Kimura's Heart

"Huh?" Aranmaru Shishin, who was surprised by Hirako Shinji's words, immediately looked towards Lisa with puzzled eyes.

"Wh...What are you saying! Th... there's no way I have such feelings for him!"

Lisa waved her hands in panic, but her flushed face and erratic eyes were not convincing at all.

"No way! Lisa, you actually..."

Hirako Shinji himself was surprised because he blurted it out as a joke at first, but as someone who has known Lisa for so many years, he knew that Lisa his joke seemed to hit the spot judging from Lisa's reaction.

"Shinji!" Lisa shouted while glaring at Hirako Shinji.

"Haha, Lisa is being shy. Now, this is rare!" Aranmaru Shishin, who didn't know what was happening, just laughed his heart out.

"Lisa..." Hirako Shinji looked at Lisa seriously, "If you really do, I suggest you give up as soon as possible."

"Huh?" Aranmaru Shishin noticed that atmosphere between Lisa and Hirako Shinji seemed a little different because their tone didn't sound like it was merely joking or gossipping anymore.

"You see, Kimura was not as simple as you think." Hirako Shinji said as he slightly bent his body to glance at Muyang's back. "We just saw what he wanted us to see and felt he wanted us to feel." I've come to realize this as we're always together lately, and the closer I was to him, the more I realized how heavy the truth he was hiding behind that smile."

"Truth?" Lisa and Aranmaru Shishin was puzzled.

"Loneliness! The closer I get to him, the more I feel the loneliness that he hides deep in his heart, the dark and bottomless loneliness. Although he has been laughing and hanging around with us all the time, he was lonely deep down, and our voice can't reach him as if he lives in a totally different world to us."

"Loneliness? Lives in a totally different world?"

Lisa and Aranmaru Shishin furrowed their brow as they fixed their eyes on Muyang. They were clearly confused. Did that mean everything Muyang has done, including their time together, was a lie?

"No, that's not what I mean." Hirako Shinji started to awaken the two of them. "everything Kimura has done was not a lie. What we've seen up until now was also part of him."

"Then what do you..." Although Lisa didn't finish her question, the rest already knew what Lisa was going to ask. If what Hirako Shinji said about what they've seen up until now was the real Muyang was right, then why did he say that what they've seen so far was what Muyang wanted them to see, and what did he mean by the loneliness that Muyang hid deep inside his heart?

"I think he did it subconsciously that he himself may not even notice it." Hirako Shinji then added as he looked at Muyang, who was talking with Kyōraku Shunsui, "He didn't want to hide anything from us, nor did he have anything to hide."

"But the loneliness deep inside his heart is the real thing. I think that may be the deepest secret in his heart. Well, everyone has something they don't want to say, and since he doesn't want to say it, all we can do as a friend is stay by his side and keep an eye on him."

"Anyway, our bond is the real thing."

"Yeah, he's my friend, and that's all I need to know."

"That aside..." After smiling briefly, Lisa teased Hirako Shinji, "Did you hear yourself just now Shinji? You completely sound like a Lieutenant who understood his Captain."

"Tsk, leave me alone." Hirako Shinji's signature listless face returned, "It's already a pain being a Lieutenant. Being a Captain must be even more of a hassle."

"Hey, what are the three of you dawdling around for? Hurry up!"

After promising to have a drink with Kyōraku Shunsui later that night, he turned around and found Lisa, Hirako Shinji, and Aranmaru Shishin fell too far behind, so he called them out.

Hirako Shinji, Aranmaru Shishin, and Lisa looked at each other with knowing eyes. If Muyang really had something he couldn't talk about, and if Muyang's loneliness was really bottomless, they were determined to mend Muyang's heart however they could.

"Coming!" Hirako Shinji shouted, and the three of them started to walk toward Muyang and Kyōraku Shunsui.

"I almost forgot..." Hirako Shinji stopped suddenly and glanced at Lisa. "You should just cast away your feelings, Lisa. Kimura already has someone in his heart."

"Huh?"

Lisa was taken aback, but before she could say a word, Hirako Shinji already used Shunpo to catch up with Muyang, which drove her nuts. As someone who loved spying on others' secrets, what Shinji did to her was basically an insult.

"Yo, Lisa-chan, what interesting things were you talking about just now?" Kyōraku Shunsui asked in an untimely manner.

"It has nothing to do with you, Captain," Lisa said in an annoyed tone.

"Ah ha ha, I'm just asking, is all."

It was kind of awkward for Kyōraku Shunsui, as his own Lieutenant was being rude to him in front of another Captain. Thankfully the other Captain here was Muyang.

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"Okay, well, that'll be all for today. We managed to recruit several new members. I hope everyone can get along in the future."

Muyang clapped his hands and looked at his men. He was quite satisfied that they managed to recruit several new members, especially because they were one of the best among their peers.

"6th Seat Fujisawa."

"Yes, Captain."

"Lieutenant and I have other matters to take care of. Can I leave you in charge of the new recruits? Oh, and one more thing, brief them about our Division's regulation and guide them around the barrack. I will hold an assembly tomorrow to introduce the new recruits."

"Yes, Captain." 6th Seat Fujisawa respectfully said, and then hesitantly asked: "Uhh, what should I tell 3rd Seat Murai Captain?"

"Ah ha ha, tell 3rd Seat Murai that I have something to discuss with Captain Kyōraku, and tell him he'll be in charge while I'm away."

The 10th Division Members that were in charge of recruitment in Shin'ō Academy face-palmed as they all knew that their Captain just wanted to slack off and had a drink. Then again, they understood that Muyang had done so much for them that he was basically the busiest person in the 10th Division, but 3rd Seat Murai would undeniably suffer.

6th Seat Fujisawa could only offer her condolences for Murai Kana in her heart.

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"Shinji, Lisa asked you to spy on me, right?"

Muyang asked Hirako Shinji on their way to the tavern.

"Yeah, but it's such a pain, so I refuse." Hirako Shinji said with a broken face.

"Your eyes are so lifeless like a dead fish. What happened? I can't bear to see it."

"Then don't. Today is so boring. Are you telling me to make an excited face or something?"

Muyang then pondered. If Shinji did put on a happy face, would he still be Hirako Shinji? The impression that he got from Hirako Shinji was a carefree and outgoing person, be it the Visored's leader or the 10th Division Lieutenant Shinji right now.

"but Kimura, Lisa, she..."

"I know."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

Hirako Shinji glanced at Muyang and knew that it would come to this.

"You really are such a... You are a Captain now. If you..."

"Stop pestering me! I just want to have a drink and relax right now. I really don't know what to do!"

Muyang smiled wryly. He was really clueless when it came to dealing with emotional-related matters like this, so there was nothing he could do except for dragging it on.

"You are..." Hirako Shinji just shook his head when he saw the bitter smile on Muyang's face, "forget it, you can figure it out yourself anyway. But are you fine with just dragging this on?"

"I don't know. Let's set that aside for later. Let's just have a drink for now." Muyang just wanted to have a drink and let the time decide what he should do, so he picked up the pace.