Chapter 9: Rainy Days [1]

Two weeks have passed since then, and now Rei was sitting idly on the sofa while Tohka with her head on his lap as she slept peacefully.

Stroking her head gently, Rei could let out a pleasant hum as he tilted his head towards the window.

The pitter-patter-like sounds of the rain were clear. Rei could say that the sound of the rain sounds pleasant and soothing to his ears. Be it before, present, or in the future, Rei believes that this will never change.

For many things that are happening all around the place, Rei already thought to himself that he should already speed things up more than he would have imagined compared to what he should've initially done as planned.

Namely dropping off from school which is becoming more and more reasonable than it was as the days passes. Other than having interactions with the associates of Chaldea, he has no more reason to stay there besides wasting time—or rather, reliving his high school youth to the fullest, or so he thought.

In these past two weeks, many things transpired, be it small or large events. The fact that Tohka underwent <Ratatoskr's> care for the week could be called a mistake in many points as Rei began to reflect on them.

'To start with...'

Sure, Tohka did learn many things like how a girl identical to what her age shows do 'normally' in life, which was one of the few good things that happened, there was one particular thing that bothered him slightly.

The thing is that Tohka was somehow convinced (maybe lured?) by Kotori and her co to make Rei take her out on a date once more. That made Tohka comply with their request—which Rei has not heard at the moment.

Of course, if Tohka requested a date, he would accept with no doubt, but the problem is that this only could happen after that one week of paying back the so-called old man in the cafe.

For Rei, debts—no, rather 'favors' would be a more plausible word, should be repayed at all costs. This is one of the so few moral principles that he set upon himself even back in his previous life. And there is no way he would break it unless something holds more value on it.

This may seem insignificant and stupid to others but Rei, it isn't. Upholding some of his moral principles such as this is one of his likable traits as far as he knows.

Moving on, there was also this offer for Tohka to also attend Raizen Highschool which Rei immediately put down as soon as those words left Tohka's mouth.

Why?

As Rei had mentioned, he would just drop out sooner or later. Tohka attending Raizen Highschool without Rei would be just like setting a ticking bomb (Tohka) within a human settlement without its emergency stop switch (Rei).

For Tohka is bound to be restless without him for a certain time, leaving her alone in any place without him was tantamount to setting a bomb to explode as time passes.

As Rei explained this to Tohka, she could only give a dissatisfied yet adorable pout in response. She understood what Rei is saying here, for she also doesn't want to be separated from him for long. The few exceptions on that are when she voluntarily had gone to <Ratatoskr> for this week and maybe some other more in the future.

As a matter of fact, <Ratatoskr> probably doesn't think that Rei would drop out of school in the first place. And even if they know, it matters little for Rei in the first place.

The reason for that is that Rei had now begun to make some ripples or changes throughout the whole situation. In short, he is now beginning to re-enact the so-called plan that he has been formulating ever since back then.

In fact, many of Rei's plans would require him to would move out of Tenguu City from time to time. It could be called a 'trip' if some would ask. Yes, a trip which has the possibility for him to roam all around the world that is.

Of course, he would also bring Tohka alongside him. He can't leave her out of this, would he? Well, there's no way Tohka would let him hog all the fun in his for himself in the first place.

"Munyu~"

Poking her rosy plump cheeks, Tohka let out a cute sound. Rei couldn't help but give a smile while also heaving a sigh because Tohka 'demanded' him to be her pillow as a punishment—or rather reward(?) for leaving and tricking—which is what she ended up thinking, on her going on <Ratatoskr>. And surely, he accepted without hesitation.

Why shouldn't he?

It was then, Tohka slightly moved further snuggling on Rei's lap. A second later, her droopy eyes slowly opened as she purred.

"Nn..? Good morning Rei..."

Looking up, she rubbed her eyes removing the drowsiness that she was having. She yawned as she tried to snuggle up on him once more with that innocent expression of hers. which Rei gladly accepted.

"Yes, good morning to you as well my princess. Did you have sweet dreams?"

Rei then slightly felt a Deja Vu right at this very moment. He was sure, this kind of conversation happened once before. Nevertheless, he merely shrugged it off since nothing bad would come out of it anyways.

'Right...?' Rei questioned himself in his mind.

"Sweet dreams...? Yes, sweet dreams... I did," Tohka then repositioned herself from laying her head on his lap now to her slowly snuggling upon his body on the front.

It all ended with her sitting now on Rei's lap while facing him at the same time.

Her loosely worn black camisole showcases her alluring figure in the front paired with dolphin shorts which highlighted her plump white thighs.

It was at the next moment that Tohka slowly pushed her lips onto his which Rei gladly accepted with his own. After a few seconds, they separated and they looked at each other for a few seconds before one of them spoke.

"...Why a kiss all of a sudden?" Rei asked.

Tilting her head to the side, she put a finger on her lips showing a mischievous grin, and then said, "Ah~? A morning kiss to wake me up?"

"I suppose it is," Rei could only nod in understanding as a response as he showed a smile.

This sign of affection was getting bolder and bolder as time passes. It wouldn't be surprising if Rei were to succumb to his temptations about this princess on his lap.

But soon, his line of thoughts was snapped back as he return to reality. It was interrupted as Tohka called out his name.

"Mm, Rei"

Tohka, for any other explanation, sounded conflicted yet also happy when she spoke.

"What is it?"

"What would you think if I had a sister?"

"A sister you say?" Rei blinked in confusion. "That's a question out of the blue. Well, if you had a sister, I think there's nothing wrong with it and I think it would be nice to meet her but... Why do you ask?"

Hearing his reply, Tohka nodded to herself showing a faint satisfied smile.

Slowly nodding to herself, Tohka then wrapped her arms around Rei's neck, she then said, "It's just that... you know. Hypothetically, my sister was also lonely like me you see..."

Rei then slowly digested her words, there was a specific one that garnered his attention, "Lonely?"

"Mm," Tohka merely nodded as she pursed her lips. "That's why I want to ask if she could also stay here with the two of us and live together. Could she?"

Staring right back at her glimmering eyes, Rei could see that Tohka was hoping that he would accept. For more reasons, why shouldn't he?

"I won't mind, Tohka," Rei patted her head. "Having one more person in this big mansion would make things a little bit livelier after all. However..."

Noticing his pause, Tohka slightly cocked her head to the side, "However..?"

"Many things are bugging me about certain matters... but answer me honestly my princess," Pausing once more, he then stared right back at her with visible confusion on his face. "Where—or rather, who is this sister of yours, Tohka?"

"..."

——

[A few minutes later]

Their conversation was cut as the rumbling noise came out from her stomach demanding it to be fueled already. Upon hearing that, Tohka visibly flushed as she sheepishly asked Rei if the food was ready.

Though Rei wanted to get an answer to his question, he chose to set it first aside as he decided to prepare the food that they would eat.

After eating, Rei already had a feeling about who this Tohka was referring to as her 'sister'. However, many things don't add up. If that 'sister' of Tohka's is who he presumed it to be, then more or less, the whole Tenguu City may be wiped out from the map if she was provoked or unnecessarily awakened.

Rei could handle this matter well, for he already made some countermeasures if that situation takes place. That's why he shoved the problem back into his mind and focused on the main problem that he should solve at the moment.

Food.

Yes, it's the problem with food.

The problem is that their reserves—food reserves to be exact. It was nearing none already. And for Tohka, this could be described as anything called a 'dire situation'. As much as she wanted to declare, 'hunger is the most dangerous enemy in the world'.

"More deadly than the AST, she says. I wonder what those guys would think if their threat was even less to the thing called hunger," Rei muttered in amusement now realizing what kind of situation he is in right now.

And here he was Rei who appeared in the alleys of Tenguu City was distraught like a normal person would be. The plan was to go and buy groceries and other miscellaneous things from the market.

For many reasons considering his luck, he landed in a place with an absolute downpour. Rain was falling in such an extreme amount that the entire place looked like more of a lake than it should've been.

Even though it fascinated Rei for a brief moment, he could understand the claim that it was a regular occurrence in Tenguu City since it is more or like a water basin-based form of land by looking at its topography.

Sprinting across the alleys with him taking out something from his dimensional pocket, he was soaked within the first few seconds. When he reached a nearby shed, there was no doubt that he was drenched in frigid rain.

"To think that I would blame myself for not using my abilities in order not to get wet and also not putting a spare umbrella on my dimensional pocket was pretty stupid," Rei huffed, throwing strands of sopping silver hair from his face.

Yes, Rei could just easily be dealt with the matter of being wet in the rain by coating himself with a partial barrier. It's just that simple task to do yet Rei didn't.

Any reason he may give right now would be understood as a petty excuse to some, that's why he didn't ponder much over it longer.

Rei was just trying not to freeze (A lie). That rain was ice cold and wearing a skin-tight shirt topped with a short jacket alongside jeans made it that much worse. Rubbing his arms, at this low temperature, a normal person should begin shivering autonomously.

Acting like a normal person however would only make him look like a clown if someone were to know what his normal constitution was.

A Spirit shivering from the cold of the rain? Utterly ridiculous and stupid.

Flowing a course of his Reiryoku throughout his body which soon spread to his surroundings, Rei slowly heated the place up. Aside from manipulating space, he could also manipulate flames to some extent—including some basic heat manipulation in the process.

A few seconds later, his body which is drenched from the rain earlier was now completely dry. Steam was also visibly showing in Rei's surroundings.

Muttering a few words, he then moved his feet, "Now, where to go...?"

Just right after a few steps, he then glanced quite further ahead to his side, he then saw a mini shop. Luck seemed to side with him this time... no matter how little it may be.

"A shop that sells umbrellas huh. Good grief," Rei muttered as he straightened his hair down. Clasping his hands for one more time, he felt that his luck would still last for a few hours.

Rei then strode right into the shop not wasting a single second of the so-called limited time of his luck that he was feeling for today.

——

Having now an umbrella of his own, Rei walked down the streets of Tenguu City.

This progressed as time passes. Right now, he just finished buying some groceries, which he had promptly thrown into his dimensional pocket without care when no one's looking. He then glanced back at the sky above.

It was still raining.

Though not as strong as earlier, the abundance of falling droplets from the sky shows that this rain would last a little longer.

It was then, a thought passed on his mind which made him stare at the cloudy dark sky.

"Considering the timeline, I think this would last for quite a few days..." Mumbled Rei as he held his chin.

Tap. Tap.

The city was kind of desolate seeing how scarce the people were bothering him slightly. This was a rare sight including the fact that this is part of the middle section of Tenguu City which is where most people should be located.

Biip Biip—

Hearing some kind of sound, Rei slowly halted his steps. Rei then lifted his head finding that the post to have some kind of alarm. It was a traffic post to be exact and it signifies a red light at the moment.

There were no vehicles present which made the thing seem useless for now. Nevertheless, he followed feeling that something would happen at any moment's notice.

And fortunately, he was correct.

"Ara Ara? Are you...a foreigner perhaps?"

Cocking his head to the side, Rei found himself standing beside a ivory haired girl. For many reasons, there was no way Rei couldn't recognize who this person beside him was.

Rei was undoubtedly surprised by this fact but he didn't let it show on his face. Instead, he answered as calmly and as naturally as possible.

Rei then glanced back at the road with a faint smile on his face, "You can say I am one, lady"

For many reasons, many would think how weird it was for someone to start up a conversation by asking if he has a foreigner or not. It is weird, but nothing too much compared to some out there.

Overall, everything almost seemed normal. Yes, for them it is.

"I see. It's kind of rare after all to find someone with your kind of features in this area. Though I can say you remind me of one girl, she could be more or less called a local who grew up here," she stated while looking ahead of the road.

Her casual clothing which consists of a black jacket may sound common which is true, however, her pearly skin and long, black hair usually tied in long twin tails. Her right eye is red-tinted while her left eye appears as a golden, inorganic clock face, which is covered by her bangs.

There was no way he could mistake who this person was before him.

"Do you want to grab a cup of coffee after this? My treat," Rei asked her out of the blue.

The reaction of the girl soon turned to those in amusement. However, there was a hint of slight sadness from within.

Soon, the girl merely chuckled at his words as she slowly shook her head, "Though I wouldn't mind going with your treat, I shall decline for now"

The was a hint of disappointment in her tone. It was as if the girl wanted to but something takes more importance of her attention for now.

Hearing this, Rei merely shrugged on it as he offered a smile, "Oh, what a shame. Don't you think a cup of hot coffee would make you feel better in this type of day?" He insisted knowing that it would be only rejected.

"Of course it is. However, I have some matters to attend to for today. What a shame, really"

"Then, can you at least tell me your name?"

"Fufu, it's Kurumi. Kurumi Tokisaki," Kurumi then glanced back at Rei with her red eyes practically scanning him all over from top to bottom. It was as if she was gauging—or sizing him up.

The beeping sound of the post soon entered their ears meant that it was okay to cross the road already. Nevertheless, the two didn't mind the insignificant sound.

As if the world slowed down, Rei and Kurumi stared at each other as of they were having that small area as their world.

"Now that I've said mine, may I also know what's your name, Foreigner-san?" Kurumi hummed as he adjusted her umbrella with a twirl.

Upon hearing that, with all Rei could muster, he offered a genuinely pleasant smile to her. This meeting may be one of the many unexpected incidents to come in this life, but he was sure that this very moment could be counted as one of the best.

At that very moment, the rain as if responding at this very moment slowly cooled down. A seeming ray of the sun peeking through the cloudy sky illuminated the area around them.

"It's Rei. Rei Ainsworth. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kurumi-san"

"Ara? First name basis already?" She giggled. "I don't mind it though, Rei-san. It's also a pleasure to meet you"

——

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[A/N: Yo guys, I know some of you wouldn't like him partially working with <Ratatoskr> due to the words 'tying him down', 'limiting himself', and so forth.

I'm just gonna add an important detail which is <Ratatoskr> is present at every volume and would always play an important role be it dates, battles, etc. which would mean that if I don't involve them to the MC to some extent would undoubtedly leave plotholes in some points.

And for some again, it won't limit the MC down, I would explain more details in an actual chap later on. Also, <Ratatoskr> would be playing a somewhat important role in this story in some arcs. I don't think utilizing their background in this story would be detrimental at all. I hope you understand this.

Now with that done, let's move to some bad news.

As you can see, it is a very late update compared to my previous ones. As my excuses (no matter how ridiculous or irritating they may be), my time is very limited due to classes being implemented in our area.

Second, I began re-reading the source material and some other fanfics of DAL for reference. That's to make more quality chaps to fill for its lacking quantity.

Third, I am planning to rewatch all the seasons of DAL anime as well for preparations for the Fourth Season. As in, this is already axing my schedule on writing this Fic more than it is already.

Fourth, I need some good ol' rest. I've been pulling all-nighters lately in doing RL tasks and projects here lol. Hope ya can spare me the criticisms haha.

So that's it, folks, all I can promise is one chap per week at best. After I clear out my schedule (which I could not see coming anytime soon), I would be at least be able to go back to my 3-4 chap per week release.

With that said, point out some errors if ya found some and put them in the comments section.

Also, gimme power stones if ya could!

URaAaaAA! WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY]