☀️ Arselia and Akonia

The woman in the kimono seems to want to say something, but the words won't come. She leans forward, raising her hand as if she wants to put it on the old man's shoulder in a comforting gesture, but the gesture stops halfway when her gaze shifts to the ancient witch, and her hand droops sadly. Her expression conveys regret and guilt, and perhaps some other emotion that makes her feel that such an action might be considered inappropriate by some hypothetical observer. She tries again to say something, but fails again. Finally, she frowns, clenches her fists, and, approaching the store manager, ignores the old man's smell (and hopes she will never need this experience again), the smell of burnt tobacco, and the stares of the witnesses. She hugs him – resolutely, but gently, remembering the damage he had suffered. "What kind of... day is this..." she murmurs, barely audible, trying not to let her voice tremble, although she doesn't quite succeed. "... ... ... I was afraid that... next time... that is... that I would never see you again. O-kami-sama..." For a while, she continues to mumble something incoherent, refusing to fully believe what is happening and thanking Kami for such a happy outcome, thereby demonstrating a strange dualism in her perception of the situation, until she finally calms down and returns to her original state. "No. Nothing," she finally answers the previous question. "He... 'Opened up new horizons? Made a proposal? Is undergoing rehabilitation?'" "...realized that he had gone too far. I can't read his mind, but I feel that he didn't want things to turn out this way."