Jitsu -A different story-

"So…" Mio's expression at that moment was a little hard to describe, especially since it was constantly changing, but what stood out the most was that she raised her arm and repeatedly pointed at both Shizune and Kurono.

That was because of what Shizune had just told her, and it seemed like Mio would remain in that state for a long time. Fortunately, Shizune's voice could be heard repeating more simply what she had just explained to Mio.

"That's right, Mio-san. He's Kurono." A small laugh came from Shizune once she said that while Kurono had already sat down right next to her, making her relationship with him even clearer.

"It may be a little sudden, but it's a pleasure to meet you, Mio-san." At that point, and now having a clearer idea of ​​the situation, Kurono could only laugh a little as well.

"I… Then…" Mio was having a bit of a hard time processing what she had just heard, but it hadn't taken her too long to do so, and after hearing Kurono's greeting, she knew that she could only do one thing next. "Ahhhhhh!"

That scream, which made both Shizune and Kurono a bit surprised, was produced by Mio as she used her hands to cover her face and wished the earth would swallow her up at that moment since, in simple words, she was experiencing horrible embarrassment.

…

…

Going back a bit to what had happened moments before, and right after Mio had seen the way Kurono greeted Shizune by kissing her hand, she didn't know what was really going on. Mio could assume that that was Kurono's way of acting, but that only made her realize that the one who had truly caught his attention had been Shizune, leaving her completely aside.

Maybe Mio would feel depressed about it, but the next moment she watched as Shizune couldn't stop laughing while constantly apologizing to her. For obvious reasons, Mio felt quite confused by her reaction, but it was then that Shizune began to explain who Kurono was, which brought us to the current situation.

"I'm feeling better now, and don't worry, Shizune-san, I accept that I completely fell for the joke." As Mio had said, she had already calmed down enough to speak normally and properly respond to Shizune's apology.

"I'm sorry. I felt that the situation was quite funny, and I couldn't help it." Shizune wasn't worried that Mio had gotten angry at what she had done since she could tell that everything had already been made clear and she hadn't been upset.

"I also apologize if the little joke was too much, Mio-san, although Shizune had the idea, I did not refuse to participate." Maybe it had been last minute, but Kurono knew that he had also supported the little misunderstanding.

"N-Not at all, everything's fine." Mio found it a bit troublesome to look at Kurono directly since she hadn't quite forgotten the embarrassment from before and the comments, she shared with Shizune about him, but besides that, Mio had realized that, remembering the physical description Shizune had given her about Kurono, he fit her perfectly. "It's nice to meet you too, Kurono-san."

Once the situation calmed down and everything was cleared up, the next thing that happened was a little chat between everyone, mainly explaining the little story of how Shizune met Mio. Going back to what Kurono had said, he also had an interest in Mio, just as she did in him, but it was basically an interest in the kind of person they were, resulting in Kurono having a similar opinion to the one Shizune had of Mio.

For her part, Mio understood Kurono a little better, although mainly, she felt very surprised to know about what he did since she knew his company from some products she had consumed at some point, but in addition to that, she also focused on asking him questions about his relationship with Shizune, which made the conversation quite pleasant actually and time passed slowly.

"Sigh… I only said it to Shizune-san before, but now I can say something more specific." Mio's words caught the attention of both Shizune and Kurono. "I'm a little jealous of your relationship, but at the same time it's quite nice to hear about everything you went through to get to the point they are now… Maybe my opinion isn't very relevant, but if you'll let me say it, I feel like they really are made for each other."

Once again, Mio was letting out her sincere thoughts, and listening to them, a small smile couldn't help but appear on Shizune and Kurono's faces.

"Although I don't think you should feel jealous, I really appreciate your opinion of us, Mio-san." Shizune had gotten a little closer to Mio as she said those words.

"I can say something similar as well… My relationship with Shizune is what I treasure the most in this life, and while I don't think we need someone else's approval to know how special it is, I also appreciate the opinion you have of us, Mio-san." Kurono delved a little deeper into his answer, but he spoke with complete honesty.

Mio accepted the small thanks as she noticed the happiness Shizune gave off, but at the same time, she also came to understand Kurono's words and saw nothing wrong with them. Maybe she had just met this couple not long ago, but from the general way she understood their relationship and the feelings of both, subconsciously, and as she had said before, Mio wished great happiness for them.

…

…

Focusing once again on the passing of time, and especially on the clock that was in the room, everyone present could realize that it was already quite late in reality. Mio had been the first to notice that, and after some thought, she decided it was time to leave.

On the one hand, it was because it was late, but on the other, she didn't want to interrupt Shizune and Kurono's alone time, although that didn't really bother either of them. In the end, she said her idea and was immediately answered by Shizune asking her if she wanted them to accompany her to her room, which Mio did not refuse.

The silence of the ryokan was even more noticeable as they walked through the halls, and it was possibly due to the time and that some guests were already in the world of dreams. The walk was not too long, and they arrived at the room where Mio was staying and then they said goodbye to her properly.

That had left the only idea for Shizune and Kurono to return to their room, in which no kind of problem or mystery was involved that stood in their way. When Shizune entered, the first thing she looked at was the perfectly arranged futons that indicated that it was almost time for bed, but due to everything that had happened and the lively chat she had with Mio, she was quite awake at the moment, but, still, she went to the next room and put on the yukata that she had been using to sleep all these days.

That same thing had made her lose sight of Kurono for a bit, but after looking for him a bit, she was able to find him sitting on one of the chairs that were on the small terrace of the room, and she did not hesitate to accompany him, even if it was just for a moment.

"Did you come because you saw that I was here?" Without really seeing Shizune, Kurono let those words slip out so that they were carried by the light wind of that night, although that did not take away the fact that Shizune had been able to hear them.

"And you sat here so that I would come to where you were?" That had been the question said in response to Kurono's question, and once they both understood what they had just heard, a small laugh was heard from both to express what they were feeling.

Shizune had the idea of ​​sitting next to Kurono to accompany him since she felt that it would be a quiet moment in which they could remember together a little of everything they had experienced on this little vacation. Shizune had already touched the edge of the chair that was next to Kurono, but before she did anything else, she noticed how he stood up before starting to walk and get a little closer to the terrace railing, but what had just caught Shizune's attention were the words she had heard next.