#I feel like this is me when I shove my manga fangirling in other people's faces

[softomi]

now accepting boyfriend applications: literature

synopsis: phone dead, laptop gone, guess it’s an old fashioned having to sit down and talk to the boys who apparently are interested in the position of being your boyfriend. first; you just have to make it to your literature class. 

series: now accepting boyfriend applications

previous: now accepting boyfriend applications

next up: intro to business 

series taglist: @kyomihann @chesley-cant-deal @bluearmufs @your-consulting-fangirl @itsmeaudrieee @winunk @aegiseterna @katelyns-stuff @mochipk @3rachachoo @kyuudere

*bold means I wasn’t able to tag you*

general taglist: @graykageyama @tsumue @thesorebae @micasaessakusa @alouphen @waitforitillwritemywayout

Your phone was still charging, it’s in your bag plugged into a power bank and you’re hoping it’ll charge enough soon. You’ve made it to campus with five minutes to spare, you can already see Akaashi through the windows of the class. He’s absolutely cute and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about what it would be like to date him, but you were so blissfully in love with your ex that you never took the chance to fully indulge yourself to fantasize.

And while he’s in class looking like he just walked right out of a manga in a university setting; you look exactly as it would sound like, as if you just woke up and ran to campus. Your hair is a mess, you tried running through campus attempting to put it up in a bun, it’s lopsided and you’re using the hood of your sweatshirt to try and cover up the mess of a mop it is. It doesn’t help that the only reason you’re wearing a sweatshirt is because you didn’t have time to put on a bra so yeah, you’re walking around campus with no bra on and the ugly sweatpants with wine stains on it doesn’t do you justice either. You’re even decked out with a pair of sandals.

Honestly, how were you going to walk into class, look at Akaashi in the face, and just act as if he didn’t send you a boyfriend application. When he sees you, he’ll definitely retract his resume.

There’s two minutes left and you’re awkwardly poking your head in. No one is giving you the time of day but it feels like all eyes are on you when you step in. Perhaps you shouldn’t be too ashamed of your looks as you’re nearing the end of the semester and most girls have switched out their cute skirts for tracksuit pants.

You’re slowly going towards your seat, Akaashi diligently writing in his notebook and he finally looks up. Through his glasses, he meets your gaze, his lips slowly part and he’s blinking as if wondering if you were really you. As you pull into your seat, he stares down at his notebook, he’s stopped writing and everything in you is just screaming at you to not scream out loud because there was no going back on this weird friendship type relationship that you two have developed.

Akaashi shuffles in his seat, his body is turned to face you and he’s so close to opening his mouth when the teacher’s voice makes his thoughts stop. He turns back to face the front, no words exchanged as you pull out your notebook, pencil, and charging cell phone that’s just reached fifteen percent. For the first time since the beginning of the semester, you’re going to take notes and listen intently to this hour and fifteen-minute long lecture.

Only ten minutes have passed and your professor has done nothing but decided to review on what the difference between a primary article and a secondary article is because some people just don’t understand why Wikipedia is not an official source. You peek a look over at Akaashi. He, too, seems incredibly bored but his hardworking nature has him at least trying to focus on the professor despite the pen in his hand drawing circles on his notepad.

When he looks over at you, a small smile on his lips, you’re quick to turn away with a blush on your cheeks.

At thirty minutes, your phone is dancing on the edge of thirty percent. It’s enough to get you to start looking through your phone and you find yourself once again clicking on Akaashi’s email. You lean your arm onto the desk, tilting your body just enough that you think he wouldn’t be able to see that you’re looking at his boyfriend application.

You’re skipping passed official details, instead ceasing the scrolling when you reach his skillset. It’s all very professional sounding despite him referring to relationship and dating. It makes you crack a smile, you want to laugh out loud and not because it’s funny but because it’s actually really cute.

One of my skillsets is my height, considering your shorter height, I will be able to provide assistance whenever needed. While I may once in a while enjoy your smaller stature, I will try not to bring it up repeatedly to spare you of your feelings.

You bite down on your lower lip, suppressing the immense grin that wants to grow on your face. Through the strands of your hair, you peek another glance at him. This time he’s removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes slowly, a small yawn falling through his lips.

My biggest weakness is my busy schedule. I spend most of my days working part-time at the campus library and studying. As a literature major, I have multiple readings, essays, and assignments which may hinder my time to have a steady relationship but I believe that this weakness will later play a role as a strength in how devoted I am to what I love.

Well, that just made your heart skip ten beats.

My future goals include working as an editor, but right now my shorter-term goal would be to graduate with my literature degree on time. Another short-term goal I had developed over the semester was to ask you out on a date.

Your stomach spirals, you’re internally groaning at how cute this actually was.

“There’s twenty minutes left of class, during this time I’d like you to discuss with your revision partner about your last draft.”

Shit. You’re screaming in your head because this was not happening. Now you had to talk to Akaashi. The voices of students have now taken over the classroom, when you turn to look at Akaashi, a meek smile on you as he’s staring with his head tilted.

“Are you alright?” He’s asking so nicely, his voice soft and genuine. It feels like forever since someone has been so sweet to you.

Your hand reaches to scratch the back of your neck, a weak curve on your lips, “It’s been a pretty hectic twenty-four hours.”

Akaashi leans on his desk, cheek pressed against his palm and he’s asking, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Your lips fall into a small pout because he’s just so sincere. He’s always been. Maybe that was why you had just the teeniest of crush on him earlier in the semester because he remembered the small details. When he noticed you switched from coffee to tea, you ranted to him for five minutes about how your boyfriend was adamant on you changing your lifestyle by switching to healthier options. The next class time you had together, Akaashi brought you coffee because as long as your boyfriend didn’t know then it was alright.

“Are you sure you want to listen to me?” You quirk a brow at him, “Because I’ll talk for the rest of the time.”

Akaashi sits up straight, flipping his notebook, pen ready in hand, “I must have forgotten to list listening as one of my strengths.” Your face burns all of a sudden, he has the smallest smirk on his face when he turns back to you, “I’ll take notes, tell me what’s wrong.”

You’re not used to someone listening to you, you’re used to someone interrupting you. It felt awkward at first, just letting everything roll off your tongue, and your eyes keep darting to the way his pen moves against his notebook. Was he actually taking notes of your rant? When you finish, he’s smiling, there’s a warmth to his grin that has you internally groaning.

“What did you write down?” You’re leaning over now, trying to get a good look at his notebook and you don’t even notice that the embarrassment in you has lifted. You’re no longer plagued with awkwardness like you were an hour ago.

Akaashi tilts his notebook for you to clearly see his handwriting. A wide smile taking over your expression. She’s cute when she’s talking. He was indeed more straightforward than you had imagined, you pictured him as shy and cute, while he was definitely the latter, he came off boldly.

“If I have to be honest.” He states suddenly, “My friend threw together that application and then sent it to you and then messaged you.” Your expression falters but he’s adverting his eyes just slightly, “I was too shy to try and message to ask if you were alright and well, my friend tends to get a little out of hand.” He’s grinning once more, rubbing the back of his neck, “I guess it sort of worked out in the end.”

The professor’s voice draws your attention, “Once you’re done discussing with your partner, you’re free to leave.”

You look at the time, sparing a glance to Akaashi, “I’m sorry, I have to get to my next class.” You’re shoving your stuff into your backpack and he also quickly packs up.

“I’ll walk you.” He’s so eager that he almost knocks over his coffee cup, “I mean if it’s alright with you?”

“Sure, my next class is.”

Akaashi interjects, “Intro to Business, across campus.”

You’re surprised he remembers, a little impressed that it feels like he’s leading the way to your next class. For a moment it’s silent, you can tell he’s a little nervous but heck you’re also very nervous.

“You said two other guys sent you an application?”

Slowly you nod, “I mean one’s definitely a no, he’s just so cocky, definitely not my type. The other?” You think for a moment, “He’s really nice, funny, and we’ve kind of built up a friendship over the semester.” You notice how silent Akaashi has suddenly fallen.

“So.” Akaashi is quiet, “Then you would say that I’m up against him?” The two of you have stopped in front of your class, Akaashi staring down at you; the look in his eyes suddenly changes. He was getting competitive, “I’ll make sure to win you over.”

Your cheeks dust with a blush. He’s suddenly digging in his bag; he pulls out a baseball style cap. His hand tugging back your hood, undoing your sloppy bun to let your hair fall down. Your heart races at the way he sneaks in a stroke through your hair before fitting the cap onto your head. It’s loosely hanging until he leans into you, he smells of a deep forest and you’re tempted to just wrap your fingers on his t-shirt and pull him in a little bit more.

“You’ll probably be more comfortable with a hat than a hood.” He pulls away once he’s fixed the strap but his scent lingers momentarily, “You should get to class.” He states sweetly, taking in the cute way you’re trying to hide your face with his hat.

“I’ll message you.” You say as you slowly hang around the doorway to your class, “To return the hat.” And possibly more. You think.

The moment you turn away, a blushing grin on you with your heart beating rapidly; everything stops when you come face to face with Kuroo Tetsuro. He’s got a cheeky look on him, slightly eyeing the man still lingering outside of the classroom. The two men meet gazes and there’s a sharp sting between the two; an acknowledgement of an opponent.

[teeth-and-tea]

ANIME & MANGA I HAVE BINGED IN THE LAST MONTH: May 2021

I've Been Hunting Slimes for the Past 300 Years and Now Ive Maxed Out My Level: incredibly long name aside, cute af slice of life that suffers Same Face Syndrome. I'm still happy to watch it because of how feel good and fluffy it is though, Im probably gonna forget about it in two or three years tho. 8/10.

Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro: I found out this was a webcomic first and suddenly all the HORNINESS made so much more sense. A Femdom, Degradation, Humiliation, Dacryphilia Bullies to Lovers story disguised as a high school rom-com which, I'm not going to lie, misses SKEEVY CITY by mere inches on a regular basis. However, I'm a Dom/Switch and this entire relationship sets off my dom brain center like New York City just shy of midnight. So if you're into that sort of scene, this anime is for you. If not, it's still fascinating but you're probably gonna be a little put off by how mean the Girl!Bully is to the guy MC. Unless you find out something about yourself, in which case, congrats! Stay safe, sane, consensual, and learn about the traffic light system on top of safe words, I promise you'll have a better life in general after that. Still Ongoing, currently 10/10.

Fruits Basket: IM GONNA CRY I LOVE THIS ANIME SO MUCH???? The original anime came out when I was in... I think middle school and my parents were really strict on what I watched so I never got to experience the first wave and I never bothered to watch the show ever after I moved out of the house years later. However, now that I'm much older I honestly can say this is one of my favorite anime to date, and all the characters are charming, lovable, with their own problems that I can connect to or sympathize with, and I love the MC which is always a treat tbh. Except Akito. Akito can suck a sandpaper dick. I'm only on S2 tho so no spoilers! Anime 11/10.

Monster Girl Doctor: went in thinking it was gonna be a monster girl who's a doctor with a homoerotic assistant (her name is SAPPHY okay sue me for thinking it) and ended up watching the entire dubbed harem series. Honestly, I've seen worse and this one has consistent follow-through on interesting characters and backstory enough for me to shove aside the blatant under-monstrousness of the female monsters and the harem-ness of everything else. Dubbing is honestly really good, which is a treat, and the monster designs are not the worst and the MC is tolerable. Honestly, I don't mind having watched it! The mix of cgi and the traditional animation together work pretty strangely though, and it often doesn't flow super well. 7.5/10

So I'm a Spider, So What: Dubbed version which honestly isn't that bad. Took me a bit to get into it, but after realizing that it's got a mismatched timeline a la The Witcher, it made so much more sense. Heavily done in cgi, and you can definitely tell between the 2D and 3D animations, but not the worst in the world. I went in not expecting much but it ended up being an Issekai I can stand and even enjoy. On god has a decent story... with the spider. I'd be a liar if I didnt say I skipped some of the human parts just to get back to the best part of the show. 8/10.

Somali and the Forest Spirit: I'm so fucking nostalgic for this thing it makes me want to go and hug my dad. About a human girl under threat of being eaten with a monster-dominated world. Very obvious "humans fear what they don't understand" message but instead of the humans learning tolerance it's what happens when they get annihilated first so like, kudos for the mangaka for having the guts to do that. I cried like a baby regularly. It's really good, I watched the dub and ID WATCH IT AGAIN!!! 9/10.

To Your Eternity: Oh my god. O h my g o d. Fell in love on the first episode, ngl. About if an immortal being learned how to be a person from scratch. I love it. HOWEVER. Keep a box of tissues on you at all times because you're gonna need them. I'm only on EP7 because that's all that's out right now but just know. I love it. Not for everyone but certainly for my "what do we define as human and the human condition" ass. 12/10.

Those Snow White Notes: A sports anime without any sports. About shamisen playing which is cool because I never realized how cool this instrument was??? Its neat af. OP1&2 are by Burnout Syndrom so know theyre fire. Gonna be real, its pretty alright, but not extraordinary. You can tell they were using the characters as archetypes rather than actually characters which kinda kills a lot of the emotional value you could've had, but I'm still gonna watch it. It doesn't make me cringe as hard as other sports anime tho so I consider it toptier in that regards but if you're a big sports anime fan you might be bummed out by it. Every single musical performance is INCREDIBLE tho. A solid 8/10.

Toilet Bound Hanako-kun: THE ART OMFG IT'S SO GORGEOUS. Listen, if you took coptic markers and gave them an animation budget with some manga panel direction thrown in there, that's this anime. It's beautiful. Gorgeous. I'm in love with the aesthetic every second. Story? Really good. Characters? I love the MC and his evil little twin brother asshat. Demons? Not super imaginative but I'm carrying on happy as can be anyways. Dubbing? A bit shaky at times but I found the voices charming if a little off for some of them. I'm already waiting for the second season with popcorn at the ready. 10/10.

Prison School: I watched this directly after Hanako-kun and it was like I got slapped in the face by sweaty unwashed titties and some fedora wearing schmuck's piss kink. No character is likable or redeemable. I finished it, but at what cost? 2/10 and only because a character shit his pants and I laughed.

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle: watched this right after Prison School and it was NECESSARY tbh. Its so CUTE and honestly, im not even kidding you, the fucking funniest anime I've seen in months. I watched the dub and the VAs are having the time of their lives working on this anime not just giving it their all but literally just going ham. Its great. If I read this im sure id be bored outta my mind but the VAs giving it a joyous performance make it an insta fave for me tbh. 9/10.

Sk8 the Infinity: i watched the dub with my bro and I can confirm that its a spectacular show because we both loved it and we have vastly different tastes. Incredibly SUSPENSFUL AND STRESSFUL for an anime about skateboarding but we finished it in a single sitting tbh. The last episode is not dubbed for some reason but we still loved it. Like if Free! was less obnoxious but the only fan-service here is Joe ♡ a beefcake who owns my lesbian heart. I think there's exactly one named female character tho and I legit couldn't tell you what it was if there was a gun to my head. So, over all, 9.5/10.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: I'm going to be entirely honest, I went in thinking it was going to be a boring isekai of no value. I was right about the Isekai part. It was honestly pretty interesting and focused on nation building like you're playing civilization rather than the usual "Get Stronger" narrative or "Get Some Pussy" narrative most isekais take which is delightfully refreshing. Granted there are flavors of that in this which means it doesn't alienate the big isekai watchers out there, but it's not the whole dish and it doesn't make me want to cringe the same way others do. You've got a slime MC just vibing and building a nation of monsters nbd. Does lose points for making the female monsters more humanoid than their male counterparts but makes them back by only doing perfunctory fan-service and nothing that makes me want to cry... except the butt sumo episode but in fairness it was all a terrible dream. Literally, the MC refuses to dream anymore after that. solid animation, decent voice acting, decent story, made me realize how HUGE this is in the Light Novel community???? There's like 18 fucking novels and that's WILD. 8.5/10.

MANGA:

Spirit Photographer Saburo Kono: a one shot special by the mangaka of The Promised Neverland! Honestly a really delicate touch of both super creepy and really touching, and I'm not gonna lie I'm bummed that this isn't a bigger project but the single chapter makes it a good taste for their style. I've been wondering if I wanna read/watch The Promised Neverland and now I think I will. 10/10

Deranged Detective Ron Kamonohashi: from the mangaka of Hitman Reborn comes this Sherlock and Watson derivative! Not even 20 chapters out yet with a sort of spotty schedule, I honestly love it even thought it's exactly as you expect. HOWEVER. Kamonohashi the "Sherlock" character uses mental pressure to kill all confirmed murderers and it's up to Toto the "Watson" character to save all those people before Kamonohashi kills them! It's just recently introduced a "Moriarty" family of crime lords (not a big spoiler don't worry it was obvious) so the tension surrounding Ron's past is amping up rn. Personally, I think the art is GORGEOUS, the characters engaging, and the story quick enough to keep my interest. Most mysteries are solved within a chapter or two so you're not stuck 20 chapters into one locked room mystery which is just peachy tbh. RN, 10/10. If this gets an anime, I anticipate a legion of fangirls who ship the two main characters along with their many friends. I've been alive too long to believe otherwise.

Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro: Yeah I read the manga after I watched the show. A slower build than the anime, but it works for the format, if theyd done the same with the show then I don't think it wouldve done as well. Honestly? Cuter tbh but just as horny. You dont start really LEARNING about your character until like, chap 65 tho and no real "drama" happens until like 75. A good chunk of the chapters are like 8pgs so its a breeze to get through. I love these slow burn idiots of the century. 9.5/10 because you can DEFINITELY tell the mangaka does hentai too.

Yugen's All-Ghouls Homeroom: one-shot by the mangaka for Food Wars, it's no wonder there's this constant perviness from the MC, a guy who can see and exorcise spirits. Takes place at an all girl's finishing school with KICK ASS monsters tbh, kinda bummed its not longer. The MC? Blatant monsterfucker who is also a CONFRIMED monsterfucker???? Idk i vibe with that single emotion. Everything else is hit or miss. 7/10 for monsters and cool concept, lost points for the MC very pointedly being okay with admitting he'd wait for the teenagers to be adults tho. Creepy af. Could live without that.

Hell's Paradise: I finished the entire 127chps in 3 days and I was really enthusiastic about it 90% of the time thinking about how deep it was and then I actually thought about it and I ended up being very neutral about the whole thing tbh. The art is fantastic tho, but DEFINITELY deserving of the M rating. Tits. Tits everywhere. But not tits to be ecchi over, no, monster hermit tits on beautiful women-ish figures. Now generally I give that a pass but a huge theme in the story is that men and women are "no better than one or the other" but like, lady tits are what you see 99% of the time. Men tits are few and far between. I call bullshit on most of the "deep" themes is what I'm saying, so it's like the mangaka was trying for those deep thoughts but missed the margin a little too far for my preference. That being said, the MC is a married man who loves his wife which automatically makes him my favorite character so like... idk so many good things, so many misses, but overall really spectacular themes and imagery. Unique but classic all at once. It's getting an anime and I have NO IDEA how much censorship they're gonna be doing but they're going to be doing SO MUCH. Oh yeah, and one guy is a plant/human hybrid who fucks a 1000 year old plant-hermit which makes him a canon monster fucker. And one canon non-binary character who I, a nonbinary, actually like. So like... gosh I've got mixed feelings. 8.5/10.

Choujin X: From Sui Ishida, mangaka to the mega hit Tokyo Ghoul comes this brand new manga!... Of one chapter, lol. Not really binge-y because it's just the one chapter out right now but I'm already keeping my eye on it. The grasp on anatomy in the art is PHENOMENAL and you can see Ishida flexing his art skill which is great. Can't give a true rating but I'm giving it a tentative 9/10 because I'm excited to see more.

Shag&Scoob: technically not a manga, its an ongoing webcomic I binged an subscribed to in one day and I just think it deserves more attention. Starts off funny with "what if Scooby Doo had a gun" and has been led to "what if all cartoons are aliens that survive and receive their powers by the humans that love them in an epic war with Martians." On god, its good. I finished the current series in a couple hours so it's a breezy read, highly recommend it. 9/10.

To Your Eternity: Yeah I watched the anime and then finished all current 143 chapters in like 3 days. GOD IM WEAK. I don't buy physical manga unless I know I want to remember the story forever and I'm already budgeting for the current books out. Yeah, this is a good series. That being said, definitely not for the faint of heart or those who suffer under common triggers like suicide, molestation, death, etc. It's all framed as bad and necessary to the story don't get me wrong, but it's there and has lasting affects on the characters. Incredible story telling by the creator of A Silent Voice. Keep tissues nearby at all times. 12/10.

[darkblueboxs]

The Manga is Way Better (Save me from the Fangirls)

Read here or on AO3

Inspired by an absurd GC conversation feat. @hope-coeurell and @karmacharmeleon18 about exy anime in the aftg universe.

Neil wakes up to eleven hundred new twitter followers overnight, which sets off alarm bells for a number of reasons.

He didn’t want the damn account, but his publicist insisted, and Carol rules Neil’s public life with an iron fist. He leaves her to post generically upbeat tweets on his behalf about the exy world, and in return he tries not to start any fights that she’ll have to finish. Emphasis on tries.

He assumes that the influx of followers is down to some vaguely rude retort going viral that he’d already forgotten making, but to his bafflement most of the new followers seem to have cartoon avatars and names that are more emoji than letter. He clicks on one profile out of curiosity, understands about one word in five, and promptly loses interest.

He puts it down to the ramp up in interest caused by the approaching world cup and shuts off his phone. The muggy SoCal heat makes Neil drowsier than he usually would be, but the sound of Andrew brewing coffee in the kitchen is enough to drag Neil from bed. They’re only on the western coast for a few days while the national team attends a few mandatory press junkets and board meetings, and Neil would resent it more if not for the opportunity to spend time with his family.

They’re actually scheduled for a day off, but Kevin pulled every contact he had with the Trojans to bag use of their court for the day, and he’s dragging every player he can in with him. Luckily for them, it’s the off-season, so the only players they’re booting from their own pitch are the ones with nothing better to do on their break.

The fox’s group chat is buzzing regularly on the ride to the stadium, but Neil ignores it for the city sights rolling by his window. Neither he nor Andrew have visited this part of California before; it leaves a far better impression than their previous experiences with the state.

It’s when he arrives in the locker room to find Matt and a few other players huddled around a phone screen that the alarm bells return.

Matt looks up, takes one look at Neil, and bursts out laughing. “Hey, look, it’s Niall Jamestown.”

Neil gives him a deliberately blank look as he shoulders his bag from his shoulder. “Morning, Matt.”

“You’ve watched this, right? Tell me you’ve watched this.”

Neil glances to Andrew, who seems to know as much as Neil does, before replying. “No?”

“Oh my God,” says Matt, and shoves the phone in Neil’s face.

The sight he is met with is baffling to say the least; a bunch of cartoon boys with brightly coloured hair yelling at each other in Japanese the middle of an exy court.

“Japanese soap opera?” Neil guesses.

“Just wait.”

Neil watches with disinterest. The doors to the cartoon court bang open and the lights flicker as the music crescendos, building up to some dramatic reveal.

A kid with red hair, blue eyes and a scarred face steps into frame. “I’m Niall Jamestown,” say the subtitles as the character slings a racquet across his shoulders. “And I’m going to beat you all!” Then the screen goes black.

Neil is genuinely speechless.

“You’re an anime character, Neil!” Matt beams. “How cool is that?”

Neil looks back to his cartoon doppelganger. “What the fuck is anime?”

*

Neil is acutely aware of when the next episode comes out, because his twitter following jumps wildly again. He has a lot of new messages, although none of them seem to really be directed at him.

“Do not fucking talk to me about fucking King of the Court,” Kevin snaps as they toss a ball back and forth.

“It’s a show about exy, isn’t it?” Neil says. “Why wouldn’t you like it?”

“It’s thinly-veiled Raven propaganda that shows no respect for actual exy rules. They have a distant cousin of the Moriyamas on the creative team because they figured it might be a good merchandising opportunity, but thankfully the manga never really took off in America.” Kevin’s expression darkens. “The new TV adaptation, on the other hand…”

When Neil continues to look at him blankly, Kevin rolls his eyes and explains, “A Manga is like a comic book.”

Neil nearly drops the ball. “I’m a comic book character, too?”

“No, they’ve clearly changed the character’s name and appearance in the remake to make him look like you. They’re going to make you look like an asshole.”

Neil thought he was used to being on television; it turns out he was sorely mistaken. He shrugs. “I’m pretty good at doing that by myself already.”

Kevin throws the next ball to him harder than necessary. It whistles past Neil’s right ear; an inch to the side and it would have been a black eye. The whack of a racket against the ground clatters from the other side of the court, Andrew’s idea of a friendly warning. “Take this seriously.”

“It’s a cartoon, Kevin, how on earth do I take it seriously?”

“I wasn’t exaggerating when I said it was Raven propaganda,” Kevin snaps. “The main team, the protagonist, they’re very…” Kevin trails off. “Just go look it up when you get home.”

Neil tries ten minutes of the first episode, but quickly loses interest when he realises there’s more heartfelt speeches about friendship and teamwork than there is actual playing. Kevin’s right, though; the main team, Iwatobi Crows, are a clear stand-in for the Ravens with their black-on-red uniforms. They’re supposed to be the underdog team, which is hilarious, but worst of all is their captain, a charismatic, friendly, dark-haired teenager with a conspicuous beauty-spot on his left cheekbone.

Neil retches quietly before throwing his laptop aside and vowing never to think about the show again.

*

“People on twitter are yelling at me.” Neil frowns. “A lot.”

“This is not news,” Andrew says without raising his eyes from his book.

“This one says I ‘hurt her precious baby.’” Neil scrolls. “They could be a little more creative with their death threats.”

Death threats is enough to pique Andrew’s interest. He takes Neil’s phone and scrolls for several minutes, the crease between his eyebrows deepening slightly. He hands the phone back. “Your cartoon alter-ego is insulting their precious king.”

Neil snorts. He plays a clip beneath one of the tweets showing Neil’s character and Riko’s in a heated argument. It’s melodramatic and darkly lit, and fake-Neil’s smile is wide and sharp as he tells Riko his team will never amount to anything. “You are destined for failure,” Niall snarls. “Pathetic.”

It isn’t meant to be funny; it’s meant to be cruel and devastating, but Neil laughs. “This guy is growing on me.”

Andrew shakes his head as he returns to his book. “Don’t come crying to me when the fangirls break your face.”

Neil snorts. “I’d trust you to patch me up again after.”

Andrew raises an eyebrow but doesn’t deny it.

*

“One of my co-workers has asked me for your autograph,” Nicky says, his voice cracking and jumping across the videocall. “Think you can get a poster to me before Christmas?”

“Easily. I can get a hold of some national team merch as well if she-”

Nicky cuts him off with a snort. “No, it’s cool, she isn’t really into exy.”

At the kitchen counter behind him, Andrew’s knife stalls over the carrots. They share a baffled look.

“What?” says Neil eventually.

“Oh, yeah, she doesn’t follow exy or anything, she’s just really into that show, what’s it called? King of the Castle?”

“Something like that.” Neil says, keeping his expression remarkably straight. “You’ve heard about it?”

“Are you kidding me? The whole anime world is talking about it. Not that I’m deep in the weeb community or anything, I just followed a few people for posting those cute yaoi ice-skating gifs a while back and they’ve been talking about nothing else in months.”

Neil understands some of those words. “Okay.”

“Say, Neil, do you know what a ship is?”

“Like, a boat?”

Andrew reaches past Neil and hits the end call button. “Not today.”

Neil nods, feeling as though he has just been saved from something unfathomably vast and dangerous. “Not today.”

*

Robin sends a picture of the photo wall in the Foxhole Court’s lounge. Someone has put up a poster of Anime Neil in one corner. It’s life-size, and he glares across the room with overshiny blue eyes, a leather jacket thrown over his shoulder as he scowls. She accompanies the message with a simple smiley emoji, but Neil isn’t fooled.

Not funny, Neil texts back.

He’s taller than you, she replies.

*

“What are you going to do about it?” Kevin says on one of their phone calls. “You can’t let them burn your reputation to the ground like this. They’re portraying you as a mouthy bad-boy who listens to no one and breaks all the rules.”

“Just like real life, then,” Andrew says loudly enough that Kevin can hear.

“Kevin, some kid’s cartoon isn’t going to affect my exy career,” Neil says, scooping Sir onto his lap as he talks. “It’s about how well I play.”

“It’s about image, Neil. Your publicist will agree. Has she considered suing for defamation? I know some good lawyers if-”

“She’s looked into it.” Neil had watched Carol’s growing exasperation with detached amusement; she was, as far as he knew, a good person, but watching her having a meltdown over a cartoon caricature had been mildly entertaining regardless. Neil just couldn’t bring himself to see what all the fuss was about. “They’ve changed my name, so it’s a no-go.”

Kevin makes an exaggeratedly pained sound. Neil doesn’t have to picture his expression; he knows all too well what Kevin’s disappointed face looks like.

“You’re taking this heavily,” says Neil. Then, “Did make you into a character too or something-?”

Kevin hangs up.

*

“Neil, how does it feel knowing my husband loves you more than he does his own wife?”

“This isn’t news.” Neil smiles as Dan laughs. He can see moving boxes and sports equipment behind her as she spins, showing Neil through the camera their new living room.

“Have you seen the monstrosity? Has he shown you? He said he wanted to bring it on our next fox holiday, but I said no, there’s no way I’m sitting next to that thing in the truck for six hours, besides, it’s not even that funny.” The amused tilt to her voice says otherwise.

“I’m not sure I want to know.”

“If I have to be traumatised then so do you.” Dan leads into her bedroom, and for a moment the picture turns dark and grainy. The lights flick on, and on the bed Neil sees-

“Dan, what the fuck is that?”

“Randy came across it online and thought it would be funny.” Dan sighs.

“What is it?”

“Haven’t you seen a body pillow before?”

Neil screws up his nose, leaning into his screen to get a better look despite himself. “What is he wearing?”

Dan hesitates. “Swimming costume?”

“It’s a show about exy.”

“Yeah, I got nothing. So I’m guessing you don’t want us to bring it on holiday?”

“Burn it. Please.”

“Good idea.” Dan pauses. “Unless you think Andrew would-”

“No. He would not.”

*

Neil’s anime persona gets a girlfriend, which Neil discovers only when he opens Twitter (an action which becomes more fraught with danger with every passing day) to see art of them having sex.

He blocks several hundred more followers (he’s gaining more than he can possibly hope to block every day, but it’s for the sense of control more than anything) before throwing his phone aside and climbing back into bed.

“I have a girlfriend,” Neil announces. Andrew’s head appears from beneath the covers to blink at him blearily, dislodging one of the cats as he does so.

“An unexpected development,” he says eventually.

“Anime me. He has a girlfriend.”

“Jealous?”

“Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.” Neil nuzzles under the covers and waits for Andrew’s go-ahead before shifting in against his side.

“Does it upset you?”

“No, it’s just weird.” Neil stares up at the ceiling for several seconds before meeting Andrew’s eyes. “Well, it’s not the show, really. It’s the people.”

Andrew doesn’t reply, but his gaze remains fixed on Neil, encouraging him to keep talking.

“I’m just not used to being seen like that. Like, the people who are yelling at me because they don’t like the character I kind of get. It’s more the really flirty ones. Like, why? They don’t know me.”

“The flirty ones?”

“Just a lot of people saying really sexual things. I keep blocking them, it’s fine.”

Neil thinks he has inadvertently conditioned Andrew to tense up at the word fine; he has long tried to erase it from his vocabulary, but it still slips through now and again.

Andrew’s chest presses against his as he leans over Neil to the bedside table. For a moment Neil’s mind stops working, just thinking about skin against skin. When Andrew leans back, Neil’s phone is in his hand.

“Don’t bother looking, honestly, it isn’t worth it,” Neil says as Andrew taps several buttons.

“I’m not,” says Andrew. When he hands back the phone, the screen says account set to private.

“Carol isn’t going to like that.”

“Carol can take it up with me.”

Neil smiles. “Jealous?”

“No,” says Andrew flatly, and Neil realises that, oh, this isn’t about him.

After several minutes on the phone with Andrew, Carol concedes that keeping a low profile might not be the worst thing in the world.

*

“Neil, it’s bad,” Kevin says before he’s even through the door. “How are you not keeping up with this?”

“Digital detox,” Neil answers as Kevin pushes past. “You should try it. Great for the skin.”

Kevin doesn’t dignify him with a response. “Your character broke Riko’s  - I mean, Ryuu’s – arm. Mid-match. You can’t stand for this.”

“Are you watching this show every week?”

“I have to be ahead of the backlash,” Kevin says emphatically. He throws himself down on the couch, before standing up again, clearly too agitated to stay still. “You don’t understand, Neil. This could destroy you in the Japanese markets before you’ve even made it big in America. You have to-”

“What did they do to you, Kevin?” Neil interrupts. Kevin stops short, mouth open mid-sentence. “Because this clearly isn’t about me.”

Kevin looks away. “His name was Kev. The bumbling, obsessive, star-struck idiot that messed up the whole team’s dynamic, injured himself by pushing himself too hard and crashed out into nothing.”

Neil sobers. “Everything they told you you were.”

Kevin doesn’t look up.

“Kev? They didn’t even bother to change your name?”

Kevin shrugged. “Why bother? I couldn’t sue them. I was under the Moriyama’s thumb, remember?”

Neil stares at him. “You aren’t anymore.”

“I’m-” Kevin starts, stops, starts again. “Oh.”

“You said you knew some good lawyers, right?”

A smile breaks across Kevin’s face. “Right.”

*

King of the Court does not get renewed for a second season. Several of the foxes send Neil messages of faux commiseration, which he responds to with equal sarcasm.

A few months later, after the exy world cup medals are hanging securely over Neil and Andrew’s dresser, the same studio releases a promo for a new show. It’s nothing like their last exy anime save for the mutual sport. The characters are all decidedly fictional, neither looking nor sounding like any prominent figures in the exy world, and the protagonist’s strip doesn’t share the colours of any big USA teams.

The new anime looks as cheesy and melodramatic as the last, although Neil likes the name a lot more this time.

All for the Game. That’s a title he can get behind.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!

[therainroguefanfiction]

📱 Find Me (Tooru Oikawa) #13; Detention, part 1

📑 Table of Contents | ◂p r e v i o u s

Author’s Note: I’m seriously considering offering an alternate ending to this story where the read can choose to be with Watari instead because I’m really falling in love with him doing this story <3 Thoughts?

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You stifled a yawn with your hand as you dragged yourself into the school on Monday. To be honest, you were feeling a bit nervous about how Oikawa would treat you now. Surely he wouldn’t approach you in front of the other students, knowing how his fans watch him like a hawk… right? No, he would never do something so selfish.

You pulled open the door to your classroom, only to come to a stop, the color draining from your face. The man in question was sitting at your desk, surrounded by girls who were laughing at whatever he had just told them. ‘Yup, definitely transferring to Nekoma.’ Just as he glanced over, catching your eyes, you turned on your heel and speed walked away from the room.

“Y/N!” Oikawa scowled, jumping up from his desk and rushing after you, despite the disappointed cries of his fans. “You get back here!”

“No thanks,” you responded blankly, attempting to head down the stairs but he grabbed your arm, tugging you back toward him. You returned his scowl. “You have no sense.”

“Hah? What is that supposed to mean?” His brow furrowed, free hand resting against his hip. “And why didn’t you respond to me this morning?”

“I didn’t even get anything,” you muttered, pressing your back against the wall as students slowed down to stare at the school’s heart throb, but he didn’t even notice their looks, far too used to the attention.

“I sent you five messages.”

“Well, I didn’t get them.” You dug your phone from your bag to prove your point, but the phone wouldn’t power on. Your scowl was quickly replaced by a blank expression.

“You didn’t charge your phone, did you?”

You pursed your lips, shoving your phone back into your bag.

Oikawa started giggling, his arms covering his stomach. If he didn’t have everyone’s attention before, he certainly did now. “I can’t believe you, Geek-chan!”

Your cheeks burned at the nickname. “Don’t call me that!”

“But why not~?” He pouted, wiping away the tears from his eyes as his laughter finally died down. “It’s a cute name. Most people would be honored to receive a nickname from me, you know.”

“I’m not most people.” Your eyes narrowed at him. “Can we get this over with so we can go back to our lives?”

His head tilted to the side, bangs brushing across his eyes as his lips tugged down. “You make it sound as if we’re not going to be friends after this.”

“Because we’re not.”

“What?”

“Look,” you did your best to ignore the prying eyes of the other students as you pushed away from the wall, turning your body to face him. “I don’t know what you want from me or what you think you’re going to gain by being my friend, but I want no part of it. You’re the most popular kid in school, you can be friends with anyone you want, so instead of chasing after someone that isn’t interested, maybe you should try one of them? If you’ll excuse me.” You tried to brush past him, but he took hold of your upper arm, rooting you in place. With a sigh, you turned your head toward him. “Oikawa-san, I -”

The intensity within his brown eyes shocked you, snatching the words from your throat. It was the exact same look he had when he was battling for the final few points in the game and it sent a chill down your spine.

“You’re right. I can be friends with anyone I want in this school, yet here I am, chasing after you like a fool. Is it really so hard to believe that I want to be your friend?” He sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, eyes shifting away from you for a moment as he collected his thoughts. When he finally looked back at you, his gaze was much softer. “You know, I was really hurt when you stopped responding. I wondered…” ‘…if I wasn’t good enough for you.’ He couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. It was too intimate to bare his soul to you like that. A smirk suddenly sprung to his lips. “…if you had already fallen in love with me~”

Your eye twitched at the arrogant response and you smacked his hand away, heading to class without a word. Despite the urge to stop you, he remained still, his smirk slowly dropping as the warning bell chimed throughout the school. Why did he feel the need to say idiotic things when he started to feel vulnerable?

You returned to your class, thankful that the fangirls had dispersed by the time you got there, and you fell into your seat with a huff, turning your attention to the window. The sky was slowly darkening as gray clouds began to roll in, the chance of rain increasing as the time ticked by.

Watari chewed on his bottom lip as he glanced over at you, wondering if he should say something to you. He had messaged you after the game, asking if the two of you could talk because he knew that you believed that he betrayed you and he felt the need to stress that he hadn’t, but you never responded to him. Just as he worked up the nerve to approach you, the teacher entered the room, ordering everyone to take their seats. His explanation would have to wait.

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Watari glanced at the clock, determined to talk to you during lunch break. The bell chimed and he stood up, his chair scraping across the linoleum floor, but it was drowned out by the chatter of the students as they did the same. You paused your reading, glancing up at him.

“Y/N-san, can we -”

SLAM.

“Geek-chan!” Oikawa beamed brightly when his eyes landed on you, his body glowing like a spotlight made just for him were shining down on him. He stopped beside your desk, sending Watari a smile before turning to you. “Let’s have a chat over lunch, shall we?”

You glanced between the two boys, a bead of nervous sweat rolling down your cheek as you felt a dozen pairs of eyes looking in your direction. Granted, they were most likely focused on Oikawa, but that didn’t help to ease the uncomfortable mood that had settled over you. Honestly, you didn’t want to talk to either of them, you just wanted to spend your lunch break alone and in peace, but life clearly had other plans for you.

Before you could answer, Oikawa’s long fingers wrapped around your wrist, tugging you from your seat. Watari could only watch with a frown. You barely managed to keep your hold on the manga as he pulled you from the room, people parting as they stopped to stare at who was lucky enough to be getting his full attention. A sense of dread settled in the pit of your stomach and you didn’t like it, swallowing the lump that had formed in your throat.

Was this going to turn out like one of those shoujou anime where his fans get jealous and start bullying the object of his affection? ‘No, no,’ you scolded yourself with a shake of your head. ‘This isn’t an anime, Y/N, this is real life. Even though real life has really begun to feel like some poorly written fanfiction written by a sadistic author that likes to see people suffer… I should really stop reading those before bed.’

Oikawa led you to an unused club room on the third floor, where his bento was sitting on the table in the center of the room, waiting to be eaten. Sitting beside the bento were two pairs of chopsticks and a phone cord.

He slid the door closed behind you before extending his hand to you. “Give me your phone.”

“It’s dead.”

“Yes, I know that.” He rolled his eyes, flexing his fingers. “That’s why I borrowed a charger.”

Hesitantly, you pulled the phone from your pocket, setting it against his palm and watching as he plugged the cord into the outlet beneath the window. He took one of the chairs at the desk and began to unwrap the cloth around the bento box, sending you a look.

“Are you going to sit down?”

“Do I have to?” You questioned, rubbing the back of your neck as you turned your gaze to the window. It hadn’t gotten quite darker and you figured it would start pouring in the next hour or so.

He huffed, narrowing his eyes at you. “Stop being so complicated, Geek-chan.”

“Complicated is my middle name.” You sat across from him anyway, trying to get your thoughts in order. It was finally time for him to confront you about why you ghosted him and, you knew, he wouldn’t accept no as an answer. “If I tell you why I deleted the app, will you leave me alone?”

“Of course not.” He pointed his chopsticks at you and your eyes focused on the piece of omelette between them, feeling your hunger growing. Your stomach started to growl, reminding you that you had skipped breakfast to avoid being late. With a chuckle, he pushed the bento closer to you. “Eat.”

“It’s yours,” you stated, swallowing the saliva that had begun to form in your mouth, your fingers twitching as they inched closer to the second set of chopsticks.

“Yes, and I’m sharing it with you.” He rolled his eyes. “Are you done stating the obvious?”

For a moment, you debated on whether or not you should ask what the catch was, but your hunger was stronger than your paranoia and you picked up the chopsticks, grabbing a large chunk of omelette. It tasted like heaven, easily the best dish you had ever tasted. With a squee, you dug into the meal, scarfing it down as if manners didn’t exist.

At first, Oikawa was surprised and, if it were anyone else, he probably would have been a bit disgusted or annoyed, but with you, he couldn’t help but giggle, bringing his hand to cover his mouth. “So cute~”

You stopped dead at the compliment, cheeks warming up as you cleared your throat. Cute was a word only your mother had used to describe you and you refused to believe that he meant it. Even if he did, he was most definitely the type to compliment everyone he met, just trying to elicit a reaction from them. “Thank you for the meal. Did you make it?”

“Of course n -” He suddenly paused, eyes shifting to the side in thought before returning to you, a smile on his lips. “Yup! I made it just for you~”

“Y-You did?” You questioned in surprise, eyes widening a fraction as they met his. “You really didn’t have to…”

“I don’t mind at all!” He clapped his hands before cleaning up the now empty bento. “Let’s make this a new tradition, just you and me eating lunch.”

A bead of nervous sweat rolled down your cheek as you tried to think of a way to reject the idea. As nice as it seemed, and as nice as the food tasted, you preferred to spend your lunch alone reading manga. “I’d really rather not -”

The shrill sound of the warning bell signaled the end of lunch and popped up from the chair, offering you a bright smile and a wave. “I’ll see you after school, bai bai~!” And he was out of the room before you could say a word.

‘Wait… after school??’ You groaned, letting your head fall to the desk. ‘How the hell do I get out of this?’ With a heavy sigh, you grabbed your phone from the floor and left the room, pulling the door closed behind you. As you walked down the hall, you booted up the phone. It was only at thirty-percent, but it was better than nothing. ‘Oh, I never responded to Watari-san. Oops.’

You pulled up his message, scanning the words.

You winced as you recalled the expression he had given you in class. ‘Maybe he really didn’t betray me…’ The shrill chime of the bell rang again and you cursed, rushing down the hall for your homeroom, bursting through the door with heavy breath.

Sasaki-sensei raised a brow at you, hand on her hip. “You certainly took your time, Y/N-san.”

“I apologize, sensei,” you murmured, offering her a bow and hoping she was in a good mood, but she wasn’t.

“You can apologize during detention while writing a letter of apology.” Though she was smiling, you could practically see the dark aura around her, sending a shiver down your spine. “Now sit down.”

A bead of nervous sweat rolled down your cheek. “Yes, sensei…”

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▸n e x t

📜 Read more by checking out my masterlist 📜

Tag List: @the-broken-halo-writer​ @nekoma-hoe​ @iishoto-chan​

[jubilantwriter]

Yuurei ni Natta Boku wa

Summary:  A new obstacle stands in the way of Tome's chance to experience new, exciting days under the tutelage of Reigen. Will Tome be able to prove herself as a worthy student of his, or will Reigen's business finally croak under the hands of this new self-proclaimed psychic?

Next time on: RG8geW91IGJlbGlldmUgZXZlcnl0aGluZyB5b3Ugc2VlPw==

Reading until the very end? Truly a wise choice indeed!

(AO3)

(FF.net)

A/N:  Takes place after the REIGEN manga, AND includes a spiffy little OC.  This won’t be a ship-centric fic, but there will be hints to ships (such as Reigen/Serizawa) anyways.  Please enjoy!

"Ahhh! What am I going to do?!" A young girl dashes past Tome, the familiar uniform and hairstyle making Tome watch her with interest.

"Huh... There she goes again." She's never really stopped Shoujo-chan to ask what was going on in her life - because that'd be weird - but it is always fun to imagine what sort of scenarios Shoujo-chan was getting into today. Maybe she was supposed to stop her billionaire love interest from leaving the country before she can confess? Or perhaps she has to deal with a hoard of jealous fangirls that were threatening to ruin her reputation if she didn't comply to their demands and make the high school heartthrob fall in love with someone else?

… Maybe she too is an esper and is now racing off to save some city somewhere from the brink of destruction?

Hm.

Nah, Mob already has that covered. And that happened like, what, a couple months ago? Maybe more? She's lost track, and Shoujo-chan is long gone now, so she continues on her way to her part-time job.

She doesn't really do much, besides the minimal paperwork that Reigen hands her and serving the clients tea. But sometimes, he lets her watch over his shoulder as he personally "exorcises" spirits from clients, and other times he lets her practice her speeches and advice on him for future clients. If he'd actually let her do more than just watch and learn.

But then again, she's not really in a rush to learn how to con people into believing placebo effects just yet.

Really, she's just into watching whatever interesting things the day brings, be it listening to clients' personal stories of how they believe they got cursed or legitimate hauntings that are plaguing a client to no end. Sure, maybe this isn't the sort of supernatural stuff she is usually into, but being around Mob for so long has given her a deeper appreciation for anything occult and supernatural.

That being said though, a sprinkle of alien encounters wouldn't hurt at all.

She's been trying to convince Reigen to expand his business into outer space somehow. It's really easy, she argues! All they need to do is drag Takenaka and Mob out into a field, and try to reconnect with the aliens. Maybe even aliens get hauntings every once in a while.

Or maybe they just need massages too.

Or a therapy session.

Hm. Maybe she should ask Reigen to actually teach her his ways after all. It'd be so exciting to be a specialist in alien therapy, after all.

Tome hums as she walks, barely noticing a woman standing in her way as she daydreams about the next possible supernatural stint. Maybe alien currency translates nicely into yen, or maybe she and the aliens will engage in another bout of intergalactic exchange, but instead it'll be an exchange of goods and services. Oh, the possibilities! All she needs to do is work on her proposal (wow, so grown up, she thinks, nodding to herself with self-approval) to Reigen, and maybe this time he won't shoot her down on the spot with claims of "how are we going to communicate with them" and "Mob and his friends probably won't be so ready to help this time because it's not about making memories" and "seriously Mob will get upset with me, Tome-chan, he's trying to focus on high school entrance exams".

Really, it's not that big of an issue; she'll just take Mob out on a date on the weekends, and they can go hunting for willing telepaths who'll gladly offer their services (as long as they're willing to accept low pay) and suddenly they'll have new clients to-

"OOF." Tome crashes into the woman who had failed to move in front of her, rubbing her nose as she steps back from the lady. "Sorry about that, I wasn't, uh, looking..."

The woman doesn't respond. Instead, she remains stock still in front of her.

Freaky.

"... Hello?" Tome frowns as the woman continues to ignore her. Seriously, what is her deal? She leans to the side to try and catch a glimpse of the lady's face, and only finds that the lady's eyes are focused on the Spirits and Such sign above them. With how focused the lady looks, Tome can't help but wonder if she too, is lost in her thoughts like Tome was earlier.

But that doesn't explain why the lady didn't budge or notice Tome crashing into her. It's… kind of weird, but by now, Tome is used to weird things happening all the time.

… Probably.

Well, judging by how intense the woman is eyeing the sign, it'd only be proper to ask the woman what her problem is. Tome clears her throat, watching as the woman snaps her attention over to Tome abruptly, surprising her with the sudden head jerk in her direction.

"Uh... can I help you?" Tome approaches the woman, noticing her rather... formal attire.

Well, Reigen-ish formal. The kind of formal that reminds Tome of incessant doorbell rings and incessant people trying to shove products in her hands.

The woman has light brown hair done up in a gravity defying style. Sure, people can pin up their small ponytails against their head, but Tome is sure that hair, pinned up against a skull or not, should still be spilling over slightly, like a withering flower that someone has neglected to care for. The woman's hair, however, spikes straight up from where it's pinned up. Tome wants to believe that it's the work of gel at play, but there's not a single stiff strand of hair to hint towards that.

From there, Tome notices the tucked in dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the woman's elbows. Around her collar is a grey tie, but from the looks of it, it looks more as though the original color had faded away, leaving behind a murky grey-ish tone that hints at its former glory. Completing the attire is a pair of black slacks that look... like they don't deserve to be called slacks. But Tome doesn't really have another name for what the clothing could be, so fake slacks will have to do.

The more Tome looks at this woman, the more she can't help but feel like every piece of this woman just feels a little… off. Before she can dwell on it any longer, however, her feet start to make their soreness known, and it's only then that she realizes that the woman has yet to respond to her initial question. Instead, all she's done is stare dead-eyed at Tome with eyes of the lightest shade of brown. Tome clears her throat to hide whatever nervousness the woman has invoked within her and speaks again. "Lady, did you want to come inside?"

The woman blinks before looking around and pointing at herself. Jesus, did this woman really think that Tome would be talking to anyone else but her? In THIS empty street? Well, it IS quite possible that Tome could be talking to herself in the middle of an empty street, but creeping feeling of unease starts to lurk under Tome's skin, so she pushes that aside quickly and forces her mind to think about something else. Like how she's pretty sure she's late to her shift, not that Reigen counts every minute she works.

But still. She needs to practice punctuality for when she gets a real job with real pay.

Maybe Reigen will up her pay once she presents him with this lady who is hopefully a client, probably client, definitely a client, yes, no doubt about it, she's refusing to think of her as anyone else but a client now.

God, why won't this lady just respond already? This isn't the kind of one-sided conversation she's used to. Tome sucks in a breath and continues to speak.

"Yes, you. I saw you staring up at that sign, and I work here so, if you'd like, I can take you inside? If you're wondering if you needed to schedule an appointment to meet with Reigen-san, you don't need to worry about that. We also accept walk-ins!"

Practicing that spiel was worth it.

The woman's eyes widen in surprise before she shakes her head, and the look of surprise is replaced with a charming smile.

Huh.

It almost reminds Tome of-

"Ah, yes! Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts for a moment." The woman straightens her tie for some reason before flipping her hand out with flair. "Could you please lead me to your workplace? I would like to meet this... Reigen-san I've heard so much about."

"You've heard of Reigen-san?" Tome crosses her arms and stares at the woman who suddenly transformed from stony and mute to confident and lively. Maybe the lady really WAS lost in her thoughts, and this is just how she normally is. Yes, this is the kind of self-reassurance that Tome needs. "I know he claims to be a well-known psychic, but I didn't think people actually KNEW him outside of the people who pop in after seeing the flyers."

"I have my sources." The woman places her hands on her hips as she tilts her head to the side. "Surely you remember that broadcast starring Reigen-san a while back?"

Ah.

Yes.

She completely forgot about that.

Somehow, Reigen's televised shame was shoved to the back of her head after...

Hm.

How many times has the city been destroyed by now? Twice? That's already too many times already, but what can you do, she supposes.

She shakes her head.

"Uh, right. Forgot about that." The woman merely straightens her posture and looks pointedly at Tome. "Oh yeah. Right this way." Tome gestures for the woman to follow her, and leads her up the staircase to Reigen's office. The woman hums behind her before speaking up without Tome's prompting.

"So... About this Reigen-san."

"Yes?"

"What can you say about him?"

Suspicious question. But then again, Reigen himself is a rather suspicious person, and since this lady knows about Reigen's televised shame, it could be that she's trying to see if Reigen is worth a grain of salt (haha, god she should tell Serizawa that joke- no, wait, he'll just be disappointed that she belittled Reigen's worth like that, so maybe not), or if he's actually the real deal.

Tome knows he's about as genuine as a sugar pill.

But she can't tell that to a potential client. She's got to manage an amazing business spiel of her boss if she wants this client to stay and pay.

Not only that, but she's starting to run out of stairs to climb before she can convince this woman that he is truly, the shit.

"Well! Reigen-san is a very kind man," who likes to use espers for his business, "who charges remarkably less for what other psychics usually pay for." Tome thinks this is why her pay is so low. She doesn't even want to ask Serizawa how much he actually makes.

"He definitely does his best to solve whatever problem you have, be it small or big!" This, she can confidently say, is true. Despite his shady nature, he really does actually make good on his word. Sure, he'll advertise his lies as actual psychic remedies, but all their clients always leave looking happier than when they arrived. "He genuinely cares about his employees and makes sure that they're taken care of."

She can speak from her own personal experience, but she also knows that Reigen wasn't always... the best person. She remembers all the times when he'd call Mob out from a hangout just to exorcise a ghost. Mob was never happy about those moments, and she's sure that even though Reigen has a better understanding of his boundaries with Mob, Mob STILL kind of hates being called last minute to help with something.

Hm.

Well, half-lies are okay, right? Plus, Reigen seems like he's genuinely made an effort to respect Mob more and only ever really calls him for emergencies.

Like that one time he was about to literally die.

After saving her life.

Ah, she's run out of stairs.

Tome turns to the woman behind her, whose face has turned into something inscrutable, probably to digest all those "facts" Tome just told her.

That, or she's already judging the truthfulness of what Tome just told her.

Only one way to find out, really.

Tome opens the door to the office, holding the door open for the woman to step through. "Welcome to Spirits and Such Consultation-"

"Tome-chan! I was wondering where you were." Reigen is already walking towards her when he notices the woman standing behind her. He looks to her, then to Tome, concern already worming its way onto his face.

Right.

The last time she brought someone over, it nearly resulted in her AND her senpai's death, so it's not too surprising that Reigen is giving the woman a wary glance over as he tries to figure out what trouble Tome got into this time.

"Client." Just that one word is enough to reassure Reigen that no, this time she's just doing her job and not starting a whole new unnecessary adventure. Reigen takes barely half a second to compose himself, already gesticulating wildly as he greets the woman.

"Ah, yes! Welcome to Spirits and Such - are you here for a consultation?" Reigen flashes her his award-winning smile, and the woman smiles with amusement.

"Something like that."

"Right this way!" Reigen leads the woman to his desk, where Serizawa is sitting nearby, working diligently on his homework. As Tome walks over to her own desk, Serizawa suddenly jolts upright and looks wildly at the woman. The woman gives Serizawa a friendly wave before turning to face Reigen. Serizawa looks towards Tome, his eyes wide as he uses his pupils to point at the woman sitting in front of Reigen.

Tome just shrugs helplessly, watching as Serizawa's shoulders tense up the longer he studies the client.

Serizawa opens his mouth to say something, but Reigen speaks up before the taller man can get a word in.

"So! What could be troubling you today? Is it perhaps a spirit haunting your shoulders? A curse from a jealous rival? Maybe you've been hearing strange noises in your apartment or house?" The woman merely smiles a charming smile before answering Reigen.

"Nothing of the sort, really. Although you could say that I have a spirit problem."

Serizawa makes a strained noise in his throat.

Reigen raises an eyebrow at Serizawa before turning back to the woman. "Oh? Then what is it that you need help with? If you need an exorcism to deal with your little spirit problem-"

"Oh no, there's no need to worry about that." The woman folds her hands to rest on Reigen's desk. "I was joking, really. I would be well aware if I had any little spirits lingering around me." She chuckles to herself, leaving Reigen to study her before smiling again.

"Of course! So then, what services are you looking for today?"

"Reigen-san..." Serizawa raises a hand, looking as though to reach towards the woman. "She's-"

"A client." Reigen takes Serizawa's hand and puts it back gently on his desk. Tome leans forward from her seat, watching the interaction with nervous en- no, INTEREST. She watches the three adults with interest as something dark brews between the three of them. Serizawa is sweating bullets as Reigen takes back the woman's attention.

"Please don't mind my employee. Sometimes he gets a bit jumpy when he senses spirits lingering around our clients. Are you sure," Reigen gives the woman a pointed stare, "that you have no illnesses of any sort? No aches or pains for no discernible reason? No ailments at all?"

She shakes her head. "Not at all."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Reigen turns to Serizawa, his lips drawn into a fine line. "What-"

"Actually." The woman interrupts Reigen before he can continue his question to Serizawa. "I'm actually here for an evaluation."

"Oh!" Reigen claps his hands a bit too loudly. "Of course! An evaluation!" He grins as he steeples his fingers together. "So, what is it that you would like evaluated?"

The woman smirks as she leans forward.

Something doesn't feel right.

The room fills up with a tense, heavy atmosphere, causing to Serizawa jump up with his hand outstretched.

"You-!"

"Serizawa, calm down!" Reigen grabs Serizawa's hand and shoves it back down. "I don't know WHAT'S getting you riled up, but you shouldn't try to exorcise anything without a proper evaluation!" Now it's Reigen's turn to start sweating bullets as Serizawa starts sputtering.

"But, Reigen-san-!"

"Trust me, Serizawa." The twitches in Reigen's smile let Tome know that he too realizes that something unnatural is happening. "If something bad happens, I'll let you do whatever it is you want. But for now," he gestures weakly to the woman sitting unfazed in front of him, "... client."

Serizawa remains standing, his hands clenched and trembling by his sides.

"Are you alright?" The woman looks Serizawa up and down, giving him a calming smile. "I promise, whatever it is you think you're sensing, it's not dangerous." Reigen sits back, looking over his client seriously.

"... so about your evaluation."

"Yes!" The woman turns back to Reigen, her arm resting on his desk as she rests her chin in her hand. "My evaluation."

Reigen narrows his eyes. "... you're up to something, aren't you?"

The woman's calming smile morphs into a smirk.

"Allow me to introduce myself."

With a slick movement, her hand moves from her chin to in front of Reigen, reaching for a handshake.

Reigen takes it slowly, gripping it firmly and giving her a quick shake.

Serizawa sucks in a breath, and Tome can only watch as Serizawa's anxious face morphs into utter confusion.

And then fear.

The woman squeezes Reigen's hand before tilting her head to the side. "I'm sure you've heard of the Sun Psychic Union?"

"I-" She releases her grip to gently backhand his face into silence. "Gak!"

"I've been hired by a certain psychic to evaluate the legitimacy of one Reigen Arataka's business."

"What-"

"To put it simply." She removes her hand from his face and straightens her tie, smirking as several papers begin to float from Reigen's desk. Reigen pales as he watches the spectacle, his eyes moving from the papers to the woman. She releases her tie, letting the papers drop back onto his desk and enjoying his floundering. "I will be the one evaluating you, Reigen-san." She glances from Serizawa to Tome, taking in the sight of both their faces, before leaning back and meeting Reigen's heavily sweating face with her bemused one.

"I am Chigami Haru, the Number One Psychic Inspector of the 21st Century." She gets up, walking away from the three gawking faces to move towards the door, opening it before turning to wave farewell. "I'll be back tomorrow for your evaluation!"

Before anyone can stop her, she shuts the door behind, her promise lingering in the air.

...

Well-

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

Tome covers her ears from Reigen's loud shriek. She doesn't get what just happened, but from just the feel of the room itself, she knows that it's something beyond what her occult books and prior experiences have prepared her for.

With a quick dig through her bag, she pulls out her phone and turns it on.

Maybe Mob can help Reigen out.

A/N:   Ii4uLmhleSEiICBIZSBjYWxscyBvdXQgdG8gaGVyLCBoaXMgZmVldCB3YW50aW5nIHRvIGZvbGxvdyBhZnRlciBoZXIsIGJ1dCBmYWlsaW5nIHRvIG1vdmUuICIuLi5XZSBjYW4gZ28gc2VlIHRoZSBmaXJld29ya3Mgd2hlbiB5b3UgZ2V0IGJhY2ssIG9rYXk/Ig==

[luxshine]

I just saw a post about how geek culture has ALWAYS been accepting of diversity and how anyone who claims otherwise is a snowflake swj who just came in late because now being a geek is fashionable.

And I don´t want to fight )and that´s why I am posting this here, and not in that post) but fuck that.

I remember being a 16 year old girl at a comic book store being told I couldn´t do comics because I was a girl (when I was there, SELLING my first Doujinshi). I remember that I got my first job because they wanted a story for girls that wouldn´t be the most popular so they could justify printing the story THEY wanted without it looking like favoritism (that... kinda backfired on them).  I remember that people wrote that I had OBVIOUSLY slept with an editor to get my job because I was a talentless idiot who knew nothing about comics/manga (As well as many insults thrown my way because how did I DARE to contradict the male fans about manga triva). And of course, I remember clearly that coming out was not exactly an option when a then “close” friend told me bisexuals didn´t exist and lesbians made her sick.

I know that MY experience is not universal. Other people had it much better, and other people had it MUCH worse. But please, don´t act as if fandom and geekdom are incredibly inclusive when the fact that a character may be LGBT is STILL cause for discussion (And seriously, you do not want to read the message boards about Iceman being gay or the new non binary character in Supergirl), when girls were shoved to the manga ghetto and are being called c---- (by other girls even) because they DARE to say “hey, I kind of feel pushed out of fandom because X, Y and Z”.  

Yes, there´s always a place in fandom for the outsiders. Fandom and geekdom and nerds were the underdogs forever. But let´s not kid ourselves... we also had a lot to work on about diversity, because for years that diversity was “you can be the other... but only in a way I feel confortable with”. 

ETA: Oh dear Athena, I shouldn´t have read the comments. Because apparently complaining about the gatekeepers who do stupid trivia questions to prove you´re a fake fangirl are “ableists” because trivia exchange is an autistic way to socialize. You know what? There´s a big difference. I don´t doubt that there are autistic fen out there who had been unfairly accused of gatekeeping. BUT there´s no way that the people who criticized that Duela Dent cosplayer of “trying too hard”, or posted the picture of Natalie Portman in a Star Wars shirt -not recognizing her- claiming that she was a fake fan girl because she OBVIOUSLY hadn´t seen the movies are autistic. No, they´re assholes. And it´s different. You can tell the difference, I assure you, between friendly trivia banter, and gatekeeping obnoxiousness.

[rdmfavcpls]

My Secret - Chapter 1

Title: My Secret

Pairing: Ami/Arata

Rating: T

Summary: Have you ever felt safe and protected when you are with someone you love? Do you have that one item that has their scent on it and you just hold that tight around you for any reason? I do, but that person must never know I love them because they are in a happy relationship, this is my secret. (They don’t know the relationship is on the verge of falling apart.)

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Digimon or its franchise.

~~Story Begins~~

Chapter 1 - Break-up

Eighteen year old, Ami Aiba, was enjoying a rare day off from the agency. Her red hair was down, taking a break from the side pony it is always in, her digivice goggles were sitting on the coffee table, the yellow frames a contrast against the dark brown table. Her wide blue eyes were reading the words on the book her hands were holding, one covered in a black glove with yellow grips on the bottom. She doesn’t remember as to why she had to wear it but not wearing it now feels weird to her. She traded the yellow shirt from when she’s younger to another shirt that was black, the sleeves yellow, and the circles representing AWA Studio Works were black, her skirt now a yellow color to match her yellow knee high socks. Her black shoes were by the door, waiting for her to put them on.

There was knocking on the door and then the door opened as Ami placed a bookmark in her book, “Heeeeyyyy!” a voice greeted as three people came in. The one that spoke being the boldest of them all.

The baby of the bunch, seventeen almost eighteen year old Nokia Shiramine was a force to be reckon with, in every sense of the word. Her pink hair was no longer in pigtails but in loose curls cascading down her bare back, her blue eyes looked like she was hiding something and knowing Nokia’s luck, it could get her in trouble. The pink and blue dress she wore two years ago was burned (literally) as Nokia realized how silly she looked. She now wore a baby blue strapless dress, gray tights, and her favorite pink heels.

“Look at you being all cozy at home,” Nokia spoke as Ami put her book down and looked at her uninvited but always welcomed guests. “I know what will make you look cozier!”

“Nokia! Don’t tell her,” the royal looking on spoke glaring at Nokia. “You’ll ruin the surprise.”

Yuuko Kamishiro looked like she was still seventeen instead of twenty, her long black hair straightened to reach her knees, her black eyes were looking angrily at Nokia, the one white and black dress she wore upon meeting her friends was the influence for her current outfit. A black soft scarf was tied around her neck leaving the two ends behind her, and off the shoulder white shirt led down to a black skirt that had cuts separating the fabric and showing the black tights were it led down to white heels.

The quietest of the group took his black shoes off at the door as he held onto a package. “Is it still a surprise when she opens it?” he asked unsure of his sister’s reaction.

Yuugo Kamishiro looked a lot like his twin sister, instead of looking like twenty, he seemed like he was seventeen. His black hair was cut at an angle, framing his face and his black eyes. He traded off the white coat for a simpler white vest that brought out the black long sleeved shirt and black pants.

“Yes, it will still be a surprise,” Yuuko spoke now following her brother’s example of taking off her shoes.

“None of you had to get me anything,” Ami said as Nokia just sat down on the couch next to Ami.

Nokia leaned against Ami, resting her head against her friend’s shoulder, “Oh yes, we did! And we struck gold! Just for you!”

“Than I definitely don’t-”

“She’s confused,” Yuugo mentioned looking at Ami as he sat the box down. “I am too. Nokia and Yuuko both think you’ll get a lot more out of it. I just find it strange.”

“Ami will understand once she opens it,” Yuuko spoke. “Have faith in us.”

Ami grabbed the box with a smile, “Should I be scared?”

“We wouldn’t harm you,” Yuuko said. “We just know how much the gift will mean to you.”

So Ami lifted the lid to the package all the way and dropped the lid upon seeing a neatly folded white and light blue piece of clothing that she instantly recognized. Yuugo was surprised upon seeing how much Ami’s eyes lit up, something they haven’t seen in awhile. Well...ever since she started to break away from their group due to something the now ex-owner of the coat.

“How?” Ami asked staring at the familiar coat not believing it was there in front of her.

“Remember how Arata asked all of us to help him go through his things to help him spring clean and get packed to move in with his girlfriend,” Yuuko spoke hissing out the last word.

“Yes,” Ami said nodding her head and looking up at her friends, “I couldn’t help because I had to work.”

“Well, he was going to donate the jacket and he even said that if there is anything we want from the donation pile, we can have it,” Yuuko spoke. “We did ask a lot of questions over the majority of the donation pile.”

Ami had taken the coat out of the box and had it on her lap, “What do you mean?”

“Well, we know Arata is a geek,” Nokia spoke. “I mean most of his books are manga and he collects those anime figures.”

“He was donating all if not most of them,” Yuugo spoke as Yuuko and him sat down on the other couch. “We asked him why he was donating it but he responded with he doesn’t need them or he’s already read them. His body language was telling a different story.”

“He really didn’t want too but Emi is making him,” his sister spoke. “So, since the inevitable break-up is coming among us, we decided to plan ahead.”

“Inevitable break-up?” Ami asked confused.

Her question was ignored as Nokia got off of Ami. “So, Yuugo and Yuuko are keeping his books, figurines, and a lot of his clothing. He was going to donate that jacket but Yuuko being the sweetie that she is, quickly shoved it into one of the boxes that was sitting aside for what we wanted,” Nokia said.

“You guys, you really shouldn’t have,” Ami spoke kindly, fondly, as she lightly touched the jacket. “He doesn’t want me in his life, after all. It is just something in which I have to get used too.”

“Whoa, whoa,” Nokia said grabbing Ami’s face. “Back up there. Where did you hear this from?”

“Emi, herself,” Ami explained. “I was talking to my friend who works at the bookstore in Broadway here when she came up the escalator and started yelling at me.” Her three friends could see Ami’s eyes look downwards and get misty, even though Ami is trying not to cry. “It’s my fault that their relationship was falling apart because I kept taking Arata from her. She than explained that he was only doing it to keep up an imagine of a good friend, that he wants nothing to do with me, is only worrying about me to make himself look good. Emi told me that their relationship will improve if I quit talking to Arata or even be in the same area as him where he might see me.” Ami looked up quickly, clasped Nokia’s hands in her own bring them together, “None of you can’t tell Arata this! Please! I don’t want to be the reason for his relationship falling apart.”

“I think it's something that he needs to know,” Yuugo spoke.

Ami shook her head quickly, “Promise you won’t tell him! Emi said that I wasn’t supposed to know about me being the reason for their relationship problems. If he finds out that I know the truth than -”

Yuuko stood up with grace, walked over to Ami and slapped her across the face. “That is not the truth Ami. Emi is a liar and manipulative. Arata is more worried about you than what he was when you was still asleep!”

Ami and Nokia both looked shocked at Yuuko. Ami let go of Nokia’s hands and rubbed her cheek. “I believe you, but the damage is already mostly done. I have a letter made up which I am going to send out with his birthday gift to end our friendship at the end of the week.”

“Ami, you can’t!” Nokia exclaimed.

“I want him to be happy,” Ami commented. “If that means, I’m out of his life completely, than it’s a small price to pay for his happiness. I would do the same for any of you as well.” She looked at the jacket, “This jacket will do until my heart no longer breaks with the absence of Arata in my life.”

Yuugo sat there, keeping quiet as Yuuko and Nokia argued with Ami over her choices on how willingly she is to give up on friendships for others to be happy. Ami tried to change the subject many times, something in which she does when she becomes to sad or to mad, but the two girls wouldn’t let her until she promised them not to give up their friendship for their happiness without asking questions. Not a single one of them promised to keep quiet over what Ami just told them. This was something in which the smartest one of the bunch needed to know.

Yuugo looked at the three girls. Their one friend needed to know that Ami is just as affected, if not more, over her abrupt avoidance of him, three months ago.

Two days later, Nokia stopped by unannounced to get Ami to hang out with her. When she entered Ami’s apartment, the poor girl could barely contain the fangirl inside of her as she saw Ami curled up in the white jacket.  She could barely get a picture but she did successfully.

“So,” Nokia said once she got over the adorableness of her friend in that jacket, “What’s the occasion?”

“Bad day at work,” Ami responded accepting her fate of Nokia not detecting the picture. “It was dangerous too.

“Didn’t you mention once before that you felt safe with Arata?” Nokia questioned. Ami looked away as a pink color dusted her cheeks but she nodded. “I see. Want to talk about it?”

“And ruin your innocence of the world? No,” Ami said looking at her friend. “I wouldn’t even talked it over with Arata, no matter how hard he tried to get me to open up.”

That’s a lie and if Arata was here, he would know it as a lie too. Than again, Ami wouldn’t be wearing his old jacket if he was here. Than again, if he was here, she wouldn’t be ready to cry or be afraid to sleep tonight. She would be too busy trying to get away from Arata who would have her trapped within his arm length as he tickled her nonstop until she promises to tell him about what happened. It’s never immediately that she talks about it, but Arata won’t leave or let her leave, until she tells him. Depending on whose apartment they are at.

Ami did try to kick Arata out of his own apartment once. He left only to come back with two containers of ice cream, giving Ami a reminder that he has keys to the apartment because he lives there. Needless to say, after Ami finally told him about the case, Arata wouldn’t leave her alone for a week, always messaging her. Even when he could easily get in trouble, just to make sure she’s okay.

“Than that means we totally need to hang out to forget this case!” Nokia spoke snapping Ami back into reality. A reality that Arata no longer holds a place in. “So get out of the jacket and let’s do some late night shopping!”

Ami smiled and let her crazy, spontaneous friend drag her shopping. She wouldn’t have guessed that Nokia was using her to win free tickets to Jimi Ken’s exclusive concert, but she was glad for the distraction.

Earlier in the day, Yuugo was walking around Akihabara with the last of the group of friends, Arata Sanada. The smartest one of the group, only being twenty soon twenty-one, had long ragged looking hair that was black, his grey eyes were looking concerned at his digivice goggles before closing the screen. His black coat had the one button done by his neck, the hood showed that the other side would be red, underneath the coat, he was wearing a grey body suit that came with the coat.

“Dammit Ami,” Arata said as he put his digivice in his pockets. “No answer, no signal, she hasn’t been home, no one was in the office earlier today.” He looked over at his friend, “Do you know what I did wrong to make Ami start avoiding me? I mean I would apologize to her, but I can’t seem to find her. The three of you aren’t much help in giving me her location either.”

“Ami kindly told us to not let you not know her location, it is the one thing she asked us to do, and you know how rare that is,” Yuugo responded.

“I know, I know,” Arata said. It was a rare occasion that Ami specify asked for something, no matter how much they prompted her. So when she does specify asked for something, it’s hard not to do.

“However, you did nothing wrong,” Yuugo said answering his friend’s question.

“If I did nothing wrong, than that means I said something wrong,” Arata responded with a sigh. “How can I apologize if I can’t even talk to her?”

“There is nothing in which you need to apologize for,” Yuugo spoke as the two men looked at a shop’s display products in the window.

“Okay then,” Arata spoke narrowing his eyes. “Why did she suddenly start avoiding me three months ago with no warning?”

“Your girlfriend told Ami that you didn’t want her in your life anymore, that you are only acting out in worry to make it seem like you are a good friend.” Yuugo started walking away from the display, “She also told Ami that your relationship would improve if Ami wasn’t talking to you or in the same area as you.”

Yuugo finally noticed that Arata wasn’t beside him and he stopped walking to turn around. Arata was standing at the window display they were looking at earlier, his whole body was shaking and Yuugo currently wished Ami was here. Not only would Ami be able to calm him down, like she calms all of them down, but because she could tell if the shaking was from his anger or if he was about to cry. Yuugo was betting on the anger reason.

“Arata?” Yuugo asked calmly.

“Is that so? Emi told Ami that?” Arata asked as he clenched his hands into fists, his head looking down. He can’t just feel himself tremble, but he can see it.

Yuugo took a deep breath. It was time to put the final nail in the coffin, he doesn’t know for who through; Emi, Ami, or himself, but it needed to be done. Arata needed to know the truth.

“Ami told the three of us about it. Nokia asked around the bookshop that Ami said it happened at. Five people can vouch for the whole ordeal, but they also willingly volunteered to give the videos of it. Ami wouldn’t do think of doing or saying something like this on purpose, it would hurt you too much,” Yuugo answered. “She confirmed that she would gladly give up her own friendship if someone told her that the friend would be happier if she wasn’t their friend. Nokia and my sister was not happy with her over that.”

“Dammit, why is Ami so soft-hearted?” Arata asked loudly his fingertips digging into his palms. He looked at his friend, anger and pain radiating within the stormy grey eyes, “Emi said more to Ami, didn’t she?”

“Yes, but I think I told you enough,” Yuugo said. “Especially since you wasn’t supposed to know what Ami was told by Emi. Ami is affected by her avoidance of you, as much as you are. She doesn’t like it and I don’t think she truly wants to avoid you, but she’s doing it because she was told it would make you happy, and if she asked you questions about it -”

“It would only cause more problems for Emi and I,” Arata finished as he shoved his hands in his pockets before walking towards his friend. “I now have a valid reason for finally doing what I have been wanting to do for a while. She won’t be back in three days and that should give me plenty of time to move my stuff. Mind if I move it to your place until I find my own home?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Yuugo said blinking. “What are you going to be doing?”

“Break up with Emi,” Arata said. “I should have known that she did something when Ami started avoiding me considering she usually talks everything out until the issue is resolved. Ami might go off topic, but the issue will get resolved, she hates losing friends.” Arata looked at Yuugo with a smirk on his face. “As for the situation with Ami avoiding me, I have two options.”

“Which are?”

“Ask Kyoko to use her key to let me inside Ami’s apartment and I wait there or I wait outside of Ami’s apartment until she returns home.”

Yuugo chuckled, it is obvious with Arata that he is stubborn, sometimes to the point of being a prick, but Ami is secretly as stubborn and she’s bound determined when she puts her mind to it. When those two friends fight, it’s entertaining for those to watch. Arata isn’t one to mince words and can be rationale most of the time, but Ami is clever with her words causing confusion with to those arguing with her, also her habit of changing the topic keeps Arata on his toes since he knows her habits while it causes new people confusion to take a step back and figure out what just happened. Yuugo hopes this time, the two of them will get together.

Nokai and Ami’s friend Ryota can see the affection and love the two have for each other and he can’t even read the atmosphere between him and his girlfriend, even if someone tells it to him bluntly, he can’t read it.

Three days...make it four days later, Arata was waiting for Emi to come home at 3:00 AM. His stuff that he brought (actually thankful for Nokia’s advice to keep the receipts) was sitting at the Kamishiro’s residence, he notified and paid the landlord for him breaking the lease early. His original plan was to stay at one of his friends house, his overnight bag already there, but their parents dropped by unannounced and are staying the night, so he’s trying to think of a Plan B because he did not want to stay outside in the cold, hard rain they were currently having.

Emi came home, an outsider to the close group of friends that was trying to break them apart. Her blonde hair was perfectly dry, her green eyes looked happily at Arata, her red painted lips broke into a smile, she was wearing a green poncho covering the black dress Emi loves to wear, black sheer tights led to black heels that she was taking off.

“Oh, Arata, you didn’t have to wait up for me,” she spoke.

“Yes, I did. There is something that you need to know,” Arata spoke trying to refrain from getting angry. He thought he had cooled down but upon seeing Emi again and knowing she’s the reason his best friend started to avoid him, his anger came back. He stood up from where he was sitting and stared at her, “I am breaking up with you.”

Emi’s eyes turned sharp and cold, “You’re breaking up with me? Why? DId Ami convince -”

“No, she didn’t. I should have broken up with you when you had me give up watching my favorite shows, gave up on reading manga, when you told me to give up my collection, I didn’t. I should have broken up with you when I no longer felt the spark after two months.” His voice was getting louder. “Than I find out that the reason my best friend, the one who gave me the courage and motivation to ask you out, is avoiding me, because of you. Because you told her to!”

“She was stealing you away!”

“No, she wasn’t,” Arata growled walking past her. “Ami cares more about other people and their happiness more than her own. Our relationship is over, don’t bother Yuugo, Yuuko, Nokia, Ami, or myself. Especially Ami.”

He walked out of the apartment and out into the cold rain which he quickly raised his hood over his head. He walked into the deserted streets trying to figure out who he can call at 3:30 in the morning. His hands hovered Ami’s contact but they just shoved the digivice into his pocket.

He’s been worried about her, he knows how she’ll keep everything bottled up inside, especially on a case that is bad. So bad sometimes that even he questions how humanity can be so cruel, and than he knows he’s not the one scarred, he isn’t the one who has to deal with the images, the nightmares of the case, the aftermath.

He remembers one time not to long ago, just a week ago in fact, that Nokia was telling them of Ami not being able to make it due to a lead on a terrible case. She wasn’t lying, it wasn’t a a way for Ami to avoid him for the reason now known, but he can imagine her. Trying to keep it all bottled in, not to make the other’s worry, not to tarnish their view on human nature, she tried to keep it from him. She would’ve been successful too, if he wasn’t at the right place at the wrong time.

He knocked on Ami’s door, late at night, and noticed that the door was unlocked and that there was faint sobbing. When he entered the apartment, he could still the remains of their monthly game night, something to help them relax after all that they’ve been through. It was weird, usually Ami would have it cleaned up, a habit she picked up from trying to get approval of a clean house from her mother. He heard the sobbing louder and his eyes zoom in on the slightly crack door to her bedroom. He opened her door slightly, feeling like he was invading her personal space, and once he saw her, he knew for a fact that he was MOST definitely invading her personal space.

She was sitting on her bed, her body shaking as she sobbed into  knees that were pulled up into her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs. He called out to her and her body stilled, and she orders him to leave but he comes closer. He sits on her bed, not leaving, not moving. He waits for her to talk, and finally a threat or a promise, neither of them a sure. A promise not to leave until she tells him whats wrong. He honestly thought it was just a relationship he didn’t know she was in went wrong and they break up.

Games. Board Games. The ones in which they played tonight. A game of life of death. Five people dead, a child, a teenager, young parent, a single parent with one child, and a grandparent. All dead because they lost the board game. A murder mystery game and they got it wrong, murdered exactly in the same way the imaginary victim in the game got murdered.

Than she said something that surprised him. She survived. She beat the person at the game. She beat him at his own game, minutes before police arrived and arrested him. The way the crime happened in the game, she would have been dead.

Arata looked up at the cold rain, letting it patter against his face. “What horrors have you tried to face alone in these last three months, Ami?”