This story is part of the Wanderer series.
Keeping his grin, the old man turned his head to the pink-haired girl. “And who is this?”
Nozomi straightened, eyes widening now that she had his attention.
“I didn’t know you had a sister!”
Rin’s smile flipped into a frown. “She— She’s not my sister!”
The old man expelled a wheezing laugh. “You have the same hair!”
Wincing, shoulders rising a bit, Rin glanced at Nozomi’s head, her near hand drawing up so slightly as she tilted away from her. Nozomi kept her wide eyes on the wheezing man, but soon noticed Rin staring at her. With a blink, Nozomi turned her clueless expression to Rin, making her back away a little further.
Totsuka settled back down, squinting a grin at Rin. “A friend of yours?”
Dropping her shoulders, Rin shut her eyes and whisked her head away from the pink-haired girl, crossing her arms and deepening her frown. “We found Nozomi in the forest, that’s all!” she grumbled with a slight edge to her voice.
“Nozomi, is it?” he humorously mused under the ruckus, shifting his gaze. “That’s a pretty name.”
Again, it took her a brief instant to realize the carousel of attention had shifted, turning to meet the current tender. Then, as if sensing a pattern, she preemptively turned back to Rin, then back to the old man, flicking back and forth.
“Huh?” she finally uttered.
Shuffling forward with little steps, the old man lifted his bent arms and, knuckles up, made a brushing motion towards the front door.
“Come, come. Inside.”
The two girls split apart as Totsuka shuffled between them. Slipping his fingers between the slat of wood and the door frame, he opened the door without hindrance. The hinges loudly complained as they swiveled, their voices containing a little bit of a grinding crunch to it. Letting go halfway open, the old man shuffled into the house without a glance back, leaving the door to slowly swing back shut. Rin idly reached out a hand to stop it, her attention seemingly fixated on the man rather than her surroundings. She too walked in without a second glance, leaving the door as quickly as she suspended it. Though she followed close behind, Nozomi absent-mindedly walked into this door as it creaked shut, lightly bumping it with her shoulder. She subtly flinched, turning her eyes to this door, but paid it no more heed when all it did was prop against her. She walked in without touching it.
With the door shutting behind the pink-haired girl, it became quieter inside. Though the chorus outside was still easily noticeable through the thin plank walls, there was considerably more room to think and breathe.
“Your back still busted?” Rin remarked.
“Bah, never been better!” Totsuka nonchalantly dismissed as he navigated to the stove, stiffly hunching forward to open the door and check the fire.
Skewing her brows, Rin skeptically watched the old man slowly straighten and shut the stove door. Nozomi was still distracted, gazing around the dark interior, lit only by the narrow windows partially blocked by a clutter of jars overrunning the tables and streams of paper dangling from a rope tacked in above the window frame.
Opening the top of the kettle, Totsuka strained his neck up and forwards, widening his eyes to look over the top. His mouth gaped open, showing his crooked teeth as he slowly blinked. Seeing the water lightly boiling, he relaxed and shut the lid. Dropping his arm back into a bend in front of him, he sluggishly turned in place, taking little steps, before shuffling towards a shelf with some ceramic cups sitting on top.
With a last glance, Rin naturally moved to the plain table in the middle of the space, pulling out a chair and sitting down with a heavy thump, the floor creaking underneath. Breathing out with an audible grunt and leaning back, she briefly gazed up at the ceiling, seemingly ready to wind down, before her eyes then flicked to the side.
She saw Nozomi was still standing near the door, looking forward. However, her eyes seemed lost. Not focused on the table, not focused on the old man, but gazing past into the darker interior. The dark hallway at the other end of the room. Her brows were slightly crossed, like she was thinking deeply.
Rin flicked her eyes towards the hallway, seeing nothing. Then, straightening up, she turned her head towards the girl, observing her for a moment.