Comfort 2

Chizuki was humming a gentle tune as she straightened out a white coat with black outlines for Uehara. The black coat that Uehara wore was torn and before Chizuki could've changed him out of it, he had already reverted back into his drake form.

So knowing that her master would be returning soon, she would do her damnest to make him wear this white coat.

[There's no way I'll let master travel with tattered clothing like that.]

She had already placed black pants and a shirt on the bed along with new black shinobi sandals next to it. Placing the coat on the bed, she left the room for the kitchen while continuing to hum a gentle tune, much to Shikibu's amusement.

Placing down the scarf she was knitting on her lap, Shikibu looked up to Chizuki.

"What got you so excited, Chizuki?"

Chizuki stopped and smiled at Shikibu.

"Because, I'm going out with master…alone~"

Taking the time to enjoy the slight twitch in Shikibu's eye, Chizuki continued onward to the kitchen where she began to boil some water by inserting some chakra into a seal connected to the stove. She pulled out a flask from a nearby cupboard and placed it on the counter/table. Having done that, she turned to open the backdoor that led to the garden and walked out.

Not bothering to close the door, she picked up the small basket that was near the door and walked over to the freshly grown tea leaves.

Not even the setting sun shining directly at her could ruin her mood.

"Hmm~ hmmm~ hmm~ hmmm~ hmmm~"

With a light skip in her footstep, she got to the first plant and began plucking a few leaves.

"These leaves should be fine for now."

Putting a few handfuls of them inside her basket, she went back to the kitchen. Closing the door, she began laying out the leaves on the counter. Using her chakra, she began to steam the leaves by heating the water vapour in the air.

As a result, the house began to feel stuffy, much to Shikibu's chagrin.

"What is it that you are doing in there Chizuki?"

Popping her head out, Chizuki smiled.

"I am preparing refreshments for master. Since I had been given short notice of our travels, I could only take the sencha leaves since they are the fastest to prepare."

"Then why won't you do that outside?"

"It is currently windy outside and steaming the leaves in such conditions will result in decreased quality…"

Her eyes then gained a cold glint.

"...something I cannot allow."

Shikibu didn't bother disputing any further. She knew full well Chizuki could become quite steadfast when it came to her duties as an attendant. Grabbing her knitting needles and the scarf, she made her way to the front door and walked out.

Closing the door, she sat on the bench by the porch and giggled to herself.

"Ever since Aoki-sama regained consciousness, she has been smiling."

Enjoying the sunset breeze, under the shade of the porch, she continued her knitting.

…

Uehara was slowly flying back to the house with Sakura quietly sleeping in his arms. Not wanting her to be uncomfortable, he had used some of his chakra to help balance her like extra arms while also shielding her from the cold breeze.

Along the way, he kept thinking about his next plan.

[Once the Minamoto clan is solved, I will train both Sakura and Chizuki. Chizuki already has enough chakra for some of the techniques I want to teach her. The shadow clone technique will do just fine for her and a clone of mine can teach her that. As for Sakura, I'll have to teach her personally how to use nature energy in conjunction with her chakra. She's old enough now so it shouldn't be too much of a problem for her to learn it. As for Shikibu…I still have to learn how she can trap someone in an illusion through her eyes. Her expertise in illusions far surpasses my own. I should speak to her after thi-]

Uehara was about to think further upon his thoughts but a groan from Sakura interrupted him as she turned towards him, still peacefully sleeping. He couldn't help but notice just how much she's grown. The short little girl that used to cry whenever he was too far from her, is now a beautiful woman that would turn heads wherever he travelled.

He smiled to himself.

[Thinking that she'll someday want to marry, I can't help but feel like an unwilling father.]

It was then that he begun to have different thoughts.

[Sigh…she isn't like Chizuki. I do not know whether she can weather this life, a life where you have to grow strong in order to survive. If she stops now, she can live for roughly six-hundred-years…which is too long. Six-hundred-years is enough time to meet a threat that may possibly end her. Unless she's willing to become a hermit, I have doubts of her living out her entire lifespan.]

But his mind then drifted back to the days he was training her on fire manipulation.

[When she was melting those ice craters, I didn't notice it then but she had also subconsciously used yang(light) chakra to empower her flames. Although the usage was very slight, those yellow flames she used at the start are proof of it. Without even knowing it, she had merged two elements, even if the merger was very poorly executed. But still, she has talent, copious amounts of it.]

He briefly gazed at her sleeping face before looking forward again.

[It would truly be a shame if she gave up on pursuing strength. But before the year ends, I'll make sure she gets so strong that even Chizuki would be hard-pressed on a one-one-one against her. Hopefully, that will make her addicted to growing strong.]

Nearing the large clearing where his house was, he landed just a few metres away from the porch where Shikibu was currently knitting a black scarf.

Shikibu looked up with a smile on her face while she opened the door with her tail.

"How did it go, Aoki-sama?"

Instantly, his expression resumed its usual impassive state.

"Well enough."

"Fufu~ I guess we can count on you, Aoki-sama to perk little Sakura-chan up~"

That comment caused Uehara to stand by the door, unsure how to respond to the sentence delivered in such a sultry tone of voice.

[I'm sure there's an underlying meaning that I have yet to pick up.]

Not wanting to waste too much time on pondering whatever other innuendo Shikibu may have meant, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

"Yes."

Nuzzling past Shikibu's tail, slightly twisting his body, Uehara went through the door while making sure to not hit Sakura against it. Turning his head to the left, he was greeted with the sight of the kitchen where Chizuki had a large still-open flask in hand. Giving the blue-eyed woman a glance, Uehara continued on his path towards Chizuki's room.

Placing Sakura on the bed, he went exited the room. On his way to the front door, he was ambushed by Chizuki who was holding a white long-coat with black outlines/borders on a coat hanger and black shinobi sandals on her other hand.

Uehara couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.

"And?"

Chizuki remained steadfast, but polite.

"Master. You have been wearing the same clothes for the past two weeks. I've prepared a new set for you."

Uehara gave himself a once-over. He fully well knew that his current attire wasn't in the best of conditions. The entire right sleeve of his coat was missing while his pants were sporting a couple of holes here and there, especially on the knees. Even the rubber soles on his shoes were chipped quite badly from the amount of times he skidded on the rocky ground during his battle with the blood-titan overlord.

But still…

"Where we are going will not require me to change my attire."

…he found changing clothes so troublesome. Being covered up was more than enough for him. If worse comes to worse, he could make himself a thin film of bone to cover his body like clothing.

Unfortunately, Chizuki never could agree with his ideal.

"Unfortunately master, it would look terrible on your name if you were to travel with…"

She ran her eyes over his form.

"...tattered attire."

Uehara narrowed his gaze.

"I have no need for a meaningless reputation."

Sensing that her master was beginning to get annoyed, Chizuki lowered her head.

"Please, master. They're clean and, have very soft cotton-wool inlaid on the inside."

Uehara wanted to decline but the part about the clothing having cotton-wool inlaid inside the coat made him consider.

"...Alright."

In the end, the fluffiness won him over.

…

Just a few minutes had passed and both Chizuki and Uehara were standing outside the house. Sakura was still asleep while Shikibu had gone back into the house to continue her knitting. Uehara wore the clothes that Chizuki had given him and to her suggestion, had tied his hair in a loose ponytail. Chizuki had initially wanted to tight it in a bun but after a firm refusal from the young demon, a vine string was used as a compromise to make the ponytail.

Uehara had also taken to strapping his scroll to his back. Although Shikibu had suggested that he leave it behind since it was clear too big for him, Uehara remained steadfast in his decision to take it along. There was no chance he was travelling without the possession he had to suffer nature energy deficiency for.

On the other hand, Chizuki had chosen to wear a matching white coat as well. Her hair was arranged in a neat ponytail and on her person was a sword that looked like it was made out of dulled gold. It was the rusted sword Uehara had used to script a lightning enchantment using surin script. Through continuous use of lightning, Chizuki had managed to remove all the rust from the sword. Adding in some smithing work and the sword looked brand new.

Having painted her nails black, Chizuki moved her finger to unbutton the top of her coat, exposing a teaser of her cleavage. Channeling chakra to her chest, the triskele mark Uehara had given her all those years ago appeared.

This caused an eyebrow raise from the raven-haired demon.

"Murasaki's influence?"

Chizuki gave a smile.

"No master. I did this of my own volition. I bear your mark and I am proud to show it."

Uehara didn't reply but instead, stared directly at her chest.

[The line of exposure is barely a centimetre long. Although I would prefer if she didn't even show it at all, this much is within the realms of acceptability.]

Although his mentality has been affected by his child-like body, he still has his knowledge. If there is one thing he doesn't want happening, it is another male leering at HIS attendant.

"Is it possible for you to be less proud?…and wear a scarf?"

Catching his slight paranoia, Chizuki smiled.

"Fufu~ Are you willing to tell me whyyy~ master?"

Uehara narrowed his gaze at her before grabbing her hand.

"Annoying."

With that, they vanished in a dark swirl.