Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 374: Arc 5, - 68: In Between Part II

"Which little ankle-biter’s yours?" she asked with a smile.

"Uhm, that one; but she’s not mine, I’m more like an aunt to her," Jotou answered the random woman next to her on the bench by pointing to Kineko.

Kineko on the other hand, ran around the slide and swings, playing with other children in the Genevieve Memorial Park, the closest public park from 22 Fleur Boulevard.

Jotou, in her illusory disguise of a black-haired cat-girl, refrained from squinting or giving a glare to the woman in her forties, who seemed interested in small-talk; her ears twitched. ’How old does this lady think I am!?’

Meanwhile, at 22 Fleur Boulevard itself, the living room was vacant, allowing one brunette to linger around the telephone with her fingers toying with the cord.

"Perchance there may be for one such as mineself to procure residence in Fleur Borough. Tis not an inexpensive selection, however the ascending abode is most accommodating," the voice came from the phone.

Fumeko had her back leaned against the wall below the stairway. "I told you, my dad said you can visit and stay whenever. I don’t think he’d mind if you stay for a bit longer either."

"Hm, tis feels a tad brazen to do as such. I wish not to interlope."

"It’s just until you get yourself in a comfortable position. I think the others don’t mind you joining in our adventurers and we’ll probably be going to the Adventurers Guild in Burnetrout at some point.

You said it yourself, you like this place, right? It really wouldn’t be so bad if you stayed here for a while," Fumeko twirled the cord a little more while her lips went to one side.

There was a slight pause from the other end. Her voice came through seconds later, "Is it for mine benefit, or rather." Another pause before she spoke, "D-do you want me there, for yourself?"

Fumeko’s toes curled and felt her hands get just slightly clammy. Her lips were parted to speak, but she couldn’t utter a word while her complexion brightened from shades of pink to red.

"Say, ’Why can’t it be both?’," a whisper came from above.

The telephone cord shook as Fumeko took a sharp inhale and spun her head to peer above with waxed open eyes. "You!"

"Fumeko?" the phone voiced.

"T-tiffany, I’ll call you back in a few hours; I’m okay," Fumeko fumbled the receiver in her grasp and dinged it back onto the telephone—Tiffany got to utter out a small goodbye just before it hit.

"You’re not usually so clumsy with your hands," her crimson tail drifted from side-to-side while her hands hung over the handrail—her head resting on them.

Fumeko glared to the grinning redhead, "Will you ever stop eavesdropping in this lifetime?"

Hotaru’s ears wiggled, "I can’t help but watch how cute and awkward you get like this. Dipped ourselves in red paint have we?" she peered.

The brunette groaned and with both her hands, rubbed her face.

Hotaru lifted her head up and moseyed down the steps, "Day after day, call after call; looks like romance is in the air for our Fumeko Namora."

"Yeah, I like her, alright? Sue me," she grumbled in reply. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"You were just so hesitant about it, that’s why I tease," Hotaru snickered as she met the other on the same floor. "We can all see through your little tough girl act; though I wouldn’t really call it ’tough’."

"It’s not an- ..." Maybe it was an act. "You have a problem with me talking to her on the phone? I’ve been doing so since my birthday."

"I didn’t say that at all," Hotaru smiled. "Honestly, why do you need to be so resistant to expressing your feelings? It’s not like there’s much of an act to keep up with us anymore."

"Hmph," Fumeko crossed her arms and looked away. "We all still have secrets and want some privacy on some matters. Just because mine’s more noticeable doesn’t change that."

The redhead’s ears fell and her eyes mellowed. She wore a small smile, "Sorry. If that’s what you want to do."

"It’s," Fumeko met the other’s gaze, "not that easy to just change things."

"It starts with a step somewhere," Hotaru breathed out. "I’m glad you found someone—proud of you even. Even more so, someone to ask out on the 30th of February; though I suppose you’ve always been bold in that department."

"Yeah," Fumeko held a tiny smirk. "She’s a little bolder though. She, uhm, well; she kissed me on graduation day," she let her cheeks flush.

A few flutter of her lashes and her ears bristled as an involuntary chuckle left her mouth, "Wow. That’s- I’m happy for you. But, don’t take this the wrong way, doesn’t that seem a bit too fast...?"

To that, Fumeko went quiet.

...

Hotaru’s brows furrowed, "You’ve already thought about it then."

"I do like her. Yeah, it all feels too sudden, but it also makes sense, considering how we met and everything that happened," she eyed up to the redhead. "You’d rather I wait forever to even get started like you and Jotou did?"

"L-listen, that was a whole different set of circumstances; and it was only a few months," she scoffed and glanced away.

The half-cocked smirk Fumeko wore gradually disappeared. "I’m not stupid. I think Tiffany’s great and I like her aspirations; and she’s pretty too. It’s the whole act that pushed people away from her, but I figured out why."

...

Hotaru stared as she knew it would be another secret Fumeko would not share. "...I hope for the best and wish you both well."

"Thanks."

The redhead then smiled wide, "I’m surprised you’d get over Jotou and I that easily~ Makes me really wonder, hm? All it took was someone else to walk in. Was it just some fleeting crushes~?"

"Stop it wolfy," she leered.

"My, my, flustered are we? Don’t worry, if you need help, I can always give you some advice on flirting," with her lips sealed, she giggled.

Fumeko’s lips tightened as well... She scanned Hotaru from top to bottom and gave a dead-eyed stare. "You should stay off the chocolates, you’ve gained weight." Within an instant as her words left her mouth, traces of shadows were left where she stood.

It took a second for Hotaru to even register what she said before her tail spiked and a fire lit in her eyes. She frantically swivelled and spun around, "You little- GET BACK HERE YOU BRAT!!!!"

With her ears sharply up and loud huffs coming from her breaths, she formed watery claws in her hands as she stormed around the house in search of her.

"Not all of us have an affinity that nullifies guzzling calories like a starved rat!! Then again, you’ll always look like one YOU RUNT!" she screamed up the stairs.

The front door opened and, "What’s going on?" Jotou walked in with knitted brows.

Hotaru whimpered and rushed down the stairs and headed to the entrance, "Jotou! Jotou," her voice cracked. "Fumeko said I gained weight!" Her face looked like it was about to break into tears and her shoulders were tense, "I’m not fat am I?"

’...’ Jotou’s eyes smiled as they closed; she cocked her head to the side and beamed, "I like you the way you are."

"..." The worried expression on the redhead’s face faded away and it turned into a stare... Then into an expressionless glare before one red brow of hers tilted down ever so slightly.

"..." ’The dreaded conversation I feared one day would arrive. Abort mission Howllett, abort.’ "Meko, get back here!" she turned her head up to the ceiling and shouted as Kineko ran in through the door...

_

"KnockKnockKnockKnock!"

Morning arose and with it, a series of knocks pelted the door. "What?" Jotou opened the door of her room and glanced way down.

"Aunty Spauky-Eyes, Aunty Spauky-eyes! Can you do my hair for school today?" Kineko bounced up and down with a box of hairpins and accessories in her hands that rattled.

Jotou, a little dishevelled but at least looking awake, squinted and replied, "I’m, not the person you should be asking. I’ll see if I can find auntie Hotaru or auntie Asobi for you."

"But I want you to do it aunty. Your hair is pwetty!" she continued bending her knees up and down in a bounce.

"I throw-" Jotou’s pupils kept bouncing up and down. She grabbed the bouncing ball of energy by the shoulders and steadied her in place.

"All I can pretty much do is a ponytail, it’s not really something special. I’m sure they could do something much cuter for you."

The little girl pouted and glared. "I want a ponytail too then!" She then proceeded to puff up her cheeks and hold her breath.

"Alright, alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you. You can breathe now."

"Yay!" she ran into Jotou and Hotaru’s room.

Within a couple of minutes, Jotou had run a comb through her light brown hair that ended around her shoulders. As Jotou bunched up the hair and started high on Kineko’s head... The ponytail could barely be tied.

Middle of her head- It stuck out too much. Kineko swung her legs and watched the mirror in content while sat on the vanity. Jotou showed to her the ponytail sticking out like an umbrella handle at the back.

Kineko muttered her contempt.

"Thought so," Jotou undid the hair and tried to do a lower ponytail. It looked fine, but before she tied it off, Jotou looked at the mirror. The blonde’s nose shrivelled a bit, "Looks too plain. How about if I do this?"

Jotou picked the comb back up and shifted Kineko’s hair to her right side, after which she tied it off into a side-tail with a little black elastic.

Kineko bobbed her head left and right to see the side-tail bounce around like a spring. She gleefully smiled, "I love it aunty!" Her hands scurried into her accessory box and began picking out random hairpins—no doubt to pin all over her head.

"Uh, let’s just," Jotou halted Kineko from grabbing more. Fortunately she had not pinned anything onto her head yet. The blonde’s eyes wandered through the bits of colourful metal pins and clips. She then picked four out of the lot.

"This one matches your uniform," she pinned a large clip with red rhinestones on the right side. "These two match," she pinned two white hair clips that both had big red strawberries on them onto Kineko’s left side—in a cross pattern.

"And this one to remind you that you’re a star," she pinned said five-pointed gold star on the left side, further in the back. "There, what do you think?"

"I like it! It looks so pwetty and nice!" Kineko kept turning her head and looking in the mirror.

"Yeah, overloading on hairpins is not the best look."

"Aunty Spauky-eyes, what’s that?" Kineko pointed in the mirror to a canvas on an easel, sat in the corner of the room by the window.

It had some purplish and brownish hues already painted and drying. "Oh I’m just working on a special portrait. Now, when does school start?"

Kineko gasped, "I need to go now!" she jumped down from the vanity and ran out the door. "Thank you so much aunty! You must do it again tomourow!" she poked her head back in to say and then ran off.

"I never signed up for that," Jotou walked to the door and looked out.

Asobi walked up the stairs with a small satchel. "Aunty Pointy-Eays, look, look! Aunty Spauky-Eyes did my hair today!"

"Aww, yipee!! Then Jotou can do my hair tomorrow too!" she took Kineko’s hand and walked her back down the stairs.

"I never-" Jotou sighed; then simply smiled and stared out her door for a moment, before she walked back into her room.

_

On some other day down the week; "Maaail! Woop- Heavy mail," Asobi took the medium-sized box from the delivery man. It was wrapped in neat, purple and gold wrapping paper.

"Did someone order something?" Jotou took a peek at it as Hotaru helped Asobi put it on the coffee table.

Fumeko blinked out of the kitchen and took a gander at the package.

"Oh," Hotaru saw a wax seal in goldish-bronze hue on top of the box. "It’s from Tamara Palace."

"Haha!" Fumeko immediately got her mitts on it.

"Don’t tear it, it’s perfectly nice wrapping paper," Hotaru’s ears drooped.

"And what do you exactly wanna do with used wrapping paper Aru? Keep it in a box?" Jotou queried.

"Just like I thought, it’s mine!" Fumeko unwrapped the newspaper padding around what was a nice little rectangular box, with embroidered gold patterns and a maroon hue overall—the flap secured by small magnets.

A little note attached onto it read, ’To Fumes. Happy Birthday! You thought I’d forget, didn’t ya? Nope! Here’s what I promised’.

"Ten silver says Feyan reminded her about it," Hotaru stated.

"Fifty silver!" Asobi raised her wand in the air.

"Hey, at least I got something," Fumeko opened up the box to reveal a golden brown liquid, practically glowing with the intricate paisley patterns sculpted into the glass bottle.

The label boasted that the brandy had been aged over a hundred years and a card certifying its authenticity lied within the box, noting that it had been aged since the year 875. Fumeko’s eyes glistened.

"Of course it’s alcohol." Hotaru read the label over the brunette’s head, "This is... I’d never even dare to open a bottle like this. It’s too intimidating."

Fumeko flipped the little note attached to above the box, "I dare you to finish it within the week."

"Figures," Jotou replied.

"There’s a letter in her too!" Asobi rose her head up and out from the newspaper stuffing in the package. "It’s... addressed to Jotou," she handed it over.

Jotou saw that it was actually addressed to someone named loser. With a sigh she opened up the envelope and saw the bit of messy handwriting reading, ’Hey loser, how are you?’, before the rest of the letter seemed to be the script of a typewriter.

’eh i dont actually need to know i know youre probably doing just fine. hows burnetrout? its barely been a month but this place’s already feeling sucky without yall here.

dont get me wrong, theres like, some good company obviously but meh. Its fun, but it’d be funner with you here ya know? few more fights wouldnt hurt. i wanted to kick your ass a few more times.

oh for fucks sake I dont really know what the hell to type here. feyan said it’d come to me as i wrote. guess thats a buncha BS. look i know you got your whole adventure and whatnot so you dont gotta reply quick alright?

feyan and ara say hi. ara went off on some anniversary she had so i got like ten times the security round me. She needed the vacay time anyway. shes somewere in some village down south. asha something its called.

but otherwise buisness as usual at the palace. OH YEAH! so you know like when i went to the kings funeral in luxinor? well i got to talking and met the princess of that place. after you left she sent a letter my way and hit me up.

just basic greetings and stuffs. i think she wants to be penpals and work kinda closer since ya know, allied nation, with some royals down too. i think shes meant to take over from her mom some time. Anyway, main point, she seems really interested in you too.

wanting to meet you since ya know, ur kinda famous and fought with her dad and stuff. so like, you have basically like a loose invitation to luxinor’s royal place. she said shed invite you if they celebrate anything.

well say happy birthday to fumes for me too. also you remember dont you? somethings coming up jotou. something very importrent. shit that’s a typo and I cant fucking backspace ink. just deal with it i aint typing all that again.

anyway my birthday. you should remember ur bestfriends birthday joey toes. dont forget. my birthday. march 9th. you better wish me or ur banished from cravokta wefnjikownfjoekwfqwiqfriwnahhhh

Bye.

With a lotta love, blegh,

Xia Lan Daiyu, The Undying Princess of Cravolta and who’ll always be here for you if ya need. See you later loser. Miss you.’ The last part seemed to be written in handwriting, but in the font Jotou recognized to be from her old world.

"Miss you too," Jotou whispered under her breath and sighed. ’She couldn’t even get someone else to type it out for her...?’