Ch 21: The Tomboy

/Moments before/

Zircon walked towards the group of children in the park. However, there was a problem; he didn't know how to interact with them.

During all his life, he has only interacted with Yuria and Asako, who he considered as his closest love ones. This also included to his 'siblings' and mother.

Anyway, he wasn't yet accustomed to interact with others.

He deducted by Yuria's actions that she wanted him to interact with other kids of his age. And to be honest, he didn't want to. He thinks that if Yuria and Asako stay by his side, he wouldn't anything more.

But he made a promise, and Asako taught him to never break a promise.

He got near to the group. It consisted with only boys. He tried to talk with them, but...

"Girls aren't allowed." Said who seemed to be the leader of the group.

Zircon stopped his steps, a little shocked by the boy's words.

(Do I look like a girl?) He thought.

Because Yuria and Asako always treated like a boy, and because he knew he was one, he never considered that fact he looked like a girl.

"I'm not-" He spoke to try to clear the misunderstanding.

However...

"Let's go guys; we don't want to play with a girl."

With only those words, all the members of the group walked away from Zircon, who only was able to say two words.

Zircon didn't know what to do next. He looked for Yuria, but she seemed to have fun talking with two women.

He felt a little annoyed that even his eyes lit a little, literally. Nevertheless, he didn't want to forbid Yuria to do something she likes. He would respect her freedom as long as she doesn't do something to betray him, which was impossible.

After all, both of them feel the same for each other. Love and obsession, a dangerous combination, but if both sides feel the same for each other, then it would create an unbreakable bond between them.

Alas, they both are individuals, and they need their own space. Even if they wanted to tie the other with them 24/7, they both know that for a 'healthy' relationship, they have to give each other their space as individuals.

With nothing more to do, he started to walk around the park, looking for something else to do.

It was already September, and autumn was beginning. By that reason, the leaves in the trees were now acquiring slowly a brown and orange colour.

The weather, even if it was sunny, it was cold. Even if due to his physique the cold doesn't bother him too much, he still preferred to feel warm, so he was now using a black sweater with white gloves.

He continued walking around until he couldn't see Yuria and the other kids anymore.

It was silent and tranquil. It remembered him the autumn in the cabin. At that time of the year, he would make a stack with the dried leaves to make a small mountain with them and then jumped above it, while Asako and Yuria also joined to him.

"Haah." He sighed.

He missed that place, even if he agreed to come to this town, he will always consider the cabin as his home.

He then, feeling nostalgic for the memory, he decided to find a place where he could pile up some leaves.

Some of them weren't dry yet, but still could be used.

He then went to the nearest tree where he found a lot of orange leaves. However, just when he was about to pick them up.

"Hey! That's my stack!" Yelled someone who sounded young.

Zircon turned to the kid who was calling him.

The kid had light brown hair, tied in a short messy ponytail and unusual violet eyes. The kid was wearing boy clothes, but something called Zircon's attention

"A girl?" He asked aloud.

"Eh?" The kid seemed to be shocked by his words. "How did you know?"

"Intiuition?" He answered with another question.

"How is that an answer?" She asked a little annoyed.

To be honest, he wasn't really sure. At first, he thought that by her clothes she was a boy. However, she had something similar to Asako and Yuria; he doesn't know what it is but is some kind of... instinct, maybe?

Because he didn't feel it when he met the group of the boys moments ago.

He was curious about the reason, but he decided to let it pass. After all, it's not like he could get the answer in an instant.

"Hey!" She yelled, making him to snap out from his thoughts. "I am Shidou Irina. What's your name?"

"Kusakabe Zircon." He answered.

"That's a strange name, but I think it's cute."

(C-Cute!?) He blushed after hearing those words.

Unlike the majority of men who wanted to be seen as someone manly, Zircon didn't really care about that. Overall, he was very weak when someone called him cute as a compliment.

"T-Thanks." He stuttered while trying to hide his blushed cheeks with his hands.

"Kyaaa! You are really cute!" Suddenly, she hugged him tightly, rubbing her cheeks against his.

Zircon by his side, he felt very embarrassed. The girl was very friendly with him, even when they just met. She didn't showed any trace of shame in her hug, but it didn't feel bad for him.

"Ne~. Don't you want to play with me?" She asked him while making visual contact with his eyes.

"What do you want to play?" He asked with sincere interest.

"I wanted to make a stack of leaves with my other friend and then jump in it." She said with excitement, but then she seemed to be annoyed. "However that dumb-dumb just wanted to talk about 'oppai' and being a 'harem king'. It's annoying!"

Zircon's mind went in blank for a moment. He just heard her say a new word, which was 'harem'. He wasn't totally sure about the meaning, but it felt wrong and right at the same time. It was a confusing and contradictory feeling.

Then, another thing came to his mind.

"'Another friend'?" He asked.

"Um!" She nodded. "We are friends now, right?"

To be honest, Zircon never thought in the possibility that he would get a friend the same day he arrived to the town. He barely knows her, and she already was calling him friend, but... it didn't feel bad.

He nodded, and then the two of them started stacking leaves while playing lively with each other.

However, with neither of them knowing, someone hiding in the bushes was watching them with a malicious grin on his mouth.