His foggy thinking cleared up as he sat in the hot water, closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh.
Noelle was standing on the other side of the bathroom door, holding Hibiki's towel and a warm black kimono, while he was fully clothed in the bath.
Before all of this happened, Noelle had gone outside to search for the missing Hibiki. It was raining heavily so she carried one opened umbrella for herself and another for Hibiki later. To not get her kimono wet, she changed to her normal flowered patterned white dress.
She opened the gate of the house and looked right and left, trying to see if she could find Hibiki. But thanks to the rain, everything far was a blur to her eyes and it doesn't help because she was also wearing glasses.
Shouting his name was also a useless try, the rain would suppressed her shout. Plus, Noelle wasn't the type of person who would shout and would rather not to shout.
"…"
She found him. A depressed man, sitting on his knees under a bus stop sign. The sight itself was the same as the man ⸺ depressing ⸺ and all was strange to look at.
Hibiki came back to his home without knowing what was happening behind doors. Then suddenly having his brother die in front of him after apologizing for throwing away his daughter. One would sure be scarred.
The moment when Hoono apologized to him was continuously on repeat in his head, playing to keep reminding Hibiki that he was a bad brother. A terrible son.
"…"
Glancing above him, he felt the rain stopping and found the one the thing that stopped it.
"Are you here to bring me home?"
Hibiki asked in a cold, raspy voice. His crying before really changed the way he speaks.
"Sir… You'll get a cold" Noelle placed the second umbrella she was carrying on top of Hibiki. "Please come back home, we need you"
"Need me…?"
"…" Noelle straightens her back and putting her knees on the wet ground. "Yes, we need you"
Noelle extended her hand, offering Hibiki a second chance to become better. The look on her face as she watched the man was cold, full of hatred.
"I'm sorry…"
Hibiki said, standing up and grabbing the umbrella that Noelle was holding. And with his gaze avoiding to look at Noelle, he looked down at the ground.
"Will you give me a second chance?"
"I already have…"
※
It was a year before Kazehaya Shouta started high school, Fujiwara Hibiki was given a second chance by Hoono and his subordinates.
When he and Noelle returned home, he was met by other kimonos who were concerned about him. They brought him towels and some prepared a hot bath for him to warm his cold body.
Hibiki considered all the things he could do to make up for the time and pain he had caused in the bath prepared for him by the kimonos. Noelle, on the other hand, was waiting for him on the other side of the door, clutching a warm black kimono.
It seemed like a private spa or hot spring, with rocks and plants adorning the walls and an open ceiling. The red kimonos are responsible for changing the water on a daily basis and once someone has finished utilizing it. The baths are also available to kimonos, but only five persons can use them at a time.
"Hey, Noelle… is it?"
"Yes, my name is Noelle"
"How long have you been working by my brother's side…?"
"For around 2 years, sir"
"Then, who worked for him before you?"
"She's now a purple kimono, working with the mistress of the house"
"Mistress of the house?"
"Usually it's the wife of the head of the house. But since she passed away before her husband, there's now an empty seat for the mistress of the house."
"What about his daughters?"
"He didn't want his daughters to carry the burden of being the mistress of the house. And they are already working on other things"
※
The hallway of the ground floor was busy ⸺ red kimonos were cleaning and some were chatting about their day and what they would do the next day. As Hibiki walked through the hallway with Noelle by his side, the other kimonos bowed deeply to him.
Suddenly, a red kimono walked in front of him, stopping him from moving forward.
Before uttering her words, she bowed deeply. Hibiki answered with his deep bow.
"Good evening, Master Fujiwara! How is your black kimono?"
"Were you the one who prepared my black kimono?"
Hibiki said, turning his head towards Noelle.
"Yes, she was the one who prepared your Kimono, sir"
"Oh…"
While still bowing, the girl waited for Hibiki to give her his answer. She had prepared it with love and compassion and was hoping to get praises from her master.
And the moment Hibiki uttered the following words, her heart melted.
"It's warm. Thank you"
"…"
She ⸺ Kawabe Hinata ⸺ cried with tears of joy.