╭Temporarily Here╮

Chapter 22

Toshiro Hitsuguya wasn't so sure about this 'hanging out' thing. They walked around, just talking about things – Karin doing most of the talking.

And he must say, never has he ever felt this aware of his surroundings. It was different from the times he would be completely aware of his surroundings in the battle field. Even in that situation, he knew what he was doing and he had the confidence. If he could compare it to anything, it would be his days before meeting Matsumoto.

Now, he was feeling overwhelmed and he had to admit he was irritated by the whispering here and there. 

Karin wasn't oblivious to the clear discomfort. Toshiro was someone who expressed his annoyance easily – mostly having outbursts about his height or being blunt. Despite his maturity, he could be childish when you pushed the right buttons. Despite his childishness, he acted like a grumpy old man when he was annoyed and tired. There were a lot of sides of Toshiro Hitsuguya.

The brunette saw the small signs such as the whispering of those Soul Reapers. She assumed it was her clothes; they were red and white. Apparently it's the uniform that Soul Reapers-in-training use in some kind of academy. Mizuiro and Keigo had to wear a similar uniform, but it was blue. She assumed that these students were probably not seen often here and with a captain no less. Karin guessed being a captain was a big deal on its own. That explained the attention they were getting. 

"Hey," she looked at the white-haired male, "Toshiro."

He looked back at her, scowling. "You speak very casual with me," he pointed out, making his usual 'grumpy-exhausted-old-man' face. She kept a snicker from escaping. She faced the front again. "I don't see you ever telling me otherwise so..."

"You-" Toshiro paused. He tried retorting, but there was nothing that crossed his mind. He raised an eyebrow, glancing to the side and back at her. "You are not... wrong," Hitsuguya admitted hesitantly. "That aside, what is it that you wanted to say?"

"Oh, right." Her nonchalant expression faltered. She ruffled her hair and sighed. "After we get some food, why don't we go somewhere quiet. I don't know about you, but I'm not comfortable with all these people around," she said. Her attempt to hide the fact that she took note of his discomfort was futile.

But he was glad Karin wasn't an oblivious person. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain the attention they were getting from these nosy Soul Reapers. Did they not have anything better to do? This peace may have made things too boring. They've become interested in a captain's - who was a complete stranger to them - non-existent love-life.

Toshiro stared at her, scrutinizing her carefree posture as they walked. He was sure she was actually uncomfortable too. 

He sighed. "You noticed."

"It's hard not to."

"Do you want to know the reason?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I want to know."

They slowed their pace when they neared a small shop. It had a variety of old-school dishes in its menu.

Toshiro was ticked off by her way of answering him. He wondered if she spoke on purpose like that to irritate him. But then again, Karin was a blunt person. She had called him an old man and teased him a number of times within the short period of time they met. 

Thinking back, they only met a few times, but knew each other for years. Despite that, Karin spoke to him as if he were an old friend that she shared many memories with. Seriously, he wondered what goes on in this girl's head. 

He found it even more strange that he felt as if they had shared many memories with each other. Toshiro would not admit it: he was oddly comfortable standing next to her and spoke to her without much restraint. He could use the excuse that she was a person who had that effect on people. 

Still, for her to effect someone like him. Would it be the same for someone as uptight as Byakuya Kuchiki? Why in the world was he so tolerant--

Toshiro stopped himself from thinking too much. If he went any further, he would have to hide his ears from his embarrassing thoughts. He breathed in and out, looking away. "Do you see anything on the menu you want?" He tried to ask politely.

Karin watched his struggle to hold back his frustration with mirth. She laughed, "Sweet. I'm getting treated by Captain Hitsuguya."

"Why are you like this?" Toshiro mumbled in harmless exasperation.

✨Karin's P.O.V✨

It felt awkward standing next to Toshiro, while we waited for our order. So, I went outside and waited for him. People weren't staring as much. 

The food didn't take long, because there was a reasonable amount of Soul Reapers. When we headed to a place where we could talk, Toshiro said we picked a good time to 'purchase' - his exact word choice - food.

A part of me guessed that was the reason he picked that specific food-place. 

He was lost about the concept 'hanging-out', but he sure could pick the best spots. I was sure his done this before. He must have just labeled it something else. 

Although, there was a chance he done this by himself. It was clear he was someone who enjoyed going out alone to relax. This was obvious once we reached a grassy cliff, with a good view of the sky. There were a few trees there too.

"This place is nice," I said. I was genuinely amazed by the beautiful view of the Soul Society. Never thought such a troublesome place could look mesmerizing.

"I agree," Toshiro replied, while he sat under the tree. He carefully placed our food down, so he could shift in a comfortable position. "I often come hear to watch the sunset," he added on.

"You really have a thing for sunsets," I commented, "but I can't blame you."

He raised an eyebrow at me; I joined him under the tree. "I mean, after a while, I got curious. I went a few times to the place you said was nice to watch sunsets. And I eventually went there frequently. It weirded my friends out!" I glanced at the boy next to me. "You're to blame for my sudden obsession!" 

"You can hardly call that an obsession," Toshiro said. His voice was quiet, so maybe I wasn't supposed to hear what he said next. "So I am not the only one being influenced here."