Afternoon.
Sunlight slanted across the windowsill, casting elongated patches of light on the floor. The wind swept through the orange grove, carrying the fresh, sweet fragrance of fruit into the room, swirling the tobacco strands drifting from Ryan's fingers in the play of light and shadow.
A soft rustling sound came from the courtyard gate. Ryan looked up to see Nojiko approaching, carrying a half-full bamboo basket with several plump oranges piled along its rim.
She stopped under the old locust tree, bending down to gently place the basket on the stone table. The thud startled the dozing sparrows from the branches.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, her blue hair clung damply to her neck, the exposed skin flushed a healthy pink as if kissed by the sun.
"Mr. Ryan," Nojiko's voice carried a slight breathlessness from her labor, her blue hair glistening with sweat, a few strands sticking to her cheeks. "Have you seen Nami? She said she was coming back for water, but it's been almost half an hour now..."
Ryan leaned against the windowsill, propping his chin with one hand, the cigar between his fingers glowing with a crimson ember. "Haven't seen her."
"That girl."
Nojiko muttered with feigned annoyance, planting her hands on her hips, though her blue-gray eyes held no real anger, instead shimmering with a touch of helpless amusement. "She claimed to be terribly thirsty, but I think she's hiding somewhere slacking off. She's clever enough when picking oranges, but always disappears when it's time to finish up."
As she spoke, she glanced around the courtyard, sunlight illuminating her upturned profile, revealing the curve of her smiling lips—clearly scolding, yet her tone dripped with unmistakable affection.
What a good older sister indeed!
Watching Nojiko like this, Ryan suddenly felt the taste of smoke on his fingers grow fainter. He flicked the ash, his voice carrying a casual invitation. "If you're not busy, would you like to come in and rest for a while?"
Nojiko blinked in surprise, instinctively glancing at the bamboo basket, her brows furrowing slightly. "No, there's still half a tree of oranges left to pick. If I leave them too long, they'll fall."
She reached up to adjust her loose cloth belt, tucking the stray blue strands behind her ear. "I'll come back after I finish picking those, then I'll make you some orange tea."
Before the words fully faded, she had already turned and headed back toward the orchard, the oranges in the bamboo basket gently swaying with her steps, emitting soft, rustling sounds.
Ryan watched Nojiko's figure disappear behind the fruit trees, suddenly feeling the afternoon sunlight seemed warmer than before.
"Hey, why did you invite Nojiko in?"
Nami's voice came out slightly hoarse and unsteady. She tilted her head up, her cheeks flushed crimson as if from too much sun, or perhaps hiding something else.
Her orange hair was messily plastered against her temples, and those eyes usually full of calculation now brimmed with anger, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, all her defenses raised.
If Nojiko came in now and saw her like this...
"Our matter must never be known by Nojiko," Nami lowered her voice, her tone urgent with warning. "If she sees, who knows what she'd think..."
She suddenly trailed off, the roots of her ears turning so red they seemed about to bleed—if Nojiko witnessed something like this, how could she ever face her again?
Ryan looked down at Nami, seeing her pouting like a little squirrel, the smile at his lips deepening, his eyes holding a trace of amused observation.
He didn't speak, merely slowly exhaled a smoke ring, watching the grayish-white mist dissipate before the girl's flushed cheeks.
Nami was already beautiful, her orange short hair like a dancing flame. Those eyes that usually sparkled with clever schemes now shimmered with unshed tears, her stubborn yet flustered expression more captivating than any other demeanor.
Moreover, she carried the buff of her identity, adding an alluring tension to her very presence.
There was no reason for Ryan to refuse such a request.
"You know perfectly well..." Nami tried to say more, but her voice suddenly caught as Ryan's fingers gently landed on her head. The touch carried a rough warmth, not as soft as Nojiko's hands, yet possessed an irresistible strength.
"Scared?" Ryan's voice was low, carrying the rich scent of tobacco: "You weren't like this earlier."
Nami's face flushed deeper at having her thoughts exposed, but she still stiffened her neck and glared at him: "Cut the nonsense. Nojiko absolutely must not find out about our matter."
She didn't dare think further, only staring fixedly at Ryan as if trying to warn him with her gaze.
Ryan raised an eyebrow, surprisingly agreeing readily: "Fine."
Before Nami could react, his hand on her head gave a gentle tug. The already unsteady girl staggered forward like reeds swaying in the wind, stumbling two steps...
...
The sunlight in the orange grove gradually slanted, stretching the tree shadows long.
Nojiko stood on a wooden ladder between branches, reaching for the highest cluster of fully ripened oranges. Her blue hair fluttered lightly in the breeze, grass fragments caught at the ends swaying along.
"So you finally decided to come back." She looked down and spotted the figure beneath the tree, tossing the orange in her hand into the bamboo basket with a soft "thud": "Where did you sneak off to slack? Seems like your water break took longer than picking oranges."
Nami stood under the tree without speaking, her orange hair damp with sweat and sticking to her forehead.
She looked up at Nojiko, her face slightly pale but forcing a smile at the corners of her mouth: "I wasn't slacking, just... resting for a while."
As she spoke, her gaze swept over the bamboo basket filled with oranges on the ground, its edges slightly deformed from the weight.
"Since you've rested enough, lend a hand." Nojiko jumped down from the ladder, dusting off her hands: "This basket's heavy enough, help me carry it back."
"Mm." Nami responded, bending to lift the bamboo basket. But as soon as she exerted force, her knees suddenly weakened, her body staggering and nearly colliding with the nearby tree trunk.
"What's wrong?" Nojiko quickly steadied her, blue-gray eyes filled with concern: "You look so pale, did you get heatstroke?"
"Nothing, it's nothing." Nami hurriedly straightened up, shaking off Nojiko's hand, her voice slightly strained: "Just... laid down too long, my legs are a bit numb."
Avoiding Nojiko's gaze, she abruptly lifted the bamboo basket and headed toward the yard, her steps appearing somewhat unsteady.
The weight of the basket made her arms ache, but the scattered pain throughout her body was even harder to bear.
Looking down at the grass beneath her feet, she cursed Ryan a thousand times in her heart—no wonder Nojiko would get so exhausted. If she hadn't used carrying the oranges as an excuse to slip away quickly earlier, she probably wouldn't even be able to stand now.
That guy wasn't human at all—he was a complete beast!
"Walk slower!" Nojiko's voice came from behind, carrying a note of worried admonishment.
"Got it!" Nami responded without turning her head, gritting her teeth as she quickened her pace. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating her flushed earlobes as she buried her unspoken complaint in the orange grove's breeze.