Page 74 of Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal
With an impish smile, Inti answered, “Reasons.”
The resident director lived one floor below Tenma’s, on the building’s opposite corner, so he hurried for the closest stairwell. Along one empty hallway, down another. The Amaranthine’s door was clearly marked with a nameplate—GOH IMPLEER—and flanked by two precarious towers of clay pots glazed in shades of turquoise and orange. Very strange. Almost pretty. Probably intentional, like those artsyinstallationsTenma had seen in the lobbies of major hotels and corporate offices.
With a wary eye on the teetering arrangements, he tapped on the wide door.
A muffled voice hailed from inside. “It’s open!”
Tenma turned the knob, and the door swung inward on silent hinges, leaving him gawking on the threshold. He wasn’t sure if this was Goh-sensei’s office, apartment, or both. The air was hot, thick, and smelled damp and green. Vines clung to the walls, climbing toward a darkened glass ceiling through which weak starlight showed. Tenma realized that while Goh-sensei’s door was on the floor below his, this apartment soared to the roofline, creating a three-story column of tropics.
Lamps sparkled at intervals, many seemingly suspended in midair, their flames glowing through colored glass. More of those blues and oranges, which Tenma guessed might actually be the Rivven’s clan colors.
“Goh-sensei?” he called softly.
“Up here. Dear me. My first guest, and me without a bookmark.”
A baritone voice, playful, apologetic. Tenma caught a movement near the top, where sagging nets took up a portion of one lofty corner. A figure rolled out of the hammock, slowing a seemingly heedless descent with the help of tightropes and unnatural—or at least inhuman—grace. He landed a short distance away, and when he straightened to his full height, Tenma had to look up.
“Good evening, Tenma Subaru.”
Goh Impleer might be a monkey, but that wasn’t obvious at a glance. With the elfin ears, claws, and a fang-tipped smile, he looked like any other Rivven. No animal traits. Thick ropes of reddish hair hung well past Goh-sensei’s shoulders, except for the parts framing his face. A ruddy shock stuck every which way, a cross between bedhead and the frizzled aftermath of a lightning strike.
Lamplight sparkled through a rakish collection of rings and dangling gems piercing Goh-sensei’s ears. Maybe they did stuff, like warding or amplification. Of course, it was equally possible he liked to accessorize.
He was broad in the chest and long of limb, and he wore loose pants and a sleeveless shirt. Could these be his pajamas? That was an awkward thought. Tenma tried to remember the thing about Rivven and sleep patterns. They did sleep, he was sure. Hadn’t he woken up in the middle of the Five’s slumber party?
Tenma was staring and stalling. And the Rivven was letting him get a good look. Suddenly self-conscious, he mumbled, “Hello, sir. Sorry, sir.”
“Call meGoh.” He strolled forward, beckoned for him to come all the way in, and closed the door. “You’re a pleasant surprise. No need to be nervous, pup.”
“Pup?” he ventured.
With a light touch at the elbow, Goh guided him to a cushioned bench and sat beside him. “Harmonious wouldn’t take you in without letting it be known that you’re under his protection.”
“Heannouncedit?”
“To the faculty,” Goh-sensei confirmed. “Such are the dealings of dogs—more honesty than subtlety. But one always knows where one stands.”
Tenma’s face was heating. But he was also sort of …pleasedthat Quen’s dad had been serious about the whole packmate thing.
“What brings you to my door?” With a faint smile, he asked, “Trouble with our new student, perhaps?”
“Inti’s no trouble, but … thisisabout him. How did you know?”
“Oh, I have my ways.”
Goh’s evasiveness had a coaxing quality, as if trying to draw Tenma further into conversation. So he felt comfortable asking, “Like what?”
“I have an excellent sense of smell. And he’s shed upon you. Groomed you, too, I’d wager.” He lifted a few hairs from Tenma’s sleeve. “But I’ll confess to some curiosity about our newest student, whose lineage is unmistakable. As it happens, watching him meant watching you.”
“We’re in the same triad. Well, we’re four now, so … quad?”
The teacher smoothed his finger over his lower lip, half-hiding a smile. “Is that your excuse for his sudden and persistent inseparability?”
Tenma answered slowly, unsure if he was being teased or misunderstood. “Inti was uneasy at first. He’s fine though. Everyone in class likes him.”
“But you are his favorite.”
“Yes.”
