𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 | 𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘺𝘢 𝘵. ᯓ ᡣ𐭩

009. | ᴛᴡᴏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛꜱ, ᴏɴᴇ ʙɪᴋᴇ

Kana was lucky enough to have her sick day fall just before the weekend, giving her a good stretch of time to recover. By the following day, she was almost back to her usual self, up and about. Although she still experienced a sense of discomfort and disconnection from her physical self, as well as the lingering effects of a weak body and tiredness inside. Her energy reserves were far from what they normally were, but she mustered her usual resilience and pushed through the discomfort with her characteristic determination.

Yet she couldn't completely resist the urge to try and take it easy, at least for today. She decided to allow herself to relax, enjoy the day and simply focus on herself.

At least, with Takemitchi's approval, of course.

"We've hit the weekend!" Takemitchi exclaimed echoed from the kitchen table, where he sat, while Kana was positioned opposite from him, quietly enjoying her breakfast. "Why're you quick to head out when it's obvious you're not fully recharged yet? That's not relaxing." He lobbed the question her way, all while taking an enthusiastic bite from his own plate of food.

Kana gave a light snort as she heard Takemitchi's question. "Because I want to.." she said with a sly smile. "I'm not completely worn down, you know. I don't wanna be stuck in the house all weekend." She reached over to grab a piece of toast, taking a bite out of it.

"Since when did we need to step outside to have a good time?" He expressed with a hint of frustration, aggressively pushing his food into his mouth. "Staying in might actually be the better option, if you ask me."

"Staying in is the best option, for you." she said with a sassy grin. "But that's not the option I wanna choose, so.." she said nonchalantly, savoring the taste of her toast as her stubborn side slowly emerged.

"But it's the better option." he insisted, his tone growing slightly more serious but playful at the same time. "Don't think just because you feel a bit better, you're ready to go out and faint again. You need supervision."

She let out an exasperated sigh as she rolled her eyes. "You worry too much, Takemitchi. Relax a little."

Takemitchi paused for a moment as her words finally penetrated. He wanted to say more, to insist that she needed more rest, but the thought of keeping her confined to her room made him feel guilty. He let out a soft sigh, not knowing what else to say to her before they started arguing again. He couldn't do that right now.

From the moment she had that fainting spell, Takemitchi's protective instincts kicked into overdrive. He was constantly on her case with never-ending lectures, increasing the persistence of his nagging, and showing reluctance to let her wander too far from his watchful eyes. He was fussing over the tiniest of details, going to a level of concern that was uncharacteristic, even for him.

Whenever she confronted him about his intensified protectiveness, he would dismiss it with the excuse of being a responsible older brother. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than he was letting on. Takemitchi's recent behavior was too out of the ordinary for it to be as straightforward as it seemed.

As Takemitchi and Kana sat together, they each continued to eat, enveloped in a quietness that neither seemed eager to interrupt. Lost in their own thoughts, they were unsure of how to pick up the threads of their conversation or what subjects might be appropriate to discuss. The silence hung between them, punctuated only by the occasional clink of utensils against dishes.

The sudden sound of the doorbell sliced through the quiet atmosphere, causing both Takemitchi and Kana to instinctively turn their attention towards their front door. Takemitchi pushed himself up from his chair and made his way across the room towards the door. As he walked, he muttered to himself, "They must've finished it already.." hinting at this anticipation of this interruption.