Five.

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"I told you we would be lucky!", Neru exclaimed as she sat down on the roof. Hirate has taken off the outer layer of her yukata and laid them out neatly for Neru to sit on, she also offered Neru the bag of mochi balls she has gotten earlier which the girl happily accepted. Both Neru and Hirate had decided to place the remaining coins they had left from the polo bet on a roulette which they had made a total sum thrice the amount they had before entering the casino.


"Yea if I were to listen to you and bet it all on white we would have lost everything", Techi rolled her eyes and looked away. She picked up the stone next to her and tossed them across when Neru stuffed a mochi into her mouth.

"You meanie!" The girl shoved Hirate away as she pouted. "I-I have not seen you in any colours besides black... and you are always gloomy. I thought white would make you happier."

"Black has always been my favourite colour, I've never understood why humans tend to add colours to their life, sugarcoating reality." Hirate didn't know why she was opening up to a girl she barely knew but tonight she was touched by her sincerity. She looked up to the dark sky, today was special unlike any other day in the palace it was filled with stars accompanied by a full moon.

"Neruko, can we stay here for a while? I don't wish to go home early today."


"Sure but I will not be responsible for you"


Hirate did not respond instead, she proceeded to lay on her back with her legs crossed. Her right hand cushioning her head and her left stretched out. Neru on the other hand made herself comfortable by resting her head on Hirate's arm.


" The moon is as beautiful as I've last seen when the king was said to be born"


"Hmm?" Hirate turned to look at the girl and she saw her eyes glistened as the moonlight reflected on them. A toothy smile begin to form on Neruko's face and Techi can't help but give in to her curiosity, "The king?"


"Father told me about the story about how the heavens sent us a king to reunite the kingdoms and Neruko wants to meet the king!"


Upon hearing that Hirate burst out into laughter, "there will be no king in this kingdom, the current king only has a daughter, the infamous crown princess everyone is talking about. It's a myth Neruko!"

"NO! Father wouldn't lie and the moon was shining brightly in the morning. It might just be a young prince from the other two kingdoms". Hirate shook her head and sigh, she knew the girl was stubborn but not to this extent. "Don't the kids here learn that in the Nogi Kingdom, Queen Nishino marries her childhood lover Shiraishi Mai the general of the kingdom and another kingdom is currently ruled by Sashihara Rino where more than one million of the population there are refugees seeking citizenships?"

"It's a myth Neruko, you are not going to meet any king... maybe just the current one."

"How do you know about the education system here when you have just moved into this kingdom?"


A sudden realisation hit Hirate that she was sharing too much. "Neruko, do you realise how heavy your head is? If you don't mind I'll be leaving now." The girl sat up and grabbed one end of the yukata she had laid for them, "Excuse me, you are heavy and I don't wish to tear my yukata into half."


"What is wrong with you?! I am not that heavy! You didn't have to emphasise on that!"


"Whatever", Techi grabbed her yukata and jumped off the roof. She was about to leave after adjusting her clothes when Neru called out, "wait! where are you going? I can't get down on my own."


Hirate rolled her eyes and looked at the girl, how did she manage to climb up on her own but was afraid to get down. "Slide yourself closer to the ledge and jump off, I will catch you"


"B-but I'm scared, Techi please"


"Are you going to jump or not? I'm leaving if you are not going to move. I will catch you, just trust me Neruko."


Neru bite her lips as she grabs the straw on the roof, she could hear Techi assuring her from below but she couldn't move her limbs when flashbacks of how she fell off a tree once after retrieving her kite replayed at the back of her mind.


"B-But Techi I'm s-scared...", Neru stammered as she trembled. Hirate sigh at the sight, she spread both her arms and feet wide, "I promise I will catch you".


With Hirate assuring her, Neru took a deep breath in as she closed her eyes before sliding herself down and leap off the roof. Before she could open her eyes, she felt Techi's arms around her body and a pat on her back. "It's alright now", Hirate supported Neru and made sure she was standing on her feet before releasing her grip.


"Let's not climb up a roof again if you are afraid of getting down, I will not be responsible for you," Techi said with a smirk on her face before turning around to leave.


"Why is he so annoying...", Neru clicks her tongue in annoyance as she brushes off the straw on her clothes.

.......


"I have to leave now Akanen, I'll be meeting the team for dinner to discuss the upcoming match", Yuuka picks up Akanen's clothes and dresses her up. They have been spending their noon in one of Akane's treehouses in the woods beside the city.


"Do you want to join me?" Yuuka reaches out to grab Akane's hand and squeezed them lightly, " I don't think my teammates would mind". She grinned when the latter nods her head in agreement.


The kanji clan polo team had met up in a small restaurant, their captain had their tables occupied with food and sake while they finalised the team's strategies before the day ended.


"Niji, do you remember about the triangle formation we talked about? We could form it with Habu since she's great at long passes."


"We could do that and Fuyuka could position herself in the middle, she could support the pass and block the opponent from attacking."


"You can count on me, we are in positions ", both Habu and Fuyuka replied in unison.


Sugai took a sip of her sake before looking at Akane, "I've something to tell you guys, meet my girlfriend Akane, Moriya Akane." Akane smiled and placed her forehead against Yuuka's, she could not believe what Yuuka had just announced, the girl now wants her to be a part of her life and this means she's willing to take whatever risk which is ahead of them.


"Yea we knew..."

"You came in to practise one morning and it looked like your neck has been through a lot as if you were being harassed by mosquitoes the night before."


"W-Whattt are you guys talking about... that's because I was out in the woods r-riding...", Sugai stood up in embarrassment and headed towards the counter to foot the bill.


"Riding", Fuyuka chuckled when she made eye contact with Nijika who looked away in embarrassment.


"Let's go home, we have a match tomorrow"


You've reached the end of published parts.

⏰ Last updated: Feb 13, 2021 ⏰

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