Jitsu -A different story-

"Yawn…" As Shizune stretched, a small yawn came out of her mouth as she looked at her surroundings. A small confusion had formed in her, but quickly the memories flowed to her mind and she did not feel nervous or scared.

It was then that she turned her gaze to her right side, finding in this way the figure of Kurono, who seemed to be deeply asleep.

"Hehe, I wonder if Kurono had a nice dream?" Shizune simply entertained herself by looking at Kurono like that, although the slight movements that he made at that moment told her that maybe he would wake up quickly… And so he did.

"Good morning…" That greeting with a sleepy tone was the first thing that came out of him once he saw Shizune. In reality, just like her, Kurono was lying in his seat, and it seemed that neither of them was going to fix their posture at that moment since they were both looking at each other.

"Did you sleep well?" After that question, neither of them could help but laugh a little since that question had been said at the same time by both of them.

"I think I actually slept well, although maybe not as comfortable," Shizune had to be honest with her answer. "I would have liked to have another change of clothes to sleep in, but leaving that aside, I'm at least glad I was able to fall asleep."

"I understand what you're saying, I would have liked to sleep like always too." Kurono also took the opportunity to stretch for a moment, but he was still paying attention to Shizune.

"Well… That would be a little difficult, you always sleep with your top naked." Shizune couldn't help but comment on Kurono's idea, and her words were totally true, although she also couldn't help but think about how Kurono looked like that.

"If you think about it like that, it might be true, although it's also a little disappointing."

"Disappointing?" Shizune didn't understand why Kurono felt that way, but she would slightly regret asking a second later.

"Yes, today I didn't get to see such a lovely sight as usual." Maybe for anyone else, Kurono's words would still be confusing, but this wasn't the case for Shizune.

She understood perfectly, and although her mouth opened a couple of times, she couldn't really say anything as her face turned a little red from the small embarrassment she was feeling since the reality was that, whenever Shizune stayed with Kurono at his house for the night, during the morning when they both woke up, she would wake up in two different ways.

The first scenario was Shizune waking up wearing a thin blouse that hugged her body perfectly, and it made Kurono's imagination run wild since Shizune slept more comfortably without a bra, so it was pretty clear what kind of scene she enjoyed; while the second scenario was simpler, and it was one where Shizune woke up with nothing covering her upper body… So that explained the reaction she had at the moment since she was perfectly aware of Kurono's thoughts even though on one hand it made her happy that he thought about it.

All of that had resulted in Shizune giving Kurono a few light smacks for bothering her so early, but that situation didn't last too long either as they both calmed down enough to start acting normally once again.

Shizune asked Kurono the time, to which he replied that it was already a little after seven in the morning, which indicated that they were almost at their destination if they had calculated the time correctly. Taking the time into account, Shizune opened the window, and what greeted her was the view of several fields, as well as nature in almost its pure state, which was a nice sight that she was quick to share with Kurono.

After that, they were both thinking if they should ask if they could order something for breakfast just like they did with dinner, but when they heard a voice saying the next stop, they both knew that it actually wasn't long before they arrived, so they decided to leave it for later when they reached the inn.

Time seemed to go by quickly this time as they simply focused on chatting with each other, even flirting a little without going overboard too much, and before they knew it, that voice from before was heard again throughout the train announcing the arrival at the station, the same one where both Kurono and Shizune would get off.

Without giving too many details, Kurono and Shizune got off the train while both carrying their luggage without forgetting anything. The first thing Shizune noticed once she set foot in the station was the slight differences it compared to the one in the city, mainly because the area was more open, and just by breathing the air, she felt and realized that she was in a totally new place for her… Although perhaps that explanation was a bit exaggerated, it was basically how she felt.

Something similar was what Kurono was experiencing as it was also his first place there despite having recommended a trip to Rena and Akio in the past. Still, he felt calm since they had arrived without problems and Shizune looked quite happy and interested in the surroundings, although he had to get her out of her stupor a little.

In the end, they both left the station and were greeted with more sights that, although they were not the same, both Shizune and Kurono could not help but think of Shizune's hometown since they were similar, although the difference was noticeable since in the place they were in, it could be seen at a glance that little by little modernization was gaining ground, but it still did not lose that rural feeling completely.

It was true that they were both complete strangers regarding the area, but in addition to the fact that Kurono had already studied a little the route that both could take to get to the inn, fortunately he found several taxis near the station exit and they took one to have a slightly more comfortable trip while they took advantage of the opportunity to continue chatting with each other.

"I feel like everything happened so fast, last night we were still in the city and now here."

"I guess you feel that way because we were asleep most of the time, maybe the trip back will be a little longer." Kurono's words made Shizune think a little, but she didn't keep herself very busy with it since it would be something else in the future. "Excuse me."

Kurono's apology was because he heard his cell phone ringing and had to answer it. It didn't take long for him to do so, and although from the words Shizune managed to hear she hadn't guessed who it could be, she was somewhat curious, a curiosity which was quickly resolved by Kurono.

"It was Yuki-san, she was just calling to find out if the trip had gone without problems, as well as to report some situations at work. By the way, she also sends her regards and hopes that we enjoy the trip." At first, there was a feeling of surprise in Shizune, but she quickly got rid of it since it wasn't strange for Yuki to make that kind of call it had already happened in the past since it was part of her job.

"I see, I would have liked to thank her properly. How has she been?" Shizune hadn't forgotten what had happened with Yuki a long time ago, but she was also honest with her question.

"She's been fine, at least that I can tell since she's the same as always when it comes to work, but as for the sentimental aspect or what exactly is on her mind, I couldn't say much about it."

"I understand… Even if I try to imagine, I don't know how everything was for her, but, even so, I hope everything goes well for her and she manages to find her own happiness." Although Shizune didn't know if her words were correct, she was trying to be as honest as possible. She didn't have bad feelings towards Yuki, and although she no longer felt the same concern as before since everything was calmer, she wished the best for her.

"Well, if you're curious, and although I don't know if it was true since I only heard a few rumors from Akio, on Valentine's Day Yuki-san received a bouquet from someone anonymous, but I couldn't tell you if something else happened besides that." Shizune was a little surprised, as well as mentioned that it was a nice detail. In Kurono's case, he also wished the best for Yuki, and although her story would be something they wouldn't be very aware of, they hoped that their future would be filled with happiness, as much as the happiness they had experienced all this time together.