The carriage rocked gently, wheels crunching along the dusty road as night fell soundlessly into darkness. Izumi sat motionless, head tilted to the window, eyes on trees rushing past outside. His stance didn't shift. He barely blinked.
Miharu watched him from across the carriage. The same calm face. The same inscrutable silence. And yet, something was off.
"Hey… Izumi?"
He replied immediately, eyes still scanning ahead. "Mhm, Kobaya—"
"Call me Miharu."
He blinked once. "What's the matter, then, Miharu?"
She bit her lip, debating. "I'm sorry."
Izumi never even glanced at her. "For what?"
Miharu tilted her head. "Did you already forget?"
".Oh. That whole Virasat thing."
He stopped, voice still emotionless. "It's fine. I just snapped for no reason."
"No reason?" Miharu glared at him. "You were angry, and now you're chill like nothing even happened. You're so chill it actually makes me angry, asshole."
Izumi shrugged. "I don't see the point of keeping it."
She huffed and crossed her arms. "Unbelievable."
A lengthy silence. Miharu glanced down at the food pouch beside Izumi's leg. It was lighter now. She leaned in a bit.
"…Hey. Did you eat all of the dried meat?"
Izumi, not bothered, took another chew of jerky. "Most of it."
"Jeez, slow down." She leaned forward, grabbing the bag. "You're gonna make us run out of food!"
Izumi stared at her, then back out the window. "I think Nymrathis gave me triple hunger or some shit."
Miharu came to a stop at the carefreeness with which he spoke. "You can't talk about something like that like it's a normal thing."
She slapped him on the back of the head.
Izumi let the slap land. "Not my fault."
"Not my fault you eat like a bear."
"Don't compare me to one. They hibernate."
Miharu growled into her hands. "I hate you."
"No you don't."
The carriage slowed down before she could say anything else.
Izumi leaned out the window and talked to the horse. "Stop at the forest up ahead."
Miharu raised an eyebrow. "We're stopping?"
"I'm camping."
"Camping?" Miharu glared at him as if he'd sprouted an extra head. "Since I met that Ren-thing? Forget it."
Izumi was already alighting.
Of course," she grouched, following.
They followed a trail through a break between trees, where the forest opened up to a patch of mossy earth. Izumi set up the tent in a practiced rhythm—no chatter, no unnecessary toil. Miharu stood to the side, arms crossed, in a bad mood, but not stopping him.
Finally, the fire was constructed. The forest was quiet.
Izumi froze for a moment, eyes locked into the tree line.
"What is it?" Miharu asked.
He didn't answer.
His eyes hung on something.
Then—vanish. Whatever it was, it disappeared as fast as it appeared.
A second later, soft whispers rang through the branches. Not wind. Not voices. Something in between.
Izumi narrowed his eyes.
He glanced at Miharu.
She was fine. Untroubled. Singing softly to herself, swatting leaves from her boots.
"…Just me then," he said under his breath.
He sat next to the fire and stared into it, letting the flames heat his palms. Miharu sat facing him, chewing on the remains of her bread.
"This was your idea, genius," she muttered, kicking dirt onto the lip of the fire. "Why'd you wanna go out here anyway?"
Izumi stared into the flames.
"They're watching."
Miharu blinked. "What?"
He didn't say another word.
She scowled at him. Then at the trees.
And sat a little closer to the fire.