#What we learn from this is Aoi would always be on the left side until dogmatic final

[cobaltusami]

Ayo can I get a lee makoto and ler sakura please?

Hey hi hello! I had so much fun writing this, I fricking love Sakura and I’m always happy to write about her. Thank you so much for this request! :’)

So I went with this random Idea of basically her training Makoto on how to win in a tickle fight, Because ofc she would train him. I’m not sure where the idea of the concussion came from but enjoy I guess? xD

Side note, In this fic, Makoto knows about Kenshiro because he has spent time with Sakura. Not sure If that needed explained but just so you know!

Characters: Lee!Makoto, Ler!Sakura, Implied Lee!Hina at the very end.

Word count: 3230

Makoto came staggering Into the nurses office, holding his head In pain. He sat down on one of the beds after retrieving an ice pack from the mini cooler nestled In the corner of the room.

“Makoto? What happened to you?” Aoi asked curiously from the bed across from his.

He jumped in surprise and quickly brought the cold pack down, trying to obscure It from the swimmer. “M-Me? Oh… Nothing, Just have a headache… What about you? Why are you In here?” He quickly turned the question around on her.

“She twisted her ankle while running. I’m wrapping It for her.” Sakura informed him.

Makoto hadn’t even noticed her until she spoke up.

“Don’t ask how I twisted It.” Hina giggled sheepishly, blushing a little.

“I thought Sakura just said you were running?”

“Yeah but…”

“She was running to the dining hall to get donuts.” Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes fondly at her best friend’s antics. She carefully finished wrapping up the foot In her lap and set It back down. “There, how does that feel?” 

“Better. Thanks Sakura.” Hina beamed, launching herself halfway off the bed to hug the taller girl.

Sakura flinched and quickly caught the athlete before she hurt herself even more. “Try to be more careful, Hina. I swear sometimes you can be such a klutz.” she teased, setting the swimmer back on the bed after giving her a quick hug.

“It’s not my fault, The Floor conspired against me.” Hina giggled.

“What am I going to do with you?” Sakura sighed.

Makoto smiled to himself as he watched the two absentmindedly, forgetting for a moment about the roaring migraine he had going… Until he just thought about it. He winced and put the ice pack back up against his head.

“Makoto, What happened to your head?” The Martial Artist asked, approaching the student curiously.

“I uh, Fell and hit my head.” He lied unconvincingly.

“If that’s the case, You might be as big of a klutz as me.” Hina giggled.

Sakura sighed and knelt on the bed behind him, carefully moving his hand away from the spot on his head. “Let me look at It.”

She moved his hair away from the spot on his head, he winced expecting her to be much more rough but she was surprisingly very gentle. It only stung a little. “Am I bleeding?” Makoto asked after a brief silence.

“No. But you do have a painful looking bump on your head. Put the ice back on that spot.” She instructed as she got up and came around to the other side of the bed.

He did as she told him, wincing as the stinging returned. “So all I need to do Is Ice It, Right?”

She sat down In a stool In front of him. “Yes, For that spot anyway. I want to check and make sure you don’t have a concussion though.”

“I’m sure I’m fine, Sakura. It’s just a bump.” 

“You said you have a headache, Is there anything else bothering you? Are you nauseous? Is there any ringing in your ears?” She asked, brushing off his attempts to put her at ease.

“No.”

“Your eyes are dilated.” She informed him. “Makoto, can you remember how exactly this happened?”

Makoto sat there, staring blankly at the wall behind Sakura trying to think. Honestly? No. He couldn’t. He didn’t remember hitting his head, all he remembered was getting up off the floor and stumbling in here.

He hesitantly met her eyes, slowly shaking his head.

She sighed softly and stood up, going over to the medicine cabinet and retrieving some ibuprofen. She brought It back with some water and set them both down on the table in front of Makoto. “Here, these will help, But you have a concussion so your head Is still going to hurt for a while. You can’t sleep for a few hours so Is there anything I can get you to help you stay awake?”

“Um, No… I’ll be okay. Thank you Sakura.” He mustered up a small smile at her.

“You’re welcome. I’m going to go figure out what happened, I will be back to check on both of you.” She said, exiting the room.

“I’ve never seen Sakura act like that before.” Makoto mumbled once the fighter had left the room.

Hina nodded, smiling. “Yeah, She only acts like that around people she’s close to. She kind of turns into a mom when someone gets hurt.” She giggled a little.

Makoto smiled, looking back at Hina. “Yeah, She kind of reminded me of my mom just now. Except she didn’t yell at me for not being careful.”

“She said she used to mother Kenshiro a lot when he’d get hurt. He always got mad at her for It so she kind of hid that side of herself.” Aoi recalled. 

“I don’t understand why, Obviously It was because She cared about him.”

“I guess tough guys don’t like being worried about.” she shrugged.

As the two continued to theorize and talk, Sakura had made her way to the dining hall where the others were gathered, she sat down next to Mondo and just stared at him for a moment.

“What? Why are you looking at me funny?” Mondo asked, turning to face her.

“Mondo… Did you hit Makoto?” She asked.

“What?? Why the hell would I do that?” The biker replied, making a face of confusion. “I’d only hit him If I was mad at him-- Which I wasn’t.”

“Then how did he get a concussion?” Sakura asked quietly.

“Makoto has a concussion!?” Mondo choked.

Taka whipped around, looking In alarm at them. “What?! Where Is Makoto right now?? I must go check on him--”

“He’s resting, I gave him some ibuprofen and he’s icing his head. He’s fine.” She reassured the strict student.

“We were rough housing and he fell, I went to check on him after a minute but he was gone. I figured he just went back to his room.” Mondo explained.

“It’s true.” Chihiro spoke up. “We were all playing around trying to take Mondo down.”

“Trying and failing.” The tough biker corrected, smirking.

“Don’t remind me, My sides still hurt.” Hiro mumbled.

“Hey I tried to tell you idiots that was a bad idea.” Leon retorted. “Clearly you didn’t learn from watching Taka get wrecked.”

Taka blushed as he felt all eyes at the table on him. “W-What? A leader leads by example!”

Chihiro giggled, shaking their head. “Where Is Makoto? I want to go check on him.”

“Yeah, Me too. I feel kind of guilty.” Mondo agreed.

“He’s In the Infirmary.” She answered. Well, At least she knew what happened now. She took the others back with her, and they proceeded to fill Makoto In on what transpired leading up to him hitting his head.

He was thankful to now recall how he got the concussion, but a little embarrassed that the reason he got the concussion to begin with was because he got tickled by Mondo in a bad spot and went flying into a wall to escape.

He was even more embarrassed that Hina and Sakura now knew that fact as well.

A few days later Makoto approached the Martial artist, She was sitting In the pool area watching Hina swim. “Hey Sakura?” 

Sakura looked up at him, The Lucky student appeared very nervous and shy. “Hello, Makoto. What Is It?”

“Um. I have a question.” He sat down next to her. “You can take Mondo In a fight, Right?”

Sakura gave a perplexed look as she smiled in amusement. “Yes, I believe so. Why? Do you want me to beat him up for you?”

“N-No! Nothing like that…” Makoto stammered. “I just… Um… How? How do you fight him and win?”

“What Is this about, Makoto?”

Makoto sighed. “I want revenge on him for the other day, I wanna be the one to successfully take him down. So how do I win against him in a play fight?”

“By play fight you mean...?” She asked.

“He means a tickle fight!” Hina answered, leaning against the side of the pool near them. “He wants to know how to win In a tickle fight!”

“H-Hina!” Makoto blushed bright pink, feeling ridiculous.

Sakura tilted her head curiously. “Is that true?”

“I-It’s not that I think you just go around getting In… Play fights with people all the time, But I think because you’re such a good fighter you’ll have some kind of strategy.” 

The Ultimate Martial artist actually giggled at this. “Oh how wrong you are… I’ve never won a ‘play fight’. But I’ve seen Mondo get tickled on a handful of occasions so I sort of have a strategy that might help you.”

“You’ve never won one before?” Makoto and Hina asked In unison, confused.

“L-Like Makoto said.” Sakura blushed. “I don’t just go around getting into such silly fights.”

Hina and Makoto exchanged looks, He was incredulous while she was… plotting something. Makoto could tell she was going to get herself in trouble later.

“Anyway, What’s the strategy?” Makoto asked, trying to distance himself from whatever foolishness Hina was plotting.

“Okay so…” Sakura thought for a moment, collecting her thoughts. “Mondo relies on his strength so you have to turn that into a weakness. By moving quicker than him and tripping him up by aiming for his joints. He’s sensitive in the stomach but If he’s as good of a fighter as I think he is, He’ll be guarding any obvious spots so you have to be unconventional and-- Makoto? Are you even listening?”

Makoto blinked. “Y-Yeah of course!”

“Repeat back what I just said.”

The lucky student stammered. “O-Okay, I didn’t take In any of that. I’m sorry! I’m listening. It's just... You’re talking kind of fast.”

Sakura frowned. “Sorry, I have a tendency to do that when discussing fighting.”

“No kidding.” Hina mumbled.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Hina warningly before turning her attention back to Makoto. “I could try to go slower, But I get too Into talking about fighting and tend to start rambling. It might be better If I just show you and explain as I go.”

“No! Th-That won’t be necessary!” Makoto said quickly, blushing brightly. “It’s okay, I’ll figure something out and--”

“Makoto! Let her help you!” Hina chastised, pulling herself out of the pool and settling on the edge. “If you don’t, I’ll help you. And you won’t like my help… I’m not as gentle.” she warned, glaring at the frightened student.

“It’s okay, Makoto. I won’t hurt you.” Sakura reassured him carefully.

He wasn’t just afraid of getting hurt, He also was super ticklish and didn’t want her to see just how ticklish he was. “O-Okay…” He agreed hesitantly, standing up.

She stood up too. “Okay, So for this part, You’re going to be Mondo.” 

He nodded and took a defensive stance, bracing himself internally.

“You’re going to want to make the first move. Normally with someone larger than you, you want to wait for them to strike first so you can dodge and get your hits in.” She approached him. “But that will be his strategy, so you have to use it to your advantage. Reach your right arm out towards me.” she instructed.

He nodded and did as she asked.

“He’s right handed, so when he goes to reach for you, It’ll be with his right arm. Use your size to your advantage and duck as you get closer to his body. You want to avoid his hand by going under it.”

She walked around to his shoulder. “You’ll want to come back up to full height around here, Because you’re going to grab the collar of his coat when you do.”

Sakura grabbed the collar of his coat to emphasize. “He’s going to be spinning around to reach for you, so you have to keep moving while you have a handful of his coat.” she explained. “Spin around and try to grab me.”

Makoto did as she instructed, spinning around to grab at her but she began sprinting around him, dragging him nearly off his feet with her momentum alone. “Once you do this, Lift up--”

Makoto yelped as he was hoisted Into the air.

“And lean Into him, It’s like a tackle. The momentum of your running and his spinning will take him down with you on top of him. I’m not going to do that because I don’t want to hurt you.” She explained, Instead she gently put him down on the floor on his stomach and knelt beside him.

Makoto sighed in relief upon being set down. “Okay, Then what?”

“You’re going to want to keep your knee In the small of his back to keep him down.” She explained, Resting her hand against the small of his back. “Right about here. Make sure you put all of your weight Into It or he’ll be able to get out easily.”

He nodded, Making a mental note of the spot on his back. “Next?”

“He’ll be face down, So that leaves you with very little options. You have to be unconventional.”

“Unconventional how?”

“The Back, His shoulder blades, anywhere that might produce a reaction.” she explained.

“The back? Are people actually sensitive there…?” Makoto glanced over his shoulder at her inquisitively.

“Yes. Some people more than others.” She responded calmly. “Here, Let me show you.”

She brushed her fingers gently across his shoulder blades, to his surprise he squeaked and dissolved into a fit of giggles. “Okahahahay! Ihihihi seehehe what you mean!” He giggled, squirming around.

Sakura smiled in amusement as she ran her fingers across the back of his ribs. “Are you sure? I want to make sure you fully understand.”

Makoto squealed and began giggling harder, rolling over onto his back to protect it. “Ihihihim sure!” he retorted.

“Well, You wanna make sure you apply enough weight so that Mondo can’t roll over like that.” She said amusedly. “Because If he does…”

Suddenly she began tickling his sides and stomach, causing him to shriek and arch his back as he laughed brightly.

“He will destroy you by aiming for your weak spots.” She said as a matter of fact, no hint of joking whatsoever. Though If he looked at her face, He could see she was smirking.

“SAHAHAHAKURA! NOHOHOHOHO!” He flailed, laughing helplessly as he did.

“Come on, Makoto. This Is training. What do you do In this situation? I’ll give you a hint… I told you earlier.” She said, focusing her efforts on his stomach.

Makoto tried to rack his brain for the solution, but he couldn’t focus thanks to the merciless onslaught of tickles to his worst spot. “I DOHOHOHOHON’T KNOHOHOHOW!” He whined.

“Ooh! I know!” Hina raised her hand as though she was In class. “Aim for the joints, Right?”

“Yes.” Sakura relented her attack. “Whichever side he’s on, Raise the hand closest to him…”

Makoto brought his left arm up, still giggling under his breath as he waited for her instructions.

“And either chop his wrist, Or drive your elbow Into his inner elbow to send his arm away.” She explained. “From there, you should have a clear target. His stomach should be exposed. And he’s really sensitive there so It should trip him up enough for you to get the upper hand.” 

Makoto smirked mischievously. “Really?” Without waiting for her to say anything he darted his hands towards her midsection, But she saw this coming a mile away and caught his wrists. Stopping him with ease.

“Did you honestly think that would work?” Sakura chuckled, pulling the now incredibly nervous boy into her lap. 

“W-Wait! Sakura, I-I’m sorry!” He yelped, squirming. He couldn’t pull his wrists free no matter how much he tugged at them.

“Hmm… I’m not sure I believe you.” Sakura hummed thoughtfully. “I think you’re just sorry you were caught.”

Well, Technically she was right.

“Maybe this would be a good opportunity to teach you about teases. Seeing as though Mondo Is very weak to them.” She smirked.

Makoto’s eyes widened as he froze up. “Nononono! I know all about that! You don’t have to teach me!”

“Are you sure? I said I would help you beat Mondo, and this is a big part of that.” She began dragging her fingers across his side teasingly, making him tremble and giggle.

“Ihihihi’m good! I promise!” He giggled, blushing.

“I think you should tease him anyways! The little shit tried to tickle you. That’s my job!” Hina spoke up, outraged.

Sakura laughed lightly. “That would be the biggest mistake you’ll ever make. I will wreck you too.”

“Well yeah, duh. That’s part of the fun. I’m well aware of the risks.” Hina scoffed. 

“I think you may be a masochist, Hina.” Sakura smiled in exasperation at her friend before turning her attention back to Makoto. “But enough of that, What do you say I give you some good lines to use against him?” 

Makoto shook his head frantically. “Nohohoho!”

“But why not? Don’t you want to win against Mondo?” She hummed, forming a claw with her fingers and attacking his stomach. He screeched and threw his head back laughing. “Aw, Poor baby. Does this tickle~?”

“SAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAKURAAHA! PLEHEHEHEHEASE!” Makoto blushed bright red, burying his face in his arm.

“Please what? Please tickle you more? If you insist.” Sakura teased, vibrating her fingers into his sensitive belly.

Makoto let out another shriek as he laughed hysterically, tears welling up in the corner of his eyes already. “NAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MEHEHEHERCY!” He cried out.

“Do you think Mondo Is going to have mercy on you? Why should I?” she asked, though she did lighten up to just gently brushing her fingers against his exposed stomach.

He laid there in her lap giggling and laughing like a damn fool.

“He’s going to tickle you to pieces and laugh about it.”

“Whahahahat’s your pohohohoint?” He laughed.

She stopped her attack and let go of his wrists, gently putting him back down on the floor. “My point Is, If you make snap judgements and move without thinking of the repercussions, You’ll lose.”

He laid on the floor giggling softly and recovering from the attack. 

“Your advantage In this fight will be that Mondo Is reactionary, He doesn’t think about his actions so you can plan for that. But that’s also your disadvantage. You have to be quick thinking and stay three steps ahead of him if you want to win.” 

Makoto nodded as he sat up. “Thanks Sakura… Do you think I should practice before I try to take him on?”

“It definitely wouldn’t hurt.” She replied.

Makoto glanced up at Hina. At that moment they both lunged at Sakura, Who again saw this coming a mile away. She caught Hina In one arm and Makoto In the other, She pinned their bodies against hers with their arms at their sides so they couldn’t escape. “Seriously? Again?” She sighed.

“Hina why did I let you tempt me Into this!?” Makoto complained, squirming helplessly.

“Hey, You should have known following my lead was a bad idea.” Hina giggled.

“I guess some people learn the hard way...”

“Nononono! Sakura wait! Wahahahahahait!”

“Aieeee! Sahahahahakuraaaa ihihit tihihickles!”

Sakura sighed, What was she going to do with these two idiots? Well apparently the answer Is tickle them nearly to death, Because that’s what happened.

[3w-writer-with-wings]

10 Most Powerful Scenes in Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS

10) Three things

Starting with probably the most well known quote in VRAINS – three things. It would’ve been probably ranked higher if it was not that repetitive and its impact wasn’t scattered to many different scenes, but it is still a very powerful scene regardless. Yusaku was just an innocent six-year-old child who loved to play a card game and yet that same game was turned against him in the cruellest way possible. Suddenly he had to duel for survival and suffered for each defeat. For half a year, Yusaku was trapped in a never-ending nightmare that didn’t seem to stop until he heard Ryouken’s voice. These few sentences gave Yusaku hope to hold on just a while longer and he started using them as his coping mechanism, even years after the Lost Incident. Like Yusaku said it himself, it felt like the life stopped moving for him and despite therapy he could no longer lived his life like others. Thinking of three things to move forward was the only thing that helped him out and knowing there might be someone else still trapped there made him more determined to find out the truth. Since he used this coping mechanism outside duelling, it may also suggest that three things speech is the only thing that kept him from turning into an empty shell like Jin.  

Another thing that makes this scene so powerful is Ryouken’s side of it. Just like Yusaku, he was also just a child who loved the game and most certainly just wanted to play a game with a new friend. It is still unknown if Ryouken was aware of what will happen to children, but it is most likely that he genuinely meant no harm. True his father brainwashed him with his ideas of work for “greater good”, but Ryouken knew it was wrong. He could only report the incident to police and push the memories of it away and yet he reached out to one of the children just before he did. Later it was only further proved just how guilty Ryouken felt and always had a soft spot for the victims. Neither Vyra nor Faust had the courage to report the incident, but Ryouken, a mere eight-year-old child had. Despite his father’s brainwashing, he acted on his own and continued to do so until all the victims were fully safe.

9)      Ai saves Yusaku

From the start of the series, Ai wasn’t a typical partner character like Atem or Astral since he was mostly goofing off and wasn’t really useful when it came to duelling. However, in this scene, Ai shows for the very first time just how powerful he really is and even Yusaku is left speechless at Ai’s abilities. Ai even tells him to shut up back and letting him know that he is far too in this duel to just give up. He even refers to him as his partner and shows he is willing to risk his life for him all the same way. Considering Ai was already using Yusaku as his personal weapon against Knights of Hanoi at the time, this may be the first time he actually started seeing Yusaku as his own person and not just as the tool in his plan. Ai has always been sneaky and successfully covered up his true colours, though in this single scene, he genuinely looks concerned about Yusaku.  

8)      Hope for the future

Hopeful and optimistic scenes are very rare in VRAINS and this is just one of many reasons why this one was included. Shortly after Earth’s death and Go’s decline, Yusaku blames himself for what happened and is again unsure about what they should do. Fortunately, Takeru, Ai and Flame are there to cheer him up and despite the approaching battle, Yusaku is hopeful for the future. Compared to how he used to be, when he told Akira that he can no longer live normally and that he sees no future, this is a major change. Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonists have always been optimistic and even if it was impossible, they believed in themselves and in their actions. Yusaku has always been bold and realistic, so seeing him hopeful and thinking about future in his own realistic terms made it that more impactful. He even smiled several times and ensured both Ai and Flame that they have a plan to keep them safe and if it won’t work, they’ll just think of another one. Watching this scene for the first time really made you feel that despite the hardships, this show will have a happy ending and for a while it really felt that way. Knowing how VRAINS will end this scene may also hint that this is when Ai truly started thinking of Yusaku as his true friend. Ai has been moulding Yusaku into Playmaker from the start and when his so called weapon acknowledged him as a living being and promised to do everything he can to keep him safe – that’s likely when Ai began to realize just how much is Yusaku willing to do for him.

7)      Earth’s execution

 This scene is probably among one of the most heart-breaking ones as it is among surprising ones as well. Villain very rarely wins in Yu-Gi-Oh! and when they do, it’s a big deal. Earth wasn’t around for long but when he was, he appeared as a very nice, caring and socially awkward Ignis. He was likely also the only Ignis besides Ai that expressed love towards someone and he was willing to do anything to keep Aqua safe. What makes his death that much sadder is that he was captured by Go who was by this point a mere shadow of what he used to be. Both Go and Earth were victims of SOL’s greed and ended up as their tools. SOL did absolutely everything to ensure Earth was not a living being, using scientific expressions reserved for objects and not stopping even when he screamed he is his own person and cried his eyes out when forgetting about Aqua. Another powerful comparison was between Akira’s and Queen’s reaction to it. Akira couldn’t watch while Queen smirked and likely only thought of next step which later turned out to be creation of their own Ignis and putting Earth’s data in Go’s implant.

Other Ignis also felt Earth’s death, along with his own origin. Specter has always appeared to be someone who was entirely devoted to Ryouken’s plans and would do anything to destroy Ignis, despite being connected to one. After Earth’s death he felt like a part of him was gone and he even shed a tear and looked disturbed when seeing Go being fused with Earth’s data. Deep down Specter felt the bond between him and his Ignis and when Earth was no more, he likely felt the same pain as when his beloved tree was cut down.

6)      Yusaku defeats Kusanagi

 The duel between Yusaku and Kusanagi was anticipated from the start since it wouldn’t be a Yu-Gi-Oh! if it didn’t include an emotional clash between two best friends. What made this duel that more emotional is that Yusaku and Kusanagi seemingly did not have that best friend dynamic that so many protagonists before them had. They treated each other more like caring co-workers and even Yusaku stated many times that Kusanagi was his acquaintance and not a friend. Many times it also appeared like Kusanagi saw Yusaku as Jin and was doing all of this for his little brother and would likely choose Jin over Yusaku.  Still there were many moments where Kusanagi showed legit concern over Yusaku and apologized many times for involving him into this. As for Yusaku, he appeared to be more or less stoic about it, showing little emotion, which made it hard to tell just what kind of relationship he really has with Kusanagi, not to mention he always used very polite mannerism towards him which was his surname and –san. Compared to Takeru, whom he refer to simply by his first name, that was pretty polite though then again, Yusaku didn’t mind Takeru nor Kusanagi calling him by his first name either.

It was clear that the reason why they kept their relationship strictly professional was because Kusanagi knew there will be a time where he might need to put Jin over Yusaku and yet he still cared about him. Yusaku also did not want to involve anyone since he knew what he was doing was dangerous and even Kusanagi needed a while before he became a part of his team. Lightning knew well about their bond and did not hesitate to use it against them in the cruellest way possible. Even though Kusanagi played along and tried to make it as convincing as possible he was likely breaking inside. It also does not help that the scene where Kusanagi deals multiple damage to Yusaku looks strangely identical to the Lost Incident flashbacks where Yusaku was electrocuted many times. The duel came to a point where Yusaku couldn’t fight Kusanagi and that’s when it was clear that he also cares about him. The flashback to the promise further proved that this duel was something they anticipated and were ready, but what truly makes this scene so heart breaking is when Yusaku outright cries out after dealing the final blow to his friend. It was clear that Yusaku was ready for something like this, but at the same time he didn’t understand just what this meant for him. It truly broke him and another reason why this was so impactful is that duel was a mirror image to Lost Incident. They again took something that Yusaku loved and turned it against him until he was broken to the core. Only this time, there was no Ryouken who could tell him to think of three things in order to go forward.

5)      “You know nothing about me!”

When VRAINS started, no one really had a clue what it will be about besides hover boards and duels in virtual reality. By episode 2 the first hint of Lost Incident was shown and by that point it was clear VRAINS is going to be a lot more complex and dark to previous shows. We all wanted to learn just what exactly happened to Yusaku and what the truth he was so desperate to uncover was. By episode nineteen he is finally close to that truth, but Akira stands in his way, claiming he knows all about what happened and that Yusaku should let Akira handle this. We learn that there were six children who were kidnapped and held captive for months until they were rescued. Akira compared that experience with his own when he lost everything and had to do shady jobs in order to provide for himself and Aoi. He expected Yusaku to accept his help and move on with his life, but instead of that Akira is met by absolute rage. Yusaku and Kusanagi both appeared to be rather cool and collected people, however seeing how Akira was treating everything so lightly made their blood boil and shouted all of their frustrations out. This was followed by Yusaku’s raw description of just what was happening from the point of view of someone who actually experienced this and not someone who merely reported it. It was nowhere as simple as Akira described it and learning that Yusaku still suffers from PTSD and night terrors rightfully justifies his rage. Like Yusaku put it, he tried to move on countless times and did everything he could to forget the pain, but he just couldn’t. Learning the truth was the only cure he knew would help and seeing someone brush it off just like that was incredibly insensitive and gave him all the right to be as mad as he was.

4)      Yusaku doesn’t want to fight anymore

 It is rare to see Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonist to give up and for someone like Yusaku who will do anything to reach his goal, it was absolutely heart breaking to see him give up. This was the second time he was broken apart, only this time he had no one to give him hope. Yusaku has been fighting his whole life and tried to distance himself from others because he knew that he wouldn’t be able to take it if he were to lose them or if something happened to them. He even was getting better at socialising and trusting others more which is why this scene is so sad. Just when he was seemingly experiencing bits of normal life, Lost Incident happened again and this time it took away his friend. He was outright defeated at that point and despite protecting Kusanagi from Lightning’s badmouthing, Yusaku just couldn’t take it anymore. The pain of loss was so great that he simply shut down. In a way it is similar to when Yuma lost Astral and cooped himself in the room for days, refusing to eat or talk with his friends. And honestly can you blame him? This started out as merely quest to learn more about Lost Incident and over the time it turned into fighting with cyber terrorists, protecting thousands of people and dealing with homicidal AIs. Like suffering from PTSD and night terrors, Yusaku had even more responsibility pinned on him and it is understandable that after such ordeal he could not take it anymore. It was only thanks to Kusanagi’s voice that he found the last of his strength in order to defeat Bowman once and for all.

  3)      “If losing a friend means your heart breaks, then are you trying to break my heart?”

Now this single quote may as well break your heart. Yusaku and Ai might’ve started off as an odd pair that regularly annoyed each other, but with more episodes, deeper their relationship became. Ai has always appeared to be this happy-go-lucky goofball and that turned out to be a mask. Not only to cover up his true motives for siding with Playmaker, but his own personality as well. When he was cracking jokes, he was really just covering up the fact that he has been torn apart and hiding in network for years in order to protect his friends. Yusaku was his only hope and even though he has been manipulating him to the very end, Ai grew attached to him and especially after losing other Ignis, he felt alone and guilty. What makes this scene so powerful is that Yusaku tells Ai loud and clear that he is his friend and losing him would as painful as when Ai lost his fellow Ignis. A couple episodes ago Ai said there is only one person he fully trusts with his feelings and this person turned out to be no other than Yusaku. Ai also revealed that he was using Yusaku as his weapon and yet Yusaku still referred to him as his friend. This entire duel was probably the first time the two of them were completely honest with each other and out of all sentences they exchanged, this one was the most heart wrenching.

2)      Revolver's helmet breaks

 Like Yusaku, Ryouken has also been moulded into Revolver, the man in charge of cyber terrorist organization known as Knights of Hanoi.  His father who brainwashed him with his ideas to a point when he was willing to blow up himself with the rest of the network has created his entire identity and Ryouken had little to no say in it. Despite closely following the orders, part of Ryouken still rebelled since he wanted to uncover Playmaker’s identity and the fact that he managed to do it behind his father’s back proves that he wasn’t completely loyal to his father. He always had that tiny bit of conscience that made him report the Lost Incident and learn about the victims. After his father’s death he both felt free and lost, so it was a good thing he took some time off to clear his thoughts. He had time to learn everything about the victims and the case of Windy’s child was likely one of the many reasons he decided to outright eliminate all Ignis. And once that was done, the only thing he was left with were sins of his father. He was even ready to surrender himself to authorities and go to jail if that would help Takeru and other victims to move on. They settled this with a duel and when Ryouken lost, his helmet broke, symbolically freeing him from his burden. Takeru didn’t want him to go to jail for crimes he didn’t commit and rather wanted him to be a rightful Knight of Hanoi – the one who protects network and others so Lost Incident may never happen again.

1)      Ai means »to love people«

 Yu-Gi-Oh! series tend to give their characters rather meaningful names, like how Yugi means “game”, how Yugi’s and Juninchi’s first two letters form a word “friendship” and even in SEVENS, Yuga Oudo translates to “seventh road” which symbolizes Yuga’s wish to invent things for better future. The second Yusaku named Ai, I knew his name will be important part of the story. I already knew Ai means “love” and considering how much emphasis’ series put on relationship between protagonist and his partner, I assumed it will be important someday. VRAINS told a story of an AI who was torn from his world and friends and ripped apart, driven by revenge and goal to get back. In order to achieve his goal, he manipulated a traumatized boy into becoming a weapon he needed, successfully using him until the very end. What he did not expect is that the person he carefully moulded into a tool for his plans would become his closest friend so when he was slowly fading away in Yusaku’s arms and heard what his name meant… that’s when it hit hard in the feels. Ai was an AI with free will, born from the pain and misery that Yusaku had to endure for long months. He was programmed to think freely and yet the fate has drawn him back to his origin, slowly understanding just how much he needs Yusaku and how much Yusaku needs him. Even though there was a way for them to be together, he understood the pain Yusaku has been feeling his entire life, the pain of being used and knowing Yusaku cared about him to the point of protecting him with his life, it was clear there was only one other way. Not wanting to hurt him anymore, Ai sacrificed himself for his partner and once he learned the meaning of his name, he faded away with smile.

What he did was the ultimate act of love for his partner.

[kermitbread]

did somebody say tsukanene? no? ok here ya go

It's also in my AO3, as always

What a rather confuzzling situation he was in.

Tsukasa didn't know how this whole attachment with Nene began. All he knew was that one day, he decided that maybe he'd give liking his brother's assistant a try.

Certainly it doesn't seem like he wants to stop any time soon.

Did he like her in "that" way, though? Who knows? Amane seemed to feel that way towards her, he can even tell. Why should he be throwing a fit if her attention's all at his older brother and not him sometimes?

Why should he be mad if she smiles at someone else instead of him?

This particular human confused him. She confused him so much. What was it about her that made her so special to Amane, anyway? Besides her shortening lifespan, and those strange looking ankles, everything else about her seemed… average in comparison.

She didn't seem to be disturbed by his oddness anymore. Like that one time he began leaving dead birds around the bathroom for her to find (his own little way of giving gifts). As frightened as she was at first upon finding them, she'd just smile shakily at him before saying,

"Thank you for the present."

That was said so genuinely, he admit it left him unable to comprehend her words. Usually when he'd leave those nasty little gifts to Sakura she wouldn't say a word, but the disturbed look on her face was enough to tell him everything.

Thinking about it was too much hard work, though. Too stressful.

Yet he finds himself thinking about it anyway.

He sat by the rooftop, by the edge, legs swinging back and forth. His face deep in thought, so much that even if his kokujoudai tried to poke him, he wouldn't snap back to reality.

Well, his train of thought came to a halt when the door suddenly opened behind him, along with footsteps.

"Waah, I can relax today for once!" Nene stretched her arms up, a smile on her face. According to Kou, Hanako had gone off to an important meeting with the Seven Mysteries, so it meant she didn't have to clean the toilets today.

She took a whiff of the fresh air, not noticing Tsukasa watching her up from a distance intently. That was, until he decided to deliberately throw himself at her from behind.

"Nene!"

"Eh—Tsukasa-kun?!" She took a moment to balance herself as he stuck onto her back at once. Managing to stay on her feet was a race against time, especially with the twins charging at her with such speed.

"Amane's not with you today? Did he go to those boring meetings again?"

"Yeah, Kou-kun said it was important. What are you doing here all alone, Tsukasa-kun?" Nene took a breather when he finally pulled back, settling for floating right in front of her instead.

He could only shrug. "I wanted to play with Amane but seems like he's out of the picture. He can be so boring sometimes, ya know?" 

"I guess so…" She muttered. "Why not play with your friends at the broadcasting club? Nanamine-senpai seems to have free time."

"Sakura won't play with me. That other guy's not around either. Mitsuba's probably hanging out with that zappy kid. But Nene's here anyway, so it's fine!!" Tsukasa seemed perfectly happy saying those words, which slightly disturbed her.

Despite being polar opposites, there was one thing the twins had in common, and that was they hid a lot of their true emotions deep inside.

They really are brothers, huh?

And so, one thing lead to another, and Nene found herself being accompanied around the school hallways by Tsukasa. She had to stop him from scaring a few unfortunate people here and there with his pranks, although it wasn't as bad as what he'd be prone to do.

"Tsukasa-kun! Don't break the windows!" She tugged at the back of his clothes, dragging him away from her classroom before he could commit another crime.

He laughed, because why wouldn't he? "I wasn't gonna do that! I was gonna break the lights!"

"That's even worse!"

"Yashiro-san?" The voice of her classmate Akane made her stop pulling at Tsukasa and drop him on the floor, making him let out a noise as he collided downwards.

Akane took one look at her, then at Tsukasa, then at her again. He wasn't one to judge that much, but Nene hung out with the strangest people, apparition or not. And he wasn't blind either, as he was perfectly aware that this boy next to her wasn't the Honorable No. 7.

"You're Honorable No. 7's brother, aren't you?"

Tsukasa grinned at that, pointing at himself. "That's right! And I think you're that clockkeeper guy! Amane's told me all aboutcha!" Cue some useless rambling that seemed to go on forever and ever.

"Yashiro-san, you get involved with a lot of weirdos, you know that?" Akane ignored Tsukasa and turned back to Nene, who grimaced at his remark.

"I can… see that." She gritted out. It wasn't easy being her at all.

Finally stopping his chattering, Tsukasa blurted out, "Hey, aren't you also that guy who has a crush on that girl? Aoi? Yeah, she looks like an elementary school kid more than anything."

Akane's mood suddenly turned sour, and Nene feared for the worst. "What did you just say, you stupid little brat?"

Tsukasa, upon seeing his darkening face, smirked. "I said what I said, four-eyes."

Oh no. Oh no no no no no no. Nene chanted in her mind. Why did Tsukasa have to provoke him?! When it came to her best friend, Akane wouldn't hesitate to send you to your doom if you made one wrong move.

"It seems… you want to experience a second death. I don't care if you're Honorable No. 7's brother, no one insults Ao-chan like that and gets away with it." Even in his civilian form, Nene could feel the strong aura of power coming from the redhead.

She had to stop him before things could get worse!

Why isn't Tsukasa-kun moving?! He could get hurt! Oh, come on!

"S—"

Akane was just about to bludgeon the ghost to oblivion when—

"—STOOOOPPP!!!'

Nene had forced herself in the middle of the two boys, arms spread outwards, shielding Tsukasa from the angry Akane. The redhead stopped in his tracks, blinking owlishly at her.

"Eh—Yashiro-san?! Why'd you get in my way? I'm trying to defend Ao-chan's honor!"

"You seriously need to calm down, Akane-kun!" She shouted. "Tsukasa-kun was only joking around! He didn't mean anything he said!"

"I absolutely did—" Tsukasa didn't even get to finish his sentence when Nene clamped a hand on his mouth, shutting him up.

With a deep breath, she continued, "Maybe you need to learn how to differentiate a joke and a serious sentence next time."

Akane stared at her for a moment, then sighed, rolling his eyes. "I dunno what's with you defending the disaster twins so much. You're crazy, you know that, Yashiro-san?"

You're the one to talk!

"But, it seems that I gotta let it go for now. I won't be merciful to you next time, you shrimp." Akane narrowed his eyes at Tsukasa, in which the ghost responded by sticking his tongue out mockingly.

By the time the boy left, Nene let out a sigh of relief, letting her shoulders loose from the tension. It was a good thing Akane had made the decision to stop or the bloodshed would have been horrifying to witness.

Why was hanging around with Tsukasa becoming more like a babysitting job?!

She started to pity Sakura a lot more now.

"Maybe we should also work on your communication skills, Tsukasa-kun." She managed to drag herself to the girl's bathroom, hoping Hanako was finally done with his meeting and she could get some peace of mind.

Unfortunately for her, he wasn't around yet, as the two of them were met with an empty bathroom with nothing but Mokke playing a match of hanafuda among themselves.

She resist the urge to groan, walking by the window and sitting on the floor next to the Mokke. Tsukasa had been strangely quiet since their trek to his brother's domain, which was unusual of him.

In fact, he had been looking quite concerning. A look of melancholy that mirrored that of Hanako's, but at the same time didn't seem to belong on his face.

"You know what?" He had spoken up from out of nowhere, startling her a bit. A Mokke in his hand, he sat by her side, pulling on the creature's ears like a stretchy toy.

"I've never been with someone this long before. Amane usually plays with me a lot, but he'd always be busy again before I know it."

He didn't notice how Nene looked surprised at that, as apparent to her widening eyes, mouth parting a little. So she was right, after all.

She turned her gaze down to her hands. An awkward silence hung around the bathroom for a while, as she began racking her brain with various thoughts. Sure, Tsukasa was a force to be reckoned with, but even ghosts like him felt a little lonely.

And even ghosts like him needed a little bit of cheering up sometimes.

Nene didn't even know why, but she did it anyway.

"—!!" Tsukasa didn't have time to process what was happening, as soon as he felt her tug on the front of his shirt and pull him to the side.

His eyes became wide as he finally realized what she was doing.

It was a quick peck on the cheek, but he could still feel the sensation of her lips on his skin, even if it was only for a second.

No sound escaped his mouth, as he remained uncharacteristically silent, frozen like a statue.

Nene let him go, feeling flustered and shy in front of him all of a sudden. Who wouldn't be? She just kissed him on the cheek out of all people!

"I—I just thought… you needed some cheering up, t-that's all!"

He didn't reply, nor made eye contact. As Nene tried to get his attention, the door of the bathroom opened, and Kou stepped in.

"Senpai! Hanako's done with his meeting! He's calling us by the rooftop!"

"Oh—right! I'll be right there!" Brushing the imaginary dirt off her uniform, she rushed over to Kou, but not before turning to the dazed Tsukasa on the floor and waving her hand.

"I'll see you later, Tsukasa-kun!"

By the time the bathroom door closed, Tsukasa blinked back to his senses. The Mokke surrounded him, quite curious about his sudden change of attitude.

For what seemed like the first time in a long while, he couldn't deny that she had just made his heart race.

He tilted the edge of his hat downwards, lips pressed in a thin line, as he desperately tried to hide the growing redness escaping his cheeks.

Yashiro Nene confused him so much. So, so much.

[nikki-romero]

The Wild Flower (Tomoki Matsuba x OC) Prologue

It was finally the long-awaited moving day. I was moving into an apartment by myself. My dad helped me get the perfect apartment. The negotiations had gone smoothly and it was time to move in. I decided to walk to the new apartment to learn the new neighbourhood better.

My cousin and I had stopped and checked the map we had.

"Hmm, it looks like it's this way." My cousin, Ayame, pointed ahead of us. The pedestrian light turned green. "Come on!" She rushed across the street. With how excited she was getting, you'd think she was the one starting a new chapter of her life, so to speak.

"Wha-! Ayame!" I called after her. I quickly shoved the map into my bag before running after her. She turned around to wait for me, and her eyes widened.

"Hotaru! Watch out!!"

I looked to the side and saw a white limo heading towards me. I gasped but managed to leap out of the way before it could hit me, right into a puddle of ice-cold water.

"Hotaru! Are you alright?!" Ayame came running up to me, panicked.

"Peachy." I looked at my soaked clothing in utter dismay. Just as I was about to get up from the ground, a gentlemanly man dressed in black stepped out of the limo. A butler? I stared dubiously at him as he reached out his hand.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm great," I replied sarcastically. I had the right of way. I should not have had to escape death so narrowly. And I wasn't about to take his hand either. I shot him a nasty glare as I got up by myself.

"Your clothing... This is my fault. Allow me to make it up to you."

"What the hell was that? Don't you know how to read a road sign? Jesus Christ, you could have killed me!" I scolded him.

"You're right, I am so sorry." He bowed to me. "I'll get you a change of clothes," the man said gently.

"I don't need it," I snapped.

"Please, I insist. I can't leave a beautiful young girl looking like this. For one thing, my employer would be angry with me."

"Hotaru," Ayame whispered, "Maybe you should accept his offer. He looks like he feels really bad."

"You're too nice," I whispered back before turning back towards the butler. "Fine, whatever."

He smiled as he opened the door of the spacious limo and ushered us inside.

"My apologies. I should have stated earlier. My name is Aoi Shirafuji. I'm a butler to the Ichijo family," the butler introduced himself.

I stilled. "Ichijo?" I repeated.

"Oh, you know Mr Ichijo?" Aoi asked, looking somewhat concerned.

"No, I've just heard a lot about the Ichijo Group," I managed to force out. "The amusement parks the company has built is really quite impressive." I forced a smile. Somehow I felt like I just stepped on a landmine.

We arrived at a large and impressive mansion and Aoi took me to a room with a large full-length mirror and closets full of a wide range of clothing. "This way. Choose whichever you like."

The clothes were both my style and my size. It sent unpleasant shivers down my spine; I felt sick.

"Does a girl our age live here?" Ayame mused. I didn't answer. "Hotaru? Hey, are you okay? You seem a little tense." She furrowed her brow.

"Mm," I choked out. I didn't feel particularly eager to talk about it. "I'm... going to get dressed. Would you mind waiting outside?"

"Uh, yes, sure." Ayame knew me too well. She knew I wasn't being myself.

I took a shaky breath. Then another. Another. I took several deep breaths until I felt slightly calmer. I really didn't want to be here. Feeling like I wouldn't explode, I grabbed the first dress I saw off its hanger, not bothering to even look at it.

There was a knock on the door as I finished getting dressed.

"Yes?" I replied though I hadn't finished fastening the hook of the dress yet. It wasn't Aoi who entered the room.

"I'm Tomoki Matsuba. I'm one of the butlers here. I'm here to pick up the garments that require cleaning," the butler said. Bow-tied, black-suited and bespectacled, he exuded a rigidness befitting of a butler.

"Right. My cousin; did she...?"

"She went ahead to the garden," Tomoki responded.

"Oh." I bit my lip. Now what? I couldn't reach the clip on the back of my dress. I took yet another deep breath." Would you mind helping me fasten the hook on my dress? I can't quite reach it," I said.

"Please turn around." I did as he said and turned my back to him. He swiftly fastened the hook at the back of the dress before speaking again. "I'm going to do your laundry. Would you like some tea while you wait?"

"That would be lovely, thank you," I answered.

"This way." I followed Tomoki to the garden where Ayame was already waiting for me. She was sitting at a table, drinking from an elegant tea set.

"Kyo Aizawa. I'm a butler. Would you like anything else to drink?" Yet another butler introduced himself to me.

"The tea will be just fine, thank you," I replied formally as I sat down. Kyo promptly poured tea into the beautiful cup. "Thank you," I smiled up at Kyo once he was done.

"It's an original black tea blend using roses from this garden," he informed me.

"It smells wonderful."

"I recommend first tasting it black." A delicate pattern covered the teacup.

"This is Queen Rose, is it not?" I inquired, inspecting the cup. It suited the garden, but I was too on edge to enjoy it. Kyo didn't look the least bit surprised that I knew that.

"That's correct. It was produced in the early 18th century at the Raines factory." I nodded as I delicately held the cup and took a sip.

"How do you even know that stuff?" Ayame asked me. My only response was a small smile. Ayame cocked an eyebrow at me, inspecting my lips, and then my eyes. She gently placed the cup in its saucer and leaned over the table. "Hotaru?" she lowered her voice so only I can hear.

I shook my head. "Don't."

Ayame frowned but left it at that.

"It's delicious," I said after having tasted the tea, but the truth was I could barely taste anything. Silence fell upon the garden. Kyo didn't seem to be the talkative type as he watched over us. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed another butler approaching, a charming smile on his face. This family certainly had a lot of butlers...

"What's the matter? You look so serious," he commented.

"I always look like this," I replied calmly.

"Itsuka Matsuba at your service. You met Tomoki earlier. Last name's the same," he said cheerfully.

"Brothers, I take it?"

"That's right. Now, how would you two like some freshly baked scones?"

"Scones sound nice, don't you think so, Hotaru?" she asked, a little too cheerfully.

"Thank you," I replied. We were stuck here until my clothes got cleaned so we might as well.

"The strawberry jam is made with organic strawberries from our farm, and the clotted cream from milk from our cows." Was that supposed to impress me? Without responding, I cut open the scone and took a small bite.

"It's very delicious," I said before taking another bite. After eating, I elegantly wiped my mouth with a napkin and glanced at my surroundings. The garden was well taken care of. It was filled with gorgeous flowers and the landscape was really quite breathtaking. "You have a lot of pink flowers and roses here," I noted.

"We're growing them for a celebration," Itsuki replied.

"A celebration?"

"It will be our employer's birthday in a month. And his daughter will be introduced to society on the same day," he explained. It took everything I had not to tremble. Not to react in any negative way. I swallowed.

"Is that so? I'm sure she must be wonderful," I said, keeping the bite I was feeling out of my voice.

"She is. A bit of a diamond in the rough. But that'll make training her all the more worth it." I had to keep myself from barking a laugh, and almost faltered.

"Oh? In my experience, I've found that the rough diamonds are far more valuable than refined ones." I flashed him one of my most dazzling smiles. His eyes widened.

"Oh, how do you figure?" he asked.

"I apologise for not being able to put this more delicately, but in this society, I find these 'refined'," I air quoted the word, "diamonds to be little more than sheep." Itsuki didn't hide his shock at my words, and I smirked ever so slightly. "Of course, I don't blame them. They were raised that way. You know, to follow someone else's orders; someone else's plan for their lives. It's been imprinted on them since the moment they were born and it's all they know. Whereas a diamond in the rough, as you put it, is quite rare in high society, but personally, I find it invigorating. It's like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise suffocating world to meet someone who is willing to against the status quo to do what they believe in. You could even say it's like defying gravity, which, in and of itself is already a very impressive feat." I chuckled. "But, what do I know? I'm just a teenager." I didn't fail to notice Ayame's dubious expression directed at me.

Yet another butler walked up to us, holding my freshly cleaned clothes.

"Sorry I kept you waiting," he said. I had to admit, I was taken aback by how attractive he was. But he had a certain vibe that reminded me of my brother, Eisuke, and that usually only spelt bad things. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yuma Akagi, and I'm the Ichijo family's head butler." Yuma bowed to me.

I smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I would like to apologize for the actions of one of our butlers today," Yuma said.

The corner of my mouth twitched. "I appreciate it. I'm just glad no one was hurt," I added. Yuma nodded.

"Meeting like this was, I think, fate. I hope... that you and I will meet again somewhere." I forced a chuckle as I looked away. If we did, I'd choke all of them. Yuma smiled significantly as he took my hand, then he gently kissed the back of it. The gesture was familiar, but it never got any easier to bear. "You were in the midst of moving. I'll have the limousine take you," he said.

"Thank you," I replied. I quietly watched Yuma give instructions to the other butlers.

After changing my clothes, Ayame and I got into the limo together with Yuma.

Ayame gave me another worried look as she was dropped off. "Hey, um, call me. Okay?"

"Sure." I nodded.

"Again, I am very sorry about today," Yuma said. It seemed like his attention was focused solely on me.

"It's alright."

"How did you find the house?"

"It was gorgeous. Absolutely breath-taking," I replied.

Yuma smiled, brimming with elegance and grace, but I could tell he wasn't actually buying a word I said.

We weren't far from the new apartment when the limousine came to a sudden stop.

"Are you alright?" Yuma's arms were around me, steadying me after the abrupt braking. I felt myself stiffen; my blood ran cold. In a panic, I pushed away from him. "Miss?"

"Sorry, I just don't handle physical contact very well." I shifted uncomfortably.

"I... apologize," Yuma said as he moved away from me. I shook my head.

"It's fine. But is there a problem?" I asked, looking away from him and out the window in an attempt to get rid of the tension in the atmosphere.

"It appears the road narrows up ahead. The car can't continue. This is as far as we can take you," Yuma explained.

"Here is fine. Thanks for bringing me this far."

"Before you go, might I ask how you found our service?" Yuma asked. An odd thing for a butler to ask.

"Oh, your service was superb." I got a sudden idea. "You're definitely on Geo's level."

"Geo?" Yuma asked. The corner of my lips tugged upwards. I got him. Hook, line, and sinker.

"My dad's butler," I replied innocently.

"Your... Dad?"

"Oh! I just realised I never introduced myself. Apologies. I'm just so used to people knowing I am. I'm Hotaru Ichinomiya."

"A pleasure, Miss Ichinomiya." Yuma smiled, but it was forced.

"I know this is probably common knowledge, but my dad, Akira, adopted both me and my brother, Eisuke. You see, my biological father abandoned me and my mother a long time ago."

Yuma's façade almost faltered, and I saw that. I was right; he knew!

"Abandoned?" Yuma asked, almost hesitantly.

"Yep. He didn't even show up for my mother's funeral after she died."

Yuma looked away. "I'm sorry to hear that. Perhaps there was a reason he couldn't take care of you?"

I leaned back in my seat. "I don't care."

"You... Don't care?" God, how many more times was he going to feel inclined to make me repeat what I said?

"I don't. No excuse he could have would ever be good enough."

"I'm sure he must love you." I could tell Yuma was choosing his words very carefully without divulging too much information.

"You can't love someone you don't know. I've never even met him. Or talked to him. You see, the way I see it, blood doesn't mean anything. Genetic doesn't mean anything. I'll tell you what does mean something though: When I needed a dad, Akira was there. Akira is my dad. And my so-called father was little more than a sperm donor." Yuma almost choked on his words, and I chuckled. "Not the most delicate choice of words, but it's the truth. The thing is, you don't get to be a dad just because you share DNA. He wasn't there when I needed him the most, and he has no right to take up that role now." Yuma was speechless. "But I'm sorry to dump all of that on you like that. That was really silly and unfair of me. Please, forget I said anything." I made a show of giving a nervous laugh.

"Not at all." Yuma knew I was full of it. And I knew he knew that, but he didn't say anything more.

"Well, it's getting dark. I really should be going."

"Of course." He got out of the car before I did and held the door open for me. I bowed politely to him and turned to leave. I was happy to see the moving truck in front of the building when I finally got there.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry I'm so late. I'm Hotaru Ichinomiya."

"We've brought everything inside. Have a great day, Miss." With that, the movers left. I stood still for a moment and frowned. They brought everything inside? I didn't have to guess how they did that. I had a really bad feeling about this. I just hoped to god I was wrong. I inserted my key and unlocked the door.

"Welcome home, Miss Ichinomiya."

I wasn't wrong...

I was unable to hide my disdain as the butlers bowed their heads gracefully. I slammed the door shut behind me. The composure I put so much effort into keeping all day crumbled in an instant. I stared at them, not saying anything.

"We're here to serve you. Starting today." Aoi said. The butlers brought me slippers. I glared at the slippers, then at them, and crossed my arms.

"Well. I wish I could say I'm surprised," I snapped scornfully. I slipped my shoes off, not bothering with the slippers as I walked into the living room and sat down on my sofa. Resting my elbow on the armrest, I pressed my forefinger against my temple and my thumb beneath my chin. "Well go ahead. Give me the whole speech about why you're here."

Itsuki cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "Do you remember when I mentioned our employer's daughter?" he asked.

"Uh-huh."

"That girl..." Itsuki started, only to have his sentence finished by Tomoki.

"... is you." I didn't respond. "But... you already knew that."

"And that surprises you, how? I have the power, money and resources to do just about anything. You really think I'd go through life being oblivious and naïve without looking into who my father is?"

"You're going to be a sophisticated woman by the time of our employer's birthday," Kyo said. Sophisticated. I could socialise quite well in and I knew how to conduct myself, but there were many in high society who would argue that I wasn't quite "sophisticated" or "traditional" enough. Men in high society liked controlling everything, and I had a reputation for going against the tide. But I've never been bothered by that before and I wasn't about to start now.

"Right. Your employer, Kazuma Ichijo. My so-called father."

"Yes." Aoi smiled. I bet women were putty in his hands with that smile. The stupid ones anyway.

I didn't say anything, and the tension in the air grew ever more palpable. I didn't take my eyes off the butlers either.

As the glaring continued, the front door opened and Mr Head Butler walked in.

"Why, hello there, Miss Ichinomiya," Yuma grinned as he unceremoniously locked the door.

"Oh, great. The cavalry's here," I said sarcastically.

"Yuma, she knows," Aoi said.

Yuma grinned. It was a sinister grin; the same one Eisuke got whenever he was plotting something. "I figured as much. Everything you said in the limo... You knew all along who Mr Ichijo is."

"What did she say in the limo?" Itsuki asked, curiously.

I snorted. "Believe me, if I'd known you were Ichijo butlers before I got in that limo, I never would have accepted your half-assed offer. But then again, something tells me whether I accepted it or not, we'd still all be here right now."

"Enough. I cannot allow and Ichijo to utter such vulgar words," Tomoki said with a scowl.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Oh yes? Try and stop me, four-eyes."

His scowl turned into an expression of both shock and offence.

"Well as fun as this has been, everybody out. Before I report you for break in and entering."

"I didn't expect you'd treat us like crooks. Not when you're the one violating your lease." Yuma held out a piece of paper.

I snatched the paper from his hand and skimmed through the contract until my eyes stopped at a particular 'special feature'. "Personal butler?" I read out loud. And right at the bottom was Akira's signature. My dad wasn't stupid. No way would he have signed this without checking every detail and have the family lawyer go over it for emphasis. Which could only mean he knew about this and didn't tell me.

"We had you come to the house to make the idea more palatable," Aoi said.

"Yes, yes. You set me up. I figured that out hours ago." I got up. "I don't believe this," I mumbled as I grabbed my phone and went into my room. I slammed the door shut and furiously dialled my dad's number.

"Yes?" He didn't look at the caller ID before answering.

"Hi, Dad. It's me," I said in a voice so sweet it sounded sickening even to me.

"Hotaru! I was going to call you in the morning. Have you settled in?" he asked.

"Yes, about that... Did the lease for my new apartment perhaps come with a tiny detail you forgot to mention?" I spoke through clenched teeth.

"The lease?" Akira remained silent for a few moments as he thought. "Oh! You must be talking about the butler service. It was a special they had just for your apartment. I figured having a butler would make your life a little easier."

My eyebrow twitched as I closed my eyes in exasperation. "So you did know about it."

"Of course. You think I'd sign something like that without thoroughly checking every word on it?"

"And you didn't think to warn me about it?" I breathed.

Akira paused. "You're upset..."

"Damn right I'm upset! Dad, you've been duped!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Those butlers! I wouldn't be surprised if they disguised themselves as real estate agents. They probably played on your worry as my dad, too."

"Hotaru, you're not making any sense."

"They're Ichijo butlers! They orchestrated this whole thing! The apartment, the lease, the butler service. All of it! All so they could, and I quote, 'turn me into a sophisticated woman' for his birthday party."

I heard Akira breathe hard over the receiver in an attempt to maintain his composure. "I'm calling Yuzuru."

"What's he going to do? They're practically untouchable, and not because they work for Ichijo. They planned everything to the finest detail and slipped through all the right loopholes. Everything on the lease is legal and you knew about the butler service when you signed it, so we can't even sue them for not explaining certain details on the contract. There's nothing we can do."

Akira paused. "You're right. But there's nothing on the lease about you following their rules. No conditions about you taking any kind of lessons from them. I doubt I need to tell you this, but you don't dance to the sound of their pipes. You dance to yours."

I smirked, relaxing a bit. "You know it, Daddy."

"Good. I'll call you tomorrow. Love you." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Love you, too."

I took a deep breath before opening my door. Of course they were still there, and they likely heard every word I said to my dad, too. I took one annoyed look at them and moved to the kitchen.

"All sorted out?" Yuma asked sarcastically as he followed me into the kitchen.

"Why bother asking when you heard my entire conversation," I retorted.

There was a moment of silence before Yuma doubled over with laughter.

"I think this will be very interesting indeed," he said as he looked at me with amusement.

I didn't bother responding as I put the kettle on; nothing good could possibly come from interacting with him. I turned around and leaned against the kitchen counter, crossing my arms over my chest.

Yuma's sinister smile returned. I raised my eyebrows in a motion for him to get to the point.

"All you have to do is accept our training on behalf of our dear employer. It's only a month," Itsuki said.

My eyes flitted to him. "No," I said flatly before turning my back to them.

"You had etiquette lessons, but we need to make doubly sure you didn't miss anything. Not to mention kick that flighty nature of yours. Otherwise, you'd just be an embarrassment," Yuma replied with a broad smile.

I barked a laugh. "Wow. That is just hilarious." I turned back to him. "I already told you how I feel about him. And I know you know I meant every word. But just in case you're still processing, allow me to break it down for you. I can barely stomach the thought of breathing the same air as your oh-so-wonderful employer. He can go fuck himself for all I care. And you would be damn lucky if I decided not to embarrass him and his company on purpose, which, by the way, I'm still undecided on." Tomoki opened his mouth to say something. I pointed my finger at him without looking at him. "You say one word about my language, I swear to god I will punch you."

Yuma sighed, exasperated. "How you feel about him doesn't matter. We made a promise to him and we intend to keep it."

I snorted. "Good luck with that." I turned back to the now boiled kettle and prepared some camomile tea. God knows I needed it.

"Alright, it's time you choose," Yuma said. I could hear the amused smirk in his voice.

"Oh, I get a choice, do I?" I retorted.

"Who would you like to be your butler?" Aoi asked.

Next Chapter

[fantranslatorbychoice]

Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi Volume 6 Chapter 4 - Secret Girls' Night-out

T/N: Hi y’all, it’s me again, it took a bit longer because I did my best to beta-as much as I could, but if it’s still wonky, I apologize, it's not like I get paid to do it lol also it's rather challenging when I had to convert my brain waves from Japanese to English to my native language and however those combinations work just to spew all of these out in sufficiently passable English. So I hope you all don't mind stuff like typos or inconsistencies with the tenses srsly even the original text has that and I just literally gave up evening out the tenses, like really apparently it's no biggie to have an entire paragraph in Japanese that both has past and present tenses (they mostly don't have future tenses) but if that happened in English some would just nitpick that shit out. I mean, yeah, for sure when I do editing and get paid for it I would, but if I'm just reading fanfics from writers who don't have English as their native language I just don't give a hoot, as long as the story's good, to heck with grammar, spelling and syntax. Srsly some non-native EN speakers get turned-off or even scared when nitpickers hit on their imperfect spellings or grammar or dictions, srsly honestly just give them a break, they worked hard to learn another language. I felt this even more so when I started learning Nihongo, like srsly as long as a person gets to say what they want to say even if it's not perfect in anyway, then that's more than enough for me.  srsly I am forgiving like that. Also this chapter has more notes than usual, especially regarding Nihongo and stuff, so if you don't like it you can always move along lololol Also I gave up, I'm keeping the titles and roles in Japanese i.e. Odanna-sama, Wakadanna-sama, Bantou-san, etc. I'll just stick in more notes instead lol

Also if you like this translation, you can heart it, share the link, reblog, I just respectfully ask that DO NOT REPOST ELSEWHERE. This is my contribution to the scant English content of this fandom, and I worked really hard to finish this thing, it’s not like I just copy-pasted everything. I even had to build the kanji in Jisho one by one. Try it and you’ll see what I mean.You can rave about this, rant about this, but if possible please link back to this page. If you’re unsure how to do that, just copy the web address of this page. If you’re on a blogsite just insert the web address as a hyperlink as a link back to here. Honestly if this light novel was officially-published in English, I wouldn’t even be doing this right now... And if it did, I’d take this offline to support the publishers and Yuuma-sensei. Creators support creators, is what I believe in. As previously-mentioned in earlier chapters, if you stumbled upon this one, the two seasons of the anime covered volumes 1-5, so other than the extra details, you didn’t miss much stuff. OK, with all of that out of the way, here's Chapter 4 now. P116 "Th... These are... The Southern Lands' cultured Japanese amberjack**... A bundle of Kiseki beef.. And there are so many other local products from the Southern Lands too. Ah, there's even the coconut oil that I always wanted!" So many extravagant ingredients have been hauled into Yugao, and I was flabbergasted by them all. There were also so many cans of various contents as well as dried fish and other products stuffed inside. Canned tuna and other canned stuff were considered as high-end products in Kakuriyo, and I am very grateful. Ginji-san and the Daruma gang from the kitchens delivered a box packed with so many ingredients to Yugao, and we had no idea why. "Well, the Dog said that these are their repayment to our kindness. It's because a while ago, Ranmaru came to Tenjin-ya." "Really, Ranmaru from Orio-ya?" "Hatori-san also came too, with him." In some way, Ginji-san's mood was good. For a while now, his nine fluffy tails were wagging from left to right. "It's from our head accountant Byakuya-san, Aoi-san's rewards for your achievement, and for Tenjin-ya's cooperative business venture and all sorts of other demands that were deemed justifiable, and because they wanted to give other things as a way of expressing their gratitude, they brought in many other souvenirs and products as well. They also exchanged with us various other information." T/N: This is related to tuna fish, but don't ask me how they cultured it. Probably in the open sea, like in sea cages. Yes, that's a thing, and yeah I was also in the fishing industry at some point in time, if you're wondering. Also if you're wondering why I rarely use "you" in the dialogues of the translations, it's because in polite Japanese conversations, instead of saying ANATA or OMAE= you, one's name is mentioned instead. In the original text, when people are talking to each other, rather than say "you" they say the other person's name or occupation + san instead i.e. bengoshi-san= lawyer san, Ginji-san, or if it's a username because they don't like using their true names- USERNAME-san. Because using "you" in any way, shape or form in conversations is deemed rude AF. So the next time you chat with Japanese people, please remember to address them by their name, or occupation, unless you've established rapport with them. I forgot to put this explanation in my earlier posts, but it's one of the most important stuff I learned in my Japanese classes, the Japanese folk won't care so much on grammar but more on being polite and taking care of remembering social status stratification aka just be polite by using polite terms. I actually experienced this first hand after chatting with some of them, they just told me not to use Google translate and just chat with them with whatever I know. They're very grateful when people could talk to them in their native tongue, especially when the honorifics are used. This note's long AF but I did say that I'm gonna drag you all with me in this whole learning Nihongo thing, and I'm doing just that. P117 "That friendly Ranmaru did that? Doesn't he hate Tenjin-ya?" "Hee hee. Well, don't take this too seriously, OK?" Even though saying it that way, I imagined that Ranmaru's horrible words and demeanour were probably due to his circumstances. Orio-ya sees Tenjin-ya as its rival, it's hard to imagine them having an image of humbly bringing over souvenirs. And the business dealings, I wonder what those are...? "Oh that, Ranmaru saw that you had a strong sense of duty. He wanted to particularly express his gratitude to Aoi-san." And thereupon, these ingredients from the Southern Lands. Stuff I rarely get hold of, especially something like that one round amberjack, and I unconsciously grinned. "Even so, if the circumstances allowed, he would have stopped by and said it himself** ..." "It was before Aoi-san's business hours, and Ranmaru is also busy it seems, so he had to go back immediately. Even I wanted to take our time since I thought it was fine, but it can't be helped... Because Ranmaru is the Southern Lands' Hachiyo." "Ha ha. Then what happens next is that if it's possible, Ginji-san will go to Orio-ya, won't he? Nothing's stopping you two from visiting each other now?" "Aoi-san...." Up until recently, Ginji-san and Ranmaru's long sibling feud previously ended sometime ago, and the long-standing so-called inn rivalry and clash between Orio-ya and Tenjin-ya has been cut. T/N: aisatsu=挨拶=greeting, introducing one's self, improving relations by dropping by every now and then, can also mean like popping up to say hi or whatnot. I don't know how to directly translate it since aisatsu has more of a sense of how a supervisor pops up in the work place or a teacher suddenly appears in a class just to check, it's not as informal as a neighbor dropping by the house just to have idle chitchat. Hweh. P118 But after the ceremony, the changed relationship between the two has been noticeable. "Oh, that, I see. Someday soon, I will take a break and go visit him too." "Yeah, I agree, that's great. Oh, I wonder if everyone's doing well... Hatori-san and Tokihiko-san, Hideyoshi and Nene, the cute twin chefs.. And Nobunaga." "It seems that everyone's doing fine. The twins Kai-san and Mei-san, Orio-ya profoundly realized that they're really suited to be chefs, and everyone seems to cheer them on, Hatori-san was still the same as ever, but sometimes he returns to Shumonzan. He says that he bickers with Matsuba-sama as always, but one way or another they've become in good terms with each other." Ginji-san asked Ranmaru, and he told things about Orio-ya's management staff. I see, everyone in each of their own way have been doing their best to move on forward. "Oh, and somehow Hideyoshi-san and Nene-san seems to have been engaged." "Whaaat? Why that fast?" Wait a minute. Hideyoshi knew that Nene-chan has decided, that she likes Ranmaru, wasn't it? But that's what Hideyoshi said... My astonished face must have looked funny, and Ginji-san turned away his face and giggled. "It's surely shocking, isn't it? Why, it's amazing, Hideyoshi was especially honest and manly. P119 I simply cannot..." Ginji-san let out a tiny laugh again. What is it about his old haunting grounds, being delighted at the many changes in Orio-ya? At any rate, I was surprised with Hideyoshi and Nene's engagement. Firstly, congratulations Hideyoshi. You thought that your unrequited love has been going on for so long, it was outside your thoughts early on, but now your love bore its fruit. I'm glad, as I'm rooting for you on from the sides. What the heck, behind my back, how did they get involved in that, that was surprisingly an unusual story, if I meet Nene this time I need to get information from her. "But the when the trustworthy Waka-danna** and Waka-Okami** get married, Orio-ya will surely become peaceful, and Ranmaru will also be pleased. Certainly after the marriage, their organization will grow even stronger. He'll get exhausted if it's just Ranmaru holding everything together." "Isn't Tenjin-ya also reasonably solid?" "I guess, although the position for Waka-Okami easily changes. Originally the person in that position is supposed to only resign once, but right now Kikuno-san has temporarily retired as the Young Mistress and supposed to come back. However, there have been circumstances in her family, and she immediately relinquished her seat as the Waka-Okami." "Ehh, like that?" After showing my disbelief, Ginji-san sadly nodded.

T/N: Waka-danna=young master, Waka-Okami=young mistress P120 "If it comes to that, when a new Waka-Okami doesn't hold the position for very long, we can say that there's a gifted person in Tenjin-ya, and it's only a little issue.** Likewise, during that matter with Orio-ya, we in the management staff really wanted the former Waka-Okami O-ryo san to come back and give it another go. Her abilities are very outstanding." "Even I too... I was shocked to see O-ryo completely doing her job well. Even Nene, one way or another admires her so much." "Yes, I agree. But, oh well... O-ryo-san returning to her former position, it's already a huge chance and a necessity. Right now she's drifting away from supporting her fellow waiters and waitresses, well, O-ryo-san must be intending to. To me, she seems to be enjoying having lesser responsibilities and more carefree in her current position." "Well, that's for sure..." Based on how Ginji-san talked about it, lately it seems that O-ryo has no obsession on the position of Waka-Okami. A little bit until recently, she seems, to have returned the bearing of her Waka-Okami decorum, but lately she's wholly just wanting to eat and eat, when she finally gets some free time she goes to Yugao, and lately has been persisting on going out hunting for marriage partners. However, I could say with confidence that she seems to be taking advantage of being relieved of her position as a Waka-Okami , and surely Tenjin-ya will realize that they need O-ryo's abilities. O-ryo's strength, is diligently doing her duties in that position. "Anyway, Aoi-san. I was preparing and building up the Autumn Festival here in Tenjin-ya at the end of this month, and I was thinking of using pumpkins, is it possible for Yugao to make Autumn foods and sweets for us?" T/N: Honestly double-triple negatives are a pain in the ass, srsly it's like inception to the nth power, I had trouble deciphering this line and almost this entire page in the original text so if it doesn't make sense, meh, I did my best within my current abilities. P121 "Pumpkin? Of course. It's gonna be fun, like Halloween." "Oh, right! There's a foreign festival called Halloween in Utsushiyo, but I thought it's impossible to recreate that here in in Kakuriyo, though I could imagine it to be made into a Pumpkin Festival." "Oh, not at all, we can make that same Halloween theme here because Tenjin-ya is mostly full of Ayakashi." A Japanese Halloween that doesn't use costumes... "But certainly, this year's pumpkins are delicious, so Pumpkin Festival sounds good, doesn't it? It's also a great idea to give out candies to our young guests." "We can probably decorate with paper lanterns and pumpkins too. We can place ogre-fire inside, and make them float all around Tenjin-ya." "Wow! That's very much like Utsushiyo's Halloween!" Why, the Autumn Festival goes well with the Pumpkin Event and our imaginations ran wild. "Also, Aoi-san. Pumpkins are not Odanna-sama's favorite." "..." Abruptly, the topic on Odanna-sama popped up, and I stiffened a bit. Some days ago, we came back from the orchard park date. I remembered being hugged in the airship's deck...** "How are you feeling, Aoi-san? Why is your face all red?" T/N: **insert lenny face here** You can't stop me wahahaha P122 "Hm? Oh, it's nothing, this is nothing. Odanna-sama not liking pumpkins, I wonder if I somehow  asked that before..." "Oh, right. I saw that Odanna-sama often puts a lot of his boiled pumpkins in Byakuya-san's small bowl." "...really, isn't Odanna-sama unbelievable?" "Yes, he is. I don't know when Byakuya-san patience will end, but I want Odanna-sama to overcome his distaste for pumpkins." "You're right. His pickiness for food would not end... In this event I will feed Odanna-sama with the pumpkin cuisines I wanted him to try..." I haven't yet known what Odanna-sama likes, but I know what food he doesn't like. It wasn't at all regretable to make fun of Odanna-sama, but this time I got surprised. "Aoi-sama-- Manjuu-steaming has been finished!" Ai-chan's face suddenly popped out of the kitchen. She seemed to have established her affairs in Hyakumeyama, and she has changed her appearance to that which she made herself. Her time before returning to the pendant is still short, but she's working hard right now as a newly-hired employee. "You were steaming manjuu**? I thought I was smelling something good." "Yeah. Just a while ago Dr. Saraku was asked by Tenjin-ya to do some manufacturing trials for a new souvenir product.** T/N:  Steamed bread with bean jam filling. They’re really good, try them when you can!

when I write souvenir product, it's translated from omiyage=お土産= something that you take home for your friends or family when you go have fun somewhere like a national park or a museum or amusement park. Like when you buy takeaways -  T-shirts, food, keychains, etc. and bring them home or something. Is there an English equivalent for this? Because I don't know. In my native language we have an equivalent, well, for most Asian languages I guess. Don't know about others though.. Hm.... korewa....*inhales* O_O

P123 "We're still only in the middle of improving it, but once we're done we want Ginji-san to be the very first to try them out." "Wah, that sounds fun. When Byakuya-san saw the special products from Orio-ya, he also also saw the need for Tenjin-ya to make new specialties and other famous products, and he's going to be considerably sensitive about it." "Uhm.... But we have no confidence to meet that expectation..." If we couldn't get to sell all of the products that we made, what will we do if Tenjin-ya gets struck greatly by that? What will we do if Tenjin-ya's status and popularity crashes down? With regards to that, we had to think very hard. For Yugao as a small establishment it is a challenge, and the pressure feels a bit different. "It's alright. With regards to hit products, through time and through fads, luck always has a greater control. To me, the only thing needed by Dr. Saraku are failures no matter how many times, in his division. That is why it is important to fail when tackling new challenges." ".. Ginji-san..." "Because I think, we become stronger, don't we?" Ginji-san's relieving smile is so bright, even today it's promising. Having his support, for today as well, I will work harder for Yugao's business operations. P124 The next day, around noon. Tomorrow Tenjin-ya will be closed for a break. Since today Tenjin-ya's business operations will end and all shall check out at the same time, everyone's waiting to be free of work. Today, Yugao also has no business transactions, so tonight I was making up my mind to call all of the ladies to make hotpot. I was thinking of calling out all about to all the members who could attend, I only need to walk to the inner garden. "Oh, it's Kasuga." I noticed Kasuga first. On the other side of the log bridge, she was under the ginko tree. I was about to call out "Hey Kasuga--" but she seems to be talking to someone and I stopped. Behind the base of the ginko tree whose yellow leaves were slightly changing color, what the... Kasuga is usually cheerful but her face now weirdly has this blank expression. "Isn't that..." Beside her, it was Chiaki-san, the doorman in charge of the footwear. A Bake-Tanuki like Kasuga. Normally he doesn't get involved with her much deeply, but this time their dialogues seem to be at a crossroads. I thought that the young man was humble and modest, somehow trying his best to look cool, but somehow he is speaking to Kasuga with a harsh expression, the atmosphere doesn't seem good in there, the impression is very different from the usual funny and light. What is up with those two. These two were different from how I knew them. "Oh, Aoi-chan." P125 From far away, Kasuga noticed me, her Tanuki ears popped up, and rushed towards me. "Aoi-chan, are you going to the main building?" "Ehhhrm, yeah. That was weird, seeing the two of you." "You think so? Chiaki is my relative you know. We were just talking." "Oh, I see..." I don't understand but, I wonder what's normal for those two. "Speaking of, Kasuga, tonight, uhm, won't you come to Yugao after work?" "To Yugao? To make me eat food?" "Yeah. I was thinking of actually holding a ladies-only hotpot banquet. I'll set up the kotatsu, and there's also mountain apple liquor. Let's have a girls' night-out once in a while." "Girls night-out..." Kasuga said "That sounds so much fun" with a wicked Tanuki face. I wonder if she's recalling amusing stories she got out of everyone. "I was thinking of calling O-ryo and Shizuna-chan too. I'm going out to meet them now." "If you say so, I'll go tell them. I'm roommates with Shizuna-chan, and I'm assigned to the banquet hall with O-ryo sama." P126 "Oh, is it OK to ask? Sorry about that." "It's fine, it's like the usual running of errands." Smiling like a beast, Kasuga nimbly dashed away. Under the deep autumn air that feels cold, her fluffy Tanuki tail swings left to right. "..." Looking back at the ginko tree, Chiaki-san the chief doorman wasn't there anymore. I wonder what the two talked about. He seemed to have casually listened to the girls night-out plan. The strong mountain apple liquor, lend me your strength... "Aoi-dono" "Wah, Sasuke-kun!" Without warning, Sasuke-kun the O-niwaban fell down beside me. He has a long scarf hanging down his neck, ninja-style from sunrise to sunset. Normally, during the day he usually wears a monk's robe as he sweeps the garden. "What's up? Something happened during work?" "I am patrolling around. Lately, there has been some disturbances." "Well, tomorrow the inn will have its break, it must be difficult. Are you hungry?" "Ah, my stomach is..." P127 Grrrrrmmmmm. Sasuke-kun's hungry stomach made some noise. "My stomach is probably hungry..." "Hee hee. When your duties are done, while on break come to Yugao. We received a lot from Orio-ya, blessings from the sea. The Southern Lands were also grateful to Sasuke-kun, would you want anything?" "Is that true?" Sasuke-kun always had a cool expression, but when it comes to food his eyes sparkle with joy, like  a child's. Realizing that he's let out his enthusiasm, he cleared his throat and hid his mouth with the scarf while saying "Well then, until later," and he disappeared into the wind. Sasuke-kun is just as always very earnest, it's adorable. "Nevertheless, some disturbance..." I heard about that by accident, recently. The disturbance, it's shady, things don't look good, among other things. I was working and doing my best in Yugao, and whatever lurks up in my surroundings I don't notice anything at all. But, at the moment I don't know about  the things that have started happening, and I got more anxious and worried. P128 Today is a secret girls; night-out, no guys allowed. It's going to happen after Yugao's working hours, a hotpot party will be opened for the ladies of Tenjin-ya. Today it's not at Yugao, the venue will be at my room at the back, and I will bring out the kotatsu. Tonight's dinner will be amberjack shabu-shabu. We'll make a light konbu/kelp dashi amberjack shabu-shabu from the many seafoods from Orio-ya. "We'll use the top shelf kelp to make the konbu dashi for the seafoods of the Southern Lands. It's a hotpot filled with crunchy mustard greens and thinly-sliced daikon, Welsh onions and enoki mushrooms, I'm going to fill it with amberjack as much as I want." "OK--- Let's eat!" Despite it being after work, the ladies' eyes will get fired up. I wonder if that's the case when they get hungry after working hours. I immediately placed in the fatty slices of amberjack in the hotpot's boiled  konbu dashi, and let it cook. I will add in here some ponzu for that single tingly flavor.** "Ahhh, what is this luxury. It's been a while since I had amberjack shabu-shabu..." "O-ryo sama, eat the vegetables too. Adding the thinly-sliced daikon makes this a shabu-shabu." "Alright, I get it..." O-ryo just ate only the amberjack, and Kasuga sneakily added in the vegetables. She also placed some of the boiled enoki, and placed a lot of the dashi along with the fish slices, placing all of these together she took a bite. T/N: Sour-tasting soups are best with fatty meats and fish, so I'd get that Aoi would do this to cut the fat and make the shabu-shabu taste even better and also to cut the fat and greasy feels. P129 The two closed their eyes in contentment. Certainly, when the raw amberjack was cooked over a flame, the entire flavor of the fish changes. Instantly the soft slices of amberjack became tough, and over that ponzu was added,  this was entirely different when eaten as sashimi or with pickles, it can be an enjoyable, extravagant yet healthy food. Well, not really, it's just the season to eat hotpot deliciously. "Speaking of, what time is Shizuna-chan coming?" "The bath hours haven't ended yet, I think she'll come over after fixing and cleaning up the bath houses. She's the only one from the management staff, and she has to stay in her working area up until the end of business hours." "Oh, yeah. I see. Shizuna-chan is part of the management staff." I lightly glanced at O-ryo. O-ryo was a former management staff member, but she seems to be unaffected by my words. It seems that the person in question enjoys whatever working position she's in right now, and is drinking carbonated water as well as the mountain apple liquors equally. Somewhat it's like being that annoying single office-lady... "Perhaps I should say it- did you know? Orio-ya's Nene is married to their Waka-danna?" "No, aren't they just engaged? It seems like that for the time being, before getting married?" P130 Uhm, Kasuga and I looked at each other. But O-ryo wasn't listening. "Hmmph. That young girl, she'll be suffering so much marrying so young. That Waka-danna called Hideyoshi, that tiny squirt, he'll noisily scold her." "You think so? I've seen that Hideyoshi, he seems good enough. Well, he is pretty noisy. But he seems to like Nene very much, I think it's wonderful that he got his feelings through." I feel like an aunty who's earnestly chatting away about her relatives. If I could talk about it better, those two make a cute, tiny couple. "Gah! Enough chatting about a guy's love for some girl! I am not interested in the happiness of other people!" With a thud, O-ryo slapped her empty wine glass on the kotatsu. "Ahhhh, O-ryo sama don't start complaing about envying other people..." As always, Kasuga started telling her off with her "good grief!" pose. "I'm sorry I'm late--" A breath of fresh air, Shizuna-chan has joined the party.** Shizuna-chan takes care of the bath houses and bears the task of keeping them in order, and is Tenjin-ya's sole management staff for that purpose. "Shizuna, you're late! The battle has already started!" T/N: well the transliteration of the original text was "Shizuna-chan has arrived in the battlefield", but I think this has the same feel, from RPGs honestly IDK anymore lol anyways IMO food parties are always a battlefield so wth it's the same gahaha P131 "Ah, yes--? I'm sorry, ehhh, a battle?" After that, even if O-ryo was just a waitress who glared at her instantly, Shizuna-chan humbly apologized. It seemed that she had no idea what O-ryo meant with her words of choice. Shizuna-chan brought a box for us, filled with so many delicious sweets.This seemed delicious to eat as dessert. "Shizuna-chan, come sit beside me. Say, do you like amberjack shabu-shabu?" Shizuna-chan rarely visits here. I did my best to take care of whatever she needs. "Well, it has been a while since I had some amberjack shabu-shabu, how nostalgic..." "Oh, right. When you were young, you were a staff at Orio-ya. During that time, did you ate a lot?" "Yes, it was my favorite. Shishou-sama** made a lot of it for me..." Talking while bashfully fidgeting, Shizuna-chan started to eat with a lot of etiquette. Suddenly, O-ryo started looking at Shizuna-chan like a sister-in-law. "I say, uhm, Shizuna? There's someone in Orio-ya like you, who's also nice and has good vibes?" "Yes? A person with good vibes?" "Hey, weren't you explicitly pursued here in Tenjin-ya? Who was it.... That guy who looks withered up, called Tokihiko. You like someone who looks bitter and glum, don't you? It's illogical and unadult-like. Don't think that somehow you're under the shadow of that guy.. *hic*" T/N: I don't know how to call the main artist or the one who takes in a lot of disciples or students or apprentices so this is the next best thing, I guess? I mean, it’s directly translated as Master=師匠-Shishou, but it can mean other stuff, not just like sensei though. P132 "Oh, uhm.. that.. Shishou-sama.... he is uhm..." Shizuna-chan's face started blushing, like she had some beer or whatnot. Once that conversation was started, she immediately got perplexed. "Wait a minute, O-ryo! Shizuna-chan just started eating, don't ask her such direct questions, her throat might block off the shabu-shabu." "You're loud Aoi! Shut up, what's more important than looks are the uses**, you crazed-cook!" "What the.." Whom on earth did she think this hotpot party was prepared for? When O-ryo drinks liquor, she always blurts out unapologetic things. "Haaahhh... Aoi may be crazy about cooking, but in the end, eventually she'll get married to Odanna-sama... He'll pick up an excessively-expensive palanquin for you, you won't understand how miserable I am..." "What the heck are you saying... I'm doing my best to avoid being his fiancee." "But Aoi-chan, didn't you and Odanna-sama went out, and you were away for more than a night?" "Hold up, Kasuga, it's a weird, story, it can't be helped. We were captured by the mountain's Kaku-zaru." "Ah, but.. Odanna-sama pulled you out of a pinch, didn't that made you have a change of heart? Or some progress?"

T/N: hanayoridango=function before looks, like buying food first before buying flowers, yeah that’s the literal meaning of the phrase. P133 "...what?" A while ago Shizuna-chan got asked the same kind of questions. Suddenly, the  three girls gazed at me. What the, what's up with their eyes, those three? They look like hyenas having an eye on their prey. "I.. I didn't mean it that way! Uhmm... Odanna-sama just.. gives his all as he saves me..." Speaking of progress, what on earth is progressing right now? My first-hand experiences weren't much, and even using those as my basis, I still don't understand. In the end, somehow despite never having an idea on what occurred, the warmth I felt when I was hugged just abruptly pops back again into my mind, and ultimately my face remains blushing, as I chattered and gritted my teeth in silence. I really don't understand this, I wonder... what is this feeling? "What the heck is that..?" "Yeah, what gives? It's weird, Aoi-chan's face is so red, why is that?" I could hear Kasuga and Shizuna-chan somewhat breaking the silence with their hushed conversations. "OK--- that's enough talking about sweethearts and whatnot--  That's every last one of them--" "Yeah, I heard you, I heard you!" O-ryo had enough of the topic already, and she rolled down into the kotatsu with an angry and dead-drunk expression. She probably got one-punched...** T/N: Yeah I feel you O-ryo, when everyone has some special someone and you're the lonely third wheel I mean, I can't blame you girl, I really can't. It's worse than getting one-punched by Saitama, but... Still lol tho sry my bad P134 "O-ryo sama, with that middle-aged man attitude such as yours, you'll miss your chances of getting married." "Kasuga? With the romance that a little girl-chama like you would know, wouldn't have an idea on what love is like, there's no such thing as an immediate fated encounter. Really esteemed women like me, wouldn't have to rush in choosing.There's no leeway for mistakes--" "Yeah, yeah. But regarding myself, I have a first love..." "What, that story about when you were young? Yeah, yeah, sure, that story that smells of inexperience is good enough. Kasuga, go pour me some more.." "Y-yes... Good grief..." The esteemed woman bully lied down again. And as the junior poured more liquor for her, she drank heartily, again. "But Kasuga, speaking of that, during the day, I saw you being with the Gesokuban** Chiaki-san. What on earth were you two chatting about?" "....uhm..." I suddenly remembered it, and without thinking I asked. Kasuga's facial expression slightly changed. "Reallyyyyy?! What the, Kasuga is with that Chiaki?!" Hearing that topic, O-ryo suddenly bolted upright. She kicked her legs inside the kotatsu, and Shizuna-chan let out a tiny, pained "ouch". "What is it, O-ryo?" "Chiaki may look sloppy and gaudy, but so many waitresses are eyeing on him. Not only does his face look good,

T/N: Gesokuban=下足番= doorman in charge of the footwear, normally in Japanese inns or hotels the footwear are kept outside the halls to prevent dirt from coming in. I think elsewhere in the world this is a practice, there’s a thing called indoor and outdoor slippers or shoes. P135 but being a Gesokuban, he's pretty much a member of the management staff. If he gets married, it's easy to dominate him. That's what I understand from hearing other people. Kasuga, he's also your type?" "...what are you talking about, O-ryo sama? Chiaki is my Uncle. Simply put, my father's younger brother.**" "Whaaa... Really?" Everyone got shocked. Everyone in here seemed to be unaware of that fact. Kasuga went "Uh-oh". Her face spelled out "I shouldn't have said that." "It's probably due to this liquor.. I may have said too much..." Kasuga was scratching an itch on her temple. Taking the opportunity, Shizuna-chan suddenly seemed to have remembered something. "Speaking of that... Kasuga is taking a long vacation to go back to her parents' home, and at the same time, Chiaki-san probably won't we working too, isn't it? Could it possibly be that, he's going home with you?" Somehow, a lot of suspicions and doubts started rising up, and Kasuga started clamoring and wailing. "Geez... stop it already! What I told you is already enough! More importantly, hotpot! Look, the mustard greens and onions, and the tofu had all boiled down.The umami of the vegetables and the amberjack have already dissolved into this precious konbu dashi, and it's considerably better now. Aoi-chan, how are we going to divide this?" With dexterity, Kasuga started distributing the contents of the hotpot into smaller bowls, but I was still determined to press information out of her. This girl is pushily taking charge over the hotpot... T/N: I don't know about you guys, but in some families due to the age gaps between the siblings, some of the nieces and nephews ar more closer in age to their aunts and uncles than the aunts and uncles have to the children's parents. I was actually raised by an elder cousin, and her eldest brother was around the age of my father, so yeah, I could understand how this whole thing with Kasuga goes. P136 "Ok, with this, it's definitely udon!" "Udon!" "Yeah let's do that" Shizuna-chan gratefully put her hands together, and O-ryo's sparkling eyes were on standby. Immediately, the udon balls were brought in, and these were dunked into the deliciously-filled dashi stock. After boiling it down, we only had to wait for the noodles to absorb the flavors. "By the way, you all, what do you think of the single guys in Tenjin-ya?" "Yes?" "Do you have anything funny about them to talk about?" While O-ryo poured some newly-opened liquor, she drunkenly pushed the question at me. This woman, sets herself aside and starts gossiping about Tenjin-ya's male army. "First of, let's start with Akatsuki. That guy's the youngest male in the management staff, he may have a promising future, surely being young his composure isn't yet enough, I think. Well, in desperate times I could say that he's adorable, but he's the type that holds grudges, and it's not a good thing that he easily snaps out. For certain, I think he doesn't have a girl." "It seems that O-ryo sama has a problem with the Bantou** -sama snapping out at her words and deeds, don't you?" "Shut up Kasuga--" "Owwwww" T/N:Bantou=番頭=head clerk, or the head receptionist

P137 O-ryo pulled out Kasuga's cheeks. Kasuga's cheeks stretched out so much. "Akatsuki-san's face is a bit scary, but he is a hard-working employee, in my opinion. But, well... I'm not interested in someone younger than me..." "That's right Shizuna, you have an older guy fetish don't you?" "Yeah, the guy has been living for 500 years now, yes..." Shizuna-chan just casually blurted out that she wasn't interested in Akatsuki. She's probably a bit drunk. She's drinking the mountain apple liquor on the rocks... "Akatsuki, you say... When I met him he shouted like he was going to kill me, that guy gave me the impression that he was the worst but... Now I think he's a really good chap. One way or another way though, he's not someone who likes taking care of others. I remember her younger sister.." That child** comes here to Yugao, his eyes may look evil but he's a caring person. Surely, I think that he's concerned about troubling his younger sister Suzuran and grandpa, among others. "Oh, and by the way..." At this point, Kasuga secretly pulled out a notebook and started telling us the stuff that she wrote. What the... What the heck, that is scary. "According to my research, the Bantou-sama doesn't have a woman's touch on him. He's aloof, and he easily and earnestly gets resentful. It also seems that despite the lady waitresses asking him out to have fun, he always doesn't go with them." "As expected..." T/N: the term Yuuma-sensei used for Akatsuki is mame=マメ=bean, but can also mean a child, a little person, etc. Honestly it's not wrong, Akatsuki is an actual precious bean IMO lol protect that spider bean lelz P138 "But that guy, a little girl once invited him to play with her..." Surprisingly, I thought this was a bit rude. Most likely, Akatsuki is sneezing a lot right now. "Wah, udon, udon--" Finally, the udon has been boiled enough. Everyone started putting udon on their bowls. "Gahh... This is it. The udon to finish the hotpot."** "Cooking this in the dashi makes it yummier, doesn't it?" The udon has surely absorbed the umami and the fatty flavors of the amberjack. I added the refreshing taste of the Sudachi Ponzu in mine. This went smoothly down the throat, and this perfectly wraps up the the meal. No, I mean, this is a work of art. "Hey Aoi, you only drank one glass of the liquor? You go drink some more..." "Sorry but, I dont drink more than a cup. Previously, drinking made my eyes hurt when I look at things." A cup of that liquor tastes great. But I dread getting drunk if I drink more than my limit. But everyone was just drinking heartily, so I guess it's fine. The mountain apple liquor also has another nickname, it's called "Easy Bandit-Killer". "Well then, next is the Waka-danna sama's turn" O-ryo continued the conversation where we previously left off. "Waaat? Even Ginji-san?! But.. Isn't Ginji-san perfect? No, a perfect Youkai? I couldn't find any fault with him." T/N: Just in case you're wondering how this works, it's rather easy.. After eating all of the ingredients in the Japanese hotpot, like taking out the veggies and meat, there's a lot of soup left. It's easier to just drink the soup but in Japan, they add stuff to help it go down easy. Choices are either noodles or rice, and the young ones love putting the noodles in. It actually tastes good either way, but I prefer noodles. I think in Persona 5 they also had this same dilemma lol Also yeah Ginji is just the ball, perfect ball of fur lol but he also has this shadowy and mysterious side so if you want a dude of mystery, Ginji's your man gahahaha P139 "Eh. You don't understand, Aoi. Seeing no faults or imperfections is that person's shortcoming-" An adultish smile floating up her face, O-ryo started spinning her glass around. "Waka-danna sama is, well, fanstastic. When you look at him he's handsome, he is well-mannered, and is skillful at his job." "Yeah I get that. He's very sweet, and he always lends a hand... But for sure, Ginji-san seems to have no interests in romantic relationships..." Even I haven't unraveled the reasons to why Ginji-san is still single. But I'm not surprised that he's well-liked. "Oh, well, based on what O-ryo-san was saying, Ginji-sama has no chink in his armor, doesn't he? When a little girl couldn't get any confidence from everyone and has to hold it together by herself, when that perfect Ginji-sama sees that person, his voice would probably not break so easily." "The Waka-danna sama isn't a greedy type, but look, what Aoi-chan is saying is that the Waka-danna seems to have no hobbies or interests. Aoi-chan doesn't understand how, but among the employees he seems to be the type that only admires one person. In that case, his attraction for this one girl could unfortunately end. And she won't be pursued relentlessly." Oh, I get it... Shizuna-chan and Kasuga pointed this out, and I could understand it better. "But after that thing with Orio-ya, somehow the air around the Waka-danna sama has changed, didn't it? T/N: OK I just translated from Japanese what I'd say if I was fan-girling over Ginji, srsly arrrghhh does a guy like this exist? I'd want the extra tails and the transformation powers but I'm OK without those as long as he's into romantic stuff.. Does he? Does he not? I don't know yet lol are there any Ginji fan-fams here too lololol P140 I heard it from the lady waitresses that aren't easy to talk to. That person, he has undoubtedly became likeable. And then, the Waka-danna sama, didn't he take care of you in your condition?" "..." With a wicked face, O-ryo was testing me with her words. But to me, up until now I think that Ginji-san is likeable, and in that case it's not even a joke. He hardly comes to Yugao now, and because of that it's gotten lonely... "On another point, among the Waka-danna sama's nine tails, the third one below, from the right seems to be the most unique.That is somehow a weak spot." "Kasuga, how did you know such information?" It's scary... Kasuga's information is creepy. Even though she's drunk the power of her research skills scared all of us. "Well then... Choubachou** Byakuya-sama--" "O-ryo, don't you dare take another step over there--" We suddenly exercised caution with Byakuya-san. If we speak rudely of him, we feel like we're going to get cursed.** "I honestly couldn't remember a time when he got angry..." "Me either..." "Me too..." T/N: OK so my bad, Byakuya’s supposed position ranges from accounting to reception, but I just previously translated his position as head accountant because it’s what I got before. But he’s more or less the chief of management operations, which includes accounting. Anyway... Hey, I mean, if Byakuya can kick Raijuu's ass then it's justifiable that Byakuya is always in a sour mood, and it's bad to talk about him rudely. Raijuu's a pain in the ass for sure. Arrrgh P141 In the end, this girls' group had nothing more to say. We shuddered when we remembered stuff, and inside the kotatsu we all curled up. Though we were only just talking about him, his pressure on us made us feel defeated even in here. "H.. However, Byakuya-sama stealthily spoils the pipe cats living at the back of the mountain..." "Kasuga, nobody knows about that yet. Don't talk about it, if that gets leaked out we'll get killed." Well, in short, Byakuya-sama pours all of his love to the pipe cats. "Geez, we've wrapped out heads too much on these puzzles, and my hands have lost all feeling. Like Odanna-sama, he also exists above the clouds." "That's because Byakuya-sama is Odanna-sama's good old wife." O-ryo and Kasuga opened the box that Shizuna-chan brought for us, and while munching on these they were sloppily chatting. "Good old wife?" Isn't Byakuya-san a guy? as I tilted my head. "Since long ago, he has assisted in the running of Tenjin-ya. Odanna-sama is able to go here and there freely for work, and Byakuya-sama was staying in Tenjin-ya and presides over it. He has long been in good terms with Odanna-sama, and Byakuya-sama could readily and frankly give out his opinions to him." Come to think of it, before Odanna-sama and I went out, him and Byakuya-san were talking about something one way or the other. P142 In that case, other than the other employess and executives, nobody sees it like an older wife giving encouragement to her husband. "And for sure, when the Oo-Okami** sama isn't here, Byakuya-sama also takes in that role as well, doesn't he?" "Oo-Okami?" Shizuna-chan was drinking the last drop of the sweet liquor, she was reminded of her old home and started talking. "Ougondouji-sama is currently residing in Orio-ya. Previously, Ougondouji-sama was asked to be the Oo-Okami. She holds the same position and rank as Odanna-sama, therefore ever since Ougondouji-sama left Tenjin-ya,the position has been vacant." "Oh, I see... If that's so, with regards to that old tale, I have asked Ginji-san about that." And with that, Byakuya-san also holds the position of Oo-Okami. "Haaaahhh... That weird chat about the Oo-Okami has been a bit too much already." "O-ryo sama, didn't you tell me back then that you'd focus intently on becoming Oo-Okami ,once upon a time?" "Shut up Kasuga! It's a harsh fact that I have to live with!" With O-ryo and Kasuga's conversation, my ears grew eager to listen. "But isn't that.. O-ryo already has no interest with the Waka-Okami position?" "Whaaat? Aoi, you're asking that question? Did't I tell you that I won't get into the position of Waka-Okami again?" T/N: Oo-Okami, Mistress of the House, or something, like the big lady boss.

P143 "R..Really?" "It's fine, really it is. My enthusiastic, indomitable personality is dead. I want to enjoy living a carefree life. I plan to marry a rich guy, then immediately stop working--" "..." Somehow, the atmosphere became tense. Could it be possible that, among all the people in here right now, we're all thinking that O-ryo didn't really want to give up that position? Especially Kasuga, she was shell-shocked, and her face looked troubled. I felt that the mood has changed, so I tapped my fist in my hand. "Oh, right, right. I brought some large-sized grapes from the fruit orchard park, and I made some grape tarts. Let's eat some? I added a lot of grapes on it, it's a custard cream dessert." "Kasstard? OK OK let's eat--" It seems that nobody understood what I meant, but everybody nodded their heads excitedly. Grape tart. I made the crust with the coconut oil from Orio-ya and baked it, and by adding the large grapes called Daishisui that I gathered with Odanna-sama yesterday, the tart looks like a sparkly jewelry box. On top of the crust, I laid down an easily-made custard cream made of Cassowary egg and some wheat flour, with cow's milk and a bit of sugar, P144 and these buried the grapes cut in halves, which I later baked in the oven. After baking this for a while, I topped everything with raw grapes and pure cream. These were arranged as such because the tightly-packed grapes beneath this layer cannot be seen. "Woooooow!" Those dynamic-seeing eyes, everyone's eyes were sparkling. I sliced the large tart in front of everyone, and when the neatly-arranged grapes were cut through, Shizuna-chan let out a regretful-sounding "Awww".** There wasn't any fork, we used kuromoji, special wooden chopsticks** normally used for Japanese sweets or just ate them using our bare hands. "Uwahhh this is juicy-- What is this, I thought this food has raw grapes, but this tastes is like it was meant to be a baked dessert!" "This is the first time I ate something that tastes like this, but the grapes' sweetness stands out, it's really delicious--" O-ryo eating with her hands and Shizuna-chan using a kuromoji, they fell into a trance like typical ladies who love sweets. "This is generally called a fruit tart, and with the rich taste of the eggs in the custard cream, it blends well with the sweet and sour freshness of the fruits, and together these really bring about the best-tasting combination. The sweetness gets reduced, and the sourness becomes mild." As I was explaining how the mild taste came about, Kasuga haven't taken a single bite of the grape tart, and while propping her chin with her hand, she was observing it quietly. T/N: Lol I feel you Shizuna-chan, I feel the same when a freshly-bought ice cream tub looks so neat I don't wanna cut through it lol that's why ASMR of perfectly arranged anything are famous bahaha

Kuromoji=黒文字= Japanese sweets are eaten traditionally by using tiny wooden chopsticks, to cut and skewer them. You can check them out via search engine or smth P145 "What is it, Kasuga? Don't tell me, you don't like grapes?" "Hmm? No, it's not like that.. I really love grapes. That dessert you called tart, I was thinking of something." Kasuga ate held tart like it was a hard cookie, and bit on it heartily despite doubting what it was, before chewing on it. She filled her cheeks with the grapes, the custard, and the fragrant crust. "Mmmm, I wanted to eat some more. The grapes are heavy, and they burst in my mouth." Just a while ago we were enjoying some amberjack shabu-shabu, but we still had room for dessert, and all of the girls ate as much of the grape tart to their hearts' content. "Aoi-dono--" In that moment, came a boy's voice that can be heard from inside Yugao. "It's Sasuke-kun. I told him that I was going to give him something to eat after his working hours." The three ladies around me went "It's.. Sasuke-kun?", and they looked at me from the side. "Say, Aoi, tell Sasuke-kun to come here too." "Really? Even if today's a no-guys-allowed girls' night-out, it's OK to call him in?" "Yes, it's totally OK. Sasuke-kun is an adorable and good boy." "..." Even though there was a nagging feeling, I went outside of Yugao and called out to Sasuke-kun. "Sasuke-kun, thank you for your hard work. We were just having a hotpot party inside but, P146 I'll also add something for you, OK?" "Hotpot, is it? Is it because it has already gotten a bit cold?" "Come in. Everyone's waiting for you. I'll go and prep up." "I understand." Sasuke-kun unknowingly trudged toward the innermost room, and opened the door. "?!" No sooner than opening the door. Sasuke-kun the ninja couldn't react fast enough, and he was dragged into the room. "Gyaaaaahhh! Aoi-dono, Aoi-dono---" Sasuke-kun, the innocent and sweet Sasuke-kun, he was preyed upon by the ladies starved of men. "I- I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I'll make you a delicious hotpot, OK?" I feel guilty that he gets harassed, and using another earthen pot I added dashi stock, vegetables and the amberjack slices, and hurriedly went towards the innermost room. Please, please let Sasuke-kun be OK! "..." Sasuke-kun was already pestered by the drunken ladies, here and there he was grumbling being urged to drink liquor, P147 his hair has been tousled and his scarf stretched out, it was horrible, but he was being coddled and spoiled. "Aoi-dono--" Poor Sasuke-kun, he was crying out of fear. He was unprotected, and the swarming girls were getting their fill, it was another shabu-shabu over the kotatsu setting. They're feeding him too much. While he's eating delicious food, I will protect Sasuke-kun.

Despite the determination of that bunch, just like turning off a lamp, the girls suddenly collapsed. 

Zzzz.... The effects of the mountain liquor came at last, and the intense sleepiness has struck. "Aoi-dono.. What on earth, were you doing here?" "Hmm? It's a secret girls' night-out, Sasuke-kun." "Secret girls' night-out..."

It's really too much to handle drunkeness. The true intents and personalities of the girls, were hidden and unseen, in this empty room these must not get out. Everything that they spewed out, they'll probably forget in the morning. And that was the so-called, girls' night-out.

End of Chapter 4, Volume 6. Previous - Intermission 1 Next - Intermission 2

References:

Wonderful site for the youkai references

Other stuff I used to do this: Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary (you can buy here, I’m not sponsored btw). I was about to buy the older edition but then the newer one came out 2013 so I bought that instead. Worth buying since I was able to find nearly all of the words I needed just by stroke pattern alone.

Merriam-Webster's Japanese-English Dictionary (the red-covered 1996 version is apparently out of print right now). This is what I have been using for a very long time, I bought it when I was still a fetus (yes I am old so what lol), and after so many years, when compared to newer editions, I still prefer this one since its entirety is Japanese-English, the English to Japanese gloss are just 16 pages tops, so you get more Japanese words for your buck. But that’s just my opinion, maybe other people prefer the Jap-En x En-Jap IDEK.

Basic online dictionary, Jisho. Knowledge of verb conjugations  and other words are necessary since not all have entries.

If you can read Japanese, you can buy the whole set in Amazon Japan, they’re shipping worldwide now, I think.

[beneaththetangles]

A Ryvius Advent

Advent, the time of year in which Christians commemorate Christmas by looking forward to it in anticipation, as well as to Christ’s return, is upon us. We hope that we can help you participate and get into the “Christmas spirit” through our blog as we do our traditional Christmas posts. Consider signing up for our newsletter as we gear up for the season, and following along here on the blog as well with posts like today’s, which kicks off the season is a most appropriate way.

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Infinite Ryvius (Mugen no Ryvius), Goro Taniguchi´s Lord of the Flies meets Lost in Space, is without doubt one of my favorite shows. Yet, I must warn you: It is not an easy one to watch. Its slow burn starts with the focus on the people-pleaser protagonist, Kouji Aiba—a guy who finds it uncool to hang out with anyone who has known him for a long time, his estranged brother Yuki, and their bossy childhood friend Aoi. But soon it expands its scope to perhaps twenty or so very interesting youngsters aboard the Liebe Delta, a starship academy for future space cadets, left without adults after a strange accident (or is it?), and through them, encompasses an entire teen society which grows, fights, suffers, and evolves with every episode, always waiting for rescue.

That is the starting point of a journey that will take its protagonists through hard decisions about survival and violence, war, lies, fears and betrayal, the collapse of social norms, emotional and mental breakdown, and repeated moral failure in what I found to be a very atypical, honest story full of quasi Eva-like angst and misfortune.

What’s worse is that you do not even have a Gendo to blame here, either for how frustratingly Kouji acts nor for anything else. There are adults and dangers outside, but they are not the focus. Instead, it’s on the kids. From the kindhearted teen hero to the bright model student, from the Vulcanian-like brainy to the loud representative, from the weak-willed fat boy to the “bad girl,” from the silent gang leader to the space princess (sort of), they are as flawed as they are relatable, and truly dangerous to each other in their own ways. And the consequences of their sins and errors are not small, not here. What follows has been aptly described as an ascent/descent into hell.

Why watch it, then? Why suffer? For one, its characters are (in my view) fascinating, and their occasional ugliness, and that of the situation, is how we gradually come to see something genuine and hopeful about them. They may start as archetypes, but they suffer, evolve, interact, struggle, and surprise me, for better and for worse. No matter how minor their roles, they all have something to say, and quite frequently they are things I hadn’t heard before from characters like these. The story does not whitewash their flaws, but neither does it give up on them when they fail (and boy, do they fail). The comparison with The Lord of the Flies may be the first thing that comes to mind, but if you go along, you will receive, one after another, signs that things may go differently here. It is not only the primal they confront, but also the supernatural; not only the evil in them, but the good. And I have come to understand enough about myself to know that I´m pretty much like Hikki Hachiman: I thirst to know the human heart, of others and mine, and I often find hope in it.

More than that, Mugen no Ryvius is a show firmly interested in what is good and evil, right and wrong, just and unjust, much like Bokurano or Serial Experiments Lain. It takes its premise seriously, and it makes every effort to show us that everyone is connected. This principle is personified in the character of the Girl in Pink, the soul of the starship, an observer who wanders around learning about its inhabitants, sometimes talking with them, sometimes helping them, sometimes unveiling what is beneath the surface, she herself connected to the deeper mysteries of the ship. And, as I have loved reading about the evolution of fictional societies and regimes since I first read Plato´s terrific (in both senses of the word) Republic in Philosophy class, the self-contained nature of the community which is described, the elegant way in which everything is presented and the 26 episodes that give us plenty of time to know everything about everyone make this a very enjoyable story, even if sometimes you have to just endure it.

There is even more. Ryvius is not only a psychological thriller or a social experiment. It is a tale of discernment and heroism, but not only that either. Much as in Taniguchi´s Planetes, its themes and symbology go all the way to the philosophical and the spiritual, in this case with the salvation of all humanity literally at stake. The characters are largely unaware of this larger plot—they are busy enough as it is—except for some weird encounters they experience here and there, but we get to see it through the Girl in Pink. The story has something to say about who we are to each other, and about sacrifice, sin and delusion, and also about the meaning of hope and love in this fallen world. Thus, it connects with the themes of Advent, the time when we remember the long wait for Christ during the long ages of Israel, the longing of the human heart for Him in the reign of sin, the promises of the prophets and the difficult and specific, strange, miraculous yet discreet circumstances in which the fulfillment of that hope was prepared when the time came.

But, God being the Lord of the Living, this period is not only one of remembrance. It is also the time when we try to better dispose our hearts so that His coming here and now can touch us more deeply. It’s becoming a challenging, tiring Advent for me, both professionally and personally, so these days I am fasting a bit, trying to bring to mind the hope of Christmas and of the future and meditating on the readings of Isaiah and John the Baptist, Joseph, and Mary. Because Advent is also the time when we look to the future from the hardships of this world and renew our hope that He will come back, that rescue is coming. That there is a second, hidden story in my life too, and it encompasses and explains the one I see. It is something of a funny coincidence that the hardest part of the Ryvius story comes also at December, a December in space.

I think that is as far as I can go speaking only in general, so spoilers ahead. Ryvius is full of twists and turns, so you have been warned.

Episode 23 is probably the show at is bleakest. Just an episode or two before, the violence, the egoism, the anarchy, the malevolence, the ill will, the disorder and the laziness have reached its peak, and a friend has been scarred. The sins of the little society—unbeknownst to them, a literally chosen people, because the Ryvius is the only hope for humanity to escape the Second Solar Flare, and no crew has ever been able to make it react—are just too many, and they are punished. It is the logical consequence, and even I was hoping for it. Our heroes experience a mutual emotional breakdown, unable to comfort each other. And hurt and bitter, the courageous and kind Ikumi turns into a tyrant by threats and sheer force, threatening to destroy entire sections of the starship if he is not immediately given unconditional obedience. Like the Leviathan of Hobbes, he demands absolute power to prevent the kids to becoming wolves for each other. With Yuki and the rest of the mecha aces on his side, those aboard are forced to comply.

His first decision is to reinstate the gang of Airs Blue, that other interesting tyrant, back from prison as the police force, a role than they clearly enjoy. Shortly after, order is restored, but in such a way the ship starts to feel like an occupied country. Violence is not as overt as it was, but it is there. And maybe all that would be at least an improvement on the previous anarchy, were not that his main advisor is the ultimate schemer of the Zwei group, Heiger, who has been given free hands to engage in his social engineering projects and protect this Pax Romana until the number of violent incidents is zero.

Shortly after, people are sorted by ability and separated (well, either that, or if Heiger thinks you a subversive element, sent straight to Class F, which includes pretty much every important character who is not part of the regime). Juli Bahana, the voice of empathy and reason, is expelled from the bridge for objecting (more specifically, for objecting without providing a feasible alternative), and sent to Class F. So is her ever-jealous friend Ran, who has undermined her in every way she could. His crime is violently protesting that the little kid aboard, Pat, has been sent to Class F too (well, says Heiger, naturally, he is not useful by any objective standard). Fina S. Shinozaki, the beautiful pagan priestess/cult leader who preaches the false Gospel of making yourself a new you of your own design, is leading the course of the ship, which now points toward her planet.

When all the new residents of Class F are in their area, a new surprise comes. Unbeknownst to Ikumi, Heiger, who is losing it a bit, blocks the area and switches the lights off. They are left without food or a way out. In his reasoning, these people are not useful, the lowest of the low, and everything that is given to them is a waste. Many of them, conscious of their crimes or their lack of ability, even recognize it is only natural that they would end up at Class F. So there they are, our most pathetic characters, in the darkness. Jealous Ran, indecisive Juli, feeble and treacherous Charlie (sorry, I mean Good Turtleland the Third), femme fatale Criff, bratty Nicks, people-pleaser Kouji, messy and bossy Aoi, loud Lucson, spoiled Pat, the lazy couple who stole points, even the creepy psycho who “protects” Charlotte—all there.

When someone lights a lantern, and it turns out that Lucson was stealing food, so he decides to share it, not without boasting about his “keen foresight.” The last, the not useful, the dispossessed, the guilty thus share the little they have, and sit around the light. Somehow, a curious joy starts to permeate them, and someone asks out of the blue, “It is almost Christmas, isn’t it?”

What it is is December 13rd, the birthday of the youngest member of the crew, Pat Campbell. His father and mother figure are beside him. Lucson may be an incompetent, a liar, and a vain leader, but he has taken good care of Pat, to the point of showing that he is willing to take a beating in his place, and has tried to set example for him in his own clumsy way. Juli may be indecisive and her renouncing as captain of the ship may have played a part in the present state of things, but she has cared for the kid from the first moment. The Girl of Pink is attracted towards that light they share, not towards the bridge, and it´s no wonder. The bleakness of Ryvius disappears for a couple of minutes, and there is a warm light instead. This is the moment in which she speaks to Kouji and stops being an observer, providing hope, a way out. Literally, there is a path.

The darkness will strike twice again in this very episode and the hardest part of this journey of purification is still ahead, but we have seen a glimpse of where it leads. As viewers, we can have hope. Kouji still has to carry his own Cross, his own Gethsemane, and beyond. Aoi will share it all with him. We will still suffer before we reach the end. But for now, there is light. There is a sign of something beyond the madness the Ryvius has fallen into, something that reaches these broken sinners suffering the consequences of their own errors and makes them one, even so.

While darkness and poverty have united Class F, the powerful, the strong and the wise in the terms of the ship are not so lucky. Ikumi cannot participate in the feast. After all, he is locked in his palace—the officials bedroom—with his own thoughts, increasing his own power, worried, navigating his inner traumas, working to stop even the littlest of crimes aboard while the tyrannical system he has created causes others he does not detect. He wants his Pax Romana no matter the means, and even if he is not mistaken about what is right, he is wrong about placing all hope in his own hands, and about the darkness of his own heart. Like Herod (though younger, more desperate and driven by fear and trauma), he may resort even to murder. Neither can Kozue, who has made the conscious decision to play into Ikumi´s trauma to have someone who will provide her affection, and literally shut the door to everything and everyone else.

Neither can Yuki, our punk Pharisee, who never loses an opportunity to point how weak-willed, despicable, low and inauthentic his elder brother is, usually with a punch or two to show him.  Even if he is Kouji´s younger brother, he is no doubt like the older brother of the parable, only substituting obedience to the father to doing what he pleases without external influence. He also wants acknowledgement for his achievements. Nor Heiger, who is busy with the census of his new empire, sending every member of the Ryvius community to the place where he belongs to, in his opinion, and worshiping efficiency like he always wanted to. Heiger´s terrified reaction to the unknown, in the form of the Lovecraftian/Ghiblian space beasts, shows us how self-enclosed in the works of his own hands he is at this point of the story: His own cleverness has blinded him to this hope.

But if Ikumi is traumatized, Heiger is a materialist, and Yuki is just doing what he feels vaguely good about, someone is searching for a spiritual meaning in the circumstances. And the meaning she finds is evil. That is Fina S, Shinozaki, the young cult leader/priestess of Mother Arne, a pagan deity who considers letting your past behind and rebuilding yourself from zero as the first moral imperative, adapts to every situation quickly and cleverly, considers Ikumi to be a war god, and believes the Universe will help you if you desire things strongly enough. Behind the bizarre elements of this space cult (you know, those pesky Uranians), there is a very familiar philosophy: Be the center of everything, project a perfect illusion, become powerful no matter the situation, delete from your life those people and parts of yourself you don´t like, always be determined, and get what you want.

Villainous as Fina is, I cannot but feel compassion for her, as she is farther away from hope than the rest, and suffers without it. When hurt, she tries to kill the same person whose love she longs for: she wants to prevent him from applying her own philosophy to her and letting her in his past. When heartbroken, she tries to force her smile like a mask. When her acts get her scarred, she wonders if she is not as virtuous as she should be. The philosophy of becoming your own creator not only destroy you, but also tells you that it´s your fault, for not wanting to be free and happy strongly enough. So I truly pity her, and this broken age of ours, too. In a silent alliance with the Girl in Pink, Kouji will risk everything to confront all four, like John the Baptist, and call them to repent.

So at this time of the year, we should also prepare for what is to come—the fights as well as the rescue, the present as well as the future. The joy of the feast and the time of waiting. In the midst of our daily struggles and sufferings, of the problems of the world, we may take a step back to reflect and pray, try to hear the call, think about the meaning of what is happening, share the little we have, remove the obstacles, acknowledge who we are, repent. Take perspective on the things of the world. Give others the comfort and hope they need. Be brave. And help those who are not useful for us, even those who have hurt us, for we are connected, aboard the same ship. And those far from Class F, locked anywhere, need Christmas too, and dearly: Their hearts thirst just like ours.

And miraculously, there is a path.

=====

Mugen no Ryvius can be acquired at Amazon.

[monotonemanday]

More Than Backup

A commission for @aoi-hina A pairing with Bucky Barnes and her OC Jenna. As always it was fun to write and I am so grateful for the commission! Thank you, thank you! Enjoy!

"Jenna, do you have someone watching your six?"

"Isn't that your job?" Jenna replied to Bucky, a smirk playing on her lips. Jenna was watching from above on a flat rooftop of a single story building a couple of meters back.

"I'm not joking Jenna, make sure your back is covered." Bucky's tone was serious. He was walking into the center of the small town they were sent to. Supposedly abandoned.

Jenna and Bucky had been a team for several months now. They were and A-Class reconnaissance team for The Avengers. The two went to remote areas searching for enemies, villains, malicious groups, and people of interest. Leading teams made up of Special Ops agents, low ranking Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and local law enforcement.

Bucky usually took to the ground, walking through the areas and checking for any sign of occupancy. Jenna took up top, surveying the areas from a bird's eye view. Being a skilled archer, it was much easier for her to cover a lot of "ground" from up high. Her arrows never seemed to miss, but close combat was not for her. As much as Bucky tried to train her, close combat for her never ended well. In the time they worked together, they had grown close. Or as close as one could get to Bucky. Even though he was his own person there was still a lot of caution due to what went on in his past. So she did things like, learn those old trigger words, and even learned a bit of Russian, just in case they needed to discuss something covertly. He was insanely honest and very blunt. Jenna was kindhearted and had a lot of patience. Certain aspects of Bucky's personality that rubbed people the wrong way, Jenna found endearing. A lot of people might think he was called The Winter Soldier because he could be pretty frigid at times.

"Everything looks good up here, Bucky. I'm not seeing any movement."

"Things are pretty quiet down here as well. Jenna, really is someone able to get to you if something happens?"

"I'm fine, Buck. Why are you so worried about it? I can take care of myself."

"I just have a bad feeling about this place. And I wasn't saying you couldn't take care of yourself. It's just that-"

"Wait." Jenna cut Bucky off and quietly drew an arrow to press against her bow.

"Jenna what-" His sentence was cut short as Jenna's arrow tore through the air, zipping directly past his head and sticking into something he couldn't see. Falling from behind tattered curtains that hung in the broken window of one of the abandon bodies, was the now lifeless corpse of an enemy assailant. Quickly realizing what was happening Bucky alerted the rest of the team.

"AMBUSH!"

The team came pouring out of where they had stashed themselves and the fighting quickly ensued.

Jenna had set herself up nicely. Extra arrows laying beside her and no one seeming to be alerted of her presence. She took a moment to put her wavy brown hair up into a tight ponytail. Taking her usual stance, she began firing off arrows with great precision. Nailing each enemy she set her sights on. Everyone was centered and focused on their own tasks at hand, they didn't realize they were slowing being overpowered. Her sights were automatically turned to Bucky. Fighting about 4 opponent on his own. They were close enough that it was easiest for him to start laying on the punches with his fighting arm. It seemed like he was fighting them off with ease but Jenna could see he was struggling a bit. Maybe he was tired? She knew how hard he worked himself and even though he constantly denied it, exhaustion was inevitable.

"Bucky, what's going on down there?"

"Everything's fine Jenna. Just stay where you are!"

His voice over the line was sharp. He meant business but Jenna couldn't just wipe away her concern. Multiple voices were shouting over the channel.

"There's too many of them!"

"It's like they're multiplying!"

"Reinforcements are on their way! Hold on troop!"

"I don't know if we'll make it."

Bucky landed a punch squarely on the right side of his last surrounding enemies jaw. A small window for him to catch his breath, he turned to see someone running inside the building Jenna was stationed on the roof of.

"Jenna!" He exclaimed over the line as he began to fast pace his way to the building, but suddenly he took a shot to the shoulder. The force and initial shock pushed him back a step but it didn't deter him enough to change his objective. After hearing her name being called with such urgency, Jenna stopped and took a calculated second to assess the situation. She could hear steps and commotion coming from below her. Knowing that someone was coming up the stairs soon. She looked out onto the streets and realized Bucky was making his way to the building, firing shots at those who came in front of them, but paying no attention to what was happening behind him. He was hyper-focused on something.

Without hesitation, Jenna left her extra arrows and her set up behind. She jumped from the roof, tucking and rolling to brace her landing. She stood up quickly at Bucky's back and shot two arrows through the two men quickly approaching his six.

"Bucky! Snap out of it!"

"Jenna! What are you doing?! I told you to stay where you were!"

"Well someone had to watch your back!" Jenna let out a chuckle and continued to fire arrows. They were no longer surrounded. The enemy was falling back after reinforcements had shown up but that didn't stop Bucky from being irate. He turned himself around then grabbed Jenna by the shoulders, turning her around as well to face him

"I'm not kidding Jenna! You should have followed orders! You can't fight in such close quarters. Or do hand to hand combat. What if you were surrounded?!"

"Why are you so angry at me? I came down here because I couldn't just watch my partner-"

"It doesn't matter! You put yourself at greater risk, Jenna."

"Bucky, I can take ca-" Her words were stopped by a sharp gasp. "You were shot!"

"It's nothing. I'll get it taken care of. I'll apply pressure on the way back after the mission." Bucky took his hands off of Jenna's shoulders and pressed his hand to his bullet wound.

It seemed like every enemy had been apprehended and the team was starting to pack up. Jenna and Bucky stood together in silence. They stared at each other. Their expressions were hard to read. They showed flashes of anger, pain, compassion, irritation.

Finally, Jenna broke the silence.

"Stubborn. Let's go." She turned to walk away.

A sharp ring cut through the air. On the roof of the building Jenna was stationed at, the man that made his way up the stairs had fired off a shot with expert aim. It pierced Jenna's upper thigh.

"AAAH!" Jenna screamed out and collapsed on to one knee.

"Jenna! UUGH!" Bucky tried to catch her, but let out a hiss due to his own pain. A team quickly apprehended the shooter on the roof and a separate team quickly came to Jenna and Bucky's aid.

The ride back to headquarters was silent between the two. They could hear the hustling and chatter of the EMT's and the other team members. Patching them up and applying first response medical attention. But Jenna and Bucky didn't speak any words to each other.

Once at headquarters, the two were escorted to a private holding room. This always happened after missions. They were isolated until they could be debriefed. Just protocol.

"Now Jenna, you are very lucky. There is no damage to any muscles or tendons. You will have full function of your leg, and little recovery time is needed. You will be able to walk on your own just fine. We just want you to stay off of it right now."

 A doctor in a long lab coat was pushing Jenna in a wheelchair down a bright corridor. "And you young man, I don't have to tell you much about your wound. You know the drill."

"Right" Bucky responded curtly, following alongside them.

They arrived at the holding room and the doors pushed opened with a gust of pressure. Jenna thanked the doctor and he made his leave. Bucky sat on the bench on the far side of the room. The two let the atmosphere fill with an uncomfortable silence. They were still sorting out their feelings. Whether or not they were still annoyed by each other.

The bandage on Bucky's shoulder had come loose, unraveling fast and falling off. He clumsily tried to use his metal arm to re-bandage his wound. Struggling for a hot minute, getting visibly frustrated.

"Damn it..." He huffed under his breath and Jenna couldn't stand watching him be an oaf for any longer. She put the breaks on her wheelchair and braced herself on the arms of the chair, lifting herself up, she stood and slowly and began to make her way towards Bucky.

"Jenna! What-"

"Oh stop it. I'm fine. You heard the doctor."

"Yeah, he said to stay off of your leg."

"Just let me help." Jenna straddled the bench so that she could face Bucky properly. She gently dressed his wound again and tied it tight. She stared at him. Her hazel eyes were gentle as they looked him over. She brushed back his hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ear. "Looks like you have a couple of cuts too."

"...idiot," Bucky mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I said, Thank you."  

"Really? Because it sounded like you called me an idiot." Jenna raised her eyebrows but didn't change her gentle expression, she simply continued to run her thumb over his cuts. Bucky stood up abruptly and began to pace.

"Yeah! I did! Why would you come down to help me and put yourself at risk like that? And why are you trying to take care of my wound when you are in worse condition. That is what an idiot would do."

Jenna looked at him in shock. She didn't know what was causing this kind of reaction from him. He was angry but in a way that held a lot of passion. She took her hair down and shook it out. It fell in gentle waves, framing her face. She pulled her glasses off, wiping them off a bit while she tried to figure out how to deal with him. She would simply treat him like she always would. With kindness, gentleness, patience, and a bit of teasing.

"You know, Steve always says that in the 1940's you were quite the charmer. Handsome, gentleman-like. A ladies man even. Where's that guy?" The corners of her lips upturned.

"Yeah well, 80 plus years can really change a man." Bucky stood still, a sour look painting his face.

"You've aged well." Jenna stood up and walked over to Bucky, placing a gentle hand on his bandaged wound. "I like the changes."

Bucky reached his left arm out to her. His metal thumb brushing her cheek. It was cold to the touch but the gesture held more warmth than anything Jenna had ever felt. He stared into her eyes before again he abruptly tore himself away.

Jenna's frustration had built up. She was trying her hardest to get through to him but his attitude was unwavering.

"What is wrong with you, James!" He froze at the sound of his first name. 

"James Buchanan Barnes, look at me!"

He turned around, ready to unleash a million words a minute, but looking at Jenna's face caused him to take a deep breath.

"Stop that, Jenna. You need to take care of yourself for a change. Stop worrying about everyone else. Maybe we need to stop being partners for a while. I can't have you pulling my focus."

The words pierced Jenna's core. She sat down, heavy, crossing her arms. "Fine! I don't see what's so wrong with loving someone! Jerk." Jenna turned her head to the side, steam brewing to come out of her ears when suddenly she realized...

"What did you just say?" Bucky's expression softened and he bent down in front of Jenna, taking in her slender figure, pale skin, and sweet face. All tensed up and distressed.

"I... I said." Jenna was turning crimson red. She was embarrassed and felt it resonating with every part of her but she also felt tired. Tired of running away from what she had been feeling and tired of being so patient. "I said in a round-a-bout way that, well, I love you." Jenna stood up, trying to push her nerves down. "I care about you and worry about you because I love you. As more than just a partner. I am in love with you. And I don't think it's right that-"

Prepared to give out a lecture on the negatives of rejecting others feelings, Jenna was instead met with a heartfelt attempt to silence her. Bucky put his arm around the small of her back and pulled her close. His other hand resting on the back of her neck, his lips fell onto hers. The kiss warm and sweet. It deepened as time moved on and Jenna could only see flames when she closed her eyes. A flame so bright that it burned blue instead of red. When their lips parted Jenna couldn't find her voice but it didn't matter at that moment because Bucky had a lot to say.

"Listen, Jenna. I was angry today because I care about you. Because I can't stand the thought of losing you. Not as my partner. If something happened to you that took you away from me, I don't know if I could move on. And if something happened to you because of me...because I lost focus or because you tried to protect me, I would never forgive myself. I love you."

Jenna reached up and put her palm to Bucky's cheek.

"I understand. But I can't just stand by and do nothing if you're in trouble. Think about your feelings for me and know that I feel those same things for you. We can protect each other. We're a team, in more ways than one."

The two shared a kiss once more, Bucky running his hand through Jenna's hair. Jenna's hands ran up his chest and she clutched onto the fabric of his shirt. His lips parted and when Jenna slipped her tongue past his a buzzer rang out.

"Uhm Agent Barnes...It's uh, time for your debriefing so if you could uh...separate from your partner and come to the conference room... ... ...Thank you."

Bucky rested his forehead against Jenna's.

"We completely ignored the fact that we are being monitored didn't we?"

Jenna chuckled and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and then smiled at his back as he left the holding room.

"Those poor interns."

[saeitoshi]

so i was planning to wait until the end of vrains s2 to make an extensive post about this with all of the characters, but i’ve seen talks about aoi in today’s episode so here we go about my thoughts about aoi’s character development in s2. i actually iterated everything earlier today about my thoughts on character development in general for vrains s2 on twitter (that i would link but tumblr seems to not like links on posts) so this is pretty much going to be verbatim

aoi in my opinion had a lot of great potential for character development in s2. in s1, she learns about her weaknesses as a duelist and begins to realize her dependence on her older brother. that’s why during the 3 month time skip, she devotes her time to adjusting her trickstar deck, because she knows that it’s flawed due to the low attack strength of her monsters. and right into s2, she adorns the blue girl avatar to go on undercover missions with ghost girl. it’s a nice transition to show that she’s still helping her brother out, but is slowly breaking away, doing what she wants, and learning from other older figures. aoi wants to grow both as a duelist and a person, and i think the writers did a nice job showing that in the first half of s2

was her loss against soulburner frustrating? somewhat, since it felt like those 3 months still didn’t show any significant improvement. but then again soulburner knew her strategies, knew her deck, and had the exact cards to counter it as she was one of the people he idolized, so it wasn’t too surprising in that aspect. plus there was an entire second half of s2 that could redeem her as a duelist, as she learns from her losses and fine-tunes her trickstar deck even more for growth

this transition is even more profound after aoi witnesses earth’s “death.” aoi begins to grow sympathy towards the ignis. after witnessing the pained human emotions from the artifical intelligence, aoi tells her brother, the one that she has always been trying to do her best for, that she needs time to think about her role in all of this. instead of simply abiding to akira’s wishes, aoi develops a new motivation to help playmaker et. al fight against the enemies because of her own emotional desires to protect the ignis

but then the turn of events happened in vrains where miyu is introduced as aoi’s old childhood friend. i’m glad that aoi herself is not the lost incident victim, and that she now has an even heavier emotional motivation to succeed. what i don’t like is how the vrains writers are writing her growth from here

instead of growing with her old trickstar deck, aoi suddenly gets a new cyberse deck. and then suddenly starts winning duels (which she hasn’t done at all this season). even though she only dueled once in s2, the fact still remains that vrains still could’ve put in a duel at least once prior to this change demonstrating that yes, her newly revamped trickstar deck can in fact work effectively

it feels like all of her hard work on her trickstar over the 3 month time skip between s1 and s2 is scrapped, and she’s now winning because of this new cyberse deck and the fact that she is now an “indirect victim” to the lost incident. it makes me feel like the writers are telling us, “if you’re not at all related to the lost incident, you’re not capable/good enough to win.” this statement would even apply to revolver’s relative success in duels this season

this is only solidified after this latest episode on how everyone comments on her being this “indirect” lost incident victim. it feels like the writers are repeatedly trying to get us to understand that “yes, aoi is involved in the lost incident, which is why it’s her time to shine now.” it’s like the writers wants the major protag characters to revolve around this one event, and everyone else who’s not apart of it are not capable duelists. ghost girl and blood shepherd are good examples, but do you know who’s the true prime example of this?? go onizuka

i enjoyed the stark contrast between aoi and go’s development. after s1, while aoi was trying to move forward with her own beliefs/ideals and with her own strength, go kept feeling hung over by the fact that playmaker essentially single-handedly defeated hanoi in s1. he doesn’t get the glorified honor of being a main character on the good side again, nor the valiant maturation of learning from his past losses and adjusting his deck to grow in a positive manner like aoi. we witness him succumb to power hunger, being driven into despair because he was never a part of the lost incident

now this contrast would have been perfect if they kept both aoi and go away from the lost incident. it’d show that yes, both had terrible pasts, but they didn’t need a traumatic event such as the lost incident to be as capable duelists as playmaker or soulburner, if aoi could grow and start winning duels even without it. but nope, instead we are still left with the same motif of “strong duelists are those affected by the lost incident”

i’m not saying that all people affected by lost incident or victims are capable duelists (i mean look at spectre). it’s just becoming a common denominator. is this a little too early to conclude still? yes, because the duel between her and bohman is still ongoing, and if she loses then a majority of this is a moot point. but if she does win, it only reinforces the motif even further. we’ll just have to wait to see

i just wish that the writers would’ve chosen to focus on aoi gaining her independent path more because of being emotional driven after witnessing earth’s tragedy, rather than suddenly tying it to this 10-year old event and making it the primary reason

[cantusecho]

(Okay, trying to gather all my thoughts together into one post. I remember doing this years ago but looking back at it, I feel like I can do better. Not as if it was terrible, but I feel like I need to revisit it because again, it involves Hibiki’s character even still. 

So! Here I go again, haha. Might be kind of long since it includes a recap and my thoughts/headcanons in general.

Starting off, here’s a warning: These are just my feelings/thoughts on the whole thing and also a warning for abuse mention.

Okay, so a recap first---

Hibiki has always just been an ordinary child. It was really the concert where her life ended up taking a turn for the worst. So of course, everyone knows about the whole thing of that; Hibiki ends up being injured and nearly dies thanks to the shards that shot off Kanade’s Gear. So from there, Hibiki’s life begins to spiral. 

After her surgery, she endured rehab. Throughout this, she made sure to push herself through it all, mainly for the sake of her family so they wouldn’t have to worry about her. And like it says in the keywords, her father was actually super thrilled about her being alive.

I think Akira loves Hibiki; that’s his daughter so he loves her. Hibiki remembers him fondly for being a great dad and it was only recently after the accident that he actually began to change. The thing with this is that after the concert, as stated prior, he was thrilled Hibiki was one of the survivors. However, because the company he works for found this out (the boss actually lost his own child in the tragedy), Akira lost his job and was basically humiliated, all because his daughter survived but his boss didn’t.

Surely he had no other way to cope with such a loss (not being able to provide for his family etc.) so he ended up turning to drinking. While this was happening, Hibiki was receiving harassment from her fellow students in school. This sort of information can vary but in my head, I’d imagine it goes beyond just making marks on her desk and calling her names. It can very well end up leading to physical violence (things like pushing/shoving/throwing rocks etc.) So not only was she tormented emotionally, she was tormented physically.

I don’t think the adults were particularly useful either. If there was, they couldn’t do much since I’d imagine that sort of stuff would get out of control. I truthfully could see them turning a blind eye to it but again, this is more of a personal thing I can imagine and not anything officially stated. Regardless, it wasn’t easy for her whenever she went to school.

On the other hand, whenever she would make her way home, she’d be faced with the turmoil there. Ever since Akira turned to alcohol, he had become increasingly violent. The keywords officially state that he became violent to those in the household, which would be Hibiki, her mother and grandmother. They don’t specifically state what it was that he did, but saying that he became violent to them specifically hints to a lot of things. He very well could have put his hands on them or if not, then it could be something like throwing things at them in their general direction, etc. This is a serious topic that I would never want to take lightly or mess up, so I’m sure everyone knows that this can be taken numerous different ways.

There’s no specified amount of time of how long this lasted, but he eventually left the household and never came back. Personally (in my opinion), all of this made Hibiki push him further in the back of her mind. For her to straight up say she doesn’t have a dad in GX just spoke volumes to me. And she repeats it numerous times within the season too, even saying to his face that he “wasn’t her dad anymore”. Hibiki has a habit of ignoring her issues, ESPECIALLY in the beginning of the series.

Of course the hurt she faced was actually really painful so in a way, a person can see it as her having a coping mechanism of merely ignoring them to make it seem like they’d go away or be solved on their own without her involvement. Her father is actually like that as well (though they clearly handled it in two different ways and it doesn’t excuse his actions but I’ll get to that later). Aoi (Hibiki’s VA) has actually stated this in the Symphogear LIVE 2016. She says that Hibiki was a lot like her father in terms of running away from responsibility but she’s had the time to learn and grow to become better while her father didn’t. (he of course learns in GX when he meets back up with Hibiki again).

Due to Hibiki learning over the years/seasons, I believe that she sees he’s actually trying to change and become better and so she takes that first step with him to attempt that change. But again, this doesn’t mean that everything is all fine and dandy super quickly. I truly don’t believe that Akira would go and live with them right after this; it would take some time for them to work things out before he can be trusted back in the same house with them. For all they know, he could fall right back into the same habits but again, that doesn’t mean they still can’t help him. I’d say this is what Hibiki is dealing with behind the scenes and such. The show may not do this, and may say that everything is fine now, but in my brain that’s not how it works so if roleplays, I’m treating it as an issue that still needs resolving and a lot of work.

Because...as much as she said she didn’t have a father, I don’t believe Hibiki hates him at all. Did she feel betrayed and highly upset due to his behavior? Yes, I’m certain and she deserves to feel that way after everything that happened to her in the past. I think she’s stuck; like she loves her dad and would love for him to come back but after everything he’s done, she felt betrayed and didn’t want to see him anymore so she “erased” him from her life. It’s a very complicated feeling I’m sure, at least that’s how I write her. You don’t want to hate them because they weren’t 100% a bad person, but you can’t forgive them so easily after what they did because it just felt like HE didn’t love her as much as she thought he did. But because she’s done some growing of her own, she knows about second chances. This whole entire thing with her father was one issue that she could never get resolved unless he came back because she found her family to be broken the entire time. 

Hibiki, who’s normally known to be optimistic and see the bright side of things, believed her family was so broken that it would never be fixed. That it would never be the same ever again. And technically, their family won’t be the same but she has a bit more hope now.

Hibiki’s reactions in GX, in my opinion, were great to showcase her bouncing emotions due to all of this. Her newfound responsibility for having an actual complete Gungnir made her scared/nervous to a point that it sounded like she got jealous of Maria using it again in episode 4 (I think this can stem from her past as well possibly; as a girl who’s been constantly told that she didn’t matter or haven’t had anything noteworthy to contribute compared to people who died or people around her, she could have felt the pressure of attempting to fill Maria’s shoes or just in general of being the only Gear user available at the time. This can also fit into how she gets into trying to help people in the first place which originally could have been her just trying to find her place in the world until it ends up becoming more of a thing she loves to do and not out of guilt or anything like that. Or I’m looking too deep into this lol). And then right after that, she came face to face with her dad in episode 7 and immediately she runs away (understandably so). I can’t imagine all the emotions she was going through in the span of those few seconds after seeing him again.

But then the next episode, episode 8, she tells Miku that she was grateful that her friend was making her face it rather than run away (and ironically that episode is named something similar to that). But of course, that meet up with him didn’t go so well and Hibiki ended up getting mad once again. Now an issue I’ve had shows up in this episode because they made it seem like Akira didn’t care whatsoever about how Hibiki was feeling. The girl was literally shaking the entire time (not to mention her expression in almost a constant scowl) and got up from the table to leave. And yet, despite asking what’s wrong or why she’s leaving, he just gives her the check to pay for the food.

The check really isn’t what bothers me, it’s just his whole demeanor of that scene. Even after she snatches it out of his hand and runs out, he just looks baffled as to why she acted like that and went back to eating. Now, he very well could have had some sort of epiphany after all that because he began to constantly call Hibiki but she ignored him the entire time.

I can understand why Hibiki would feel afraid of reaching back out to him. As she states in episode 9, she’s afraid of it not working out but it didn’t mean she wasn’t hoping for a good outcome. She took what Miku said to heart and decided to brave another encounter with her father. And from there, in episode 11, he seemed to actually showcase how he was trying to change, trying to be a better man (but once again, even in that very episode, Hibiki said that he wasn’t her dad anymore). 

Now in this episode, we find out where she got her catchphrase (”It’s okay, everything’s fine!”; various different translations but basically all the same) and see Akira stand up for Hibiki instead of running away, which Hibiki believed he was going to do again. Now I kinda get this action, yet not at the same time.

I say not because it felt so rushed, like his character immediately changed out of nowhere. But at the same time, Hibiki has had since episode 7 for all this to fester and be worked on in the background (her being angry and not agreeing to talk to her dad for multiple episodes and he could very well have gone through something himself in the midst of it. Perhaps I should say the presentation of it wasn’t to my liking but what can you do about that? Haha). So I was glad that those feelings had a chance to fester and for Hibiki to personally deal with these emotions that we don’t see from her very often.

But at the end of the day, I really do hope for them to have a happy conclusion, I just don’t believe that it will be that easy/simple. It will take time for them to get on the same page again and that’s something I try my best to implement in writing, if it ever comes to such a topic like that anyway.

In terms of the abuse though, there’s literally no way that I excuse that. No matter what type it is (physically and/or emotional) it has taken a toll on Hibiki in certain ways, I’m sure. I attempt to leave slight hints here and there about what it may have done even if she may not realize it but I’m also attempting to be SUPER careful with it.

Again, for people who don’t know, I write Hibiki having issues with alcohol, mainly because her father used it as a way to cope. She doesn’t drink it herself and normally feels uneasy being around it or people drinking it around her. Hibiki is smart enough to know that not everyone handles alcohol the same way and not everyone becomes violent because of it. But it doesn’t erase her unease.

It’s simply a very easy reminder of those times her father was violent because he was mainly drunk (which is the main reason, once again, why I don’t think they’d be living in the same house. I refuse to believe that, I’m sorry. Lol. That man will just have to live in a damn apartment somewhere else and they make contact like that or something I don’t know).

There’s a lot more other things that can reflect in her actions today due to what she went through back then but I’m also very bad at explaining that and hopefully it kind of just shows through my writing/portrayal. Things like this is what makes me nervous about writing Hibiki because I don’t want to write her as simply being optimistic; I want to write and explore the struggles she has with her emotions/thoughts; those darker parts of her that she keeps hidden. But when I say it like that, it makes it sound like I’d be making her angsty but that’s not my intention at all. 

My intention is to write her realistically as best as I can. Hibiki means a lot to me, so I don’t want to mess this up. This is also why it means a lot to me that people enjoy my portrayal of her. There’s a lot more to her than being goofy; she’s awkward, she gets sad, she thinks a lot about things when it really boils down to it (especially now) and I want to convey that in my writing.

This whole thing is really a mess still and I’m not sure if anything I said makes any sense. If not, I’m sorry. I wanted to try and get things straight in my head again after seeing how people react whenever GX is brought up, especially when it comes to her dad. And with the official Symphogear twitter having a rewatch of all the seasons, it’s bound to come back up. (They’re currently on G so not on GX just yet).

But yeah, sorry. I probably make no sense. The bottom line is; I totally get the issues of GX when it comes to this topic. It’s not easy, it’s VERY tricky and controversial territory because it deals with something very serious, which is abuse. But looking on the other side, the man did at least attempt to be better in the end, even if I don’t like how it was handled. My main goal is for Hibiki to be happy.

Once again, I repeat; this isn’t me saying his actions are excused.  I keep thinking people will believe, with me not hating GX or Akira with every fiber of my being like everyone else, means that I excuse his actions.

I don’t, nor do I encourage them. If he falls right back into that lifestyle and puts his hands on them, then that’s it. He’s done. Technically, he should have been done right after putting his hands on them in the first place but Symphogear wouldn’t do that. It was a hole in Hibiki’s heart so they brought him in so she can finally have that hole repaired...at least somewhat. 

And he’s not living with them (in my mind). That’s the important thing. Lol. But that’s canon stuff; in RP, I’ve done various different things as to where he never actually came back or she found another parental figure to fill that void (someone other than Genjurou because seriously, Genjurou is like the best adoptive dad in this show). So thanks to RP, there’s a lot more room to work with. But I just thought I’d state my opinion for canon things. Might as well say I’m 50/50.

ALRIGHT, I’m done. Again, this probably makes no sense, so I’m sorry. I’ll go now. Lmao.)

[zecretsanta]

To: @23dogsinatrenchcoat

From: @therealhousewivesofhyrule

I hope you like Santa jokes made at Aoi’s expense, because this is full of them! Merry Christmas!!

——-

It’s been a strange sort of reunion. One year after “The Dcom Incident,” as they had all come to call it, the participants in the second nonary game - minus Hongou, of course - had decided to get together and celebrate Christmas. It had been Akane’s idea, in part so she could properly apologize for what she had put them all through to save her own life, and in part so she could show off her obnoxiously large engagement ring.

“Seriously,” Aoi says for the eighteenth time as she extends her hand to Clover, letting the light play off the glittering stone as Clover ‘ooh’s and ‘aah’s over it. “Did he have to get you something so gaudy?”

“It’s not gaudy!” Junpei protests. He puts down the tray of sugar cookies he and Akane had spent the entire morning decorating together and walks over to the trio gathered around the kitchen table. “I picked it out special for her. The perfect stone for the perfect–”

“Ugh, I think I’m gonna puke.” Aoi sticks his tongue out as Junpei wraps an arm around Akane’s waist and pulls his fiancee close. Clover laughs behind her hand.

“What’s so funny?” Aoi snaps.

“Oh, nothing,” Clover says. “Just… you’d know all about getting the perfect gift for someone, wouldn’t you? Being Santa and all…”

“Hey, that’s right!” From around the corner to the other room, Seven pokes his head into the kitchen with a grin Aoi can only describe as ‘shit-eating.’ He laughs. “Where are all our presents?”

Aoi glares at the man. “Ha ha. Funny. I don’t know where your presents are, but I sure know where you can shove them-”

“Don’t mind him!” Akane interrupts hastily. She laughs as Junpei moves around her and picks the tray of cookies back up to offer it to Aoi.

“He’s just grumpy because we didn’t set out his milk and cookies. Everyone knows Santa doesn’t leave presents ‘til he’s been properly fed.”

“Fed up, more like…” Aoi mumbles under his breath. It’s only been a few jokes, but he’s already had just about enough of this; the only thing stopping him from kicking everyone out of his house right now is the look Akane gives him from behind Junpei’s back. He doesn’t need to be an esper to know she’s telling him to watch his attitude. You’re on thin ice.

He doesn’t really know why he’s in the doghouse already, but Aoi isn’t about to make things worse for himself, so he sighs and slumps in defeat. Akane’s an adult now, but even so, Aoi still can’t bring himself to upset her. Not on Christmas. For him, this holiday is just the same as its always been: a holiday for Akane, all about making her happy. It’s what makes him happy.

So he takes the ribbing. Seeing his little sister happy after so long is more than worth it.

… As he has to keep telling himself.

The party moves from the kitchen to the living room, where Lotus sits on the couch chatting to Light and nursing a mug full of eggnog. Judging by the way her face is flushed, Junpei put a little more rum in it than was probably necessary (Or maybe not. Aoi catches Seven pull a flask out of his pocket and splash a generous amount of liquor into his own mug).

So much for a quiet evening, he thinks mournfully.

And sure enough, the moment he steps into the living room, Lotus turns and looks at him with a lopsided grin, one arm over the back of the couch and the other lifting her mug of eggnog into the air. It’s a miracle it doesn’t slosh over the rim of the mug and all over her chest, not hidden at all by the ridiculously low-cut blouse she wears. “Oooh, there he is!” she hoots. “The man of the hour!”

Aoi rolls his eyes and hopes she means Junpei, but he’s smarter than that. And he’s proven right when Lotus starts singing, low and sultry and way too seductively for someone her age: “Santa baby…”

“Ugh.” Seven squeezes his eyes shut, and Aoi wishes he could show the same frustration on his face without Akane elbowing him in the ribs. “You’re such a damn cougar.”

“I’ve been an awful good - Hey!” Lotus immediately stops singing and turns toward Seven, ire alight in her eyes. “It’s not like I’m going after him or anything!”

“Doesn’t change the fact that he’s way too young for you–”

“Excuse you! I’m only–”

“Ahem.” Snake clears his throat, thankfully distracting the two of them long enough to halt the fight before it can really get started. “I was under the impression the two of you were an item?”

Thank you, Light! Aoi thinks, endlessly grateful for the change in topic. He watches with no small amount of sick satisfaction as both Lotus and Seven turn bright red and look away from each other, both clearly either not wanting to admit that they’re interested in each other, or that they are, in fact, a thing.

Clover gasps and tries to hide her gaping mouth behind the tips of her fingers. “What? No way!”

“Oh, yes,” Snake says. “I’m surprised nobody else picked up on it. But then again, my sense of smell is probably significantly better than most of yours. I assume, then, that none of you could smell Lotus’s perfume on Seven? ”

Six pairs of eyes turn to Seven, whose face is now as red as the decorations on the Christmas tree. Fortunately for him, and unfortunately for Aoi, the attention is drawn away from him pretty quickly - perhaps because Light knows he’s embarrassed the two of them, and he feels the need to save face. He does so by laughing quietly and saying, “Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m not also curious about our dear Santa’s love life. So is there a Mrs. Claus, then?”

All the eyes that were on Seven turn to Aoi, who clicks his tongue and looks away. “What the fuck, man?” he mumbles. And after Light had been so nice as to pull the attention away from him a moment ago, too…

“You think there might be?“ Junpei asks, as if Aoi weren’t even there, but he quickly shakes his head in disbelief and dismissal. “Nah, look how grumpy he is! His heart’s as cold as the North Pole, there’s no way someone would be interested in him.”

“Jumpy, that’s not nice.”

“Yeah!” Clover says. Aoi is a little bit surprised that she’s coming to his defense so readily, but he isn’t about to complain about it. At least someone’s on his side. “And that joke was weak, Junpei. Even for you.”

“My jokes aren’t weak!”

“Uh-huuuh.” Clover gives Junpei a withering look.

“Really! Tell her, Akane.”

“Weeeellll…”

Junpei scoffs and puts a hand to his chest, hurt (or at least pretending to be). “You two can be so cruel…”

In a rare moment of solidarity with his sister’s fiance, Aoi puts a hand on Junpei’s shoulder and pats him reassuringly. “Oh, trust me. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

Man, the look on Junpei’s face is priceless. But before Aoi can gleefully make things worse and tell Junpei just how adorably cruel his little sister can be, Seven chimes in and says, “Don’t worry, kid. You’ll learn soon enough that all women are cruel. Especially the pretty ones.”

Three voices shout “Hey!” in unison: Akane, indignant over being called out; Lotus, already up and waving a fist at her boyfriend over his rather rude remark at her expense; and Clover, who seems to be annoyed at Seven because that’s just how she is with him.

As the three women take turns grilling and yelling and pestering Seven, who rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, Aoi decides now would be a good time to back out of the conversation. He sneaks over to the Christmas tree and kneels down before it, gathering up a few of the presents in his arms.

“Living up to your namesake at last, I see?”

Ah. Snake. Aoi had totally forgotten he was here, he’d been so quiet in the last few minutes. Probably just enjoying the chaos of their little reunion - and honestly, as exasperated as he is, Aoi is enjoying himself too.

He snorts. “‘You see?’ That some kinda joke?”

Snake chuckles. “Good to see your sense of humour is still alive and well.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Aoi rolls his eyes and smiles to himself. When he’s got all the presents he can carry gathered up in his arms, he stands up and looks around the room in preparation of handing out the presents. “And to answer your question, yeah, I am.”

“And after all that ribbing, too. You’re a good man, Aoi.” There’s a pause in which both Aoi and Light smile at each other, but it’s loaded. Something else is coming, Aoi just knows it.

“… Although, now that I think about it, I’m not sure Santa can put himself on the Nice List…”

“Yup! There it is!” Aoi rolls his eyes again. He fishes a present out from the armful he’s got and hands it to Light, who chuckles behind his hand. He’s never looked so much like his sister than he does in this moment. “And here I thought you were on my side. Just take your fuckin’ present, you snake.”

Light laughs again at the very appropriate insult (which Aoi is particularly proud of), louder this time, and takes the proffered present. He doesn’t tear into it right away, though, instead opting to wait until Aoi has finished handing out the rest of the gifts.

He goes to Akane first and hands hers off. She takes her gift gracefully, and when Junpei is offered his, he smiles as he takes it. “Guess you’re the white Santa tonight,” he says.

Aoi has to stop in his tracks, eyes wide and dumfounded. He can’t believe Junpei still remembers that bullshit story from the Nonary game. But, then again, he figures a night like that is probably pretty unforgettable. After a moment, he grins. “You sure about that? You might not be saying that once you actually open up your present.”

“Wait, what?” Junpei suddenly looks alarmed. “What the hell’s in this thing?!”

“Guess you’re just gonna have to find out, lover-boy,” Aoi says. With one last wink, he leaves a flustered and nervous Junpei behind to continue handing out presents. All that’s left now are Lotus, Clover, and Seven, and when he gets to them, the three are still arguing.

“Come on, guys, it’s Christmas!” Seven says. “And besides, it’s not like I’m not speaking from experience! I ain’t ever been with a woman who wasn’t-”

“You finish that sentence and I’m gonna kill you!”

“See what I mean?!”

“You’re hopeless,” Clover says with one last dismissive shake of her head.

“Damn straight,” Aoi agrees. He sticks Lotus’s present in between the arguing couple, and that’s finally enough to distract them and at last get them to shut up.

“What the hell?” Lotus starts, but Aoi is quick to cut her off by shoving the gift in her face more insistently.

“Merry Christmas, you noisy witch,” he says. As soon as Lotus opens her mouth to yell at him, Aoi presses the edge of the box against her lips and muffles her words before she can get them out. It thankfully doesn’t take Lotus long to realize she’s already lost this fight, so she quiets down quickly and just accepts her present.

She doesn’t thank him, though. But Aoi doesn’t want to push his luck.

He hands Seven his gift a little bit more patiently. “And for you, big guy.”

Seven grins, laughs, and takes it. “Aw, thanks. But you know, you didn’t really have to do this. Not after you already gave me the gift of shutting her up–”

“I’ll kill you!”

“No killing on Christmas!” Akane shouts from across the room, and that effectively ends that. Nobody wants to point out the irony in her saying that, of all people, lest she decide to break her own rule.

And good thing, too. Aoi is starting to like the peaceful silence.

He hands the final present over to Clover. She recoils for a second, fake-surprised that she would get a gift too (lucky for Clover, coy is a good look on her), but after a second she smiles up at Aoi and takes her gift.

“For me?” she asks.

“Obviously.” Aoi grins. “Not that you deserve it after making fun of me and starting this whole fuckin’ thing.”

“Oh, please.” Clover rolls her eyes, but she smiles at Aoi, clearly not bothered in the least. “As if you don’t love the attention.”

“Hmph.” Aoi shrugs. As much as he hates to admit it, he can’t really deny that Clover is right. He really is having a good time, even with all the jokes. Because at the end of the day… he chose the mantle of Santa for a reason. And he’ll happily accept all the jokes that come with it if it means he can make up for the things he’s done, even for one night.

[clairekatswritingcorner]

Snow Day

Word Count: 1,341

Summary: Julian and Jenna decide to make the most of the recent snow day by taking their daughter ice skating, introducing her to how much of a marvel a wintry wonderland can be.

*Author’s Note*: A commission for @aoi-hina! Her ship and family with Julian are both so sweet, I loved getting to learn more about them, and even try my hand at writing a more family-oriented piece for once! I hope you enjoy!

“Now just hold on to me, and don’t rush. Balance is better than speed.”

“But I wanna go Mommy, I wanna go fast!”

“This is definitely one of the times I’d say she takes after you.”

Jenna directed the comment at her husband who was standing just to the side, patiently waiting for his cue to step in. He couldn’t stop himself from chuckling at his wife’s harmless quip, although he was tempted to argue that his daughter’s drive was more suggestive of the determination his wife tended to exhibit. He was well aware he had a reputation of sporadic recklessness, however, so he supposed he didn’t have any room to talk. Right now, the family found themselves gathered together on a smooth, solid sheet of ice that’d formed not too far from their home. The winter weather that’d moved in and seized the day was a bit unexpected, but not at all unwelcome, and at the first signs of snow Jenna and Julian had promptly prepared to make the most of the occasion.

“I can’t blame her for being a little excited, can you?” the redhead asked as he knelt on the ice to meet his daughter’s eyes; he didn’t know if he’d ever get over the sight of his own eyes staring back at him when he gazed into hers. “Mommy’s right, though, you don’t want to end up falling and getting hurt, do you?”

“No getting hurt!” Luna replied vehemently, squeezing Jenna’s hands as she struggled to stay upright. “Only going fast. Only fun!”

“It can be fun,” Jenna chimed in, wanting to get back to the task at hand. “But only if you do it without getting hurt. Here, let’s try going around together a couple times. Remember not to let go of my hand.”

Getting to her feet, she made she sure she was stable herself before adjusting her grip on Luna’s petite hand. She peeked at Julian, whose posture seemed to indicate he was planning to stay right where he was, only deigning to participate at his wife’s behest. “Do you want to take her other one?”

“Me?” The incredulity in his voice mimicked the expression on his face, and Jenna gave him an encouraging nod.

She couldn’t help finding her husband’s reaction a tad amusing…and cute. Julian was always cute, and handsome, and just plain attractive in her eyes. She supposed it was lucky that Luna had inherited the majority of her appearance from him. Sometimes, when Julian confessed just how smitten he was with her, she didn’t know how to respond or what to do with herself. Her face would turn as red as his hair, and he’d continue on with his dramatic praises until she finally worked up the courage to silence him with a kiss.

“It’ll be okay, I promise,” she reassured with a supportive smile. “Both of you are going to do fine, I’m sure it won’t be nearly as difficult if we all do it together.”

Julian could have begged to differ, but he held his tongue. This afternoon wasn’t a time for contention or trying to sway anyone’s opinions. Although he often struggled to have faith in himself, he had an unwavering amount of trust in his beloved, and he wanted to do whatever it took to keep the radiant smile on her breathtaking face. Luna flapped her arm back and forth, trying to get her father’s attention. He hadn’t zoned out for very long, but even a hint of hesitation was usually too much for a toddler, especially one as energetic as her.

“Alright, I’ll follow your lead.”

And so, he did. Jenna did her best to start off carefully, moving slowly enough that there wasn’t a huge risk of falling, but fast enough that what they were doing still counted as movement. Staying alert for any sign of a hazard, the trio made their way completely around the outer edge of the ice a few times. After the first success, everyone started to loosen up, and before they knew it, they were all gliding along hand in hand at a reasonable pace. Julian was a little surprised he’d managed to avoid falling for so long, but maybe that was just Jenna’s charm. In wanting to help his daughter learn and his wife have a pleasant time, perhaps he’d become just sufficient enough to be useful to them. That was surprising, since he usually had a hard time considering himself sufficient enough for anything.

What neither he nor Jenna had yet accounted for were the powers their little firecracker had just recently begun to display. Her control and influence were still relatively limited, even more so due to the protective charm Jenna had received to help decrease the likelihood of any magical blunders happening unexpectedly. Both she and Julian had been doing what they could to teach Luna how to manage her power on herself, applying the novice tips and techniques they’d been given along with the charm. Fortunately, their daughter was proving to be a fairly fast learner, which was a promising sign. Even if she couldn’t employ any advanced forms of magic any time soon, if she could put what she already knew to good use, she’d be well on her way to a future as a successful and talented magician.

Hours passed, and flakes continued to fall in a delicate shower. The clouds that blocked out the typical rich, blue hue of the sky were surprisingly fluffy, which was fitting considering the snow they produced was of a similar consistency. Blanketing the ground in a sheet of pure, sparkling white, it was almost too beautiful to disturb. But to a child who has yet to understand the merit of such sights, that kind of restraint is essentially meaningless. Sure, they can still appreciate the wonder and novelty of the snow, but the idea of standing by and just staring at the wintry scene that exists before them is one of the last things on their mind.

Luna exhibited this particular mindset while her parents were distracted, taking the opportunity to traipse out into the snow that’d been piling up since this morning. Jenna and Julian were busy ensuring nothing they’d brought with them was left behind when suddenly something cold burst like confetti against the back of Julian’s head. He let out a yelp, unable to help being fazed by the cold, and spun around the moment the sound of the unbridled laughter echoing through the air reached his ears. Luna was rolling another snowball, but this time he was prepared to dodge her assault.

Exchanging a mischievous look with his wife, the two formed some snow into a makeshift fort and started hoarding their own modest stash of icy ammo. Luna was having the time of her life, hurling snowballs left and right and evading them just as deftly. Near the end of the skirmish she managed to utilize some of her power, stopping snowballs that were sailing towards her in midair and sending them ricocheting back at their makers. She even employed such abilities to create some snowballs for herself.

The battle naturally ended in a landslide victory for the young mage, who came to the conclusion not long after that today had been the most fun she’d had in her entire life. It had been an exhilarating day of leisure for every member of the Devorak family, the ones who had put their all into enjoying the winter weather to the fullest. Cradling his exhausted—practically asleep—toddler in one arm, Julian held Jenna’s hand with his free one as they trekked back to the house.

“Thank you for making today so amazing and special,” he spoke up, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb before leaning down to leave a soft kiss against her hair.

“Thank you for making every day of my life that way,” the young woman replied, laughing softly to herself as she noticed her husband’s usually pale cheeks turn as red as his hair.

[getyouraoion]

‘✩’ heart eyes//

The Ultimate Relationship Meme!

Disagreements:

Family:

Do your muses plan on having children/or have children? Definitely plan on it! Be it biological children or adoption, they’ve totally talked about it and plan on having a family~If so, how many children do your muses want/have? Dennis’s mentioned wanting twins to Aoi (which they’ll probably have twin daughters Who is the favorite parent? Leans a little more towards Dennis thanks to his expertise with magic Who is the authoritative parent? Aoi TRIES to be, but we all know how that works out XDWho is more likely to allow the children to have a day off school? Aoi! At least, for legitimate sick reasons, and if they’re just burned out she’ll give them a day to just stay home and relax. She and Dennis both agree they need their schooling (especially since they’ll be getting better schooling than they did), but everyone needs a sick day!Who lets the children indulge in sweets and junk food when the other isn’t around? Dennis~ And usually through magic tricks, to boot~Who turns up to extra curricular activities to support their children? They both do! Unless one of them’s out of town, they wouldn’t miss it for the world!Who goes to parent teacher interviews? They both do, though Dennis often has to nudge Aoi along once they’re there. She’s not exactly fond of meeting with teachers and he knows sometimes, she needs a little coaxing to keep walking. Who changes the diapers? They both do~Who gets up in the middle of the night to feed the baby? Both, taking turns with it - But they’re also both prone to the first one up taking care of everything so the other can get the rest they need.Who spends the most time with the children? Totally tied~ Aoi works from home and while they both hold ties still to Academia, their home is in Heartland now, giving magic shows and helping out as much as possible. They’re rarely far from their kids~Who packs their lunch boxes? Tag team effort! They take half each and write little notes to add in, signing them together Who gives their children ‘the talk’? Dennis. Aoi’s too busy being a blushy, flustered mess in the corner and she trusts Dennis to be informative without being embarrassing with it - And if all else fails, it’s time to bring in Uncle Aster!Who cleans up after the kids? They both do~Who worries the most? Dennis, though he tries not to show it. Aoi’s not far behind him on that front.Who are the children more likely to learn their first swear word from? Uncle Shun. XD

Affection:

Who likes to cuddle? They both love it~! At the end of the day, it’s kindda easy to find them flopped somewhere, cuddling and winding down~Who is the little spoon? Aoi~ She loves the feeling of security of being the little spoon to his big~Who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places? Aoi slips occasionally - Definitely not on purpose, but if it happens, 99 times out of 100 it’s her fault XDWho struggles to keep their hands to themself?  Aoi! She finds comfort in knowing he’s there, so she’s always trying to keep him close, even with something as small as holding his hand.How long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable? uncomfortable enough to change positions? Probably about 30, 45 minutes or so? To actually STOP cuddling? Pffffft they could be cuddling for hours~Who gives the most kisses? Aoi! She’s prone to just outright peppering Dennis in little kisses, especially when she’s excited What is their favourite non-sexual activity? Magic shows (either for each other or for Heartland’s kids), dueling, and cooking~Where is their favourite place to cuddle? On the couch, in front of a movie - Though second place goes to in bed (especially after a nightmare).Who is more likely to playfully grope the other? Aoi~How often do they get time to themselves? Before they have kids, pretty often; they have quite a few pets and help in rebuilding Heartland, but otherwise they live alone and enjoy it. After they have kids, their time alone is usually kept to when the house is otherwise empty, or in the evenings, when all the kids’re in bed

Sleeping:

Who snores? Neither~ One of them might occasionally snort of make a noise, but there’’s not really any snoring~If both do, who snores the loudest? Neither~Do they share a bed or sleep separately? When they first started living together, they slept separately, save for when nightmares hit. After getting together, though, they kindda migrated towards sharing a bed.If they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart? Cozy up~ Who talks in their sleep? Aoi does, though it’s incredibly rare and usually due to a really severe nightmare-What do they wear to bed? Aoi has a pair of short pink plaid shorts and a light pink tanktop, though she later picks up a nightgown or two for warmer nights. Dennis likely ends up in sleep pants and a random shirt~Are either of your muses insomniacs? They have odd night when neither of them can seep, but they’re not exactly insomniacs-Can sleeping pills be found by the bedside? Not unless one of them is really sick and can’t sleep.Do they wrap their limbs around each other or just lay side by side? Wrap their limbs around each other~ Aoi’s a cuddler when it comes to bedtime - even if they don’t stay that way, they at least start with it~Who wakes up with bed hair? They both do, but Dennis’s is more easily managed XDWho wakes up first? Dennis! Aoi rarely ever gets up before he does~Who prepares breakfast in bed for the other? They’re both prone to this, but slightly more Aoi. She loves spoiling him rotten~What is their favourite sleeping position? If they’re not spooning to sleep, Aoi’s snuggled up into his side with his arms loosely wrapped around her Who hogs the sheets? Dennis~ Half the time as a joke, the other half just naturally tangling up in them~Do they set an alarm each night? While Dennis doesn’t nessecarially need one, they keep one set for Aoi, just to make sure she’s not sleeping in to noon. XD Otherwise, they only really set one if they have to be up early the next morning, of if it’s a school day and they need to get their kids up.Can a television be found in their bedroom? A small one, perhaps - Not too often used, but when it is it’s usually for cheap horror movies XDWho has nightmares? Both. They don’t exactly like talking about them, but they do.Who has ridiculous dreams? Aoi - Bear in tutus anyone? XDWho sprawls out and takes up most of the bed? Aoi does, though usually as a joke XD Occassionally she finds Dennis doing it and she cracks up every time~Who makes the bed? Team effort~!What time is bed time? Whenever they get there, really? They enjoy stargazing and have a habit of falling asleep on the couch cuddling, so they rarely have a set bed time for themselves - But they do set one for the kids~Any routines/rituals before bed? Aoi spends some time letting down and brushing out her hair, and they brush their teeth together. Dennis checks and makes sure the doors are locked and the pets (and kids) are comfortable and settled, and after some joking and teasing, it’d off to bed they go~ Though the teasing tends to wind down into some softer, lighter talking once they’re under the covers~Who’s the grumpiest when they wake up? Dennis, until he gets his coffee

Work:

Who is the busiest? Originally Dennis, since he’s more active in the rebuilding efforts and magic shows (With his co-star, Aoi~), though Aoi catches up once she starts making clothes to sell.Who rakes in the highest income? Kindda tied? Possibly moreso Dennis-Are any of your muses unemployed? For a bit, they both technically are, though his ties to Academia ensure he still has work if he needs it, though they both later end up working.Who takes the most sick days? Aoi, considering she works from home and is her own boss~Who is more likely to turn up late to work? Still Aoi~Who sucks up to their boss? Dennis XDWhat are their jobs? They both volunteer and help rebuild Heartland, and also put on magic shows for the kids. Aside from that, Dennis still holds ties to Academia and teaches the XYZ Dimension’s kids how to duel and how to be dueltainers. Aoi occasionally joins in on his classes, but she also starts a clothing line to help out everyone.Who stresses the most? Pretty even- Aoi’s more likely to show it, though.Do your muses enjoy or despise their careers/occupations? Absolutely love it~ Aside from Academia, Aoi’d still be happy to see the place roast-Are your muses financially stable?For the most part, yep. They’re not gonna go on any extravagant spending spree, but they really don’t have to worry about too much.

Home:

Who does the washing? Aoi~Who takes out the trash? Dennis~Who does the ironing? Aoi, only because she swears he’d probably try a magic trick with the iron and would rather not nurse a burn - She’s teasing, though~!Who does the cooking? They both do, and they have fun with it~Who is more likely to burn the house down just trying? Neither!Who is messier? Aoi, though she tries not to be~Who leaves the toilet roll empty? Aoi might occasionally, but it’s not often-Who leaves their dirty clothes on the floor? Rarely on both of them, but it’s usually on days they’re both drop-dead tired and just want to crawl into bed.Who forgets to flush the toilet? Neither~Who is the prankster around the house? Both of them like you wouldn’t believe-! XD Pranking is one of their favorite passtimes XDWho loses the car keys when it comes time to go somewhere? Aoi does - It’s why she hands Dennis the keys and lets him handle it, especially after losing them a few dozen times!Who mows the lawn? Dennis~Who answers the telephone? They both do, but there’s something about hearing Dennis say “Mackfield residence” that just makes her melt Who does the vacuuming?Aoi, partly because she loves listening to music while she does and singing and dancing along the way~Who does the groceries? Team effort! Planning meals is a lot esier when they do the shopping together~Who takes the longest to shower? Aoi, because she keeps stopping to daydream and spends more time with her hair XDWho spends the most time in the bathroom? Still Aoi. She tends to spend a fair amount of time just tying her hair up into the usual pigtails, but that’s a step cut out after she gets pregnant.

Miscellaneous:

Is money a problem? Not really?How many cars do they own? Just one~ Aoi has no problems walking places, but with a family and pets a car was just a wise investment.Do they own their home or do they rent? Start out renting, likely eventually own~Do they live near the coast or deep in the countryside? In the city~ It’s kindda close to the coast, but not close enough, for sure.Do they live in the city or in the country? City~Do they enjoy their surroundings? Definitely! Aoi’s surprised with how much she loves living in Heartland~What’s their song? Magic - Colbie CaillatWhat do they do when they’re away from each other? Dennis has his magic tricks and dueling, among friends and kids to teach and companions in his performages, while Aoi has her sewing work and family in Yuya and Yugo and their friends to keep them distracted. The more days/longer they’re apart, though, the more they feel it - Spacing out, looking for ways to get in touch with each other, thinking about going home… Aoi’s even prone to completely zoning out to the point even Yuya could drop a hip hippo on her and she’d not notice for several minutes.Where did they first meet? Er… Maiami City?How did they first meet? Aoi was recruited to help out with keeping people hydrated on an overly hot day - And among those people was Dennis, taking a break from the heat. Handing him a sandwich led to a flower… And from a flower to a friendship~Who spends the most money when out shopping? Aoi; she has a habit of spacing out prices on things and not paying attention to how much she’s spending until after the fact. Thankfully it doesn’t happen often and rarely, if ever, does she go too overboard (and never to the point it’d put them in financial trouble), but she never fails t feel absolutely horrible about it afterwards.Who finds it amusing when the other trips over? There’s a few chuckles, but they’re restricted to falls that don’t cause any hurts. Otherwise, there’s just a cheery smile and a reach to help the other up~Any mental issues? There’s a bit of PTSD-Who’s terrified of bugs? Aoi. NO CREEPY CRAWLIES THANKS-Who kills the spiders around the house? Dennis, because Aoi’s up on that table over there-Their favourite place? Aoi would argue anywhere where they can be together, but there’s a particular place they go for stargazing that might just be it-Who pays the bills? Team effort~ Do they have any fears for their future? Aoi still fears Academia, and worries about peace falling through because of them. They both worry about how things’ll work out sometimes, and both fuss over their kids. All it takes is one person looking at their kids (or them) like Academia did for them to worry.Who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner? They both do, though slightly more Dennis~Who uses up all of the hot water? Aoi occasionally (rarely) does fussing over her hair~Who’s the tallest? Dennis, by a full head~Who’s more likely to just randomly hop into the shower with the other? Both guilty~ It’s sometimes for the sake of getting in and out as fast as possible on days they need to rush, but mostly just because they can XDWho wanders around in their underwear? On a hot day, more than likely gonna find Aoi doing it-Who sings the loudest when singing along to the radio? Aoi~!What do they tease each other about? Everything. XD Dennis loves getting her blushing and flustered and thinks it’s cute when she is, and Aoi loves to tease him over just about anything~Who is more likely to cringe at the other’s fashion sense at times? Hands down Dennis. XD While he’s not always a fashion icon himself, Aoi’s style is definitely not always the best and she knows his flinches are a “Please no” XDDo they have mutual friends? They do! Nearly all their friends are mutual ones- The only ones that aren’t, really, are Yuri (Aoi hates him, Dennis is his friend), Yugo (Doesn’t exactly like Dennis), Yuto (not fond of Fusion natives in the first place), and Shun (would probably still rather outright deck Dennis).Who crushed first? More than likely Aoi~Any alcohol or substance related problems? Nope~Who is more likely to stumble home, drunk, at 3am? Neither-Who swears the most? Neither one of them really swears often in the least? Perhaps slightly more Dennis?

[setsunameioh]

there is not nearly enough kanyui content out there, so here I am, set to fix that, one fic at a time, if I must. this takes someplace in the future, though I’m not precisely quite sure when!

canon: detective conan characters: yamato kansuke, morofushi takaaki, uehara yui summary: Yamato Kansuke never really thought of himself as the paternal type- and yet here he was, nearly about to be a father. (you can also read on AO3!)

"Shouldn't you be in there?"

The cessation of noise was a blessing, Morofushi thought, though he'd long since grown used to the sound of Kansuke's crutch striking the floor. Even so, he had his limits- and when the man was all but pacing back and forth seemingly without end, it was enough to wind down even his last nerve.

In such a tense situation, all the more so.

"Uehara'll be fine." Kansuke shortly responded, not even bothering to look at him.

"Mm." Merely arching a brow, Morofushi took that for what it was- a mark of him not being honest with himself. "Then why are you pacing so restlessly, Kansuke-kun?"

"I'm not." Kansuke said curtly, even as he began doing very much that all over again, much to Morofushi's growing annoyance.

"I see." Morofushi noted. "So I suppose it's merely just my imagination that you've been winding a path down in the hallway."

"Always did have an active one." Kansuke noted, turning on his heel, taking care not to unbalance himself as he did so. "She'll be fine."

"I didn't even ask this time." Morofushi observed.

Stopping in his tracks once more, Kansuke locked eyes with him, using the fact that he was the only one standing to all but loom over him. It would never work, and the man knew that, but it never stopped him from trying anyways. Merely lifting his arched brow higher in response, Morofushi let out a long sigh.

This simply could not go on.

"You're worried about her." Morofushi stated plainly.

"Of course I'm worried." Kansuke responded, his tone and expression both terse. "But Uehara can handle this."

"I'm sure that she can." Morofushi noted. "Her midwife is more than talented. Still," lifting his chin so that he could level his gaze with his longtime friend, "...one would think that the father should be in there with her right now."

The long silence that his words earned was rather unlike Kansuke- normally, he was the type to lash out with angry words, whether or not he'd had the time to think them through. The fact that his response to this was silence was not lost on Morofushi.

"The baby is only premature by a week." Morofushi noted. "By all means, it should be a fairly easy birth."

Nothing. That wasn't it then, Morofushi realized.

With a slight frown, he mulled over what the cause of Kansuke's behavior could be. His eyes falling on Kansuke's left, the one scarred shut, Morofushi pursed his lips together, a faint thought drifting up in his mind. Letting out a short sigh, he couldn't help but find the thought ridiculous himself, but then again, this was Yamato Kansuke he was speaking of here.

"Don't tell me you're afraid it will cry." Morofushi dryly noted.

"Of course it'll cry, it's a baby." Kansuke retorted. "Other than shit themselves, that's all they know how to do."

"Mm." Wondering for a moment if he should perhaps leave it at that, Morofushi merely let out another curt sigh. He owed it to Yui to try and talk this foolishness out of her husband- there was probably still time to get him in there with her, during this all too critical moment.

"You know that's not what I meant, Kansuke-kun."

Another long pause, Morofushi noted. Kansuke's gaze didn't drop from his own, but his good eye did narrow- before he finally jerked his head away, turning on his heel to face the door of the room that Yui had been brought into.

"Shut your damn mouth, Koumei."

Ah, so he'd hit his mark.

"Not until you go in there to be with Yui-san, I won't." Morofushi said simply. "She needs you."

"I thought we both agreed she'd be fine." Kansuke grumbled.

"Oh yes, she'll be fine." Morofushi agreed. "But you know just as well that wasn't what I meant either, Kansuke-kun."

Nothing. Heaving a long sigh, feeling like he was speaking to a particularly difficult child, Morofushi rose to his feet at last. For a man who spent most of his time taking advantage of his admittedly somewhat intimidating appearance, one wouldn't think Kansuke would ever be sensitive about it- but that would merely be because they were thinking logically, unlike the scarred man in question, who outside of police work, barely seemed to have need for such a thing.

Thankfully, he knew exactly how Kansuke worked- more than he ever wished to, at times.

"I never thought that you were a coward, Kansuke-kun."

Ah yes, there we go. That was the response that he had been looking for. Goodness but he was rather fond of lifting people by their collars- he was almost entirely certain it was all but second nature to him now.

"What the hell did you say, Koumei!?" Kansuke spat out, looming over him for everything that he was worth, even as the mustached police inspector barely even batted an eye at it. "You want to say that again!?"

"I called you a coward, Kansuke-kun." Morofushi merely repeated, deftly removing his hand from his collar. "You're so afraid of a mere infant, that you can't even be by your wife's side as she gives birth to your first child together."

"Listen here-" Kansuke began, his step forward punctuated by the sound of his crutch.

Morofushi, however, didn't let him finish.

"If I'm wrong, then go in and be with her." Morofushi told him simply.

There was another long pause, filled with Kansuke opening and shutting his mouth, trying and failing to think of something to say in retort- before he finally turned on his heel, making a disgusted sound.

He half thought that he might start pacing again, but instead, he headed for the door, leaving him alone in the empty hallway.

Letting out a long sigh, Morofushi merely shook his head, fixing his collar, and taking his seat once more.

To think out of all things, Yamato Kansuke would be afraid of his newborn son crying at the sight of his face... goodness, but this friend of his was nothing but trouble.

"Kan-chan."

Yui's soft smile was somehow more radiant than ever- not that he'd ever admit something that cheesy out loud, Kansuke thought to himself. Maybe it was the glow of motherhood- or just the vast relief that came with not being in the throes of labor pains anymore, he didn't know.

Didn't much care either, not in this moment.

"Ue-" He began, before cutting himself off. Maybe he didn't have much of a right to complain about her persistent use of his childhood nickname, when he couldn't shake the habit of calling her Uehara, in spite of the fact that they were married now. In his defense, she still used it professionally- just to spare the rest of the Nagano Prefectural Police from having to deal with both a Detective and Inspector Yamato in the same department.

"...Yui."

"Do you want to hold him?" Yui asked, softly cradling the tightly wrapped bundle in her arms. A baby boy, perfectly healthy, from the sound of what the doctor had to say.

"Do I look like I know how to hold a baby?" Kansuke asked.

"You would, if you went to any of my classes with me." Yui noted. "This is why I told you-"

"Like I said, I was busy!" Kansuke retorted, narrowing his eyes- and for once in his life, regretting his action, as the baby, which had been rather silent in his mother's arms up until now, began wailing once more, startled by the sudden loud sound.

"Geez, look what you've done now, Kan-chan." Yui lightly chided him. "There, there, it's okay, Kai, it's just your father being noisy. That's just his natural state of being."

Kai.

When they had learned the baby was going to be a boy, they had decided on that name without a second thought.

(It would have been Aoi, were it a girl.)

"Don't teach the kid weird things." Kansuke grumbled, before holding out his arms. "Fine, I'll hold the kid, if he's going to be so whiny about it. Just show me how."

Turning back to him, Yui gave him a soft smile, shifting a little in her hospital bed. "Be careful of his head." She told him, gently transferring the still crying baby into his arms, fussing with them until he held the small, shrieking infant correctly- a process through which Kansuke grumbled throughout, yet did nothing to impede her process.

Damn, this baby sure could cry though.

Yui must have been thinking the same thing, because she lifted a brow. "I see he gets his lung capacity from his father."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Kansuke noted.

"It sure will be in the middle of the night, when we're both trying to sleep." Yui merely replied, folding her hands in her lap, watching the rather amusing scene of feared police Inspector Yamato Kansuke cradling a small infant.

"Fair." Kansuke noted, casting a glance down towards the baby. "He has two eyes."

In spite of herself, Yui let out a faint snort. "I don't think your scar is hereditary, Kan-chan."

"Never know." Kansuke shrugged.

"Mm." Leaning back, Yui merely gave him a soft, gentle smile. "Shouldn't we let in Inspector Morofushi sometime soon?"

"Not until the baby stops crying." Kansuke told her. "Not sure why you gave him to me, now he's never going to stop."

"You asked me to." Yui pointed out. "And he'll stop. You've got a face that can quiet even a crying child, after all."

"Yeah, right after I make it cry." Kansuke dryly noted.

"Maybe you should try learning how to smile then, Kan-chan." Yui playfully teased.

"Nah," rocking his infant son in his arms, much in the same fashion Yui had been doing just before, Kansuke hid that very same expression, "...too much work."

[shidoukanae]

Writing How-to: Writing Emotions

( @kazunewill )

Emotions are admittedly tricky things. There are many emotions that any one person can feel – guilt, anger, sorrow, joy, love, gratitude – and even more still. However, any one individual does not just carry one emotion on them at all times – rather, they carry a whole range of emotions.

No one person is just reduced to one perfect feeling – you can’t have a person forever living in literal fear and you cannot have one person living in a perpetual state of love. Rather, what you will always have are individuals who are driven by one factor but who also include other emotions in their life.

The person whose life revolves around an eternal fear? They may feel sorrow if they had dragged people they loved to their deaths, if they’ve caused others to die for them because they have been made a target. They may feel angry at the one who has caused them so much oppression, who has dominated every aspect of their life until there is no safe place left for them to return to.

The person who lives for love? It’s likely that their heightened sense of infatuation and affection also leads to jealousy and anger. A person who obsesses over their partner, over a friend and maybe even their family will unwittingly also end up despairing over the loss of that individual – be it through a physical death or through a metaphorical “leaving” of that special person for another.

Point is, human beings are complex in their emotions. They do not have one “default” emotion that they always use but, rather, a handful of very strong emotions and then many influential side emotions that feed into the main one.  

A good example of this would be Aoi Zaizen and her online counterpart, Blue Angel. Blue Angel, a performer duelist in the virtual world and a cover-girl for a major in-show company, perhaps can only be explained by one word alone: happy.

From the moment we first see Blue Angel, she’s laughing and smiling, entertaining a crowd with care-free and rather relaxed movements. She seems at ease, eager to spread out the joy of her duels as she readies herself for a battle on the stage. The audience (if not already given information about her real life counterpart beforehand) is conditioned to think that this Blue Angel person is fulfilled in life, that she’s outgoing and bubbly and that the main emotion to define her, if any, would be happiness.

However, happiness is actually NOT one of Blue Angel’s main emotions. Rather, as you learn more about her real life counterpart, Aoi Zaizen, you realize there are actually two other emotions that make up the central being of Aoi’s life: despair and loneliness.

Aoi is an unhappy person. And, taking a look at her life situation, she has all the right to be unsatisfied. She lives in luxury, but she also lives isolated and alone. Her only connections in life – her brother – can’t trust her with anything and she’s aware that he treats her like a child. She constantly seeks his approval, wanting to do something in his eyes that makes him appreciate her in a better light, and because she is so desperate to impress him she finds that a lot of her world revolves around him.

Aoi can’t be satisfied unless Akira can trust her. She can’t be satisfied until her brother knows that she can stand on her own two feet. And, this makes her reasonably unhappy. She finds resentment in his insistence of control over her and lashes back against him by disobeying his orders. She’s bitter that her own brother, the only one in the whole entire world who she’s supposed to trust to have her back and support her is only knocking her down instead. In this way, we can see Aoi’s side-emotions feeding into her main emotion: the resentment, bitterness and dubious trust she has in her brother bleed into her despair.

As for Aoi’s loneliness, these same side-emotions also play quite a huge role (albeit, in a different way). Aoi knows her brother doesn’t trust her and thus she can’t trust him to tell her what to do. She resents his control over her, resents being made out as a “burden” when all she wants to do is do something good for him. She feels isolated from him in this manner, left alone in her own little bubble because she can’t entrust her own future to the hands of someone who dominates her life without listening to what she wants. It’s made obvious that the only other connections in her life – her peers – only increase the level of loneliness. They don’t talk to her because they see a person who wants to make friends with others – they only see her as a means to get to her brother. And she obviously is bitter about that, bitter that no one wants her because she’s her but because she’s someone else. Even her online persona, who is a false remedy to Aoi’s loneliness, is just a “someone else” that people want to get to know.

And, even though this is a visual representation and not a textual one, that is what expressing emotions in writing is all about – characters do not explicitly showcase one emotion always but, rather, they build up an accumulation of emotions to reach a specific, widely overlapping one. In creating a story, showcasing these various “side-show” emotions is what leads to the “main stage” ones. For Aoi, the show does not outright state that Aoi is lonely and in despair. Instead, that conclusion is reached by the audience through all the implications given by the show itself off of what emotions Aoi expresses as a character.

The goal with writing emotions is to meet that concept – to showcase a person’s main, ever-constant emotions with the side emotions that build upon the way.

And, there are many ways about going about this. The best way to start, if you’re starting from scratch, is to figure out what main emotions define a character.

Do they obsess over vengeance and guilt?

Do they stress sadness and pity and anger all in one go?

What are the major, pivotal emotions that a character represents?

Yusaku Fujiki (Playmaker) represents justice and vengeance. Aoi Zaizen represents loneliness and despair. Blue Angel represents happiness (and, though not touched upon here) and she also represents curiosity.

What, then, makes up these major and pivotal emotions? If a character represents justice, is he driven by hope for a better future and guilt for a crime perhaps told in his name? If someone’s feeling sad is it because they are in mourning for someone else or is it that they are lost in self-pity? I almost like to think of characters as having several main emotions that act as “trees”, giving them weight as a character while the “branches” of these “trees” act as the side emotions that make up and give depth to the attitude of these characters.

(An example of this below. Here is Aoi Zaizen’s emotional tree with the base of the tree is her two main emotions - despair and loneliness - and the branches which are better seen in the second photo are: dubious, desperate, bitter, resentful, and unsatisfied | depressed, distrustful and isolated)

Expressing said emotions comes after deciding the main and side factors of what you want your character to express. With different emotions comes different acts. If a character is happy, they’re liable to be optimistic in advice and open to trying new things and enjoying whatever they can. With someone who is sad, however, they’re likely to withdraw inside themselves, to see the world in a negative light and to try and recuperate from whatever has made them unhappy. Someone who is in love with someone with uncertain but maybe requited feelings will get anxious around that person or even try to seek approval from them.

(It’s also good to note that outgoing characters and introverted characters might have different ways of coping with their feelings. If both extroverted and introverted characters feel sad, then an extroverted character might seek to drown away their sorrows in a swathe full of people while an introverted person might seek to reflect upon their regrets in solitude so they can more easily adjust to their feelings in the best way possible for them).

Different emotions also produce different actions. A happy person will go out and try new things. A sad person will find someone they trust to talk with or even stay somewhere they deem as a “home” in order to stave off their despair. Someone who’s infatuated might obsessively talk about the person they are interested in or try to low-key defend that person’s honor the moment someone says the even the most slightest of offenses in their crush’s direction.

Emotions are complex, they don’t always come in one straight-up form but in rather subtle gestures. Stealing glances a person might mean you’re super into them but it could also mean that you are suspicious of their motives or looking for an opening to pin blame on them. Grabbing someone’s hand might be a show of reassurance or it might also be a way of employing control over the person involved or even showing affection.

Note that emotions can also be paradoxical too. You can have someone who is simultaneously fearful and courageous and you can have someone who is also shy but who faces things with confidence. There can be times where you are both sad and happy, times where you’re apathetic but also benevolent or even times where you are greedy but are willing to give away money.  

Another topic of note is on switching emotions. The act of exchanging one emotion from another and how to go about it really depends on the character themselves. Each character will have an inevitable “transition” that will change their mood from one to another.

An obvious “transition” is being told that your parents have died. If you were told this on a day where you’re as happy as can be – it’s inevitable that your mood is going to go from good to bad real quick. You might have been cheerful before you got the news but, after having received such grave news, there are going to be different ways you can react to this “transition”. Namely, some might start off with denial. “My parents can’t have died!” a character might argue, denying any evidence presented before them. Others – maybe those who could care less about their parents – might take the news as a “downer” to their otherwise “fun” day.

(This character here is assumed to be in shock over something that happened to his mother. If you were to write this out, you would make sure to show the trauma the character is facing at learning about or even watching as something terrible occurs to his mother)

In the above case, the “transition” involved invokes an immediate switch in emotions otherwise noted as an “instantaneous transition”.  These are the metaphorical buttons that, when pushed, can immediately change how a person feels. Other types of instantaneous transitions can be like learning someone that comes as a joyous surprise to you (learning someone you thought was dead is alive, you managed to pass a class you thought you were failing, etc), having something bad immediately ruin a good day (learning you failed a test, learning your parents died, getting sick on the day of the field trip you really reeeally wanted to go on, etc) or basically anything that comes as a surprise and forces you to react quickly in a way that requires almost no build-up of emotions necessary.

On the other spectrum of instantaneous transitions are the transitions that need a build-up to properly incite a swap in emotions. These kinds of emotion “swaps” are harder to define and write because they require a lot of care in transitioning from one emotion to another. Generally, these emotions are the kinds that need some sort of gradual change over a long amount of time and a kind of self-reflection.

If someone is in mourning, for example, they can’t just “get over it” at the drop of a hat. Rather, they gradually become happy by learning to move on over a certain period of time – all depending on the factors of the person involved. A character might mourn the death of their father but if they are next in line to the throne they might not be given enough time to mourn as long as they would have wished. If a girl loses her one of her friends but was not close to her, the grievance process may be brief and even short. However, if someone loses someone of extreme importance to them (their parents, their lover, their best friend, etc.) it’s possible it will take a long time for them to let go of their griefs and move on and into a future without them.

Other build-up transitions are those that accumulate over time. For instance, when you fall in love with someone, you generally don’t do “love at first sight”. Love at first sight is possible, I’ll admit, but also improbable. What might be described as “love at first sight” for one character might be better suited to two other words – infatuation or attraction. Falling in love is a process that happens over time, it’s a gradual realization of wanting to spend time with someone and the willingness to cooperate with a partner in life-long decisions.

(This character is obviously infatuated with someone. Infatuation can usually be shown by obsessiveness towards another by character or by even beginning to lust over the wanted individual in either a romantic or sexual desire for them) 

Another example is jealousy. Although jealousy can seem to occur almost instantaneously, it is actually a process that likely occurs over time or grows from a small “seed” (one judgment that can impact your view of someone such as noticing how “perfect” they are in comparison to you) and then accumulates to the point of eventual, boiling toxicity (wanting to control a partner who might seem “loyal” to that person you are envious of, making harsh criticisms of the person in question or noticeably acting resentful when you’re in that “perfect person’s” presence).

Overall, switching emotions is a process that occurs either instantaneously or slowly over a gradual build-up of time. It can be triggered by something unexpected (instantaneous) or it can be caused by something that transitions over time (infatuation to love, fore example). Regardless, there needs to be a rational reason behind each switch in emotion. For example, if a person is fearful one moment and then lustful the next then they are either a really bad actor or terrible person at handling their own emotional capabilities. There’s always a reason and a transition behind one emotion to the next and, if neither of these things exist then the switch in feelings will seem really forced and almost bizarre in any story it is prevalent in.

A few examples:

Example 1 - Showing Emotion

[ “Aoi’s eyes narrow. “Do you honestly believe that?” she says, amber gaze piercing through Ema’s gaze.

Ema shrugs. “Who knows?”

“You don’t think highly of my brother, then.”

Ema’s eyes widen and she looks at the girl with a sharp intake of breath. She shakes her head, smiles, and then takes her leave.

The door slams shut behind her just as Akira appears...” ]-from one of my yet-to-be published VRAINS fanfictions

In this piece, the emotions I am expressing here with Aoi and Ema are more subtle. Aoi is accusing Ema of being dishonest with her feelings towards Akira and is seemingly dissatisfied by Ema skirting around the topic. Ema, however, gets to express a wider range of emotions in this section here. She’s surprised by Aoi’s bluntness, perhaps shocked by the question due to her intake of breath, but the way she responds to it (by slamming the door shut) suggests that she’s upset or even angry at being confronted like this. She’s rattled by the suggestion that Ema doesn’t think highly of Aoi’s brother which suggests that, to Ema, she may think the opposite and actually think highly of Akira but is unable to express herself as such. 

The fact that none of this is said outright adds to the complexity of the scene, letting the audience figure out its meaning without the writer forcing the emotions onto the reader by saying something along the lines of “Ema was surprised at the question” or “Ema was upset at Aoi”. By letting the reader read between the lines, there is more of a punch to the scene and therefore more of an investment in what is being said and what is NOT being said through the actions both girls express. 

Another example in regards to switching emotions (bear with the length, it’s necessary to show the full transition):

[ Sleepy. 

There’s a scratching noise. Yusaku doesn’t notice it at first, but it becomes evident soon enough. It’s low and sounds like a nail being scraped across wooden floorboards. He fidgets, unaccustomed to such a noise, and wants to whine away its existence. He can’t enjoy the winter storm properly if such a noise persists.

So sleepy.

He yawns and a tiny hand lifts up to muffle it. He nestles closer to his arms, the fabric of his coat rustling in the process. He’s so bored, so tired, and all he hears is the screeching of the adults behind him and a persistent scratching noise in the background. Silverware topples to the ground and Yusaku tries to avoid the scritching-scratching that claws at his ears.

Boring.

Something taps him. It’s not a finger on the shoulder or anything relatively like that. No. Yusaku feels stray fingers yank at his toes, popping them simultaneously. He winces, pulling back an arm to swat it away. His fingers meet air but the mysterious fingers retreat.

Rude.

Again, they reach for him. Yusaku moans and groans, wishing them away. His parent’s scream and the fire of the candlelight flickers dangerously around him.

Scriiiiitch.

Scraaaaatch.

Yusaku lifts his head up, disturbed, and turns around to look at his foot. He is not prepared for what he sees.

Long tentacles of black mist wrap around his toes, curling upwards into hands that yank at his ankles. Fingers burn into his skin and Yusaku tries to back away…but he can’t. The thing holds him in place, dark particles pulling him inwards.

The light of the candle dims and Yusaku’s eyes widen in alarm as he looks up. He does not see his parents or a table or any silverware splashed upon the ground. Instead, he sees a curtain of ebony and two white eyes that stare down upon him. They shift in the darkness, moving side to side and watching him. There is no mouth, no teeth or face, only the outline of white eyes and white pupils that keep their watch. Yusaku screams and he flails away as shadowy fingers pull him inwards. A rough scraping sound emits from the creature’s general direction and he tries to ignore it as his panic pushes him forward... ] 

- from my VRAINS fanfic, Frozen Windowpane

In here, we can see how Yusaku starts off and where he ends - he’s bored and then he’s scared. There’s a gradual build-up from him being sleepy and numb to the world to him being awakened by the creature that appears in the depths of the room Yusaku is in.

At first, Yusaku is oblivious. His tired state of being has him disregarding obvious warning signs - the sound of something like nails scraping across the floorboard, the adults screaming, the silverware toppling to the ground, fingers touching him, candelight flickering - and it is only when Yusaku looks at the source of his irritation that his emotions switch. He goes from someone who is bored and on the verge of sleep to someone who is aware of his surroundings and subsequently terrified by the abomination he faces.

This sudden shift in emotions may seem sudden when you view it on a superficial level - Yusaku is oblivious and then he is scared - but the way the warning signs are weaved into the story and the way the length of the piece is extended gradually builds a sense of tension that leads to an appropriate feeling of transition as Yusaku awakens from his daydream and out into a nightmare.

I that’s it for this section. I tried to make it as comprehensible as possible but I’ll explain anything if needed ^.^

I hope it was a good explanation regardless~

[l-l-kristofferson]

Characters I Relate To

In the real world, there are few I can relate to. There's only a couple I can really identify with that I've met in person and have talked to on a regular basis. When it comes to the digital world, there are countless people I can relate to. I'm going to discuss today. For those who are not familiar with video games, manga, or cartoons, I will name the characters and their shows. If they sound cool, give the show a watch or the game some play. There's a reason I relate to them.

1. Roxas (Kingdom Hearts II/Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days)

Roxas is a regular kid in the Kingdom Hearts II game. Come to realize, he is something called a Nobody, pieces or memories of a real person that were given their own will. Nobodies have no hearts and are seen as expendable. In 358/2 Days, it is a retrace of Roxas' consciousness in the infamous Organization XIII. Day seven was the first day he came into himself, speaking and actually engaging with the other nobodies over time. But by the end of it, he had to destroy someone who was also apart of him.

I relate to Roxas due to the struggle of finding a purpose. Some days, I feel like I don't belong. Even when I am with friends or family, I still feel lost in a sea of bodies. I was talking to a friend earlier and said how I felt this way. How one place was home for a while, just for it to be gone as quickly as it came. Like Roxas, I was drifting among other countless "nobodies", struggling to find my heart and who I was meant to be. I feel that I share a life with someone who is not me. That I hold and bear memories that are not mine. But in a way, this displacement of memory and time is my own and not my own. It is my own because it is real and in my mind. Not mine because I don't remember exactly where or what these things were. In this way, I am who I say I am. My friends and family are fragments of me. They make up memories, hearts, and time I have lived and experienced for myself. They ground me from drifting in the sea of Nobodies. I thank everyone for being the memories and the gravity that holds me down.

2. Dixie (Re-Gifters)

Okay, so this isn't a cartoon or video game. This is actually a character from one of my favorite graphic novels. It's the story of Jen Dik Seong, or Dixie. She is a lower middle class Korean American girl that has few friends. She is dedicated to the martial art Hapkido and her family, her father, mother, and twin brothers.

The graphic novel itself revolves around the adolescent struggle of love, acceptance, self, and direction. This graphic novel left a lasting impression on me. So much so that I remembered it and used it as material for my Senior thesis paper. I relate to Dixie because of her struggles. In finding love, it is never easy. When you feel you have found the one, they don't feel the same about you. In acceptance, it's hard to feel and be yourself when everyone has such high expectations for you. Any slight thing out of place and you are the shame of your family.

In self, it is always hard to tell which self to be. For my family, I have to be an edited version of my actual self. I'm usually silly, dorky, out and proud, and affectionate. I can't be as open and honest because not everyone is comfortable with my true self. Yes, my family accepts me as a whole, but only for some of the separate parts (more so for my dad than my mom). I still struggle to be who I truly am at times. But it is not going to prevent me from being that self. In direction, it is hard to know the right way. I expected my path to be similar to that of my mother's or others in my family. But it isn't. This path is truly my own, seeing as I've endured much differently due to my experience. The compass for a normal path doesn't exactly direct me. It is always unpredictable. But I would not trade it for anything.

3. Sora (Digimon)

Sora was my favorite character from Digimon aside from T.K.. But I relate more to Sora than any other character. Sora was the tomboy of the group (and I admit that she was pretty). She was the rough and tough girl of the group, always doing all to protect her friends.

When it was time to get their crests, Sora's crest was the Crest of Love. In her episode, it dealt with her fears of feeling she was incapable of love. There was a time, when I was deep in my depression and pain, that I felt I wasn't deserving of love. I felt like a burden to my mom because I was being so difficult for not being as she wanted me to be. Sora was a soccer player and her mother wanted her to stop doing it to help manage her mother's flower shop. It reminded me of the relationship I once had with my mother. We were always spatting and having disagreements. There were times where it became a shouting match between us. I admit it that I used to fear my mother and her judgment. I still feel that I seek her approval at times but she has allowed me to come into my own and blossom into the person I am. I thank her for that and I love her for that.

4. Ulrich Stern (Code Lyoko)

Ulrich was one of the main protagonists in the show. He was a star soccer player, skilled martial artist, but not the best in school. Ulrich struggled to make friends and tried to get his father's approval. He also sought to get the attention of another protagonist, Yumi Ishiyama. All in all, a normal teenage boy.

Like Sora from Digimon, Ulrich struggled with love from his family and at times, with those around them. I relate to Ulrich because he was also a star child. Because my brother didn't meet expectations growing up, it fell on me to fill them. I didn't party, I didn't drink, I didn't mess around, I didn't get in trouble, and I kept my head in a book. I got the grades and the GPA. I was the smart "golden" child. So when my sexuality wrecked the mold I was fixed into, it was seen as out of character. Like Ulrich did, I took a stand against those who tried to fit me into a mold. I'm proud I was led to that decision. Because I'm a happier person for it.

5. Raven (Teen Titans)

Raven was the dark and broody character from the original Teen Titans series that ran from 2003 to 2006. She had a troubled past and a hard time relating to those around her. When she did let her guard down, there was a side of her that few got to see. Though she didn't always show it, she cared deeply for those around her and wanted to protect them. She was even willing to be the martyr in order to save them.

Raven was me as a teenager: dark, broody, moody, and very mysterious. Aside from my friends, not many people knew about me. They knew of me but not the details. I had the label of the school homo and said I would target any girl to "force myself on". I trusted very little and kept to myself. I would try to escape the crowd either in the library or the counselor's office. It didn't always work so I socialized with people I knew and those I trusted. At home, I was always in my room. I listened to music and tried to drown out my problems. I was that gothic/emo kid. But like Raven, I came out of my shell. I learned to trust and grow with the right people. If you chose to grow in the wrong soil, you are bound to be weak at the bottom and destined to fall. But I have grown with a mixed blend and it has made me strong.

6. Satilizer el Bridget (Freezing)

Satilizer is the main female protagonist in the anime Freezing. She is the best female fighter and is known as the Untouchable Queen. Not only because no one can touch her in a fight but also that no one could touch her in general. Every female fighter that has stigmata had a limiter, which is a partner that assists them in battles. Satilizer didn't have a limiter and refused to have one. But that was until Kazuya Aoi came to West Genetics Academy. He was the first person to EVER touch the Untouchable Queen. When he did, she became nervous and shy, something no one has ever seen from Satilizer. Her history is muddied by a lot. But she feels that the Baptism ritual between female fighters and their limiters is dirty. Kazuya is the only person who could fight with her without a Baptism ritual being performed first. By the end, they become inseparable.

From personal experience, I feel very connected to Satilizer. At first glance, not many people would come and hang out with a dorky, loud, and gay Puertoricenio. I'm very different from most people. I can be easily triggered at times (PTSD) and not want to be around many people when I am. But my close friend (I'm not saying her name, it's the same girl as before) is like Kazuya. She's seen sides of me that not many other people have. She's seen, experienced, and has known the depth and extent of how I love. I can be sensitive and she knows how to handle it in her own unique way. She's always there, trying to reach me, even when I don't want to be reached. She's part of the gravity that keeps me down. I'm thankful for her and she's been sticking with me the past four years. It means a lot when you have someone stick around you for a long time.

Quick update for you guys. I now have a new email address for me to interact with you guys. It is also my business email for writing pieces. If you want to get that email, DM me here.

Also, I am looking for the person known as Oakley Flores. I saw your Kik message but it would not let me accept it. Please message me again if you'd like to talk. I apologize for the delay. Thank you for your readership. It is very heartwarming.

Thirdly, if you would like to get in touch with me, I will list my social media handles for you guys.

Instagram: lame_dude_20 (Picture of Roxas as the profile picture)

Kik: kingsebastianisdead (Picture of Ventus as the profile picture. Username is The Roxas Joker)

Thanks for listening. Write again soon.

[fantranslatorbychoice]

Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi Volume 6 Intermission 1 - Another Worthy Opponent

T/N: Hey there Kakuriyo fan-fams, how are you doing so far? Anyway, here's the first intermission of the volume, as an o-make/bonus for everyone, before this month ends. Thank you for noticing this blog, I appreciate it very much. I wouldn’t know if this has notes though, my tumblr app is basically non-functional anymore so I just get surprised when I login. Anyways, I hope you have fun reading.

As always, I mostly didn’t translate some of the names of the ayakashi/youkai, as well as the proper nouns because uhm... They’re basically nouns. It’s like how some translated manga are done. It’s my style, I guess. Links to references at the end of the post.

Also if you like this translation, you can heart it, share the link, reblog, I just respectfully ask that DO NOT REPOST ELSEWHERE. This is my contribution to the scant English content of this fandom, and I worked really hard to finish this thing, it’s not like I just copy-pasted everything. I even had to build the kanji in Jisho one by one. Try it and you’ll see what I mean.

You can rave about this, rant about this, but if possible please link back to this page. If you’re unsure how to do that, just copy the web address of this page. If you’re on a blogsite just insert the web address as a hyperlink as a link back to here. Honestly if this light novel was officially-published in English, I wouldn’t even be doing this right now... And if it did, I’d take this offline to support the publishers and Yuuma-sensei. Creators support creators, is what I believe in.

As previously-mentioned in earlier chapters, if you stumbled upon this one, the two seasons of the anime covered volumes 1-5, so other than the extra details, you didn’t miss much stuff.  OK, this intermission is a fun and light chapter. Not much food though. I want some pizza lol

P104 I, Ginji, the Young Master of Tenjin-ya whom it was entrusted to, with regards to the Autumn Festival activites at the end of October, have finally accepted the fact that I couldn't think of anything else to include in the programme and this time I don't know what to do anymore. Odanna-sama suddenly called for me, and I immediately went while I was in the middle of work. "Really, Ranmaru is coming to Tenjin-ya?" "Yes. It's because Aoi succeeded in the matters at Orio-ya, he's coming here to pay back with rewards. He just accepted Byakuya's unreasonable payment demand as it was. If Aoi hears about it, she'll surely be horrified. Regarding that payment." "Hee hee. Even now, Aoi hasn't realized the magnitude of her doing the ceremony in Orio-ya, hasn't she?" According to Odanna-sama, the fruits of Aoi-san's rewards, after covering the losses and deficits due to Tenjin-ya's prolonged break, there's still probably enough to deduct for Aoi-san's bonus commision. Naturally, it seems that the remainders will be alloted to repay the debts. "Wah, is that true?" After reading out the detailed particulars, it caused even me to unconsciously react. P105 Byakuya-san, how on earth were you able to negotiate such sums? No, it's not that but, as even I was involved in the ceremony at Orio-ya many times and I understood why, Aoi-san going there for us, the achievements of what remained to be done were enormous. Surely, Ranmaru seemed to be aware that the reward was reasonable. "By the way, Odanna-sama. Yesterday, how was your date with Aoi-san? Although called as such, it probably wasn't one." "It's not like that. Aoi was worshipped by the mountain's Kaku-zaru, we conspired with the extermination of bandits... The plans to make the fruits all around us to make a heartwarming date progressed into a disaster, but thankfully we were able to gain some information. Moreover, Aoi made cooking seem fun. We acquired ingredients from the mountain that we rarely have, it was delightful. Aoi's obsession for cooking is probably her greatest cure." "Ah, ahaha. That's Aoi for you. Anyhow, in any case, I'm relieved that you were safe." Odanna-sama just said, "Yes, I guess," and smiled so happily. Sighing, his smile just looked so youthful. I just suddenly thought it was. "Alright Ginji, your brother is arriving very soon. It's a rare opportunity to meet up with him, you’re gonna be with him." "Really, is that fine?" "You're too formal with Byakuya and I. When you're not around, it becomes deathly quiet."

P106

"Is... Is that so? I mean, yes, it is." Although Tenjin-ya and Orio-ya combined their strengths to get through difficulty, there's still a sense of tension. It's for this reason that there's still a business competition, anything that happens as a result of the rivalry, surely when imagining as such, it can lead to painful stories. No, but my worries are probably unnecessary. "Wahhhh! It's been a long time, Tenjin-ya! It's summer since we last came? Today we brought a lot of souvenir gifts-- Now where is Ojou-chan**? I want to have something to eat--" "Hattori, you're being too boisterous! Shut up--" "What the heck Ranmaru-- I just brought you here--" It seems that Hatori went along with Orio-ya's Ranmaru. Surely, due to their extreme inability to read the atmosphere, I wonder if they can fulfill their roles this time. Perhaps... Ranmaru has become like Odanna-sama, and probably doesn't like it when it gets quiet? "We appreciate you coming from so far a distance, respected Head of Orio-ya.** We welcome you." "Whaat. You're damn heartless to talk, Tenjin-ya's Master. But we want to immediately return the favor. For disturbing you lowlifes**, we apologize. Hey, Hatori." "Hey, hey" T/N: Hopefully, by this time it's easy to pinpoint out who's calling Aoi. If there's no honorrifics, it's Odanna-sama, or O-ryo. With -kun, it's Byakuya. With -san, it's Ginji, and everyone else lol Hatori calls her Miss=Ojou-chan yeah you probably get it now lol Yeah Ranmaru is technically not the master of Orio-ya's he's more or less the chief officer for operations, but he's still under Ougondouji-sama, the original founder of Tenjin-ya. Odanna-sama is more or less the chief executive officer or everything because Ougondouji-sama left Tenjin-ya in his care. Something like that. This part was explained in the anime too, before the start of the Orio-ya arc.

Also I didn’t choose to translate temee -  てめえ  for what it really is, I find it too harsh so I just went along with the more milder ones lolol Ranmaru is a potty mouth guys P107 Hatori-san pulled out his bag. It is totally wrapped in mystery, and our chief accountant Byakuya-san solemnly accepted it, and his sharp-sightedness was surely awakened by the contents. "Yes, it is good..." After that, the chief accountant and Odanna-sama, who do not exempt a lot of things other than this, stamped the magnificent receipt with Tenjin-ya's very important golden seal. "After this, we need to make a written report to Aoi-kun.  We also have to include her bonus commision with it." Byakuya-san's sour mood seemed to have lifted somehow. The large payment was deserved, and opening his fan, he leisurely looked up. "This is Aoi-san's first commision, isn't it? She'll be ecstatic--" Once she learns that the bonus has been given, she'll be very surprised. I could imagine her shocked face, and I could only laugh about it silently in my head. "Young-master, can you hand this over? That girl can finally embezzle a lot of ingredients--" "You can't say that.." Odanna-sama couldn't help but say it with a sarcastic laugh, and bizaarely showed it to Ranmaru and Hatori-san. The two looked at each other with a side-glance. P108 “Also, Tenjin-ya's Odanna-sama. Ougondouji-sama, did she came to Tenjin-ya sometime ago?" Ranmaru decided to cut off the conversation, and changed its direction. Odanna-sama immediately shook his head. "No... I wanted something returned to the girl, and I was thinking of getting in touch. I couldn't get the whereabouts of that person, that's why it wasn't easy." "Wanted something returned?" While sipping some of Tenjin-ya's tea, Hatori went "What could that be?" "The Tengu's Uchiwa Fan.** At present, that is Aoi's property, and Ougondouji-sama should bring it here." "Ah, that, yes, yes." It seemed that up until now, Hatori-san seemed to have forgotten about it, and asked Ranmaru about it with his gaze. His eyes read "Hey, what should I do?". Ranmaru kept quiet for a bit, and opened his mouth. "Ougondouji-sama, she said that she was going to the North-western Lands." "The North-western Lands?" Odanna-sama and Byakuya-san's facial expressions changed. The North-western Lands. It is also called the Land of Bun-mon, Scholarly Gates. In that knowledge gate metropolis, there are multitudes of academicians and doctors. Really, they send out so many civil officials, there are just so many politicians in charge of that place, even inside the Hachiyo's centers and nearby areas, that land is said to have strong political powers. T/N: OK, so this explains why Aoi didn't just use the uchiwa-fan to get rid of the bandits. The leafy fan wasn't returned yet. OK, so if you're wondering too, there you go. P109 "Likewise, that place hates anything-that-is-easy-to-understand." Byakuya-san nonchalantly said that in distaste. "Ahh. In Youto's imperial court, the political authority has swayed, it's under the territory of the Minister of the Right, Ieyasu. Anyhow, Ougondouji-sama traveling to the Northern Lands must be related to her calling out for something, but it doesn't seem likely that the Tanuki would easily get moved. She probably doesn't know how to handle that." Odanna-sama placed his hand on his jaw, and let out a long exhale. "It's connected to the Northern Lands. Two days ago, even I heard the stories of the people living the mountains of the Northern Lands. For a long time there, the Great Old Sage has been a go-between in ruling that region, but that person has been bedridden with an illness and no one has been elected to be the successor. It's because of that it seems, that the insurgent forces have increased." "That grandpa, he hasn't died yet?" Hatori's lack of reading the mood appropriately went out with just a few words, and Ranmaru stared at him sternly. Hatori just pretended to be ignorant by whistling.** "I daresay Ougondouji-sama went to the North-western Lands for the sake of resolving the chaotic situation in the north. There's also the issue of opening up a vacancy in the Hachiyo ranks. There's a chance for the aristocrats in the imperial court to increase their power and influence. Currently, owing to the Hachiyos' command, each of the eight districts's sovereignty were held together by each Hachiyo, but there have been calls to abolish the Hachiyo system, and the supremacy of the Central Government will become absolute, as more people will have to make the decisions." After Ranmaru finished talking, he huffed a bitter smile after thinking, and brushed up his hair. T/N: Hatori is such an adorable dumbass, srsly, I wanna be annoyed at him but he's a sweetheart inside, apart from flirting with anybody, I mean ANYBODY lololol Also Ranmaru is such a softie with Nobunaga, I just can't - gahaha you can't stop me you all P110 "Tenjin-ya's Odanna-sama, have you ever imagined that we will be talking together like this?" "Certainly. Surprisingly, your edges have been trimmed off and you're now softer**, Ranmaru." "Tch... Leave me alone!" "Gyahahahaha--" Hatori-san started laughing. After that even Odanna-sama did too, and the intense atmosphere was flipped over, and as everyone around started making playful faces, Byakuya-san cleared his throat and silently glared at Odanna-sama. Don't destroy your dignified attitude, was what I could read from his wordless plea. Even Odanna-sama considerably had a cold sweat vibe. "I give up, can we get over with the tiring conversation? If so, let's talk about more delightful things. Here's a joyous report from Orio-ya. As a matter of fact, our Young Master and Young Mistress have been engaged, somehow." "Really, aren't they Hideyoshi-san and Nene-san**?" Up until now my calmness levels have been fine, but because Hatori-san abruptly revealed an auspicious news from my old stomping grounds, I unconsciously reacted spite of myself. Hideyoshi-san is a goblin monkey Ayakashi, and his position in Orio-ya is Young Master. Nene-san is a fire rat Ayakashi, and is Orio-ya's Young Mistress. T/N: This literally was written like "your horns/corners have been taken out and you're now rounded" but again, probably a pun because maru=round and well, Ranmaru has MARU in it. Oh well. And yeah I ship fire rat girl and monkey boy lol canon shipping ftw P111 During the time we worked together in summer, I didn't feel that kind of atmosphere around them... I saw that Nene-san especially admired Ranmaru, but this awakening of one's love is probably an exceptional case. "But, isn't this development happening too fast?" I was stunned, in reality the time period that elapsed since the engagement happened was at most, two months. "That dumbass Hideyoshi is different, he's a late bloomer." "Whaa... But in your dreams you wouldn't say something like that to the dog you're raising, won't you Ranmaru?" While Ranmaru was smirking, the profound meaning in my words propped him up, and he thoughtlessly replied. "Nonetheless, I heard it from Nene-chan, who was the aggressive one!" "Really?!" What on earth is up with that two...? "That definitely happened, when the two went back to their hometown, during the break after the ceremony." "Oh well, since the beginning those two have been comrades in their old hometown, and having surpassed the ritual, likely they were drawn towards each other. But it was a good thing for Orio-ya.  If the connections between the managing staff gets stronger due to having more trust, then it's going to be more rock-solid." P112 Both Ranmaru and Hatori-san were receptive to the engagement of the two trustworthy management staff. Especially Ranmaru, his face may not show it but his speech and his demeanor shows that he's happy. Even I realized that. "Gahaha-- Well, I told Hideyoshi to mess about some more. But he seems earnest of only one way. Because he was raised in the countryside, he only knows that when you decide to get together with someone, then you get married. Even Nene-chan too, one way or another says that if it's Hideyoshi, then it's good. If it fits, then it must be suitable." "Not playing around is definitely the opposite of what you are, Hatori." "Geez, I think you're absolutely stabbing me. Leave me out of this, Odanna" Hatori-san just destroyed himself. But Odanna-sama was smiling, then he just dared to speak calmly. "Ah, I get that. From now on, it's wonderful that as employees they will be giving their best to gain happiness. But in Tenjin-ya's management staff, ever since Kikuno’s marriage, nobody has ever been married. Also, there's nobody who wants to...**" "..." Kikuno-san was Tenjin-ya's former Young Mistress, and was also doubtful about O-ryo being the current Young Mistress. It's a fact that ever since her marriage, there has been no other celebratory news from Tenjin-ya. Even hints, there's mostly nothing... Anyway, nobody was saying anything, and it got awfully quiet. "Speaking of someone, aren't you dumbasses instantly forgetting about that Shirou's granddaughter's marriage?" T/N: This is just funny AF, salty boi is salty lol but seriously if this ogre-boi just stopped messing around with Aoi maybe he's gonna be the next one to get hitched lololol well IDK what do you think y’all P113 ".. what?" Although Ranmaru pierced through and broke that silence, Odanna-sama's laughing face got frozen stiff. "If that was easy, shouldn't I be working this hard? But since I couldn't do just that, I am in trouble right now." Everyone in here went "ohhh..." and greatly understood what he meant. Guys, right now Aoi-san's thinking about that. It seems that the girl's personality and Odanna-sama's huge efforts can be easily understood in 10 minutes. "Ahahaha-- Odanna, you dumbass can't handle a young girl by yourself, that's an amusing story. It's hilarious--" "Well, that IS about Shirou's granddaughter. That Ojou-chan, no matter how often she falls, she just stands up again. Kakuriyo hasn't been more enlivened by that before." Ranmaru and Hatori-san kept hitting their knees as they laughed. Afterwards, for some time there was chatting about public news, as well as exchanging information about Kakuriyo's affairs, and apart from Orio-ya's payment contract, all sorts of souvenirs and presents were given out. Those were Orio-ya's pride, the famous products from the Southern Lands. Of course there was seafood, Kiseki beef that has a little fat and is famous with the ladies, mangoes that only grow in Kakuriyo's south, and other snacks like that. Lately there has been additional efforts in growing what is called an "avocado" and other fruits from Utsushiyo. P114 I think that with regards to Aoi-san, she'll be happy with these, but Odanna-sama and Byakuya-san seemed to be annoyed by it. "Lately, the topic of interest about Orio-ya is that your souvenirs and products have increased, and we're jealous." "Then Tenjin-ya has to quickly produce and release new products and souvenirs. People asking about old and ancient products are dwindling, you know. With regards to that aspect, Orio-ya has strength. Although we're still continuously on the road to improvement, it's because we're changing to become your worthy competitor." Byakuya-san whispered to me "Even if so..." "Young Master-dono, I have heard your plea that you haven't thought of what to prepare with regards to the Autumn Festival, have you formed any plans right now?" "About that, I think that what we usually have annually aren't interesting and fun. This year, we'll use agricultural produce of the Land of Ogre's gate, such as rice, sweet potato, and pumpkins**." "P... Pumpkins?" Odanna-sama's face became unusually disgusted. "About that.. Odanna-sama doesn't like the texture of pumpkins." "It's sweet, but can't you think of anything other than side dishes?" While we were seating together in the banquet, Odanna-sama, Byakuya-san and I were thinking about it a lot. T/N: Goodness Ginji, no wonder your catering business got whacked. I adore you but really... just hire Aoi in the creative department lol Also if she gets to make Odanna-sama eat pumpkin I really can't say so much about her now lol P115 There weren't any other things that he didn't like, and though Odanna-sama appears to be a flawless ogre, when there's boiled pumpkin I have seen that he casually places it on Byakuya-san's plate. "...Pumpkin, is it..?" "Ginji, why is your expression that of an evil fox's?" "It's not that, Odanna-sama. I just thought of something after a bit." "Ohhh, that's wonderful!" "Whooo.. Those are the words of our genius planning department manager, Young Master-dono. That is certainly going to be a fun plan!" What on earth, Odanna-sama and Byakuya-san were they hounding me for such a plan right after that. "That, uhm..." After the banquet we huddled in a circle and sneakily talked about the scheme. The three people in the management staff planned together in hushed voices, and silently laughed. Chiaki-san, the doorman in charge of footwears, after looking at the night scenery, went by and we must have made him say "Well, that's scary".

End of Intermission 1, Volume 6. Previous - Chapter 3   Next - Chapter 4

References:

Wonderful site for the youkai references

Other stuff I used to do this: Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary (you can buy here, I’m not sponsored btw). I was about to buy the older edition but then the newer one came out 2013 so I bought that instead. Worth buying since I was able to find nearly all of the words I needed just by stroke pattern alone.

Merriam-Webster's Japanese-English Dictionary (the red-covered 1996 version is apparently out of print right now). This is what I have been using for a very long time, I bought it when I was still a fetus (yes I am old so what lol), and after so many years, when compared to newer editions, I still prefer this one since its entirety is Japanese-English, the English to Japanese gloss are just 16 pages tops, so you get more Japanese words for your buck. But that’s just my opinion, maybe other people prefer the Jap-En x En-Jap IDEK.

Basic online dictionary, Jisho. Knowledge of verb conjugations  and other words are necessary since not all have entries.

If you can read Japanese, you can buy the whole set in Amazon Japan, they’re shipping worldwide now, I think.