"I'm home!" Nozomi announced as she entered her home. Seiza entered her house with his magic through the open window to the blonde girl's room.
As Nozomi entered the kitchen, she was welcomed by a half-hearted wave from Minokichi. He stared at the frozen food heating up in the microwave. A half-hearted wave was the only acknowledgment he gave to the presence of his sister. He didn't even bother to turn to look at her.
For anyone else, this would be seen as a cold, if not rude, gesture. But Nozomi couldn't help but smile warmly at her brother. She was reminded of his progress after meeting and befriending Yuki. It had been almost enough for her to forget how mentally taxing her day was... almost.
When dinner was ready, Nozomi and Minokichi kept mostly to themselves as they ate. Nozomi didn't mind it. As much as she would love for her brother to become talkative, she didn't want to risk unintentionally pushing him too far. Instead, she opted to let Minokichi get better at his own pace until he finally felt comfortable holding long conversations with people.
Of course, all that progress would probably be gone in a flash if I were to die and leave him alone... The blonde girl trailed off pessimistically. Her expression and mood soured at such a grim thought.
As Nozomi thought back on how she had been the only one down for the count on a darkspawn encounter, she insisted on going. She allowed her best friend to go even though she wasn't able to guarantee her safety, much less her own. In the end, she asked for help from the person they were trying to save. The fact no one died besides the darkspawn they were trying to stop was the only comfort Nozomi could take out of the situation.
If anyone had died, Nozomi wouldn't know what she would do. Probably scream and cry like always. Urgh, what's the point of these powers if they don't stop me from being a dead weight to everybody who needs me?! Nozomi internally bemoaned.
Even saving Rea and Tsujin, before getting thanked by the latter (Nozomi had yet to grasp how there are two entirely different identities inside of one body), didn't fill Nozomi with as much pride as she thought it would. She wasn't even sure if Mukarramma had truly intended to harm Rea or if it hadn't been all just a trick to leave her wide open for an attack. Knowing her luck she wouldn't be surprised if it had been the latter.
Mukarramma made the blonde teenage girl look like a naive imbecile in front of everyone, not once, but twice. Nozomi also didn't forget how, due to wanting to prove to everyone that she wasn't useless, she ended up almost giving Mukarramma a chance to escape. This happened when Nozomi destroyed The Sun tarot card. A chance that had been thankfully foiled in time by Tsujin's intervention.
"Onee-san?"
Nozomi's eyes widened. Minokichi's voice snapped the former out of her thoughts. When she turned to face her brother who stood by her left, Nozomi blinked a few times at him. "W-what?"
"You've been staring at your empty plate for a while. Is there something in your mind?" Minokichi asked while scrutinizing Nozomi. The latter recognized the worry in her brother's face from the unique small frown he gave that wouldn't be noticeable by anyone who knew the boy as long as the teenage girl did.
Nozomi tried to play it cool by waving his worries away. She plastered the best fake smile on her face. "O-oh, don't worry, it's nothing, just some dumb stuff I remembered from school."
Minokichi stared at his older sister for a solid minute before frowning. "...Idiot," he finally said before turning away and leaving the kitchen without another word. The plate was left in the sink for Nozomi to clean.
Nozomi stared at the kitchen's entrance where her brother had exited for a solid minute before chuckling dryly to herself. "Idiot... I guess that's not too far off..." she muttered to herself, smiling a little. All the other times she had been called as such by her brother, Nozomi either felt annoyed or bad about it. But now? Nozomi would be lying if she said it didn't feel weirdly good having someone calling her out instead of pitying or excusing her bad decisions just because she ended up hurt.
It's not like he's wrong anyway... Nozomi thought before she got up and washed the plates.
Nozomi found cleaning her dishes relaxing as it helped to occupy her mind with something she could do. It wouldn't cost anyone's life if she were to fail. "Wash, rinse, shine, make 'em fine. Soapy bubbles, plates align. Scrub and clean, it's time to gleam. Dishes done, a sparkling scene!~" She sang an old song from a children's show she watched long ago. A genuine smile grew on Nozomi's face as she embraced the nostalgia of the memory and the comfort it gave.
When Nozomi entered her room, Seiza welcomed her eyes, the latter sitting on her bed. The tired young girl couldn't help but smile. She watched the talking dog's tail wag excitedly as he noticed her presence, happy to see someone who didn't deserve it in the blonde's opinion.
Nozomi soon noticed her English book by Seiza's side, open on the last page they had left off.
Nozomi immediately realized what was happening. Seiza was trying to make her think about something else that wouldn't cause her turmoil. Not so different from what the clumsy girl did for Seiza after their first meeting with Henry.
Although Nozomi hadn't been in the mood to teach much of anything, wanting to go straight to bed and forget about this day, she couldn't bring herself to deny Seiza's request. With a sigh, the blonde girl put on her teacher facade. "Very well then! If you insist, I, Nozomi-sensei, will teach you!" Nozomi declared, mustering the most of her enthusiasm she still had left. The cringe the teenage airhead would normally feel from such action was counter-balanced by how fun the following class was.
As Nozomi lay in bed after she finished teaching Seiza and grabbed her favorite plushie to sleep, she turned off the lights. "Good night, Seiza."
"Good night, Nozomi." Seiza replied as he got comfortable on the room's carpet.
After Nozomi closed her eyes to sleep, her tired but content smile slowly disappeared. The young blond girl couldn't help but feel uneasy and anxious at the constant darkness she was seeing with her eyes closed. It reminded her of how she had become blind a few hours ago and how pathetic and vulnerable she felt. The cold air from the open window as it passed through Nozomi's body and the random noises Nozomi couldn't guess where they belonged as she heard them reinforced the feeling of defenselessness.
Growing restless, Nozomi tried changing positions on her bed, but it did nothing, frustrating her further.
When Nozomi opened her eyes, she couldn't help but feel the change in the atmosphere around her when there was barely any light. Looking for anything that could help, her eyes landed on the room's bedside lamp. "Hey, Seiza?" Nozomi called for the talking dog.
"Hmm?" Seiza hummed back in acknowledgment.
"I'm having trouble sleeping. Do you mind if I turn on this light?" Nozomi asked as she pointed at the bedside lamp.
Seiza shook his head. "No, I wouldn't mind it." He said before going back to sleep.
"I see... thank you." Nozomi thanked the talking puppy before turning the lights from her bedside lamp on.
After the tired girl closed her eyes, relieved thinking she would be able to sleep, she soon found out that wouldn't be the case. Again, she couldn't sleep.
Confused about why she had been unable to rest, Nozomi opened her eyes and tried to think about what else could be stopping her from sleeping. Her eyes soon landed on her plushie.
As Nozomi stared at her plushie, the mental gears inside her head spinning, her eyes darted to the other plushies from her collection that were an arm's length away. Hmm...
Nozomi tried changing plushies, but no matter which one she tried, none got her any closer to sleep. I don't get it, is there something I'm missing? What could it—. Nozomi's eyes widened as she remembered what was missing: warmth. More specifically, the warmth Nozomi felt clenching Yoshino's hand. The latter consistently spoke close to the former's ear. She was there with Nozomi in the darkness and just needed to hold on a little longer.
Nozomi blushed bright red at the embarrassing memory briefly before rolling around in bed. Ahagshjghjga, what am I thinking, I obviously can't just call Yoshino at this hour and ask such a ridiculous request! Not to mention, she would 100% tease me for the rest of the year for even asking that! Maybe I should just try to sleep again? Unless... Nozomi glanced at Seiza's sleeping form, an idea soon sparking in the former's mind.
"Hey, Seiza?" Nozomi called for the puppy's attention again.
Thankfully for Nozomi, she only needed to call for him once as Seiza opened his eyes. "Yes?"
Nozomi bit her lip, considering if she should ask this from Seiza. In the end, she decided to go for it. "I'm... still having trouble sleeping... could you sleep by my side for tonight... please?" Nozomi asked. Her expression unintentionally forming into one of pleading as her, figurative, mask slipped off a little.
Seiza's eyes widened briefly for a moment before nodding. "Okay, I'll... try not to move too much." He said before making his way to her bed. Nozomi soon hugged the talking puppy dog from behind.
It admittedly took time for Nozomi to get accustomed to Seiza's presence. Soon enough, Nozomi's worries vanished, and her mind drifted into sleep as her breathing and heartbeat synched off with Seiza's.