[It's mumbled, hard to hear under his breath but just clear enough to make out - more of a slightly awkward attempt to explain his behavior to himself than anything he means her to respond to. There's nothing embarrassing about this, he's just behaving in a manner consistent with the way of the warrior that he strives to live by, this is totally a...normal...thing.
(He's having a hard time buying his own excuse that his outburst has anything to do with properly adhering to bushido, right now.)]
[ As sassy as Chizuru can be at times, she can also be a little oblivious or gullible at other times.. and honestly, with Saitou being.. well, Saitou, what he's saying right now isn't even that hard to just believe literally. ]
Even all of this.. for Saitou-san, it has to do with bushido? [ Yes, she's saying it completely genuinely and curiously. Even while they're still this close. ]
[- isn't as much about bushido as he'd like to pretend it is, to be honest (and of course he feels the need to be honest), but perhaps there is a better way to explain it.]
...it is about the kind of person I hope to be.
[And that, indeed, has a lot to do with bushido, but this is less about being a warrior and more about being someone worthy of the respect he affords that position.]
[ The kind of person he hopes to be.. she can't help but think about it for a moment when he mentions that. Sure, her first impression of the Shinsengumi thanks to the way she ran into them wasn't exactly the best thing ever and there was a good while where she was just more or less frightened by them despite staying in their headquarters. But slowly, over time, she's gotten to know them better. Well enough apparently that Saitou would really consider doing something like this with her, standing here all pressed up against each other to take cover from the rain, kissing her..
But in a way, he's never changed much from the way she first saw him. The way he presents him is just the way he is, genuinely, honestly-- it's just that the extra things he can't express as well that lay underneath it take a little bit before you can notice them. A surprising gentle care for things, a complete devotion to everything he does.
After a quiet moment of thinking about it, she softly draws in a slight breath. ]
I don't think I know for sure what kind of person you hope to be. [ Or rather, she wouldn't want to make any assumptions about it - it'd be rude. ] But.. I think the way you are now, the Saitou that k--.. kissed me.. [ give her a moment to stutter at her dokis, okay. ]
[He's never going to turn a normal color again if she keeps this up, gosh.
His gaze finds some undefined point off to the side to fix on for a moment, because he's flustered and things like that only make it worse, but -
- but then he takes a deep breath, and moves his eyes back up to meet hers, because while he has a feeling he already knows, that's the best way for him to be certain of what he thinks - hopes - is true.
And since Chizuru is a little thick, she may not realise just how flustered Saitou is at those statement.. because to her, rather than flattery, they're just the truth. All the men of the Shinsengumi are admirable in their own way, and Saitou is no exception. If anything, it's like she's able to understand him even more thanks to their moments here.
So she looks up at him, when he causes their gazes to meet. There's a slight hint of confusion or surprise in her glance, as if she's wondering why he's staring at her like that, but she doesn't want to ask it out loud. It'd feel too much like she's breaking something in the atmosphere here that way. ]
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[It's mumbled, hard to hear under his breath but just clear enough to make out - more of a slightly awkward attempt to explain his behavior to himself than anything he means her to respond to. There's nothing embarrassing about this, he's just behaving in a manner consistent with the way of the warrior that he strives to live by, this is totally a...normal...thing.
(He's having a hard time buying his own excuse that his outburst has anything to do with properly adhering to bushido, right now.)]
no subject
Even all of this.. for Saitou-san, it has to do with bushido? [ Yes, she's saying it completely genuinely and curiously. Even while they're still this close. ]
no subject
[- isn't as much about bushido as he'd like to pretend it is, to be honest (and of course he feels the need to be honest), but perhaps there is a better way to explain it.]
...it is about the kind of person I hope to be.
[And that, indeed, has a lot to do with bushido, but this is less about being a warrior and more about being someone worthy of the respect he affords that position.]
no subject
But in a way, he's never changed much from the way she first saw him. The way he presents him is just the way he is, genuinely, honestly-- it's just that the extra things he can't express as well that lay underneath it take a little bit before you can notice them. A surprising gentle care for things, a complete devotion to everything he does.
After a quiet moment of thinking about it, she softly draws in a slight breath. ]
I don't think I know for sure what kind of person you hope to be. [ Or rather, she wouldn't want to make any assumptions about it - it'd be rude. ] But.. I think the way you are now, the Saitou that k--.. kissed me.. [ give her a moment to stutter at her dokis, okay. ]
.. That's already an amazing person to me.
no subject
His gaze finds some undefined point off to the side to fix on for a moment, because he's flustered and things like that only make it worse, but -
- but then he takes a deep breath, and moves his eyes back up to meet hers, because while he has a feeling he already knows, that's the best way for him to be certain of what he thinks - hopes - is true.
That she truly means that, in her heart.]
no subject
And since Chizuru is a little thick, she may not realise just how flustered Saitou is at those statement.. because to her, rather than flattery, they're just the truth. All the men of the Shinsengumi are admirable in their own way, and Saitou is no exception. If anything, it's like she's able to understand him even more thanks to their moments here.
So she looks up at him, when he causes their gazes to meet. There's a slight hint of confusion or surprise in her glance, as if she's wondering why he's staring at her like that, but she doesn't want to ask it out loud. It'd feel too much like she's breaking something in the atmosphere here that way. ]