and gently kissed it.
Shin: “You shouldn’t be that slow on the uptake.”
His sweeping gaze held a mysterious power that captured my attention.
OO: “…!”
I brought up my hands again to try and stop his fingers from brushing up my legs but…
I was no match for his strength…
OO: “Shin…”
I tried to turn away in embarrassment, but Shin just placed a kiss near my ear.
Shin: “I love you.”
OO: “…!”
That low whisper pulled all the strength from my body in an instant.
Shin: “I’ve come to love you with all that I am.”
A pleasant heat spread over my entire body, reconfirming the feeling that I had completely fallen in love with him.
OO: “For you to tell me that, at this point… that’s not fair.”
I felt a little regret that those words were the only thing I could say to him and…
Shin: “I am fully aware of that.”
He whispered those words close to my ear and kissed me again.
OO: “But…”
(I’ve never seen him show any behavior that would indicate those feelings.)
Shin: “You touched my heart that day in the flower field… and this passion was born. I didn’t know how to deal with it, and even now it’s unbearable.”
He stroked my cheek and looked at me earnestly.
Shin: “You so easily made your way into my heart. I don’t know when, but maybe when we were hanging up the painting in town. That’s when you asked me a question, right? If I was alright on my own.”
OO: “…yes.”
Shin: “In truth, I didn’t know what you were getting at, and thought you were mocking me.”
OO: “!”
The fingers on my cheek slid to my neck…
A sweet sensation filled my entire body.
Shin: “Now… I’m the one in the position to laugh. I don’t need to be alone anymore.”
This time was deeper… as if he were trying to pour out all of his heart into this kiss.
As if to fill in the distance that had been between us from the moment we’d met, we came together in a deep embrace.
END
Secret Story: Uncontrollable Passion
The lanterns cast our shadows over the sliding doors.
OO: “! This is…”
She gasped, seeing what was laid out on the tatami floor.
Frankly, I thought her reaction, which was exactly as I’d expected, was quite cute.
Shin: “OO, come here.”
I took her hand and had her sit right beside me…-.
Shin: “I apologize for scaring you.”
OO: “You didn’t…!”
Before she could finish denying it, I shook my head.
I was concerned for her well-being as she’d been pulled into a dangerous situation in the end.
Shin: “I’m most disappointed in myself.”
OO: “But you protected me, and I was glad for that.”
Though I knew she was speaking from the heart, I was still tormented with how pitiful I had been.
Those feelings became too much for me to bear, and I stroked her head…
OO: “These paintings are really beautiful…”
She spoke those few words quietly while her cheeks flushed slightly.
Shin: “I see… I was hoping they would make you happy… but in truth I was a little anxious. I wasn’t sure if you would like them.”
OO: “Eh…?”
Shin: “It is my private shame that I have no confidence in myself, and I find exposing myself like this unpleasant.”
(Why…)
Facing OO, the feelings in my heart ended up spilling out.
Even though I did not want to speak words of weakness…
(I do understand the reason why.)
Shin: “I truly wanted to paint the thing you loved the most… but I still don’t know you very well. That’s why I painted the flower field that you and I saw together.”
(When we exchanged words then… it made me want to paint this for you. Because I want to get closer to you.)
OO: “Thank you. I really don’t know what to say…”
She held the ink painting in her hand as if it were something precious.
Yet I could see the confusion swirling in her eyes.
Seeing her like that… I instantly felt uneasy about her answer.
However…
(If it’s you… we should be the same.)
Shin: “Are you wondering… why the spirit targeted you?”
I adjusted to sit in front of her.
OO: “Eh…?”
I looked straight into her pure eyes and tried to pull out her heart.
I took the ink painting from her hand and replaced it with my own.
Shin: “Why you were targeted, why I protected you from it.”
(…you know, don’t you?)
Shin: “And why I kissed you…”
I gently traced my finger over her, and her cheeks became redder…
I was confident in her wish for me to embrace her.
(OO…)
I stole her lips with mine.
OO: “Nn…!”
I eagerly took her breath away, then pushed her down, unable to hold myself back from my desire.
Her eyes as she looked up with me burned with heat.
Shin: “Why did I kiss you like that again… I’m sure you must be confused.”
OO: “Shin…?”
(Just a little more…)
Shin: “Did you not think about it at all? What I would do to you when you came here tonight. That I might be a man with a sense of urgency, who would selfishly kiss you.”
I was the one that called her here… but saying OO was the one who came here of her own accord, I then drove her into a corner and didn’t let her deny it.
OO: “I…”
I placed a kiss on the back of her hand and looked into her eyes as if searching for something there.
Shin: “You shouldn’t be that slow on the uptake.”
I slowly traced my fingers up her leg.
OO: “…!”
She brought her hands up as if to stop me, but I wouldn’t allow that.
OO: “Shin…”
I placed my lips near her ear even as she continued to try and escape…-.
Shin: “I love you.”
OO: “…!”
Shin: “I’ve come to love you with all that I am.”
I breathed what had been building in my heart into her body.
Then I tightly pressed my lips to hers…
OO: “For you to tell me that, at this point… that’s not fair.”
Her voice was so very small as she protested, but they were not words of rejection.
I felt both relief and satisfaction at that, and my face softened.
Shin: “I am fully aware of that.”
OO: “But…”
She looked at me, as if to ask why, and I felt like something was squeezing my chest.
Shin: “You touched my heart that day in the flower field… and this passion was born. I didn’t know how to deal with it, and even now it’s unbearable.”
(You basically drew out my heart… or maybe I’m the one that pulled it out.)
I thought it quite comical that I had spoken so honestly, and I couldn’t endure it a second longer.
Yet the words wouldn’t stop…
Shin: “That’s when you asked me a question, right? If I was alright on my own.”
OO: “…yes.”
Shin: “In truth, I didn’t know what you were getting at, and thought you were mocking me.”
OO: “!”
(And yet, I wonder why. You completely have my heart…)
My fingers that stroked her cheek now slid to her neck.
Her body shivered slightly… and it sent a violent shock to my heart.
Shin: “Now… I’m the one in the position to laugh. I don’t need to be alone anymore.”
Our lips met once more in a deep kiss.
The overflowing passion was a testament to how we both harbored the same desire.
(Aah… damn. I really wanted to hear what she said. Well, it’s fine. This is better than words…-.)
I was the only thing reflected in her eyes as she quietly closed them, and the night that belonged to only us grew late.
END