The Honmaru was quiet that morning. Hana decided to wake up early to work on mending the torn clothes of their Touken Danshi. She was focused on fixing the hem of a haori that had been shredded near the shoulder. In a moment of carelessness, the needle pricked her finger, and she let out a gasp.

"Are you alright?" came Omokage’s voice, almost immediately. Hana had the suspicion he was observing her again.

"I'm fine," she replied, smiling up at him. "But I'm almost out of thread. And patches. I think it's time for a supply run."

"I will accompany you," Omokage said. "To carry things, and ensure your safety."

"You always say that like you're volunteering to go into battle," Hana laughed.

"Errands are battle, are they not?" Omokage wondered, but nobody answered him.

Hana leaned out the open shoji door and called down the corridor, "Sai-chan! I'm going to the store! Are you coming?"

Sai emerged from her room, dressed in her usual red yukata tied with a black obi. The faint scar across her cheek was covered with makeup. "Yeah. I want to see if they have that concealer shade I like."

"What about Nansen," Hana added knowingly, "he is coming too, right?"

Almost on cue, Nansen appeared from behind Sai, stretching like a cat waking from a nap. His hair was messy on one side, as if he had been sleeping on it. "Nyaaaa… I dreamed of a sunbeam the size of a futon," he said with a large yawn.

Sai was smiling in a way that only Nansen brought out of her. "Let's get going."

---

The general store was packed with all sorts of essentials. Shelves near the entrance displayed colorful stationery, notebooks and gel pens to envelopes and rolls of washi tape. A small corner offered a small selection of paperbacks, local magazines, and crossword puzzle books. Along one wall, cosmetics and toiletries were neatly arranged beside first aid supplies.

Other aisles had convenience store goods, snacks, bottled drinks, instant noodles, and canned soup, along with household basics like batteries, dish soap, and paper towels. There were even a few shelves dedicated to seasonal items and small toys, making it the kind of place where you could find a little bit of everything.

Hana immediately headed to the fabric supplies section, Omokage trailing dutifully behind her with a large tote bag. 

“Ugh, why do they put the good ones so high up?” she muttered, frowning. She stood on her toes, arm stretched high toward a sewing kit just out of reach on a high shelf. Her fingertips brushed the edge of the plastic packaging, but it stubbornly stayed put.

She glanced behind her. Omokage was quietly waiting, holding the tote bag with both hands like a knight with his shield.

“Omokage,” she said, turning to him, “could you reach that sewing kit for me? I think it’s mocking me.”

Omokage stepped forward without a word, easily taking the kit from the shelf and handing it to her with both hands.

“You are small,” he observed plainly.

“I know that,” Hana huffed, cheeks puffing slightly. Then she smiled. “But that’s why I keep taller friends around.”

Omokage nodded. “Then I shall remain nearby. In case more items attempt to defy you.”

Meanwhile, Sai and Nansen were in the makeup section. Sai was inspecting compact powders with different shades, while Nansen was... playing with the cardboard display of lip gloss tubes.

"I need your help to choose between these two," Sai said, holding up two concealer palettes that were very similar in colour.

Nansen sniffed them. "Nyaaaaa... This one smells like a pleasant fruity scent. The other... smells like the inside of a dusty drawer."

"Then I'll choose the first one. Thanks."

Once Sai decided, they wandered over to Hana and Omokage just in time to find Hana buried in a pile of lace trims and tiny buttons.

"Is the Resupply Mission going well?" Sai asked, amused.

"I didn't need tiny strawberry-shaped buttons," Hana admitted, "But I do want them."

"We all make sacrifices in war,” Omokage said solemnly, accepting the buttons into the tote.

Nansen was now perched, literally perched, on the edge of the display window, watching the scenery outside. "There is a sparrow. It mocks me," he whispered.

Sai touched his arm gently. "We'll get dango after this."

He purred softly at her touch. "Yes. Dango will ease this bitterness."

Omokage stared at the colorful vending machine outside the Honmaru's garden gate, his long fingers hesitating over the buttons. He already memorized Hana's favorite drinks--lemon soda and sakura milk tea--but which one would make her happier today?

"...Milk tea," he murmured to himself. "She smiles more when it's milk tea."

With a clank and a thunk, the can dropped into the tray. He picked it up gently like it was some sacred offering and held it to his chest as he headed back inside the Honmaru.

Hana was sitting on the veranda, surrounded by ribbon scraps and lace. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she hand-stitched an pastel button onto a blouse. A small pin cushion shaped like cloud rested on her lap. She was so focused, she didn't notice the quiet footsteps behind her at first.

Omokage stood a few paces away, watching her. And watching. And watching. 

The feeling of being watched was hard to ignore after a while. After several long minutes, Hana finally glanced up. "Yes?"

"I brought you this," he said, extending the sakura milk tea with both hands. "I thought… you'd enjoy it."

"Oh! Thank you, Omokage. That's sweet." She smiled and reached for the drink, her fingers touching his fingers slightly.

Omokage stared at his hand like it had been blessed. "You smiled. Good."

Hana chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, well, I smile at a lot of things."

"Do you smile at people you don't like?"

"I mean... no. Not usually. Wait, what?" Hana was confused by his question.

Omokage looked down at his feet. "I've been informed by Master Sai, that you do not return my feelings."

Hana blinked. That caught her off guard. "Your… feelings???"

"I thought it was obvious," he said, completely serious. "I bring you things. I stare at you often. I follow you to the market. One time, I brushed a stray thread from your sleeve and you didn't flinch. That is practically a confession, isn't it?"

Hana's face turned bright pink. "You... follow me to the market?!"

"Yes. From a respectful distance. You have not noticed me. Which means I am either very stealthy, or very forgettable. Possibly both."

"Omokage…" She set the can down beside her. "Sit down."

He obeyed immediately, a little too stiffly, like he was taking an order. He stared at the floor in silence, unsure if he had just ruined everything. But then, Hana leaned slightly against his shoulder.

"You're not forgettable. You're definitely weird! But... that's not a bad thing," she said shyly. "I've been told I'm weird, too. So... that makes us a bit of the same, doesn't it?"

Omokage blinked.

And smiled.

"...Success."

"I don't even know what you mean by that..." Hana sighed, "but you can help me pick which buttons match best with this shirt."

"As you wish, Master Hana."