Noroi's ears caught the sound of grass rustling directly behind him, so he turned his head, glancing over his shoulder to see what exactly had moved, only to find that it was none other than that idiot, Haruki, who had woken from his slumber.
Haruki's eyelids fluttered lazily as he gathered his arms, which had been sprawled in opposite directions, before squinting his eyes to adjust to the sunlight, then opening them fully, the traces of sleep still clear on his face.
As Haruki moved to sit up, the small bird that had been resting on his chest slid off and landed directly in his lap.
Tomoi woke up from the fall, standing on Haruki's left thigh and chirping in a series of short, quick sounds, expressing his annoyance and anger at Haruki for ruining his sleep so carelessly.
Haruki laughed at the small pink bird but played along with its tantrum, raising his hands in surrender and apologizing to Tomoi playfully.
"Hey, hey, I'm sorry, my friend."
The bird pecked at Haruki's head, attacking his side, but to Haruki the blows felt more like gentle tickles than any real assault.
Haruki's body shook with laughter at Tomoi's cute antics. He raised his hand and placed it in front of the pink bird's head, stopping it from charging and pecking again. Between his laughs, he said.
"All right, all right, I'll wake you up properly next time."
"Stop playing around, we have a lot to do today."
Noroi's cold voice drew the attention of both Haruki and Tomoi, his chilly tone freezing them in place. The laughter died in Haruki's throat, but a teasing smile spread across his face as he said mockingly.
"Oh, good morning. I didn't notice you there. Have you ever tried working as a ghost in a haunted house? Believe me, they'd hire you instantly."
Noroi clenched his teeth together as Haruki burst out laughing at his own sarcasm. Noroi raised his hand, forming a tight fist as he spoke in a cold, threatening tone.
"Looks like you're asking for death today."
Haruki bolted away the moment Noroi took a single step forward, darting off to hide behind Yamka, using her as a shield between himself and Noroi.
He shouted in dramatic panic.
"Yamii!"
Yamka woke to the sound of Haruki's loud scream and the commotion around her. Her body shot upright into a sitting position, fully alert and ready for battle, her hand had already reached her axe and wrapped tightly around its handle.
"What's going on?"
Haruki slid behind her back, placing both hands on her shoulders, his brown eyes barely peeking out from behind her as he hid in fear from Noroi's murderous glare.
He pointed a trembling finger toward Noroi and said.
"He wants to kill me!"
Yamka's guard fell instantly, her grip on the axe loosening the moment she realized there was no real danger nearby. Her cautious expression melted into a tired frown, her lips heavy as if begging to close again.
She waved her hand lazily and said in a drowsy tone, followed by a long yawn.
"Alright, good for you."
She just said anything in an attempt to brush off Haruki's nuisance and go back to sleep.
But even with Yamka's attempts to shrug Haruki off, he wouldn't leave her alone or let her go back to sleep. He started shaking her violently while shouting.
"I'm telling you, he wants to kill me!"
Meanwhile, as Haruki was busy trying to keep Yamka awake, Noroi had already reached him. His fist rose high before coming down hard on the top of Haruki's head.
Noroi spoke irritably, clearly tired of the idiot's antics.
"Stop being so dramatic."
The boy's head jerked to the side from the impact, and both of his hands shot up to cover the sore spot. He then lifted his face, giving Noroi the expression of a hurt puppy, his lower lip drooping miserably.
But Noroi paid him no mind, turning his gaze to Yamka , who had managed to sit up, though her head was still lowered, and spoke harshly to wake her fully.
"No time for sleep, you ghoul. We need to reach Ash Fort today."
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Thank you for reading! If this moment touched you even a little , please consider adding it to your library.💐