Between dreams and wakefulness, Logan felt something soft poking at him here and there.
Clutching the blanket, he reluctantly cracked open an eye, letting in a sliver of light.
The spotless floor, streaks of sunlight, his makeshift bed on the floor happened to lie right on the boundary. A slight shift, and the light would brush his eyes.
The bright daytime scenery eroded his drowsiness. As if in the dawn of the world, a beautiful girl came into view.
Yesterday, he had still been mired in the aftermath of battle, his emotions tangled and inexpressible. Waking up today to a completely different scene, with Sumika sitting there, the whole picture seemed veiled in something lovely.
The Ninja's shell melted under her smile. Logan shifted his gaze and noticed Sumika was in pajamas with an apron thrown over them.
The culprit behind the earlier sensation was her bare feet.
"Get up, get up! How can you sleep so soundly? Aren't you supposed to be some battle-hardened expert?" Sumika leaned over from the bed, looking down at the figure cocooned in blankets. Her feet pressed down unceremoniously.
The force through the quilt was harmless, more like a rocking cradle than an attack, but it was enough to banish sleep entirely.
"Too noisy." Instead of obeying, Logan deliberately rolled over, turning his back to her and tightening the covers like an immovable boulder, "Not getting up."
"Hattori-kun, you…!"
Her gentle voice instantly took on an exasperated edge, and her stomping grew heavier, "Get up right now! Do you know what time it is?"
Logan peeked at his charging phone, '9:30. It was late, no wonder the light through the curtain gap was so bright.'
"Hey, aren't we going out today? ...Why aren't you saying anything? Hey, don't you dare fall back asleep! If you don't answer me, I'm going to get mad..."
He listened quietly to the nagging behind him. The tone, just like all the ordinary things around him, carried the scent of daily life.
But he just wanted to hear her talk, deliberately staying silent no matter how much she poked at him.
Sumika frowned and started tugging at the blanket, but after a couple of tries, she huffed, knowing she couldn't win a contest of strength.
"…" Logan listened as Sumika clambered over him and marched to the curtains.
With a sharp whoosh, she yanked them open, flooding the room with blinding sunlight that nearly seared his retinas.
Tap-tap-tap.
Sumika stormed back and plopped onto the bed, resuming her foot-pushing, "Stop messing around, I know you're awake. How childish..."
Having exhausted her options, Sumika switched tactics, softening her tone, "I made you breakfast. I only woke you up because it's getting cold and won't taste good anymore. Come on~"
From outside the bedroom, Logan could indeed catch a whiff of something delicious.
He turned his head. His attention had been drifting for a while now, bare feet, smooth calves exposed above them, the soft pressure rocking him, glimpses of skin flashing past, the faint fragrance of her sleeves and hair, the fleeting glimpse of something deeper when she leaned over...
"Fine." Logan exhaled.
Sumika brightened, thinking he'd finally come to his senses.
But before she could say anything, Logan's hand shot out, accurately snagging her ankle mid-swing.
With a tug, Sumika let out a startled 'Ah!' and tumbled forward.
…
…
Breakfast was late, so they weren't very hungry. After various activities, by the time Logan and Sumika changed and left the apartment, the sun was already past its zenith.
Yesterday had been about easing into their reunion. Today, they'd follow the standard dating routine, with meals, movies, karaoke, etc.
Logan instinctively headed for the subway but was yanked back by Sumika.
"Let's drive today."
"Huh?"
'Drive? What car? Who's driving?'
The deviation from routine left Logan baffled. Then Sumika pointed to the parking lot near the apartment building.
Under his disbelieving gaze, she led him to a small sedan.
Beep, beep.
Sumika flashed the keys and opened the door, her face brimming with pride and the joy of sharing. "Haha, come on. I'll take you for a spin."
"..."
Even as he buckled into the passenger seat, Logan was still processing, "Sumika, you... have a car? Since when? Wait, when did you even get a license?"
"I learned while you were away."
"That fast?!"
If her familiarity with the subway and other modern conveniences had been within expected limits, driving truly shocked him.
He glanced around the pristine interior, then at the girl sitting properly behind the wheel, struggling to reconcile the two.
Sumika fastened her seatbelt and checked the mirrors, "I've always been interested in cars as a private, convenient way to get around. And the license wasn't hard to get..."
Sunlight glared through the windshield, baking the interior after a morning under the sun. Logan wiped inexplicable sweat from his brow as Sumika pressed a few buttons, turning on the AC and the faint stereo.
She absentmindedly tried to toss her bag onto the passenger seat but, finding it occupied, moved it to the back.
After a pause, she dumped it into Logan's lap instead.
"You hold it."
"...Oh, okay."
Sumika's journey to car ownership wasn't extraordinary.
Before his trip to Shippuden, Logan had known she was reading up on the subject.
Everything about modern society fascinated her, and she absorbed it all with eager curiosity. She'd mentioned wanting to learn, but he hadn't taken it seriously.
Now, she was already a licensed driver.
Given Sumika's intelligence and diligence, speeding through the process in 30-40 days wasn't impossible.
As for the car, it wasn't anything fancy. According to Sumika, she'd consulted his wealthy senpai, Olivia, who'd even offered to buy her one outright.
Sumika had refused, of course.
It wasn't a full cash purchase either. There were loans, with the down payment coming from Logan's past negotiations with the underworld.
Thinking about the loans, Logan wondered if he should return to his community service in Fresno for some extra income.
Beyond that, all he could do was sit quietly and watch Sumika's confident movements, 'Why...? I was supposed to be the one... I don't even have a license yet.'
"Buckle your seatbelt."
Sumika suddenly turned to remind him.
"Oh? Right, right..." Logan fumbled with it, then paused, "Wait, Sumika, you…"
Vroom.
The dashboard lit up. The engine started.
Logan hurriedly yanked the seatbelt across his chest, 'She's driven alone before... right?'