[The twirl is cute, and it makes his heart flutter something fierce. Ah... He really, really does love her, doesn't he? It's a nice feeling. Nicer to know that she feels the same way, even if this version of her doesn't know that he feels just like she does.
That's alright. He's still planning their date, and eventually it'll be perfect, and everything will work out and be fine.]
Ah... Yeah. I got pretty beat up, but it's fine, because you look really good.
[Not that Yuzu doesn't have her own scars, but it's definitely easy to see that Kazuya took the brunt of whatever he could, and it's not like the Bel demons really gunned for anyone other than him in a hope to get his piece of the crown.]
These just mean that I was able to protect you and Atsuro both, and I'm happy with that.
[Her own scars peek in places here and there, places like her arms and legs, but they're nothing compared to the long gashes that Kazuya has. It's because they insisted to be on the front lines for as often as they could, Yuzu casting her spells at the back for support. It's a way of showing how much they care for her, she knows, but the guilt can't help but gnaw at her soul anyway.]
Still, I wish my healing spells could have done more for them, you know? Especially at the start when all I knew was Dia.
[Slender fingers reach out, hesitant and wavering.]
It was because of your Dia that I survived a lot of things I probably shouldn't have. I'm grateful to you. You saved my life countless times over.
[And the smile he gives, the softness in his eyes, he means what he says. That without Yuzu, he wouldn't have lived. Atsuro probably wouldn't have lived. It was because of her, because of her even being afraid that they took things more cautiously. That they lived to see another day.
It might not have happened like that if it'd just been two bone-headed boys running around Tokyo on their own. She gave them someone to protect.]
So yeah. If you wanna touch them, I don't mind.
[But... It makes his heart do nervous little flips all the same.]
[That's how it works, does it? They all survived because they were with each other. Without Kazuya, without Atsuro, without Yuzu...any missing piece, and things could have been any different. Things would have ended up for the worse. And there's a pang of guilt there, because once upon a time Yuzu was that missing piece. Yuzu left them, and they did well without her, so maybe she wasn't that necessary after all?
Not that she can air out her own fears and concerns, though. Not when Kazuya doesn't know anything. And let him not know it, let him live in ignorant bliss.
For now, a finger runs down the long gash by his side, a rough patch of skin hardened by the crisis and the times.]
I remember this one. It was that Ogre that gave you this scar.
[He supposes that it makes sense that she'd remember that, considering how early it'd happened. How shocked they'd all been when their COMP's had come to life in the worst way possible. And while he shivers a little bit at the contact, he doesn't otherwise move, instead searching her eyes.]
You saved my life then too. I would have been a goner, without your magic. Especially since it wasn't much later that the blackout started. The hospital's wouldn't have been able to take care of me, even if they'd gotten to me in time.
[He remembers, the searing, sharp pain. the way he'd had to have his hand clenched to his side to keep his insides in... Thankfully he'd managed. It would have been horrific if Yuzu had had to see that much.]
I'm not sure what would have happened, and it doesn't make sense to talk about any what ifs, but I'm just glad I was there to heal you.
[She remembers it clearly because she can never forget the panic and the fear that filled her in that disastrous day. They didn't know anything back then, just some teenagers thrust into a war they do not understand, and all Yuzu could think about is that she didn't want anybody to die.]
You've done so much for us, Kaz... You didn't just help us survive, you made sure that you could protect me and Atsuro from the worst of it. I don't know how I could ever make it up to you.
You don't have anything to make up to me, Yuzu. You just being there... That was enough for me. That was enough for both Atsuro and I both to get through everything. Maybe that's a little selfish, but... We needed you.
[And there's a small pause, Kazuya glancing down at her hand before gently taking it into his, thumb brushing the back of it tenderly, gently.]
And we still do. You're important to both of us. Don't ever think you have to make up for anything.
[And... She's here now. And that's what mattered. That she'd come back. Even back home, that she'd come back because she'd realized that he hadn't changed, despite what he'd become. He gets why she went away, and knows why it'd hurt so much, but it means more to him that she'd come back.]
[But she didn't come back. Not after everything Kazuya has done. She's only come back because she thought she fixed everything. That's enough...right?]
Sorry, I didn't mean to bring the moon down like that. [She tries to shake it off and to smile, returning the soft motions of his hands with her own. She would hug him now if she could, but that might be too much under this sweltering heat.
Speaking of...]
Look at us, talking about scars and shortcomings when we should be enjoying the beach! It'll be a shame if we don't go out for a swim when you went through the trouble of getting me this outfit.
[It also requires strength to be able to smile, and that is exactly what she does, tucking her hair behind her ear as she stands up to run towards the shore.]
[She takes off suddenly like a bolt, and Kazuya stumbles behind her from the sudden emotional whiplash of the situation. It's fine, because there's nothing he wants more than to see her smile, and so when she does, it instantly brightens his mood as he follows her, dropping their stuff on the towel he's left to follow her into the water.
It's definitely nothing like Okinawa, the beach has glimmering crystal mixed in with the sand, smoothed by the tides and waves.
But... He can't help but splash her the moment they do get into the water, laughing softly as he does.
The water is cool, in comparison to his heated skin. It's nice, and even Yuzu is probably thankful for the cool water.]
[And she is grinning from ear to ear, because the last thing she wants is to bring the mood down and Kazuya alongside her. And it does help that the beach is pretty nice! Look at how everything sparkles, from the sand to the sea, how this is such a radiant sight different from anything they could have ever seen in Japan, let alone Okinawa.
So let her be a teenager at this moment, no worries or concerns about lockdowns and apocalypses, and the beach is the perfect place to bury such things and to just....let things be.
Yuzu giggles as the water hits back her skin, and of course she delightfully lands back large splash of her own. She's here for a mission, and that mission is to drench Kazuya from head to toe.]
[The first splash hits, but Kazuya blocks most of it with his arms as he laughs, too excited over the sheer normalcy of this entire thing. Just playing at the beach with someone he cares. It's almost, for a few moments, like he's elsewhere. Like they're back home in Japan, like nothing terrible ever befell them, and like they're both just the teenagers they were meant to be.
So Kazuya retreats to slightly deeper water, using his height advantage to create a bigger wave to soak her with, all while still being so careful about his strength, about the way he could easily cause her to go under if he didn't measure himself crazy.]
[She's by no means angry though - in fact, she's still laughing louder than ever, bells chiming against the wind. A deluge of water drenches her badly, orange hair sticking close to her face, but that is only fuel for her to get her revenge.
Her own waves are not as large as Kazuya's, but what she doesn't have in quality she makes it up in quantity. Rapid flutters on the water makes the droplets fall down onto Kazuya like rain, trying to get him as wet as she is.]
[And the sound is nice. Cheerful, as it should be. So much so that he momentarily gets lost in it, and Yuzu gets exactly what she wants. The spray of the waves soaks him thoroughly, and his own hair mats down against his head as he laughs too.
Looks like retreating to deeper water wasn't the play after all!
But getting wet is definitely the point of all of this, and he fires back his own wave, as he tries to close the distance after it connects so he can ever so lightly shove at her, like he means to push her down into the water.
He'd never, ever, actually give it his all. Even when he finally got taller than her, he's always been mindful of overdoing it, of using his size against her in such a way that might make her overwhelmed. Instead, it's something he'd rather protect her with.]
[They continue like this for a while, just being playful with one another. It doesn't take a while before she wades closer to Kazuya, making sure he's deep in the splash zone she's making for him. Admittedly, the water feels great to her skin, cooling her down compared to the sweltering heat of the summer.
Kaz might wanna protect her, but she wants to be able to stand up on her own, too. She wants to show that she can protect Kaz too, even though she's weaker and frailer and not as sturdy. She's done hiding behind everyone else, watching everyone take blows for her.
So she's giving it all her might. Pelter Kazuya with all of the water she can muster until he looks like a proper sopping wet dog.]
[It doesn't take long before that's the case. His hair is matted down his face, the extra length in the back flopping around haphazardly as he shakes his head to try and free himself of the saltwater every now and again, but it's clear that Yuzu has him on the back foot. Quite literally, as it were! She sprays him and pelts him with more and more splashes, and eventually he's laughing so hard that he can barely see, left awkwardly trying to retaliate against her sheer ferocity in which she soaks him.
It's all in good fun.
And Kazuya feels lighter than he has in what feels like an eternity.
This is what he fought so hard for.
To be normal.
To goof off with his friends.
To just be with the people he cherishes the most, because that's all he's ever wanted. It's all he thinks he could ever want.
They never should have had to worry about the lockdown.
They never should have had to worry about demons.
They only should have ever had to worry about fashion trends and where they were going for summer vacation and who was going to be buying lunch for the others.
So Kazuya laughs, free and light hearted for the first time in forever as he sputters and does his best to retaliate with his splashing until he trips, and sinks down briefly under the water for a second before he reappears, sputtering and laughing harder.]
[It’s good to see Kazuya like this, you know. So detached from the horrors they were slowly getting used to, so detached from the image of the overlord she had to convince herself that is her reality now. This is truly a miracle, isn’t it? Her deepest of wishes granted. There is no other explanation to this joy that threatens to burst from her chest, from this idylic scenery that is before her right now.
Yuzu can’t help but join in that laughter, because she needs this too. A time where there’s no need to worry about anything at all, save for the potential sunburn that’s gonna ruin her skin later. To think that another world would give them a chance for something so ordinary and simple, instead of the mess that their home has turned into.]
Losers get a punishment game!
[And that’s when she makes her most treacherous move yet, charging in with juvenile laughter. She’s going to tickle Kazuya to death, whether he likes it or not!]
[He's absolutely soaking wet. The water clings to his hair, to his skin, and he truly doesn't care. He laughs as she charges even though he's already yielded, gently shoving at her to try and keep himself from being tickled to death in the water.
He's already laughing hard, and she hasn't even touched him.]
No way! I didn't agree! You can't just spring that on me!
[She can, she has, and she just did. Her fingers eventually make contact despite his best efforts, and he squirms, breathing hard but ultimately enjoying himself.]
[So now? She's going down with him as he lets himself fall into the water, still holding onto her until the moment they both sink beneath the waves. However briefly it is, he doesn't want to hold onto her underwater, just in case.
But he'll break the surface again in no time too, even more soaked than before, and hunched over laughing.]
[The submersion takes her by surprise, but not enough that she would accidentally end up swallowing some of the water. It'd be really embarrassing to drown after everything they've went through! The coolness of the water does help her calm down though, and by the time they rise out of the water, soaking wet, her laughter has subsided with a giant grin to her face.]
I'm glad you're here with me too. It's.. A little selfish, I know, but it's felt like I've been on my own for so long here. Not that I haven't made friends, but... It'd different with you.
[He loves her, after all. He'd do anything for her, anything to keep her safe.
... He really has to think about how to get their date in order. How he can best ask her, because he knows that if she loved him the same way before everything, then he can trust that she loved him after just as much too. And... Maybe they can even date here too.
Ah... Though she did disappear, didn't she? Kazuya laughs a little, reaching out to wipe her wet bangs out of her face.]
Do you remember anything from when you were here before? It wasn't very long, just a few days or weeks, but... We talked, and it was nice.
[She can't help the pang of jealousy that jabs by her side. That's to be expected, but the idea of Kazuya having an entire life without her when they have been friends since childhood...it does make her sad, just a little. It's fine, really, and she'll get over it, but still!
It's okay. There's ways to cover up her insecurities and anxieties, like...]
You've got to introduce them to me sometime. I think I've met some of them already, but it's different, you know?
[Yuzu does frown though, at what he just revealed to her. She was here before? Try as she might to wrack her brains about it, she has no memory of being here before. It'd be hard to forget being in an entire new world, after all.]
I'm sorry Kaz, but I don't remember that at all. I'm glad that it was a nice time though. What did you talk about?
It's alright. It'd probably be impressive if you did remember.
[He doesn't blame her that she can't. How could he, when he'd lost his memories ever so recently? It just seems like that's how this place works.]
If you don't remember, then you don't remember me telling you that I have a boyfriend here. [Here, he does laugh, already reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, as if to steady her from the blow of his words. He'd seen how she'd looked when she'd found out, before he'd also revealed that they weren't mutually exclusive either.]
We're not exclusive though. He's got a few other partners, from what I understand. He's nice though, I think you'd get along with him well. His name is Basil.
[Her reaction to this is so similar to the first time Yuzu has learned about Basil that it's almost comical. The red creeps in quickly through her skin, from her cheeks down to her shoulders - thank goodness they're still in the water before he realizes at just how covered her body is with the blush!]
You have a boyfriend? [She stammers the words out. A real, living breathing one?] Congratulations!!
[And if they're not exclusive, that means she still gets a chance, right? As much as she doesn't want to admit that her crush on Kazuya is still very much there.]
Now you gotta tell me more about Basil. What does he like??
[He brings up his other hand to cover his mouth to muffle the next laugh that comes out. It really is just like before, how similar her reaction is to this. It's nice, knowing that things never change, and it means he can take in just how red her face is, and admire it.
She's really beautiful.
It makes his heart swell with happiness. He's so lucky.]
He likes gardening and plants. He even runs a little flower shop, so most of our home is coated in plants. Not like in a cluttered way, but definitely in a lived in way. It's kind of refreshing, to be able to wake up and see so many different kinds... And our home always smells really nice because of it too.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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That's alright. He's still planning their date, and eventually it'll be perfect, and everything will work out and be fine.]
Ah... Yeah. I got pretty beat up, but it's fine, because you look really good.
[Not that Yuzu doesn't have her own scars, but it's definitely easy to see that Kazuya took the brunt of whatever he could, and it's not like the Bel demons really gunned for anyone other than him in a hope to get his piece of the crown.]
These just mean that I was able to protect you and Atsuro both, and I'm happy with that.
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Still, I wish my healing spells could have done more for them, you know? Especially at the start when all I knew was Dia.
[Slender fingers reach out, hesitant and wavering.]
Do you mind if I touch them?
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[And the smile he gives, the softness in his eyes, he means what he says. That without Yuzu, he wouldn't have lived. Atsuro probably wouldn't have lived. It was because of her, because of her even being afraid that they took things more cautiously. That they lived to see another day.
It might not have happened like that if it'd just been two bone-headed boys running around Tokyo on their own. She gave them someone to protect.]
So yeah. If you wanna touch them, I don't mind.
[But... It makes his heart do nervous little flips all the same.]
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Not that she can air out her own fears and concerns, though. Not when Kazuya doesn't know anything. And let him not know it, let him live in ignorant bliss.
For now, a finger runs down the long gash by his side, a rough patch of skin hardened by the crisis and the times.]
I remember this one. It was that Ogre that gave you this scar.
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[He supposes that it makes sense that she'd remember that, considering how early it'd happened. How shocked they'd all been when their COMP's had come to life in the worst way possible. And while he shivers a little bit at the contact, he doesn't otherwise move, instead searching her eyes.]
You saved my life then too. I would have been a goner, without your magic. Especially since it wasn't much later that the blackout started. The hospital's wouldn't have been able to take care of me, even if they'd gotten to me in time.
[He remembers, the searing, sharp pain. the way he'd had to have his hand clenched to his side to keep his insides in... Thankfully he'd managed. It would have been horrific if Yuzu had had to see that much.]
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[She remembers it clearly because she can never forget the panic and the fear that filled her in that disastrous day. They didn't know anything back then, just some teenagers thrust into a war they do not understand, and all Yuzu could think about is that she didn't want anybody to die.]
You've done so much for us, Kaz... You didn't just help us survive, you made sure that you could protect me and Atsuro from the worst of it. I don't know how I could ever make it up to you.
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[And there's a small pause, Kazuya glancing down at her hand before gently taking it into his, thumb brushing the back of it tenderly, gently.]
And we still do. You're important to both of us. Don't ever think you have to make up for anything.
[And... She's here now. And that's what mattered. That she'd come back. Even back home, that she'd come back because she'd realized that he hadn't changed, despite what he'd become. He gets why she went away, and knows why it'd hurt so much, but it means more to him that she'd come back.]
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Sorry, I didn't mean to bring the moon down like that. [She tries to shake it off and to smile, returning the soft motions of his hands with her own. She would hug him now if she could, but that might be too much under this sweltering heat.
Speaking of...]
Look at us, talking about scars and shortcomings when we should be enjoying the beach! It'll be a shame if we don't go out for a swim when you went through the trouble of getting me this outfit.
[It also requires strength to be able to smile, and that is exactly what she does, tucking her hair behind her ear as she stands up to run towards the shore.]
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[She takes off suddenly like a bolt, and Kazuya stumbles behind her from the sudden emotional whiplash of the situation. It's fine, because there's nothing he wants more than to see her smile, and so when she does, it instantly brightens his mood as he follows her, dropping their stuff on the towel he's left to follow her into the water.
It's definitely nothing like Okinawa, the beach has glimmering crystal mixed in with the sand, smoothed by the tides and waves.
But... He can't help but splash her the moment they do get into the water, laughing softly as he does.
The water is cool, in comparison to his heated skin. It's nice, and even Yuzu is probably thankful for the cool water.]
Hey, you can't just get away that easy, you know!
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[And she is grinning from ear to ear, because the last thing she wants is to bring the mood down and Kazuya alongside her. And it does help that the beach is pretty nice! Look at how everything sparkles, from the sand to the sea, how this is such a radiant sight different from anything they could have ever seen in Japan, let alone Okinawa.
So let her be a teenager at this moment, no worries or concerns about lockdowns and apocalypses, and the beach is the perfect place to bury such things and to just....let things be.
Yuzu giggles as the water hits back her skin, and of course she delightfully lands back large splash of her own. She's here for a mission, and that mission is to drench Kazuya from head to toe.]
no subject
So Kazuya retreats to slightly deeper water, using his height advantage to create a bigger wave to soak her with, all while still being so careful about his strength, about the way he could easily cause her to go under if he didn't measure himself crazy.]
I'm gonna get you!
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[She's by no means angry though - in fact, she's still laughing louder than ever, bells chiming against the wind. A deluge of water drenches her badly, orange hair sticking close to her face, but that is only fuel for her to get her revenge.
Her own waves are not as large as Kazuya's, but what she doesn't have in quality she makes it up in quantity. Rapid flutters on the water makes the droplets fall down onto Kazuya like rain, trying to get him as wet as she is.]
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Looks like retreating to deeper water wasn't the play after all!
But getting wet is definitely the point of all of this, and he fires back his own wave, as he tries to close the distance after it connects so he can ever so lightly shove at her, like he means to push her down into the water.
He'd never, ever, actually give it his all. Even when he finally got taller than her, he's always been mindful of overdoing it, of using his size against her in such a way that might make her overwhelmed. Instead, it's something he'd rather protect her with.]
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Kaz might wanna protect her, but she wants to be able to stand up on her own, too. She wants to show that she can protect Kaz too, even though she's weaker and frailer and not as sturdy. She's done hiding behind everyone else, watching everyone take blows for her.
So she's giving it all her might. Pelter Kazuya with all of the water she can muster until he looks like a proper sopping wet dog.]
no subject
It's all in good fun.
And Kazuya feels lighter than he has in what feels like an eternity.
This is what he fought so hard for.
To be normal.
To goof off with his friends.
To just be with the people he cherishes the most, because that's all he's ever wanted. It's all he thinks he could ever want.
They never should have had to worry about the lockdown.
They never should have had to worry about demons.
They only should have ever had to worry about fashion trends and where they were going for summer vacation and who was going to be buying lunch for the others.
So Kazuya laughs, free and light hearted for the first time in forever as he sputters and does his best to retaliate with his splashing until he trips, and sinks down briefly under the water for a second before he reappears, sputtering and laughing harder.]
I give, I give! You win!
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Yuzu can’t help but join in that laughter, because she needs this too. A time where there’s no need to worry about anything at all, save for the potential sunburn that’s gonna ruin her skin later. To think that another world would give them a chance for something so ordinary and simple, instead of the mess that their home has turned into.]
Losers get a punishment game!
[And that’s when she makes her most treacherous move yet, charging in with juvenile laughter. She’s going to tickle Kazuya to death, whether he likes it or not!]
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He's already laughing hard, and she hasn't even touched him.]
No way! I didn't agree! You can't just spring that on me!
[She can, she has, and she just did. Her fingers eventually make contact despite his best efforts, and he squirms, breathing hard but ultimately enjoying himself.]
C'mon, knock it off! Not fair!
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Everything's fair in love and war, Kaz!
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Speaking of loves....
He's quick to tackle her this time, a gentle show of strength as he tries to pull her into a tight hug to keep her from tickling him so ferociously.]
Fair in love and war, huh? What about this!?
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If this were any other situation Yuzu would have been blushing to death, but she's still too enamored with the joy to be embarrassed.]
W-Wait, stop! Stop I c-can't -
[Whatever she wants to say is covered up be peals of laughter.]
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[So now? She's going down with him as he lets himself fall into the water, still holding onto her until the moment they both sink beneath the waves. However briefly it is, he doesn't want to hold onto her underwater, just in case.
But he'll break the surface again in no time too, even more soaked than before, and hunched over laughing.]
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I'm so glad you're here with me, Kaz.
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[He loves her, after all. He'd do anything for her, anything to keep her safe.
... He really has to think about how to get their date in order. How he can best ask her, because he knows that if she loved him the same way before everything, then he can trust that she loved him after just as much too. And... Maybe they can even date here too.
Ah... Though she did disappear, didn't she? Kazuya laughs a little, reaching out to wipe her wet bangs out of her face.]
Do you remember anything from when you were here before? It wasn't very long, just a few days or weeks, but... We talked, and it was nice.
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[She can't help the pang of jealousy that jabs by her side. That's to be expected, but the idea of Kazuya having an entire life without her when they have been friends since childhood...it does make her sad, just a little. It's fine, really, and she'll get over it, but still!
It's okay. There's ways to cover up her insecurities and anxieties, like...]
You've got to introduce them to me sometime. I think I've met some of them already, but it's different, you know?
[Yuzu does frown though, at what he just revealed to her. She was here before? Try as she might to wrack her brains about it, she has no memory of being here before. It'd be hard to forget being in an entire new world, after all.]
I'm sorry Kaz, but I don't remember that at all. I'm glad that it was a nice time though. What did you talk about?
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[He doesn't blame her that she can't. How could he, when he'd lost his memories ever so recently? It just seems like that's how this place works.]
If you don't remember, then you don't remember me telling you that I have a boyfriend here. [Here, he does laugh, already reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, as if to steady her from the blow of his words. He'd seen how she'd looked when she'd found out, before he'd also revealed that they weren't mutually exclusive either.]
We're not exclusive though. He's got a few other partners, from what I understand. He's nice though, I think you'd get along with him well. His name is Basil.
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You have a boyfriend? [She stammers the words out. A real, living breathing one?] Congratulations!!
[And if they're not exclusive, that means she still gets a chance, right? As much as she doesn't want to admit that her crush on Kazuya is still very much there.]
Now you gotta tell me more about Basil. What does he like??
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She's really beautiful.
It makes his heart swell with happiness. He's so lucky.]
He likes gardening and plants. He even runs a little flower shop, so most of our home is coated in plants. Not like in a cluttered way, but definitely in a lived in way. It's kind of refreshing, to be able to wake up and see so many different kinds... And our home always smells really nice because of it too.