Frozen Rose (Langa x reader)

Chapter 37

(Y/n)'s POV

I peeked my head through the door, noticing Cherry's guests about to take their leave. He levelled a menacing glare my way once they turned and unexpectedly made eye contact with me.

"Oh? Who might you be?" asked the older lady.
"She's my niece. Her parents had to go on a short business trip overseas so they've asked me to look after her," Cherry lied.
"Hello, nice to meet you. My name's (Y/n)."
"Ah, I see. (Y/n)-chan, your uncle's work is very beautiful. You should be proud. Anyway, I've had the food prepared so please enjoy yourselves."

I donned a pleasant smile as they bowed and left whilst the food was brought in. I breathed in the delicious aromas, waiting eagerly to be seated. There were several servings of each dish, making me glance at the pink-haired male.

"Do you usually eat this much?"
"No, they must've gotten the order-"
"Yo, thanks for the food. Guys, come on in. Don't worry, oniisan here is going to pay for everything," Joe said happily whilst swinging an arm around Cherry's shoulders.
"What. Are. You. Doing. Here." Cherry questioned in irritation.

The spacious room soon became crowded as everyone filed in, casually taking a seat by the table. Reki pat the seat beside him, gesturing for me to hurry up. A smile broke over my face as I plopped myself down.

It wasn't long before we were happily digging into our food. A content smile slipped onto my face, glad to be surrounded by my friends. Langa's eyes roamed the table, seemingly searching for more food.

"Are you already finished?"

He nodded. With a reluctant sigh, I pushed my half empty dish of karaage towards him. He muttered a grateful thanks before taking the chicken like a child receiving a precious gift.

Joe sported a mischievous grin, leaning against an elbow as he observed us. I cocked my head at him, raising an eyebrow. He chuckled and held up a large piece of chicken.

"What'd you say? I'll give this to you if you let me feed you," he exclaimed teasingly.
"Tch, in your dreams."
"Please keep your vulgar activities outside," said Cherry.
"You're no fun at all," sighed Joe.
"I wanna go to the hot springs," Reki said.

Miya pulled out a map and laid it over the ground, seeing as how the table was still stacked with dirty plates and dishes. Reki and I scooted over to peer over it. Miya suddenly pointed to an odd mask thing printed onto the page.

"What's this?"
"Is it some kind of special event?" Miya asked.
"I wonder if it involves ghosts or something."
"Don't say stuff like that!" Reki exclaimed while clinging to my arm.
"I hear this inn is haunted," joked Miya.

The lights went out. With a glance, I could tell Shadow had turned it off but Reki was still too preoccupied on Miya's lie that he began trembling. Joe whispered 'boo' into his ear before Reki jumped, screamed and clung to me for life.

The lights turned on. Laughter filled the room as Reki flushed red and turned away. I avoided his half-hearted punch, still doubling over in laughter. It wasn't until I had calmed down that I leaned against his shoulder and flashed a small smile.

"Not funny, guys," Reki muttered.
"The distance to the hot springs is perfect for a beef," Joe exclaimed after examining the map.
"Great, then let's go."

~A little later~

I fidgeted with the sleeve of my yukata, finding that I liked the material. Langa suddenly grabbed my hand and led me to the others. It seemed he was eager to start the beef but his eyes remained on me.

"Is something wrong?"
"You look...good...in a yukata," he replied.
"*blush* idiot..."

He smiled. Joe whistled before I smacked his arm. We were lined up and ready to go.

"Carla, give us a countdown," said Cherry.
"3...2...1...go!"

I skidded down the path, kicking up my board to jump over Miya, who had gotten in front of me. My feet manoeuvred to pass Shadow effortlessly, twirling and turning like a dancer performing on stage.

Langa was staring at me with wide eyes to which I flashed a wink. Shadow threw some of his haemanthus bombs, which Miya deftly avoided by jumping over the incoming attack.

The four of us headed down the right path at the forked road but from the corner of my eye, I noticed both Cherry and Joe choose the left, which made me wonder if Carla had found a faster route.

I leaned around corners, occasionally utilising a suitable boulder or branch to better gain an advantage. Just as I was about to accelerate, Langa suddenly grabbed my arm. His action startled me, causing me to stumble on my feet.

The floor neared. My mind blanked. It was by pure instinct that I tucked and rolled, managing to stop on my feet. Langa hurried over with both our boards in his hands.

"(Y/n), are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"It's alright, mate."
"...Reki's not here."
"What do you mean he's not here?"

I scanned our surroundings and realised that our red-haired friend wasn't with us. Langa passed my board back before we began searching for Reki. Peaceful silence filled the space around us as our steps fell in sync.

His hand bumped against mine, igniting sparks of fire across my skin against the cool wind. I felt him tentatively reaching for my fingers before eventually gripping my hand. A small smile slipped onto my face.

He seemed to have a lot of questions on his mind but all I could focus on was the secretive smile he reserved for moments like this, unable to be stolen by the rush of time. I squeezed his hand, wanting this moment to last forever.

"Reki!"
"Where were you guys?!" he exclaimed.
"Where were you?"
"I-I got scared, okay?"

A laugh escaped me. He pouted at my teasing his fear of ghosts. It wasn't until he noticed a strange statue that he screamed, holding both Langa and I as a shield against whatever horrors came his way.

"Dude, it's just a statue."
"L-let's just hurry to the hot springs," Reki said then added, "And don't even think about teasing me any more."