Opening the door to Kajima's living room, Azi saw that Shizu was sitting at the dining table writing letters and going through the stacks of paperwork that she had brought back from her office in the village.
For the past two weeks, Shizu had been adapting to her new duties in Shisayama. On top of her work to do while in Shisayama and the work from Kujyuri added her workload which made Shizu's workload double.
Noticing his arrival, Shizu turned her tired head up from the papers and greeted him with a somewhat dreary expression.
"Welcome back Azi, how was your morning training? Did anything happen?"
"Just ran into a small swarm of gengiri when I was passing one of the outer entrances. The guards and I took care of them, but I do have to fix a spear that I broke during the fight."
Laying the broken spear he was carrying onto the dining table, he then sat at an open chair as he poured himself a drink of water from a jug that was set out for Shizu. The broken weapon got Shizu's attention as weapons and combat were a more interesting topic than mind grind work she was currently trudging through. She examined it with a warrior-like gaze and her attention was drawn to where the polearm was broken.
"I see, so you broke it in half due to it being too long for you to use." With a small smirk forming on her face, she then added in a teasing tone. "It is a shame that you are stuck with your stature."
Feeling as if he was taking a spear to his pride, Azi grimaced with a bitter expression. His height had been something that had caused him a lot of misunderstandings as it made it hard for people to take him seriously due to how he looked and how he acted childish at times.
His height made him seem like a child to the villagers as the average height of the people of the empire were between 5.5 feet to 6 feet tall. Since he was stuck at 5 feet and with his Asian features that made him seem younger than he actually was, he had to always explain his actual age in embarrassment.
His physical stature was also a hindrance to his ability in fighting. Being unable to wield the full length of a regular sized polearm, he had given up on the idea of joining the Yamaton army as a usual spearman and opted to be an unorthodox fighter like Shizu.
In response to her joking comment, he voiced his complaint with a bit of annoyance.
"Yeah Yeah, but it's not like I can magically change my height. If I could use Thaumaturgy to change it, then I would."
"Yes, but it is such a shame that thaumaturgy does not have a cure for you. But if there was, I would never let you use it. I rather enjoy that you are so short. It makes it easier for me to hold you."
Annoyed by the beginning of her statement, Azi's expression became embarrassed as the last part of what she said made him remember the indignation he now faced on a daily basis.
For the past month, Shizu and Azi have been sharing a bed every night and every time Shizu would use Azi as a hug pillow. Now, every morning, Azi would find himself being hugged from behind which embarrassed him to no end.
The thought of him being seen as just a pillow was an indignation that was another big blow to his pride as the older one in age and as a man. Turning away, Azi changed the subject with a red face and an irritated huff in his tone.
"I'm going to take a bath. I will be out in a few minutes so wait before you head into the village, I need to talk to you and Kajima about your weapon."
"Oh? A bath, I'll join you and we can talk in the tub." With a sultry smile unaffected by his blatant irritation, Shizu moved out of her chair and attempted to follow Azi into the bath but was suddenly lifted off the ground by the back of her collar.
A large man had appeared behind without making a single sound and had soundlessly picked her up like a cat and scolded her in a stern tone.
"I may allow you to share the same bed, but I will not allow you to share a bath. Show some common decency Little Shizu you know better."
"Aw come on Uncle Kajima, Azi is my apprentice and potential fiancé. I don't see an issue with us sharing a bath."
Kajima could only sigh at Shizu's nonsensical response. While it was true that Azi was her apprentice and she did consider him her potential fiancé, it did not satisfy as a reasonable retort to go against the common rules of decency that any unmarried man and woman should follow.
"I said no. *Sigh* Hurry along Azi, I'll make sure this lewd cat doesn't disturb you."
After instructing Azi, Kajima turned around with a flailing Shizu in hand as he walked away into another nearby room that was the farthest from the bath.
"I AM NOT A LEWD CAT. PUT ME DOWN, I COMMAND IT!"
Azi could only laugh aloud at the hilarious sight of Shizu being treated like a mischievous little cat. This caused Shizu to curse out in her mind and promised that she would be sure to tease him even more the next moment she could.
After entering the bath and washing off the sweat he had accumulated from his morning training. Azi put on his outfit for when he was blacksmithing.
Early on, Kajima and Shizu had remembered that Azi had no possessions when he came to Shisayama, so they gifted him some clothes to ensure he at least had the basics of sleepwear, work attire, and casual wear.
His new work attire was a red tunic with a white colored hem with long black pants that were both affixed to him at the waist by a white cloth. He also wore white kengiri carapace gloves to protect his hands during work and goggles that adorned his forehead.
The gloves and goggles were Azi's most recent creations and they acted like a thaumaturgic tool that allowed him to gather and see magical energies more easily.
Thanks to some lessons from Touma when Azi was free, he learned that magic tools such as staffs were the norm but could be changed to match the wielder's preferences. Touma also taught him some of his research which was about how monster and animal materials contained magical energy and had the natural ability to channel this energy.
With this knowledge in hand, Aziwanted to do some research of his own and hunted a Kengiri with Shizu and Kajima so that he could pursue a few personnel projects. After many attempts, he was able to create a pair of gloves that had the effects he was looking for.
The same amount of difficulty could be also said for his goggles as he had made the glass by adding beowolf fangs into the smelting process. This gave the glass a slightly gray hue, but it did not impede Azi's vision as the gray hue of the glass had a purpose.
While glass making was a specialized profession, Azi had help from Ben and Bail as they not only dealt in weapons but other goods that they thought they could make a profit from. Glassmaking was one of Ben's side projects so Azi worked with him to create his new goggles.
Taking one last look at himself to ensure his clothes were properly affixed, he then exited the changing room and made his way to the living room.
There, he saw Shizu sitting down on a couch with Kajima sitting across from her on another identical couch. A small circular table separated the two couches that were facing each other.
The two couches were large enough to seat 6 people in all but seeing the smile Shizu was directing at him, he noticed that she was patting her lap. Azi sighed and knew that if he attempted to deny the proffered "seat" he would have hell to pay from Shizu in the future.
Reluctantly, Azi moved to sit in Shizu's lap where he was then hugged from behind. She then began to bury her face in his freshly washed hair which caused Azi to pout a bit as he felt like he was being treated like an object again.
Across from them, Kajima sighed in exasperation but kept his thoughts to himself. He had allowed them autonomy when it came to regulating the level of intimacy they showed each other, but he did still scold them at times when it became excessive which was mostly Shizu's fault as she was fond of teasing Azi.
This was likely caused by the stress from her ever-increasing paperwork, so Kajima could not find fault in Shizu's actions but needed to ensure they did not cross any boundaries an unmarried man and woman should take.
In the beginning he wanted to separate them and prevent them from sleeping in the same bed, but his attempts failed as Shizu would always find a way to sneak into Azi's room even when he was on guard outside of his room throughout the night.
The final nail in the coffin that stopped him from continuing his efforts was Azi, who made it clear that he didn't have a problem with it but rather accepted Shizu's actions. While he did feel uncomfortable, he did like her company and would at least allow her to decompress after her work as he understood that she had a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders. Not wanting to forcibly separate the two, Kajima opted to allow them to make their own choices but kept a keen eye on Shizu.
While Shizu was cuddling Azi from behind, Kajima asked Azi.
"So I heard from Shizu that you wanted to talk about her weapon. Did you have more questions about blacksmithing?"
"Not questions, but I need to inform you that I plan to complete the weapon in about 1 week. For the next few days, I plan to finish up my experiments on creating a substitute material for refined steel. Once I finished that, then I think I will have all the pieces I need to reforge Shizu's weapon into something better."
Shizu then complained while pressing her face into his soft black hair. "You have been working on my weapon for weeks. It's hard you know, not having my favorite weapon with me, the weapon you broke."
Her admonishment was a joke but Shizu then whispered something in Azi's ear that Kajima was unable to hear. Seeing Azi's face turn a bit red, Kajima knew that it was likely more teasing as Azi then pouted as he retorted.
"That is why I want to reforge it as an apology. And you know as well as I that yes I did break your weapon but we were both drunk so cut me some slack."
Shizu smiled at Azi's reaction and instead of answering, she just continued to cuddle him like a small animal flailing around in her arms. Azi attempted to resist but felt calm from her petting that he could muster no resistance. Before things got too intimate, Kajima interrupted sternly.
"Save it you two. Make sure you behave yourselves in public. *sigh* In any case do you need any more help Azi?"
At his words, Azi perked up and remembered that he had to give Kajima something.
"If you are headed into the village could you deliver this message to Ben and Bail. I'm working with them on a little project and after I finish my experiments in the forge I should be ready to meet with them."
Retrieving a paper envelope from the inside pocket of his shirt, Azi handed the letter to Kajima with a bit of expectation on his face. Accepting, Kajima showed an interest in the little project Azi had in mind.
He was not informed that Azi, Ben, and Bail were working on any project but knew that it was likely a personal venture between the three of them.
"Alright." Affirmed Kajima. "I'll also pick up your recent order for materials and any leftover commissions that you could possibly fulfill."
"Thanks Kajima, I will be in the forge until dinner, so I won't need lunch."
"Be sure to take a break to drink and eat something. I don't want you collapsing on me." Warned Kajima.
Azi responded with an affirmative nod which prompted Kajima to rise from the couch, gather his belongings, and leave the house to handle some shopping in the village.
Shizu, with her head buried in Azi's head of hair, looked out from the corner of her eye to make sure that Kajima was now gone, she then whispered in Azi's ear.
"Is he gone?"
In a whisper as well, Azi responded.
"Yes, he is gone for now. You can act like a spoiled cat now."
At his jab Shizu pouted and wanted to retort that she was not a spoiled cat, but withheld her words and instead proceeded to fall sideways onto the couch as she dragged him down with her in her arms.
The two fell onto the couch with a soft thump and Shizu proceeded to hug Azi more tightly. Azi did not show any resistance, but instead rearranged himself to feel more comfortable in the embrace.
While a month is considerably short for a man and a woman to get so close to each other, due to how they lived in such close proximity with each other and that they spent most of their days training, eating, working, and sleeping together it was no wonder that these two became so close.
The relationship between Azi and Shizu was on its way to becoming much more than close friends, but unfortunately, they both still had difficulties understanding the emotion of love.
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(ALSO, LOL SHORT AZI WILL BE A THING FOREVER)
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