A change of Scenery

Shizuru's eyes snap open, as she wakes from a deep sleep. She slowly sits up and rubs her eyes, feeling the effects of a peaceful morning. She sighs, feeling refreshed and ready to face the day ahead. She glances at Hino, resting peacefully beside her, and smiles to herself, feeling grateful for their newfound closeness. As her thoughts turn to her job, she realizes she is already late for work. She quickly gets up to get ready, but as she does so, she cannot help but notice the peaceful expression on Hino's face, as he remains oblivious to her leaving. She is about to leave when she notices Hino waking up and his face lights up when he sees her. She pauses for a moment, enjoying this sweet moment between them before she gently wakes him up. He sits up with a yawn and smiles as he looks at her, still feeling the tender caress of her kiss in the morning.

Shizuru smiles back, feeling a wave of affection wash over her. She takes Hino's hand and gives him a soft kiss before saying, "I've got to go now, but I'll see you later?"

Hino laughs softly and nods as he watches her leave. He feels a sense of emptiness wash over him as the room is suddenly filled with silence. He gets out of the bed and walks to the window, gazing out at the sunlit sky. As he takes in this moment of peace and tranquility, he wonders how many more moments like this they will have in their future together. He closes his eyes and sighs as he feels the warmth of the sun on his face, reminding him of the warmth and comfort he feels in Shizuru's embrace. He knows that this is just the beginning of their journey together, filled with more and more moments of joy, laughter, and tenderness.

He can only imagine what the future holds for them, but he knows that he is lucky to have found someone like Shizuru who makes his heart sing. With a smile, he heads out to wait for Shizuru to come back, already looking forward to their next intimate moment together.

As Shizuru heads off to work, Hino decides to continue researching for his project. He is focused on his study and is determined to make progress. He takes out his notebook and pen and begins to jot down notes on his observations and theories. With Shizuru out of the house, he feels a sense of calmness and freedom to concentrate on his work. However, he also feels a sense of loneliness, as he misses having Shizuru beside him and wonders what she is up to. He hopes that he will see her soon.

As he continues to work on his project, he loses track of time and soon realizes that it is already noon. He wonders what Shizuru is up to and hopes that she is doing well. He takes a few moments to stretch and shake off the stiffness of sitting at his desk. He realizes that he is hungry and decides to take a break to find some lunch. He decides to go to a nearby café and treats himself to a tasty sandwich and a cup of coffee. While he is eating, his thoughts turn to Shizuru and he wonders where she is and what she is doing...

Shizuru walked into her apartment, feeling a rush of exhaustion and relief at the same time. It had been a long day and she was looking forward to having some time to herself to relax and unwind. As she walked through the door, she noticed the clock on the wall and noted that she was home earlier than usual. She took a moment to look around and found that the place was empty.

Shizuru walked past the bedroom. Hino wasn't aware of her presence at first, but he noticed the scent of a strong perfume. "Ahh! I love this scent!" Hino declared it aloud.

Shizuru was taken aback by Hino's sudden comment. "You like my scent? Then I should use it always,"

Shizuru exclaimed and Hino turned his chair to face her. "I adore the scent, but it feels like I'm at a funeral," Hino quipped in response.

"You shouldn't say it like that," Shizuru protested, "No one is dead."

Hino responded, "It's just that the scent reminds me of a funeral."

Shizuru expressed her disapproval by stating, "Well, Hino, I adore my perfume, it's retro, and I'm fond of retro things."

Shizuru's new perfume was so retro that it reminded Hino of the scent of a dead woman's coffin. "You know? I love retro as well, but this is too retro," Hino exclaimed, "Imagine if some demented old man sniffed this. He would remember his dead wife and wander the streets in a confused state!"

Shizuru laughed in disbelief and looked at Hino with a stern face. "Is that really what you want? For someone's wife's demise to be a comedic anecdote?" Hino shrugged.

Hino laughed, finding it amusing that his reaction to the retro scent was so strong and unexpected. "Ha... hah... I just find it funny," he explained, a bit embarrassed by how his reaction may have come across.

Shizuru sighed in response, seeming to find the humor in the situation and Hino's laughter a bit excessive. "Don't laugh like that, okay? It's not funny," she said, sounding a bit stern and unconvinced by Hino's laughter.

Hino nodded, understanding her reaction and feeling a bit ashamed of his outburst, Hino's laughter slowly faded as he realized how poorly his response may have been interpreted.

Shizuru's response made him realize that he may have come across as insensitive and uncaring. As he tried to make sense of his actions, he realized that his tiredness may be the cause.

"I'm sorry, Shizuru," he said, feeling ashamed for laughing in such a sensitive situation. "I understand why you might have taken my laugh as insensitivity on my part. I am tired and I may have overreacted to the perfume, but I do care about you and your feelings."

Hino nodded, feeling apologetic and guilty for laughing. Shizuru's stern look made him realize that he had perhaps been insensitive to her reaction, but he didn't want to cause any more trouble.

"I've already eaten," Hino responded, "What would you like to eat?" Shizuru sighed, still in a stern face and slightly annoyed as she threw her clothes into the laundry basket.

"I don't know, maybe some noodles?" Shizuru replied. Hino nodded, feeling a bit worried and confused by Shizuru's sternness.

As Hino prepared the food, he tried to talk to Shizuru more to take her out of the stern face mentality. He tried to make small talk and tried to lighten the mood.

"Have you had a hard day at work?" Hino asked, trying to make conversation.

However, Shizuru didn't respond, seeming still in the same mood. Hino sighed, feeling worried and unsure of how to get out of this situation. He decided to just go with the flow and keep making the noodles for Shizuru.

Shizuru listened to Hino as he shared his fond of retro and dark academia. As she heard more about Hino's retro interests, she grew curious and concerned about his unkempt appearance. She wondered if the breakup was the cause of his current appearance.

"Hino," Shizuru began, "You seem to love retro things and dark academia. But I can't help but notice your unkempt appearance lately. Is everything okay? Is it because of our breakup?"

As Hino realizes the cause of his change of appearance, he laughs and looks back at the times when he looked cool in the stuff he likes. His memories of his past and his current reality cause him to smirk, as he realizes how different he is now.

"It's hilarious, I used to look really cool and stylish in the stuff I like," Hino chuckled, "but looks at me now. All unkempt and messy. It's funny yet depressing at the same time."

"Hino, it might be because of our breakup, but your appearance is a bit concerning. You're usually very well-kept and neat, but these days you've been looking unkempt and messy. Is everything okay?" Shizuru asked, trying to understand the cause of Hino's appearance.

Hino sighed, feeling conflicted and trying to understand the reason for it. As he looked down at his current state, he realized the contrast from before and now.

Hino then opened up to Shizuru, feeling comfortable and trusting to share more about his feelings and thoughts"It's true, I've really gotten unkempt and messy since our breakup. I'm not even sure why I am like this. Maybe it's because of the breakup? Or maybe because I'm just really tired and don't have the energy to keep up appearances?"

Shizuru smiled, feeling relief that Hino was sharing more about his feelings. She sat down near him and put her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

Hino then took a deep breath and looked at Shizuru, feeling comfortable and grateful for her presence here with him. He smiled and nodded at her words, appreciating her understanding and compassion towards his feelings.

"I think I have been neglecting my appearances since the breakup," Hino shared. "I've been so focused on our breakup that I haven't taken care of myself like I should," he continued. "It's just hard for me to focus on myself, when our break up was so sudden and unexpected. Also, my conspiracy theories have been taking up a lot of my time and energy, which makes me even more unkept."