Finally Fell Asleep

As an innkeeper of Yuragi-sou, Chitose is also responsible for taking care of everything there, including the inn's cleanliness. Usually, she would clean Yuragi-sou's yard every day and sometimes go to clean places rarely entered, such as the men's bathroom. But after the presence of a male resident, the area will be used, and it's her responsibility to prepare everything there. Since everyone in Yuragi-sou seemed to be already in the room, she's currently walking towards the men's bathroom to check it out.

As soon as Chitose went inside, she could see someone inside. From his appearance and body shape seen from behind, she guessed the person in front of her was Kimihito, and he didn't seem to have realized that she was behind him.

Walking closer to him, Chitose was surprised to see the reflection of Kimihito's eyes in the mirror. It was different from the looks she was used to seeing because, at this moment, his entire eyeball turned blue. It's hard to explain the exact shape because she couldn't see clearly from behind, but his eyes turned blue. That's what she believed.

Out of curiosity, Chitose decided to call him "Kimihito-kun, what happened to your eye?"

"!!!"

Hearing a voice behind him, Kimihito automatically turned towards the voice's origin calling him. He didn't expect someone else to be right behind him.

"Chitose-san?"

As soon as Kimihito turned around, Chitose could clearly see his eyes. Looking at it deeper and deeper made her feel like she was hypnotized. She felt as if she was looking at a magnificent view of the night sky. The shimmering circular lines in his eyes made it look like a shooting star. There was only one thing on her mind right now.

'Beautiful.'

Feeling quite fascinated by the beauty of Kimihito's eyes, Chitose then asked, "What's wrong, Kimihito-kun?"

"What happened to your eye? I will see it!"

Having been caught by Chitose, it was no longer possible for him to dodge and lie by saying stupid reasons. Seeing her worried expression made him not have the heart to refuse her rudely. Kimihito is weak with things like this. He didn't want to make those closest to him worry.

Unable to take it anymore, Kimhito decided to sit on the bathroom floor with his knees so Chitose could see his eyes up close. He is about 180 cm (5'11") tall, while Chitose is around 147 cm (4'10"), it would be difficult for her to see his eyes if he stood up.

Right now, in front of him, Chitose immediately held his face with her two small hands. Then, she pulled his face closer to hers. He didn't anticipate it, and once it happened, he didn't reject it either.

"Are your eyes okay?" She asked while looking at him with concern.

"Don't worry, Chitose-san. I'm fine..." He answered with a smile.

It wasn't a lie he made up, but right now, he was fine. Although he had felt pain in his eyes at first, but that was all over now. Besides, if he lied about his condition, what's the point of the lie.

"..."

When Chitose saw Kimihito's expression, she felt relieved because she knew he didn't lie. After all, she was the Zashiki Warashi who had lived for almost 1000 years, and seeing human lies was a piece of cake for her.

On the other hand, Kimihito did not plan to lie to Chitose. It was because she was only asking about his condition. However, if she wanted to know more about his eyes, he would probably come up with an excuse she could accept.

"If there's a problem, you can tell me." Finishing what she wanted to say, then she brought his head closer and hugged him.

"Yes..."

" You are a caring person, Chitose-san."

Kimihito thought Chitose was a lovely person because, after all, they had known each other not long ago. He assumed that he wasn't too close to her either. Maybe only Yuuna was the person in Yuragi-sou who was closest to him. As for Chitose, he only had time to cook together with her and talk a few times.

"Fufufu~ I am shy to be praised like that, but..."

"After all, I'm the innkeeper here. It's only natural that I also take care of everyone who lives in Yuragi-sou." She added with a warm smile.

The innkeeper, the one who takes care of Yuragi-sou and everyone in it. Chitose is like a mother figure to all the residents of Yuragi-sou. Besides, because she is the oldest among the other residents, her personality is also one factor that makes her suitable if considered the 'parent' of them all.

"Only that?"

"Maybe."

"..." He was speechless after hearing her answer.

When Chitose was still hugging his head, she slowly stroked his hair. To her long-lived and immortal, Kimihito and all the other residents of Yuragi-sou were just children. It was her duty to care for and look after everyone in Yuragi-sou.

"Since it's fine, how about you go back to your room? It's also night."

"Then I'll go back first, Chitose-san." He said, then started to stand up and walk out of the bathroom.

As Kimihito was about to leave the door, he suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Chitose-san."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"Hmm? You're welcome." At the same time, a small smile began to form on her face. Chitose was confused as to why Kimihito suddenly thanked her, but she seemed to understand the reason behind it.

Chitose knew his eyes might be a secret Kimihito had. Therefore she wouldn't ask further about it. In addition, she also has a big secret that no one else wants to know, especially the residents of Yuragi-sou. If it's exposed, then the image of Chitose Nakai, the innkeeper of Yuragi-sou, will end.

***

As Kimihito walked back to his room, he was grateful that the first person who saw his eyes was Chitose. If it was another resident he met, then he had no idea what it would be like.

' But since it was Chitose-san... I don't think there's a problem.' He thought while walking to his room.

After arriving in front of his room, Kimihito started to open the door and saw Yuuna was still sleeping on her futon.

'W-wait.'

"That… Yuuna?"

Kimihito was surprised because he could see Yuuna. Unbelievable, he tried to touch his entire face to make sure he wasn't currently wearing spirit-detecting glasses. It was convinced he wasn't wearing it at the moment. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at her once again.

"..."

Kimihito could clearly see Yuuna sleeping in her messy clothes. It was probably because of the sleeping habits that made her look like that. He didn't know if he could hear her voice too. Out of curiosity, he started to put his ear next to her and begin listening to the sound of her breathing.

"huuuuff huuuuff huuuuff huuuuff"

'I think I can hear it.' He thought.

"Nngh Kwimwihuitwo"

Hearing Yuuna's muttering, Kimihito didn't know what made her say his name in her sleep. He was also curious about what she was dreaming about, but there was no way to know her dream. So, he decided to go to bed right away.

"Have a good sleep..."

Hug

After closing his eyes, he could feel something soft hugging his body.

"Hwee~ Kuimwihuitwoo~"

He immediately knew who it was after hearing her voice. Of course, it was Yuuna, and it must be her because no one else but her was sleeping in his room.

'Should I be happy?' He thought while looking at Yuuna's sleeping face.

As a healthy man, Kimihito feels happy when a beautiful girl hugs him while sleeping. But on the other hand, he didn't want to take advantage of the opportunity when she was unconscious.

While Kimihito was releasing Yuuna's hand, it seemed her embrace was getting tighter and tighter. He didn't want to wake her up either, but because he couldn't let go of her hug gently, he decided to give up and enjoy it in the end.

'As long as I wake up earlier than her, then everything will be fine, right?'

"...Have a good sleep." He said once again, and he was finally able to fall asleep.

Besides waking up earlier than Yuuna, Kimihito also had to think about how he covered his eyes. He couldn't keep his eyes always closed. It would seem strange to him and others around him when they saw he always had his eyes closed. Maybe he'll stay like that for a while until he finds a way to cover his eyes.