Page 148 of Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate
“As Sinder was cheeky enough to point out, Tabigarasu may well be my father-in-law. I can hardly ignore the connection.”
Akira couldn’t help smiling. “Jacques talked to you?”
Argent sniffed. “He talks incessantly. I occasionally listen.”
“Sis would like his idea.”
“She does indeed.”
Akira was kind of surprised. “You talked to her?”
That earned him a flat look. “Formidable though her faith may be, it need not be blind.”
“I just meant … well, you don’t have a phone.”
“While I am quite willing to foster her hopes, I find greater satisfaction in fulfilling them.” Argent’s expression could be so much more difficult to read away from home. “Tsumiko dreams of me.”
“Oh. Right. Fox dreams,” Akira murmured.
Suuzu quietly added, “Fulfilling hopes by fostering children.”
“Well said.” Argent shooed them away. “Go. Wander about in plain sight. It does not matter what you do, so long as you remain inside my wards.”
Indicating the restaurants, Akira asked, “Need anything?”
“I am content,” replied Suuzu.
“Want to see the sights?”
With a faint smile, Suuzu said, “Show me the things you have seen.”
The security guard waved them through without a ticket, and Suuzu’s soft trill echoed in the cool, dark central hub. Time slowed as Suuzu moved from one exhibit to the next, and it was just how Akira knew it would be. Suuzu read every plaque. He asked innocuous questions. And he never once let go of Akira.
On the fourth floor, they reached the eerily exact replica of the Bamboo Stave. Akira asked, “Can you tell it’s an illusion?”
“No.”
As they stood gazing, Suuzu’s hand slid to Akira’s shoulder. His thumb kneaded lightly against the tattoo hidden under Akira’s shirt. “Are you still figuring out the sigil?”
“It is unusually complicated.”
“Argent and Michael worked on it together. Maybe Lapis, too.”
“Their sigilcraft is beyond me.”
“But it’s also for you.” Akira searched Suuzu’s face. “You said it called to you? What was that like?”
“It is unlike anything.” Suuzu’s gaze turned inward for several long moments. “I need more time with you. Preferably alone.”
Uncle Jackie hadn’t given them any privacy the previous night. Akira suspected that Argent was limiting how much information Suuzu could gather before they’d be parted. What little conversation they’d managed had been confined to texting, which wasn’t ideal for soul-searching.
“Maybe we can get Zuzu on our side? She’d definitely smuggle us into one of her hammocks.”
Suuzu’s chin dipped to his chest, and he peeped at Akira out of the corner of his eye. “A good idea.”
Akira slid a half-step closer, casually bumping into him. According to Kimi, in bird code, he was essentially inviting Suuzu to take him under his wing. Which was really more like giving his friend permission to indulge a nagging instinct. Some of the things Suuzu wanted were so simple, it was silly to withhold them.
Suuzu’s smile was shy. That was kind of new.
