week 4, saturday

[ of course Ishikirimaru is one of the first people they find after trial. They feel like they're about ready to drop dead from exhaustion - and they're still more than a little concerned about Majima's condition - but they have to concentrate on the things that went well today.

And, all things considered, the trial went extremely well for the two of them.

They've got a bottle of sake with them (on the smaller side) when they find him. Still, they don't look particularly celebratory; they meet him with a small, concerned smile rather than a whoop of victory. ]

See? I told you. [ they're hurrying over. ] -- How are you feeling?

week 4, saturday

-- Jakuzure-kun!

[ they saw her dart out of the courtyard after the announcement - and while they're far too tired to actually chase after her, they do follow not long after, hoping she hasn't vanished into the bowels of the temple by now. They're not doing as good a job at covering up their exhaustion as they usually do, and there's a bit of blood speckling their sleeves from Majima's injury. ]

week 4, saturday

[ they're not gone for long, at least - they go back to find Majima very soon, if only because they're afraid of what else he might end up doing to himself if they leave him alone. Newt's in the parlor, and they'd rather not deal with him, so it's back to the cottage again. It'll be here for a few more days, anyway; they may as well enjoy the actual bed while they have it.

In truth, today was a great success for Mizuki, at least as far as the trial went. Logically speaking, they should be pleased; they're safe, they caught at least one of the people causing trouble every week, and the competition is thinning out more and more, with one of the most troublesome gods gone and another down to almost nothing. They're getting closer to their goal. Nothing else really matters to them, in the end. Still, it's hard to feel victorious about anything at all when they think about what happened to Majima today. The entire trip back, they're deep in thought, brewing up what they should say to him.

They don't really come up with anything good enough by the time they're back inside. ]

... Majima-kun. [ a beat. ] Sorry. I should have done a better job keeping you out of trouble.