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[Her smile spreads a little wider before she breaks with a laugh.]

Yeah, you!

[Who else would she mean, silly!?

The way she'd spaced out like that is pretty telling on its own and given all the times she's seen them working together at the Harvest, she does have to wonder the same thing that Susato had about her and Eustace.]

He means a lot to you, and I'm sure he knows that. It probably helps... with all the other stuff going on. You two spend a lot of time together, don't you?

[She may be fishing. Just a little bit. All in good fun, though!]

[ All in good fun. She resists the urge to stare at the ground some more and meets Tifa's eyes, feeling slightly redder in the cheeks than before, and the petals on her hairpin that he'd gifted her glows faintly. She wants to reiterate that they are family, so it isn't strange for them to spend so much time together, but all that comes out is: ]

I... Old habits...I suppose... [ The words are kind of mumbled, but spoken clearly enough. It almost has a dismissive air to it, but then she clarifies: ] I always did follow him around when I was little, wanting to do everything he was doing.

But it's been...

[ Different. ]

[There's a small, fleeting ache in Tifa's heart, and for a moment, she thinks of a blond head of hair, spiky like a chocobo's, waiting for her back on Gaia. She hasn't thought about him much recently, but those times that she does find herself drifting back home, she does miss him, and it's Susato's own memories of her and Kazuma that briefly draw her back that way.

Seeing how she flusters and stumbles with her words, Tifa tips her head gently at her, and her smile shifts from curious to encouraging, but not at all pushy. If she doesn't want to say, then she doesn't need to, but—]

Been what...?

[ What, indeed? Susato is quiet. That is perhaps the question she's been trying to find the answer to all along. In the end, she really didn't want to bother Tifa with this, but she sees no reason not to be honest, either. ]

Different.

He is different... Our years apart have changed him. But I don't mean that in a bad way.

[ Except maybe she does. She can feel a wall around him lately that he has built around himself. At first, she assumed it was to keep her out, and she took it quite personally, but she's come to realize that he saw that wall of a way of protecting her.

Which makes things really hard. Why can't it just be simple?? ]

I don't even know what I mean. I just, um...

[ She kicks her feet gently in the dirt as she walks. Damn. Why couldn't she just shut up and leave it at that? ]

I love him. And... I told him I would always fight for his happy ending.

[She isn't even in the least bit surprised, and if Tifa's smile could grow any warmer, it does. She knows what that feeling is like—it's both the most uplifting and most terrifying thing to feel all wrapped up into one, and she's glad that Susato has been able to find that in someone. In Kazuma, no less, who Tifa has always held such a high opinion of.

She approves of this choice.]

See?

[Tifa's hand moves to pat her gently on her back between her shoulders. He's got someone to take care of him.]

I have a friend who's the same way. I hadn't seen him in a long time, and he was... different when I saw him again.

[Perhaps not in the same way that Susato is referring to, but it's not so different, either.]

It'll take some time, but as long as you know it's for the better, and he knows you're there for him, all it takes is a little bit of patience.

[ Maybe Tifa really does understand. Susato looks up at her, smile brightening just a little. Her eyes brim with questions about Tifa's friend, but in the end, she holds off on asking for a while longer. She lets Tifa's words sink in a bit more and allows herself to find comfort in them, taking in a breath. ]

Yes. Well, I am here now... at least. [ For what that was worth. She's been pretty good about reminding him of this, but it's nice to hear it herself. ] What a relief, to remember that.

...Thank you.

[ What else can she say? She hopes Tifa is right. There is another quiet pause, as if she is considering what she should say next. And then... ]

I managed to win something for him, you know. Yesterday, when I was playing the Smash game. But... I haven't given it to him yet.

Oh!?

[Tifa's eyes light up and she slows her pace so she can turn sideways to face Susato.]

What'd you win? Some of the prizes are really cute.

[Tifa had managed to snag herself a giant corgi to take home for Eustace... She's not sure how much he'd appreciate having the massive thing sitting around in the house, but maybe the dogs will like it?]

Hopefully you didn't have any troubles carrying it home. Some of them are also really big...

Oh, no! I, um... wasn't quite skilled enough for those... or, I suppose you could say, I haven't played enough yet. But I did see this adorable cat about the size of my palm that made me think of him.

[ Susato roughly demonstrates the size with her hands. ]

He's dressed as a samurai with a sword at his side, and a grumpy little face. [ She laughs, remembering how she had to hide it under her bed while Kazuma was staying over. ] It looks exactly like him, I assure you.

At least, I hope he thinks so.

[It certainly paints an adorable image—a grumpy cat dressed up like a samurai. Yeah, she can certainly picture it in her head that slowly shifts from animal to human, and it provokes a giddy laugh out of her.]

Is it bad that I just imagined a grumpy Kazuma with cat ears instead? [Because that's where her mind immediately went, and her eyes widen a touch.] ... Don't tell him I said that.

[That's her boss they're talking about!]

But I know he'll love it.

[Mostly because it was something that came from Susato, but it does sound pretty cute.]

I think you should surprise him with it.

[ She's totally telling him you said that.

Not really, but Susato still finds herself chuckling fondly at the image. Really, Tifa probably isn't too far off the mark, and somewhere out there, a god is listening, and waiting to turn Kazuma into that. ]

I haven't checked, but I'm sure you can get cat ears, too. [ They could be prizes at one booth or another, aren't they? ] He is already wearing the flower crown I gave him, though.

...Anyway... I think I will give to him tomorrow.

[ A pause. ]

To congratulate him, if he is crowned king. Or... to cheer him up, if he is not.

I think he'll be fine either way.

[Although she does wonder how he would feel about winning Flower King. He is a worthy opponent in her eyes, but she'd much rather he does, if only because she doesn't want to be. He's deserving of the title, and Susato would look stunning at the king's side.

(She'll be taking all of that back when she finds out what she'll be wearing, though. No one should have to put up with that costume. Ever.)]

Make sure you let me know how it goes. Maybe I can try winning something to bring back for him too. We can display it at the Harvest so everyone knows.

[ In all honesty, Susato might be too shy to bring up the end results outright. It had been hard enough to talk about with her father, but she does trust Tifa, and she likes the idea of cute animal plushies on display. ]

Yes, absolutely. If he wants to, that is.

It is time the walls saw something other than swords and weapons and the like... but I admit that it suits him.

[ More so that plushies, probably, BUT THEY'LL SEE... after all, he said yes to having karaoke, didn't he? ]

I agree.

[Though it's said with a more playful sort of wink. The swords and weapons do suit him, and if he is proud of them, then why not show it off?]

If not, we could always use them to decorate the bar. Could use a few more things to spruce it up, don't you think?

[She is the bartender after all and spends the most time behind it. She should be able to make it her own... a little bit! Maybe some nicer coasters when she finds ones she likes, and some fancy towels... Oh, and—

A loud bark pulls Tifa free from her train of thought, and probably a good thing that Rose has shown up now. Aerona barks back and rushes past the two girls, her chunky body bumping into Tifa's leg to go meet her friend.]

Well, looks like she didn't get very far at least.

[ She is about to agree! Tifa should definitely be able to make it her own, though most of her patrons would be mostly interested in their drink selection regardless. Still, she can see her imagination going, and she wants to support that.

The barking is enough to interrupt Susato, too. She looks down at Aerona, and up ahead, she can see the flower bed with a vague Rose-like shape where she'd been sleeping. ]

Oh, most excellent! ...Is that a flower crown on her head? [ The pixies, perhaps? Why didn't she think of that?! ]

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susato is so cute i can't handle it 😭

thank yooou ;o; ♡

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