#Reply to Tiptuichi 32

[mercy-of-the-ashes]

🧟

Monaca noticed the group had travelled a little further away now, she dropped the arm and looked down at herself. Absolutely cakes in blood and she really smelt awful now.

She was sure Haiji would be angry with her, but all she would have to do is threaten to touch him and he would back off. She found it hilarious how grossed out he was by things like blood and guts considering the world they lived in.

"We should get back to the group. Monaca feels like she should look presentable for our next arrivals." She hummed, skipping off towards the group.

--------

Tiptuchi noticed the glare Haiji gave her and looked away from them, she held onto Masaru's hand as they walked; she seemed to be holding it like her life depended on it.

Masaru took a moment to look back at Haiji and Nozomi before he looked back up at his sister. "Tip?" He asked.

"Mm?" She responded, not taking her eyes off the road ahead of them.

"... I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to upset you." He said softly, playing with a thread on his jacket. "You're not that smelly.. and I don't think those bad names reflect who you are." He said, causing Tiptuchi to laugh a little. "You don't have to say sorry. There's nothing to be sorry for, idiot." She gave him a small bump to his shoulder.

For a moment, she looked back at the two other adults who were taking them in and sighed. "I should be the one apologising." She slowed down a bit to allow the others to catch up and stood next to Nozomi. "Sorry. I'm not... Use to kindness." She shrugged. "If I'm honest, I don't really trust you guys yet. It's scary to me that you're willing to just... Allow us into your base." She said.

"Tip murdered people." Masaru added on, of course not helping the situation whatsoever.

"I did, but only people who deserved it. I'm not a mindless killer... Not like Jaxus, I got no gratification for what I did but you two shouldn't be so quick to trust either." She added, holding Masaru close. "I'm not a good person."

"But you're not bad either Tippy, you gotta remember that part." Her brother said.

“Good idea,” Tsubomi chuckled, plugging her nose with her fingers due to her own stench. She started leading Monaca with the group, not wanting Kazuma to start nagging again. “We so need to shower. Nozomi wouldn’t want to take a sniff of any of this. You know how she gets.”

She laughed over the reaction she imagined her sister would have if she were here to see them, all bloody and smelling like they had come out of the worst sewers on planet earth. At first the timid one of the sisters would express sheer horror and disgust, and then she’d emit an authoritative aura and request that they clean themselves immediately. Tsubomi wouldn’t have the strength to suppress her amusement. Unless Nozomi decided to amp up her discipline. She may be cute, but she was no pushover.

———————————————————————

Nozomi’s emotions had stabilized moments ago, but now they screamed in her eyes after Tiptuichi’s confession. So what Jaxus told them was…?

She glanced at Haiji, who shared a wide-eyed expression identical to hers, before she struggled to face Tiptuichi again.

“Y-Y-Y-You killed people…?!” Nozomi swallowed to control her voice. “Oh, I knew Haiji was being careless!”

“Wait!! Nozomi, I swear I’m not that stupid! I thought they were different compared to the shitbags we got rid of a while back!” His gaze zeroed in on Tiptuichi. “Let me get this straight. You actually killed a hospital full of people?!”

His breath froze in his lungs. Realizing what he had just said, he smacked a hand over his mouth. They weren’t supposed to know he and Nozomi encountered Jaxus! Now look what he did.