Akishin turned his head and looked at Shizuka. Only now did it truly register how different her appearance was today. The ubiquitous white lab coat she always wore was gone, replaced by a white dress.
The dress featured intricate floral embroidery—flowers he didn't recognize, but they were undeniably beautiful, stitched in colors that popped against the fabric.
Her smooth, pale arms were exposed to the air. Her face was touched with light makeup; her eyebrows were neatly grood, and a faint blush blended seamlessly with her pink lips. The effect was a mix of pure innocence and a certain mature allure. To top it off, she wore a wide-brimd sun hat.
Her beautiful black hair was gathered in the middle with a simple hair tie, adding an intellectual flair to her look.
She looked like a pristine narcissus—unadorned by excess, radiating a natural simplicity.
Sitting so close to her in the confined space of the car, Akishin could catch the faint, elegant scent of her perfu.
Shizuka was different today. She was stunning. Her aura had shifted; she didn't look like a "veteran" who had been weathered by years in the professional world, but rather like a young woman who had just graduated.
If she were to step out of the car and let the breeze catch her hair and dress, she would undoubtedly look even more breathtaking.
Akishin found himself staring, completely captivated.
"W-what is it?"
Seeing Akishin staring straight at her, Shizuka's face flushed a soft red. Thanks to the makeup, it wasn't overly obvious, but she averted her eyes, clearly feeling a bit self-conscious.
Usually, she was incredibly punctual. Today was the first ti in ages she had taken her grooming so seriously, and it had cost her a significant amount of ti.
Choosing the outfit had been the biggest hurdle; she'd practically emptied her entire wardrobe. After trying on everything she owned and feeling dissatisfied, she had sohow settled on this white dress she'd bought years ago and only worn a handful of tis.
She'd even dug out the matching white hat!
While she felt like she'd suddenly dropped years off her age, she hadn't dressed like this in so long that she felt incredibly out of place.
"Ah! It's nothing." Akishin snapped out of it, instinctively rubbing his face. He spoke softly, "It's just... Hiratsuka-sensei, you're so beautiful that I accidentally got a bit lost in thought."
"How can you just praise soone like that so bluntly!?"
Shizuka's face deepened in color. Japanese people usually preferred subtle complints; it was rare for soone to be so direct. And yet, the corners of her lips couldn't help but twitch into a smile.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, did you say sothing?" Akishin hadn't caught her mumbled response.
"Ah! It's nothing!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka shook her head, fighting to maintain her composure on the surface. Internally, she was chanting a mantra: Hiratsuka Shizuka, calm down, calm down. After a few repetitions, she finally managed to steady herself... or so she thought. It didn't help at all!
She turned to Akishin, asking hesitantly, "Um... Chishima-sensei..."
"Just call Chishima or Akishin. We're close enough by now, aren't we?"
Shizuka didn't overthink it and replied naturally, "Alright then, Chishima-kun. Do you think this outfit... is a bit unfitting?"
She instinctively tugged at her dress as if it were wrinkled, looking cautious and awkward. It was actually... kind of adorable.
"Not at all! You look wonderful, Hiratsuka-sensei. You look like you've turned back into a sixteen-year-old girl instantly." Akishin gave her a firm thumbs-up.
"I'm glad to hear that, then."
Shizuka felt a wave of relief. A small smile played on her lips. A woman always appreciates being told she looks beautiful and youthful, and she was no exception.
Especially when the complint ca from Chishima Akishin.
Shizuka hadn't quite realized it yet, but she was starting to place a significant amount of weight on Akishin's opinion. Case in point: today. This was just a casual outing—hardly a date—yet she had spent an unprecedented amount of ti on her appearance.
"Chishima-kun, you should call by my na as well. Being called 'Sensei' all the ti makes things feel so distant." Now that she'd cald down, Shizuka's more straightforward personality returned.
"Sure. Then I'll..." Akishin started to say the na but paused. "How exactly should I address you?"
"That's easy. Just use my na, Hiratsuka—"
Wait, no.
Shizuka also paused. Right, how should he call her?
She began to run through the options in her head. At school, everyone called her Hiratsuka-sensei for professional reasons. Her neighbors knew she was a teacher, so they used "Sensei" too.
When her parents were angry, they used her full na; otherwise, it was just "Shizuka."
She didn't really have female best friends. The won she was reasonably close with, like Haruno, called her "Shizuka-chan," but Haruno was the only one. She couldn't think of anyone else.
"You're right. What is the best way?" Shizuka asked herself, sounding a bit lost. Just "Hiratsuka"? Using only the family na sounded stiff and weird. Just "Shizuka"? That's what her mother called her.
"Hahaha..." Akishin let out a loud laugh.
"What are you laughing at!?" Shizuka glared at him, her thin eyebrows arching slightly in a display of faux-authority.
"I'm just thinking about how to address you, Hiratsuka-sensei." Akishin said playfully, testing the waters. "How about... Shizuka-chan?"
"No way. I'm older than you."
"Switch it up then. Shizuka?"
"Even worse. Are you my mother? Just stick with Hiratsuka-sensei."
"No can do. We're friends now." Akishin shook his head in refusal.
He wasn't joking. He'd finally found an opening to bridge the distance between them; there was no way he was letting this chance slip away.
"How about you call Shizuka-nee then?" Shizuka suddenly grinned like a little imp.
"Hard pass." Akishin rejected it imdiately. That was definitely off the table. He wasn't about to let her play the "older sister" card and establish seniority over him.
"Shizuka-chan it is. It's decided."
"I said no! Or go back to Hiratsuka-sensei."
"Shizuka-chan."
"Chishima—Akishin!"
"..."
The two of them continued their bickering as the brown van rolled slowly toward the Chiba Prefecture Kendo Federation.
Ten minutes later, Shizuka finally threw in the towel, resigning herself to being called "Shizuka-chan." It was a battle of thick-skinnedness, and hers was simply no match for Akishin's.
"By the way, Shizuka-chan, since you have a car, why did you have wait at the station?"
Akishin finally realized the absurdity of it. Shizuka had set the eting point, and he'd had to take multiple buses to get there.
"Ah! That... well, at first I thought the train would be faster, but then I decided a car would be more practical." Shizuka answered vaguely.
She certainly wasn't going to admit that after she'd finished her makeup, she realized she was running late and had to speed her way there. She'd nearly been pulled over for speeding on the way—actually, she'd wanted to take her sports car, but she'd opted for the van to keep a low profile.
"Well, once we're done at the Kendo Federation, let's go have so fun."
Akishin pulled out a map. It was covered in routes marked with red ink. Shizuka glanced at it and saw that they were all famous tourist spots in Chiba City. Akishin had apparently planned to take the train, as he'd specifically marked the rail lines.
"Alright! Since you want to play, we'll go look around later!" Shizuka said with an air of feigned indifference.
Akishin didn't call her out on it. He tucked the map away. He'd never been in a relationship before, so he was approaching everything with caution and care.
It was a beauty that soone who had failed like him both yearned for and feared...
It didn't quite align with his Kendo, and yet it was perfectly in line with it; the divide between the path and the heart.
He cracked the window, letting the breeze toss his short hair and the collar of his trench coat. Akishin squinted comfortably, drifting off into a nap, seemingly unbothered by the match ahead.
According to his phone, the pre-selections ran from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, with a second session from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. The trials would last three to five days to determine the top three, who would then head to Tokyo for the All-Japan Kendo Tournant.
If he wanted to compete, he might have to take a Kendo exam first. He wasn't sure if that was even possible on short notice.
Well.
Even if it didn't work out, it wasn't the end of the world. Compared to what he had now, those things were trivial.
Shizuka, glancing at Akishin from the driver's seat, let out another faint smile.
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