Restricted Death

Chapter 51: Do I bother you? (First order required)
"Rukia?"

A soft call woke Rukia from her trance. When she turned her head, she saw Hinamori's face that was very close to her.

"Huh? It's okay. Where were you talking about?"

Rukia quickly raised her head as if retreating, smiling awkwardly.

In the park near the teaching building, the two of them sat on the stone steps under the cherry trees to enjoy the cool air, and in front of them were the figures of students in white school uniforms walking around.

Hinamori Momo tilted her head in confusion. She looked at Rukia and said, "You haven't been acting right all day. You were absent-minded in class, and your attention kept wandering when I was talking to you."

"Really? Maybe it's not very comfortable."

Rukia made up an excuse.

"Come to think of it, you do look a little pale." Hinamori Momo reached out and stroked her cheek, then looked up at the scorching sun in the sky.

She took out the kettle beside her, unscrewed the lid, dipped her finger in, and then touched Rukia's cheek.

"Do you feel better?"

The coolness of Hinamori's fingertips made Rukia's eyelashes tremble, and the chirping of cicadas in the surrounding trees suddenly became shrill. Rukia stared at the bright smile on Hinamori's face, and her throat felt like a knife was stuck.

What happened last night began to resurface in her mind, and she felt as if she were trapped in a broken world.

"Ah, much better." Rukia smiled.

"Are you still not used to living at the Kuchiki family? Why don't you talk to them and ask if you can move back to the Spiritual Arts Academy? Then we can share a dormitory."

"No, I'm actually fine there." Rukia shook her head slightly.

Hinamori didn't force it, she also looked away, looking at the path covered with tiny petals.

"Yesterday, when Kira, Abarai and I were chatting, we talked about the volunteer squads we would like to join after graduation. Rukia, do you know where Abarai wants to go after graduation?"

Rukia thought about it seriously, "I haven't really asked him."

Hinamori smiled and said, "He said he wanted to join the 11th Division. It seems to suit his temperament."

Rukia couldn't help but laugh: "That's true."

"But what will you do if Renji goes to the 11th Division?" Hinamori suddenly asked again.

Rukia's smile faltered. "What do you mean?"

"You're definitely going to the Sixth Division, but if Abarai goes to the Eleventh Division, won't the chances of you meeting each other be rare in the future?"

When Hinamori Momo tilted her head, the silver bells on her hairpin jingled - they had picked it together in Rukongai a few days ago, but now it was shining coldly in the sunlight.

In fact, Hinamori always takes good care of her. She has a more cheerful personality than her. She gets along better with everyone in the student union than her. She has helped her a lot. For example, Hinamori can always resolve the deliberate difficulties of some seniors.

Hinamori is really good, good in every aspect, and her goodness makes her worthy of many good things in this world.

However, there are always exceptions.

"Momoko, since Renji wants to join the 11th Division, as friends, we should naturally give him our blessing and help. It would be bad if we let something that doesn't even exist become a burden."

A whole cherry blossom fell right on the back of Rukia's hand. She picked it up with her other hand and unconsciously crushed it in her hand. The juice seeped into the cocoon on her knuckles along the lines of her palm.

Hinamori smiled and said, "I'm different from you. What's the relationship between you two?"

Rukia suddenly let out a small laugh.

"You're right. Renji and I have never talked about the volunteer squad. I'll ask him about it later."

Her voice was calm, just as calm as the president's words last night.

Such frankness made her voice seem clearer and more powerful.

Rukia suddenly remembered a lot of irrelevant things. In the student union office, she quietly smoothed the wrinkles on the president's uniform while he was taking a nap. She remembered the burning sensation on her face when the president touched her head...

Her bright eyes were calm, yet Hinamori, who was staring at her, felt inexplicably nervous.

Hinamori Momo added, "Maybe by then, the chances for us to meet will become less. You're in the Sixth Division, and I want to go to the Fourth Division. Now that I think about it, I feel uncomfortable."

"Why don't you come to the Sixth Division as well?"

"I?"

Hinamori Momo smiled first, then said casually: "I don't want it."

She caught a glimpse of the pink mixed with petal debris and juice on Rukia's hand. The red was so eye-catching that it made her uncomfortable.

evening.

Unable to find the letter in the student council office, Rukia sat alone in the council chair, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the documents on the table. The setting sun shone through the glass onto her slightly furrowed brow, reflecting the dark thoughts surging within her.

Actually, there was one good thing about entering the Kuchiki family.

She no longer lives in school. After the afternoon classes, it is her own time and no one will come to see her at this time.

So no one knew she was in the student union office. "Rukia?" Xin pushed the door open and walked in, holding a stack of freshly sorted documents.

"President!"

Rukia stood up suddenly, becoming uncontrollably stiff and awkward.

"Are you alright?"

"without……"

Xin laughed: "It's okay, why don't you leave?"

"...something happened."

Xin walked to the side and poured two glasses of water, and put one of them on her cheek. The warm touch made her look up hurriedly, and she met his smiling eyes.

"Go ahead."

Silence.

Say, say what...

Rukia held the cup in both hands and was speechless again, and the water in the cup created ripples.

The square outside the window was dotted with students. Xin stood upright with one hand on the corner of the table and the other holding a water cup. He looked out the window casually with a calm gaze. The last afterglow of the whole day fell on one half of his shoulder, while the outline of the other side had sunk into the indigo twilight.

"President."

She suddenly spoke, her voice so soft it seemed to melt into the sunset, "If... I mean if, someone is too afraid of losing something and doesn't dare to touch something important, isn't that stupid?"

"Who knows?"

Xin chuckled, "I'm not an expert at guiding people."

What kind of answer is this? Or maybe he doesn't want to answer at all.

Rukia lowered her eyes and drank water sullenly.

Xin looked at her and suddenly asked: "Rukia, am I bothering you?"

Rukia instinctively wanted to deny it. If she had heard the president say this in the past, she would definitely deny it, but not this time.

Because the president really troubled her, she couldn't sleep all night last night.

Even after such a thing happened, Xin acted like a complete outsider, as if it had nothing to do with him.

On the contrary, Rukia's heart was suddenly overturned with countless bottles and jars, pouring out all kinds of messy emotions, which she has not sorted out yet.

President...

How annoying!
Her lowered eyes trembled slightly, and suddenly a large area of ​​darkness came over her. Shi Xin stood close to her.

The president's slender fingers gently brushed across her cheek, a gesture that was more ambiguous than the previous ones.

Rukia's breathing became rapid, and then she thought, it doesn't matter, anyway, those words have been said. But as she thought this, Xin's fingertips gently stroked her lips, which made Rukia's heart start to beat fast.

Because she looked up and met the gaze that was staring at Xin.

No, no!
She was screaming like crazy in her heart, but her whole body was frozen. She was afraid that Xin would suddenly do something that she would not dare to face.

He won't kiss me, will he?
Rukia's mind went blank, and an idea came to her mind.

But at this moment, I heard Shin's gentle voice again: "Rukia, did I do something wrong?"

"..."

"Perhaps, if I should ask for something, you wouldn't be so troubled, right?"

"Then why don't you do that?" Rukia asked, finding the courage from nowhere.

"Because I don't want to." Xin said.

Rukia didn't understand: "Why?"

"There's no reason. I just don't want to."

Shin didn't kiss her like she expected and took his hand away, which made Rukia feel relieved because she didn't know if she would have avoided it if that really happened.

"So Rukia, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

Rukia was in a daze for a long time.

I finally came to a conclusion in my mind.

Doesn't he want to force himself?
Rukia looked down at the water in her hand. The liquid inside was swaying, floating with a kind of unsolvable melancholy unique to dusk.

(End of this chapter)