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kumoriyami-xiuzhen · 3 years

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Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 - Okita Chapter 5 English translation

This translation is of the 5th Okita chapter 《记忆ノ五》 from Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 as viewed through the extras menu... translated it because well... just look at the CG lol.

unfortunately, unlike yuugiroku 3, which i have CN tl for pretty much the entirety of the game, what tl i have for the main yuugiroku 2 story content is all over the place (missing chapters for hijikata [1, 2, 4, 8, 10], souji [4, 6-9], saito [6, 7, 9, and 10... i think? can’t be certain since the translations I found for his route were the only ones not divided by chapter], harada [1-4, 7, 9, 10] and kazama [4, 7, 8, 10, and possibly part of 9]. also, i never found anything for heisuke, yamazaki, sanan or shinpachi as copy-able text, so I just ended up translating whatever I felt like doing... which is what happens when my only goal is to simply fill up as much of my queue as possible.

also, sorry but what translations i’ll be posting for yuugiroku 2 won’t really be in order since i schedule my posts in the order i translate... and i didn’t exactly go from from one chapter to the next.

anyway, enjoy~ all images in the post were cut from my screen captured video via vlc.

Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 Okita Chapter 5

Translation by KumoriYami

After receiving the mysterious vial from Sannan-san that was to be brought to Okita-san, I immediately went over to Okita-san's room to give it to him.

Yukimura: Okita-san, are you there?

Souji: I'm here.

Yukimura:......May I come in?

Souji: Go ahead?

Yukimura:......Excuse me/Pardon me.

His voice sounded somewhat dispirited, and as I went/entered into his room with these doubts......

The first thing I noticed was the bundled futon/bundle of blankets [sphere of blankets is the tl and i can't think of how else to reword that right now].

Yukimura: Okita-san? Were you sleeping?

Souji: Yeah. I was hiding under the blankets and crying since I couldn't do what i want [or something like that?].

Yukimura:…………

Did Okita-san want to go to the festival that badly [what i have translates more to "that much"]......?

Chizuru: Um/Well, Sannan-san had something for me to give to Okita-san/gave me something to give to Okita-san——

Souji: Sannan-san did?

Jumping out from beneath the futon/blankets, Okita-san sat up.

Yukimura: Yes. I was asked to give this to you.

Souji: ?

Once he saw the mysterious vial I handed to him, he tilted his head.

After/Once he read the attached letter, he immediately understood something.

Okita-san spoke with a bitter/forced smile.

Souji: Sannan-san is quite interesting——

Yukimura: Interesting?

Souji:......No, rather it's amazing how ruthless/callous/cold-hearted his way of thinking can be.

Yukimura:…………

Seeing how Okita-san was still smiling, my suspicions/doubts grew.

Yukimura:......Is it something bad?

Souji: It's nothing like that. Rather, it'd be better to say that this is Sannan-san's kindness.

Yukimura:.......But, that ruthlessness referred to/meant......

Souji: Hey, Chizuru-chan.

Yukimura; Y-Yes.

Souji: Is it considered a kindness if you do something that simultaneously has the potential to hurt someone else...?

Yukimura:…………

Okita-san spoke with a very serious expression......

I wonder/ed why?

Now, my heart felt full of/My heart now felt full of uneasiness/unease/worry......

Souji: Anyway, can you wait a bit for me? There's something I have to do.

Yukimura: A-Ah/Ah, uh, Okita-san......!?

Ignoring how I called after him, Okita-san left the room.

Where was he going......?

[after a while....]

Souji: I'm back, Chizuru-chan.

Yukimura:......Welcome back, Okita-san.

Souji: Then/Well, it's about time to go to the festival.

Yukimura: Eh!?

As soon as Okita-san came back, he said that/those words [reword again later?].

Yukimura: But, Okita-san still hasn't been given permission to go out/leave......?

Souji: It’s fine, there's nothing to worry about. We're wasting time, so shouldn't we go now? [reword again later? gave up for now]

Yukimura:???

Okita-san left the room with me while I was feeling/still feeling/ still confused/bewildered/dazed ——.

Yukimura:…………

At that moment, I couldn't see Yamazaki-san anywhere/Yamazaki-san couldn't be seen anywhere /.

As he watched me warily look around, Okita-san laughed.

Souji: You're going to trip if you wander around so much...... Look.

Yukimura: Eh————

Souji: Come here, Chizuru-chan.

He said to come here/Come here, is what he said...

I repeatedly shifted my gaze between Okita-san, with his gentle smile, and the hand he extended towards me.

Yukimura: Um/This, perhaps......

Souji: It's dangerous, so let's hold hands. There will be plenty of people at the festival so you might get lost if you’re not careful, right?

If I didn’t want to get lost, we could just do that until we reached the shrine at the festival.....

While I was still contemplating this, Okita-san however just smiled, and did not retract his hand.

Yukimura:…………

My heart felt like it was beating faster as I pressed a hand against my chest, while my other hand reached out towards Okita-san——.

Just as I was about to put my hand in his.

Yukimura:!?

I suddenly noticed that there was something odd behind the smiling Okita-san.

( The one) Lying/collapsed over there, wasn't that......?

Choice

Run up to that person Look at Okita-san <-

Yukimura:…………

Somehow I should have expected this/I don't know what I expected/why I had any expectations, and fearfully looked at Okita-san/stared back at Okita-san in horror.

Yukimura: Um. Could it be that, that just now you......

Souji: How perceptive (of you?). You're very sharp, Chizuru-chan.

Although I was praised by Okita-san, I couldn't feel happy right now......

Souji: The vial from Sanan-san seemed to contain medicine that makes people have good dreams.

Yukimura;......In other words/That is to say, sleeping pills.

I couldn’t help but furrow my brow at Okita-san, who was still smiling.

Yukimura: Okita-san, did you use that sort/this kind of thing on Yamazaki-san......?

Souji: It's fine, there shouldn't be/it doesn't seem like there are any side effects.

Yukimura:…………

That wasn't the issue I was concerned about, and I fell silent as my worries lingered.

Then/After, Okita-san bitterly smiled as he grabbed/caught my hand, which I hadn't extended towards him.

Souji: While/Although I don't intend to ask...... that medicine, perhaps Sannan-san is also taking/using it.

Souji: I think life is inconvenient now if you can’t sleep.

Although I did think that Sannan-san was a very gentle and kind person when I first met him.

Recently, I feel that he has been slowly descending into madness/slowly losing his sense of reason......

Yukimura:…………

Souji: What's wrong, Chizuru-chan. You look upset. The festival's today, so you should be happy/more spirited/cheer up.

I felt speechless while Okita-san smiled as he feigned ignorance/As Okita-san smiled and feigned ignorance, I felt speechless (reword?).

Although I was worried about Yamazaki-san, who was lying there on the ground, I was pulled away by Okita-san.

I'm sorry, Yamazaki-san......

Afterwards——

Yamazaki:......Ugh......

After Chizuru and Okita left headquarters, Yamazaki woke up shortly after.

Yamazaki was staggering as he sat up, and held his head as he spoke regretfully.

Yamazaki: To be caught off guard/I wasn’t careful......but I didn’t expect for this type of forceful method to be used......!

——end of chapter——

alas poor yamazaki. tis this kinda of treatment that makes me wanna translate a certain drama... but since it’s +20 min, that unfortunately won’t be a priority in the foreseeable future..

#hakuoki #hakuouki #hakuoki yuugiroku 2 #Okita Souji #Yukimura Chizuru #Yamazaki Susumu #hakuoki game translation

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xxchi-chixx19xx · 3 years

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Worth the Wait [Harada Sanosuke]

It was unbearable. Waiting for the screams to stop. He felt helpless. She was in pain and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He couldn't even be by her side like he so desperately wanted to be.

As the day dragged on and the screams worsened, he could feel his heart being crushed. This was absolute torture. It was much different than being on the battlefield. In battle, he could easily help; but in this situation, all he could do was stand by and let someone else take control. How he wished it would stop.

"She'll be alright, Sano." The voice of one of his comrades rang in the dreadful air, momentarily distracting him from the painful cries of his beloved.

"Will she? She's been screaming nonstop this whole time." He spoke, a worried tone present in his words.

A comforting hand was placed on his shoulder as a chuckle of amusement left the source of it. "If she's tough enough to deal with us, she's tough enough to pull through this. As for the screams-" Another cry of pain sounded through the shoji. "I'm afraid there's not much anyone can do about that."

"But-"

"Just sit down and wait. Wishing for it to be over won't help." Came the stern and somewhat comforting tone of the Vice Commander.

A sigh escaped the auburn-haired male's lips as his shoulders slumped in defeat. "I guess so." He grumbled reluctantly as he took a seat near the man who had just spoken to him.

A few more hours passed, and one particularly loud scream the came from the woman had rung out again. All the men sitting outside visibly cringed at the sharp sound.

"Any minute now." Said the kind voice that belonged to Kondo. He knew exactly what that scream meant. It was the same one that fell from his own wife's lips all those years ago.

"Sheesh, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse." The sarcastic man that was Souji commented off-handedly as he and the rest of the captains looked towards the restricted room.

It was clear that the pain had reached its peak by now, and now nothing but prayers were silently being said for the one experiencing it. They could hear every noise that came from her mouth. Her pants, her grunts. However, the audible pleas for the pain to stop were what they deemed to be the hardest thing to hear. 'Poor girl.' They all thought at that moment.

"SANOSUKE!!!" The female cried out, her voice sounding much louder than it previously was.

And just like that, everything became silent. It was only for a moment, but it felt like an eternity that the silence was present. The tension was thick in the air as everyone anxiously waited for something. Anything. Their prayers were desperate now.

Soon a small wet cough was heard, and then came the quiet wails that slowly grew stronger and stronger until they rung out loud and clear. A wave of relief washed over everyone as they all let out a deep breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding in. The birth was successful. A new addition to the makeshift family had arrived safely. How happy they were now.

"Congrats on becoming a father, Sano. All your nights of peaceful sleep are officially gone now." Souji voiced with a cat-like grin on his face as he nudged the taller male who only laughed.

"Who cares, it's worth it," Sanosuke said truthfully, happy and relieved that the child had made it.

Yes, he knew very well that there was a chance that he would receive no proper sleep now that he had a baby, but he didn't care at that moment. All he cared about right now was the fact that the baby had turned out to be okay and healthy from the sounds of things. Those few moments of hearing nothing but absolute silence had scared him to death. Pretty soon the shoji slid open and revealed the midwife.

"You're welcome to come in now. They're both doing just fine." She told him as a smile adorned her aged features.

No sooner than those words came out of the middle-aged woman's mouth did Sanosuke walk into the room. There with a tired yet happy expression on her face, laid his beautiful wife. In her arms rested a bundle, the wonderful sounds of their newborn child emulating from it. He stepped closer and knelt down beside his lover, leaning in and kissing her head. The smile on his face wouldn't fade no matter what.

"You did so well, (Y/N). I'm so proud of you." The golden-eyed male muttered with a loving expression present on his face.

"Thank you, Sano." Came the gentle response from the (H/C)-haired woman, her voice hoarse from the overuse of it. She then held up the bundle towards him. "Meet your (son/daughter)."

Gazing at the wrapped up child that he happily took into his strong arms, dwarfing them automatically because of his big and strong build. The baby was absolutely beautiful. They had some of his looks, but they mostly took after their mother. His heart melted at that moment. How amazing it was to have a child all his own.

"(Y/C/N). I want to call (him/her) (Y/C/N)." Sano muttered as he looked towards the mother of his child. "Is that alright?"

(Y/N) smiled at him and happily nodded in agreement. She loved the name that her lover picked out for their child. It suited them perfectly. She was so relieved that everything was over. It took a very long time, but that was fine. Their beloved child was definitely worth the wait.

#hakuouki #hakuouki x poc!reader #harada sanosuke #harada sanosuke x reader #poc!reader

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characteroulette · 3 years

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so I know I haven’t posted just writing in a while, but here’s some SouYo that I finished a single chapter of and then haven’t found time for continuing yet. (this is going on AO3 once I get more chapters finished, also). Just a weird little “what if Souji and Narukami, but one of them is shadow”

---

[The True Self]

From the moment they'd med (and Yosuke meant really met. When the guy had pulled him out of the trash can, not when Chie had kicked him in the balls holy shit both of those were so lame, Yosuke was such a loser), Yosuke had sensed a certain kinship with the transfer student. They were both city kids plopped into the small middle of nowhere town of Yaso-Inaba, therefore Yosuke had to help the guy out.

Unfortunately, it was hard to really tell how to do that with this guy. When the guy had helped Yosuke out of the trash, he'd smiled so brightly and introduced himself as Seta that Yosuke wasn't sure there'd be anything to help out with. His voice was so gentle and radiated a kindness that Yosuke had instinctively wanted to protect this guy immediately.

(Which was weird. Protect from what?)

In lieu of anything that didn't make sense or make Yosuke sound like even more of a loser, he'd just casually slid the offer to go out for the specialty in this small town (nothing big, just fried steak, god this town was such a podunk boring shithole) onto the table. Seta had been polite, a little embarrassed, but that small smile was ecstatic as he agreed.

Then, after class, Yosuke wanted to gently remind Seta, but the guy seemed completely different all of a sudden. That gentleness had become a strange mischievous smirk, though it quickly became one of disgust once Yosuke mentioned the plan. Although, really, Yosuke was sure Seta was disgusted the moment he had realised Yosuke was talking to him.

Politely, harshly this time, Seta complied, but Chie had luckily overheard (and there was something Yosuke had never known he'd be grateful for, Chie's freeloading) and asked to come with. Then Seta was much more agreeable.

Another thing of note, Chie called the guy 'Narukami', not Seta. Which, again, was weird.

(Who the fuck was this guy?)

Yosuke took them to Junes, not the place with fried steak (because he wasn't made of money, he reminded Chie amidst her loud complaining) and the guy (fine, Narukami for now) continued to be a mystery. The way Narukami casually flirted with Chie really rubbed Yosuke the wrong way. Even when Yosuke left to talk with Saki-senpai a moment, Narukami leaned over to Chie and gave a pointed murmur of, "No way a guy like him has a girl like that, right?"

But, okay. Yosuke couldn't let it bother him too much. He'd lived in cities, too, he knew the drill of guys acting cooler in front of girls. He'd been shoved around like this, made the butt of the joke, just so his 'friends' could score some points with the girls they liked. Prince of Disappointment and all.

And, really, it just had to be that this guy was realising what a bore this place was compared to a bigger city. After a few days, the stir craziness had set in and he was probably doing this purposely to get a rise out of them. Maybe. Either way, Yosuke could still relate, could still understand.

Then Saki-senpai blew Yosuke off to go see the transfer guy, too. And warned him about how annoying and nosy Yosuke could be. That stung. Yosuke tried not to flinch, but Narukami replied with a teasing, "Yeah, tell me about it."

It was a bit much and Yosuke was not proud of the way he had to grip his hands into such tight fists to keep himself from showing how much it affected him. There was a mysterious glint in Narukami's eyes, though. Something more genuine than the taunting bravado he was putting on. Chie and Saki-senpai laughed in agreement, but then he continued.

"But I kinda like that about him. Makes things interesting."

Narukami turned his gaze straight at Yosuke, meeting his eyes with all the smugness of a goddamned self-important cat. The girls' laughter died out after that. Then Saki-senpai returned to work and Chie launched into some stupid rumour about something called the Midnight Channel. Yosuke barely listened, too busy watching this Narukami, trying to find some clue explaining what the hell all that was even about.

Narukami continued flirting with Chie until they had to head home, going so far as to offer to walk with her. This guy had to be some kind of pro, as she agreed easily, all blushy and stuttery and cute. And that just made Yosuke want to punch the fucking smirk off Narukami's face.

The next morning, Yosuke was hesitant to approach the guy. Which face would he end up seeing this time? Before he could make a decision one way or another, the guy noticed him and waited for him to catch up.

Smiling out of politeness and concern, the guy said, "Ah, I wanted to apologise for the other day, Hanamura-san. My brother tends to not agree with those I like to talk to."

Yosuke frowned. "Your brother?"

"Yes, Narukami."

The guy (Yosuke was sure it was Seta this time, maybe) nodded, as if that explained things perfectly. Had Seta swapped with Narukami sometime yesterday during class and Yosuke hadn't noticed? Had anyone noticed? They had to be identical twins, as Narukami looked exactly like Seta (except for the harsher expressions), but how did they get away with this?

Admittedly, Yosuke hadn't paid too much attention yesterday during class. Nor had he paid much attention to when Seta (and Narukami, maybe?) had been introduced, as he'd been in too much agony over crashing his bike and breaking Chie's precious Kung-Fu DVD. It was possible that there were two of them and Yosuke just hadn't noticed.

Oh, but that meant Yosuke had made the mistake of taking out Narukami instead of Seta. Well, shit. Yosuke was the asshole here, as usual.

"I also had. A strange experience last night. Concerning the Midnight Channel." Seta pressed on, before Yosuke had the time to apologise.

That distracted Yosuke instantly. The stupid rumour thing Chie had strong armed them into checking out, right. Yosuke grew a bit hesitant as his own experience flashed through his mind (Saki-senpai, looking in pain and calling out for help though there was no sound to it) and gave a prompting, "Oh. Yeah? Who'd you see?"

Seta's frown twisted in confusion. "Well. It's less about what I saw, but." His shoulders drooped as he deflated. "It was a girl, but that was all I could tell. She seemed to be in pain."

Yosuke's stomach dropped. Could it be that they saw the same thing? The same person? If that were true, then Saki-senpai might be in trouble. Then again, that was quite a leap of logic. But if this Midnight Channel really worked like how Chie had said, then how could it be possible for Saki-senpai to be both of their soulmates?

Back when the rumour got started. Weren't a ton of the students talking about how they saw that newscaster, Yamano? And then she'd ended up dead.

A shudder rolled down Yosuke's sides and he had to shake that dread off. It was too early to be making these types of hasty conclusions.

They walked the rest of the way to school in silence, Yosuke too lost in his own thoughts to think of replying properly. Seta looked like he had more to say, but nervously kept his mouth shut. He took his seat in the spot right in front of Yosuke once they arrived at class and Yosuke stared out towards the windows until King Moron shouted at all of them for being lazy asswipes. (Not in those words exactly, but the sentiment was definitely there.)

Embarrassingly, Yosuke spent most of the day staring at the back of Seta's head instead of paying attention to the lessons. It was just so mysterious. A transfer student with a twin whom they swapped places with during the day? It went against all logic, really. Yosuke wanted to find out when exactly Seta and Narukami made the switch. Was it lunch? Before they arrived in their classes? Shit, that would mean Narukami was all ready seated in front of Yosuke, possibly. But how had no one else noticed this? How did Yasogami allow it?

Seta did leave during lunch, no doubt to eat in private, but did return for the rest of classes. Well, Yosuke thought it was still Seta. He needed to figure out a way to tell the two apart, because there had to be at least one tell. There had to be at least one visual cue to tell them apart besides their mannerisms.

After classes were finished for the day, Yosuke took a deep breath and went to test the waters. He stood by Seta's desk and grinned his usual friendly grin. "S'up, dude?"

The guy smirked, mischievous and harsher once more. That was Narukami. "Are you checking in with me again, Hanamura-san? That's rather sweet of you, I guess I have to say 'thank you' now."

Yosuke's eye twitched. Yup, no mistaking it. He laughed a bit half-heartedly with an uneasy, "That's a little..."

"It's no wonder Souji-chan likes you."

Narukami's smirk turned into a glare. A surprisingly sinister glare at that. Yosuke's hands gripped into fists and he had to, once again, hold himself back from punching this guy's smug face. Why was his immediate instinct to defend Seta? To stand up for someone he barely even knew? Unable to fully curb that aggravation, Yosuke muttered a heated, "No need to be an ass about it, Narukami-san."

There was nothing wrong with either of their statements. Except for the clear hostility they radiated. Still, Chie butted in with an oblivious and eager, "Hey, guys! Did you watch it? Who'd you see?"

Narukami sat back, rolling his eyes (grey, Yosuke noticed, just like his and Seta's hair), then smiled charmingly up at Chie. "It was fuzzy, but definitely a girl. Boyish and cute, too, from what I could tell."

Narukami looked like a smug cat. How was it even possible to be that bold and smooth at the same time? Shockingly, Chie took the bait and blushed, all coy and girly. "Oh, really?" She (thankfully) snapped out of it quick enough and grew serious. "But - But I saw a girl, too. So that means my soulmates a girl as well."

She gave a defeated exhale while Narukami frowned in thought. The most neutral expression Yosuke had seen on either brother yet. If all three of them had seen a girl. Possibly the same girl. Yosuke's earlier apprehension slammed back into him. This couldn't be a coincidence. There was no way this Midnight Channel was showing anyone's soulmates.

But why Saki-senpai? Why that Yamano lady? Was it even really Saki-senpai? Something still seemed a bit too far-fetched here, there was some piece Yosuke was missing to really understand what the hell was going on here.

Narukami, still oddly neutral for once, said, "After seeing the Midnight Channel last night, my TV tried to eat me."

Chie and Yosuke both snapped their heads towards him, incredulous. Narukami didn't seem to even notice as he continued, parsing out something on his own.

"The only reason it couldn't was because the screen was too small and my shoulder stuck. Perhaps this could have something to do with the fact that we all saw a girl?"

"All? Wait." Chie sputtered (very undignified) and whirled on Yosuke. "You saw a girl, too?"

"You don't have to act like it's some big shock." Yosuke huffed at her, putting up the affronted airs though he had no energy to really meet her challenge. "Honestly. It looked like someone I knew. And she was in a lot of distress."

He rubbed a hand through the back of his head, through the hair there (it was getting a bit too long, probably, and he'd need to dye it again soon since the roots were coming through just a bit), too concerned to not let it show through for the moment. Chie looked at him in sympathy, in confusion, but Narukami chose that moment to stand and shock them both out of the moment. "It's decided then." He said, grabbing one of Chie's hands in a way too familiar, way too gentlemanly manner. "Let's go look for a bigger TV and find the truth."

"Wha-What does that even mean? Hey, Narukami-san!"

Chie's shrill voice continued as Narukami directed her out of the room. Yosuke should probably go along, especially if they were headed towards Junes. Which, of course they would be. Where else could anyone find a TV large enough to jump through in this small little town?

#P4 #Persona 4 #Yosuke Hanamura #Souji Seta #Yu Narukami #brotagonist #Chie Satonaka #Momo writes stuff #Yosuke being IT's lead thinker #let the boy be smart #this is my curse #writing the first chapter to something #and then never coming back to it #ugh

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akumanoken · 3 years

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@take-ya-to-the-ghey-bar {welcome to another instance of this bish being extra--}

Picking out gifts for others was something the blonde had grown rather used to by this point, even if he hadn't exactly been asked to do it. Showing he cared this way was a bit easier than words sometimes, after all... Besides, today was as good an excuse as any, given that he remembered Souji excitedly telling him about the added significance of it last time they'd seen each other. And so, here he was, arranging the last of things as he heard a knock at the door, soon enough going over to answer with a slight smile crossing his lips. "Ya made it, huh?" greeting Souji with a faint chuckle, Minato then stepped aside and welcomed him in.

Waiting just inside, however, was a bit of a surprise for the other... A small stack of boxes arranged on the coffee table, all wrapped in a cute floral print. And sitting under a little cherry blossom tree. Hiding within the boxes were admittedly mostly just gifts of clothes, but... Between the jacket, admittedly cute outfit (complete with tights and shoes), and an extra little trinket he'd pulled together, Minato was pretty satisfied with choices all around. Going over for a seat on the couch after shutting the door, he then spoke up again. "Admittedly one thing in there might be a little more my style than yours, but..." he trailed for a moment with a soft laugh, waiting for Souji to join him before he reached over to ruffle the other's hair. "Happy birthday~..." a subtle hum came along with his words, followed by a few beats of silence before he added on again. "Ah, there's cake waiting in the fridge too. I just didn't bring it out here yet." As usual, he was doing his best to remain casual about the whole thing, but, part of him was still a little eager to see Souji's reaction to everything. Which...might've been just a little more apparent in his expression than he realized.

When he was suddenly invited to the other's place he honestly panicked, excited, and spent a lot of time trying to calm himself down so he could get to Minato's place without looking too stoked to be there. Things are casual between them, right?? No need to get crazy.

He grinned when the door opened for him and nodded. "Well," he said with a light shrug, "I wasn't doing anything important until later for Tanabata so---w-wha..."

The boxes... the flower print... "I-is this for---" He just watched the other close the door and sit down, wishing him a happy birthday. His hands suddenly didn't know how to be still, flexing and going all over the place before he simply clasped them together, placed them on his glowing cheeks. "M-Minato-kun this is..."

An entire outfit complete with tights and shoes, the little bunny charm, the jacket... His eyes grew wider and his smile larger with every reveal, as if it was even possible. So much... he did all this for him?? For his birthday??

Oh god, he's going to cry... he's so happy.... He can't express how much this means to him. He... he liked Minato so much.... and for him to do all this... He sniffled a little, laughing at himself and shaking his head. "I.... this is incredible Minato-kun I..." He rushed over to he couch, almost as if to pounce on the other.

"I love it so much.... thank you...."

#he may regret that action later #but he's too full of emotion right now to care #takeyatothegheybar

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hakuogakuen · 4 years

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Hakuouki SSL: Prologue

EDITED 7/31/20

Hello! Here is the translation for the SSL prologue. Primary translation is by yuugs, with proof reading done by shizuumi, kuririn, and dei-hime. Translation begins below the cut!

― May ―

Chizuru Yukimura: "The door and windows are locked..."

~ding dong~

Chizuru Yukimura: "Heisuke-kun, are you awake? It's almost time for school..."

"..."

"......”

FInally, the door opened.

Chizuru Yukimura: “Uh! Um... It's Yukimura. Hello? Heisuke-kun―"

Heisuke Toudou: "Sorry, Chizuru! Gimme five more minutes!!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh... Heisuke-kun!? Geez..."

‘Five more minutes, huh...? There's still some time left, so I guess it should be fine...’

Chizuru Yukimura: "... It's already been five minutes...Is he still not ready? ...What now? Should I ring the intercom one more time...?"

Heisuke Toudou: "Morning! Also, sorry!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh, Heisuke-kun! Morning!"

This is Heisuke Toudou-kun, my next-door neighbor. We attended the same high school, and walked there together when we can.

Despite being a junior, a grade above me, he hated me calling him ‘senpai,’ since we were childhood friends.

I'd counted on him since we were little, but he sometimes overslept or played video games all night, which could be a problem.

Heisuke Toudou: "We good for time? How bad's it look?

Chizuru Yukimura: "I think we might not make it...!"

Heisuke Toudou: "Seriously...? Okay, let's book it!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Yeah!"

It was shaping up to be a bit of a busy morning, but we had to hurry―!!

Heisuke Toudou: "Dammit, if my alarm just rang properly, we'd have definitely made it on time!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Heisuke-kun, you said that last time as well."

Heisuke Toudou: "M-My alarm's busted! I'll buy a new one next time!!"

???: "Sure is noisy this morning, huh?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Ah..."

Souji Okita: "Morning, you two."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Good morning, Okita-senpai!"

This is Souji Okita-senpai, a junior. He was in the same class as Heisuke-kun, and we were pretty good friends. He could be a bit mischievous, and like to take pictures with his smartphone. Occasionally, he'd email me and I wouldn't know how to respond.That did bother me a bit.

Heisuke Toudou: "If Souji's here… then we're seriously late!"

Souji Okita: "Maybe... But it's not that bad. Not like the school's going anywhere anytime soon."

Heisuke Toudou: "It’s absolutely that bad! The gatekeeper of hell's waiting for us!"

Souji Okita: "Haha, you're exaggerating. No need to be so scared."

Chizuru Yukimura: "L-Let's hurry anyway! Okita-senpai, you should try and run!"

Souji Okita: "...Looks like I'll have to play along."

After that, we began running for our lives. Of course, tardiness was against the rules, but even with that, there was another reason we didn’t want to be lateー

Heisuke Toudou: "All right, and he's saaaaaaafe!!"

???: "Unfortunately, he's out."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Huh..."

Hajime Saitou: "Sorry, but as a part of the disciplinary committee, I can't make any exceptions. Not even for five seconds."

Kaoru Nagumo: "What he said. A shame, really. You ran so desperately just to make an own goal."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Kaoru...and Saitou-senpai...!"

...Yes, the reason we ran so frantically is because of the disciplinary committee.

This is Hajime Saitou-senpai , a junior. A serious and deeply earnest person, he was a feared member of the disciplinary committee. Heisuke-kun often called him 'inflexible', but he's tougher on himself than anyone else. I think he's a good person. Although he might not be the best with words, he was a good senior in my eyes.

This is Nagumo Kaoru, a sophomore, like me. He's actually my twin brother. Why our last names differed was a long story, but basically, we grew up separately when we were young. Initially, I was happy that we were going to the same school. But... Kaoru wasn’t the politest person ever. He would even disrespect our seniors without a second thought, and he always made me nervous…

Heisuke Toudou: "It was only five seconds! The gate isn't closed yet ―just let it slide!"

Kaoru Nagumo: "No. How would letting you go benefit us?"

Heisuke Toudou: "Maybe it wouldn't, but it's not like it'd hurt you either!"

Hajime Saitou: "Heisuke, this isn't open for discussion. The rules exist for a reason."

Souji Okita: "You heard him, Heisuke. Too bad."

Heisuke Toudou: "Souji, whose side are you on?!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "U-Um... Heisuke-kun. It's a fact we were late. We can't do much about that."

Heisuke Toudou: "But...!"

???: "Pipe down! What are you up to there!?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh...!"

Toshizou Hijikata: "Saitou, Nagumo! It's time. Close the gate."

Hajime Saitou: "Yes, sir."

Kaoru Nagumo: "Hmph, that's a shame."

Toshizou Hijikata: "Heisuke, Souji, Yukimura! You three hurry up and head inside....Don't be any later than you already are."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Y-Yes, sir!"

This is Toshizou Hijikata. He was Heisuke's and Okita's homeroom teacher, and also taught classical literature. He was very harsh, but passionate about education. As well being the vice principal, it was said that he was a childhood friend of the principal, Kondou-sensei. He always looked tense. He had this prickly aura about him that kept people away.

Toshizou Hijikata: "I swear... You never learn. You're late every single day..."

(A flash lit up his face and a camera shutter noise sounded.)

Toshizou Hijikata: "W-What was that?"

Souji Okita: "Haha. The wrinkles in your face are even deeper than yesterday's."

Toshizou Hijikata: "Souji! You punk!!"

Souji Okita: "Would you like to compare yesterday's pic with today's? Here, take a look."

Toshizou Hijikata: "I don't need to! And don't take photos of people without their permission!"

...Seeing as everyone else was afraid of the vice principal, Okita might have be the only one who could banter with him like that... With that thought, we headed past the school gates.

――The private school, Hakuou Academy.

This school was an all-boys school up until this year. Thanks to the principal Isami Kondou-sensei and his efforts, the school became co-ed recently.

Somehow, I became the first female student at Hakuou Academy...

...And the only female student.

Of course, I was a little nervous when I learned that there were no other girls... But the people here were really nice, and I had always been good at getting along with others, so I was doing pretty well.

Chizuru Yukimura:"...Oh no! I have to get to class soon...!"

"Thank god, I made it in time..."

Ryuunosuke Ibuki: "Hm? It's not like you to show up at the last minute, Yukimura."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh, Ibuki-kun. Morning. This morning's been a bit much..."

This is Ryuunosuke Ibuki-kun, my classmate. He could be a bit blunt at times, but he was a kind person. He always had milk and red bean buns for lunch. When I asked him if he was eating enough, he would say that it couldn’t be helped, since he had no money… He complained about someone called Serizawa-san being rough and tyrannical to him. I wondered what his relation was to Ibuki-kun, exactly.

Ryuunosuke Ibuki: "The teacher's about to arrive. We ought to take our seats now."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Yeah, thanks, Ibuki-kun."

???: "Take your seats, you lot. Homeroom's about to start."

Chizuru Yukimura: "!"

While I hurried to sit down, Harada-sensei smiled at me from the front of the room.

Sanosuke Harada: "What's wrong, Yukimura? It's rare for you to be late."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Y-Yes... I'm sorry..."

This is Sanosuke Harada-sensei. He was my homeroom teacher, as well as the P.E. teacher. Friendly and open-hearted, all the students looked up to him as if he were their big brother. He used to go to the same Kendo dojo as Heisuke-kun and Nagakura-sensei, the math teacher. Even now, they all still seemed to be close.

Sanosuke Harada: "Well, I can imagine the reason why. You know, you can just ditch Heisuke if you think you'll be late."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Um, that's… I'll see what I can do about that..."

Sanosuke Harada: "Yeah, please do. Well, let's wrap this up quickly. Today's announcements are--"

I didn’t want to just leave Heisuke-kun behind... ‘I’ll try to figure out a way so I can pick him up earlier…’

Classmate A: "Phew, it's finally time for lunch."

Classmate B: "Yeah, I'm starving. Hey, Ibuki, you eating at the cafeteria?"

Ryuunosuke Ibuki: "If you treat me, I’ll go."

Classmate B: "No way!"

Ryuunosuke Ibuki: "Then don't ask. You know full well I'm low on money."

Classmate A: "U-Um, Yukimura-san, what about you? We can go together if that's cool―"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Me? Well...."

While it made me happy when my classmates invited me to have lunch with them…

Chizuru Yukimura: "I'm sorry… I already have plans. Maybe another time?"

Classmate A: "I-I see..."

I apologized once again and then headed to the cafeteria. At lunchtime, the cafeteria got so crowded, it was like a battlefield. It seems like things are ramping up with everyone on an empty stomach…

Heisuke Toudou: "Oh, hey, Chizuru! Over here, over here!"

Heisuke and Okita are waving at me.

‘I can't keep them waiting, I have to hurry...!’

Chizuru Yukimura: "Hm.... Should I get set meal A?”

I bought a ticket for set meal 'A' from the vending machine, and then joined the line.

Genzaburou Inoue: "Oh, Yukimura-kun. You came to the cafeteria today."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Inoue-san, hello!"

This is Genzaburou Inoue-san. He was in charge of cooking the meals for the cafeteria, and his food was always delicious. He was very kind and warm, and students affectionately called him the “Mother of Hakuou Academy”. In fact, rumor has it that he was quite a big-wig as well. But was it true, I wondered.

Genzaburou Inoue: "I’ll keep your portion on the smaller side. The boys’ portion could be a bit too much for you."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Thank you so much!"

His effortless consideration for others was one of his best traits, to me. I would have liked to take some cooking lessons from him one of these days, too...

Souji Okita: "You kept us waiting. Oh. You don't have much on your plate, as usual."

Chizuru Yukimura: "You think so?"

Heisuke Toudou: "Chizuru's a girl, so of course she'll have less, right? You don’t eat that much either, Souji."

Souji Okita: "And you eat a lot. For your size."

Heisuke Toudou: "That wasn't necessary!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Hehe."

After a fun lunch, I parted ways with Heisuke-kun and Okita-senpai, and headed back for the classroom.

Shinpachi Nagakura: "Yo, Chizuru-chan!” Working hard today?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Hello, Nagakura-sensei!"

This is Shinpachi Nagakura-sensei. He was a math teacher and a close friend of Harada-sensei's. Much to his dismay, he was often mistaken for a P.E. teacher, which was no surprise, since he always wore a jersey. He was hopeless with money management and often got in trouble with Hijikata-sensei because of that. But otherwise, he was a great teacher.

Shinpachi Nagakura: "Are you done with lunch already? If you wouldn't mind, I've a small favor to ask of you.”

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh, yes! That's fine. What is it?"

Shinpachi Nagakura: "Sorry for the trouble. I just wanted you to deliver this to Sannan-san for me."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Sannan-sensei... So the infirmary?"

Shinpachi Nagakura: "Yeah. I've, uh...got some other things to take care of. Yeah."

Chizuru Yukimura: "I understand. I'll head there now!"

Shinpachi Nagakura: "Great. Thanks for the help!"

I headed off to the infirmary with the manila folder Nagakura-sensei gave me.

Chizuru Yukimura: "Excuse me."

Keisuke Sannan: "Oh...Yukimura-kun. Are you unwell?"

This is Sannan Keisuke-sensei, the school nurse. He was always calm, kind, and willing to lend a hand. Knowing that, it was strange how most students tried to avoid ever going to the infirmary...

Chizuru Yukimura: "No, I'm fine. Nagakura-sensei told me to hand this to you."

Keisuke Sannan: "Nagakura-sensei...?"

Keisuke Sannan: "Ahh...I see now. He didn't want to deliver it himself, so he used you instead."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Huh?"

Keisuke Sannan: "Heh... He actually missed the deadline for the submission of his documents, you see? I suppose he didn't want me getting angry with him. I'll have to have a word with him later… To think he sent you on a fool's errand when he could've done it himself."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh, no, it's really no trouble."

Susumu Yamazaki: "Excuse me. ...Oh."

Keisuke Sannan: "Oh? I see that I've got many visitors today. You're here too, Yamazaki-kun."

This is Yamazaki Susumu-senpai, a junior. He was in the same class as Saitou-senpai, and his homeroom teacher was Nagakura-sensei. As part of the Health Committee, he frequented the infirmary to help Sannan-sensei out with his work. Yamazaki-senpai was a very strait-laced person, who'd never slack off on any of his committee work.

Susumu Yamazaki: "Pardon me! I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation..."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh, no. It's alright! I've already finished up here."

Keisuke Sannan: "How cold of you. Are you implying that you've no business talking to me now that you've wrapped up here?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Huh, wait― What!? N-No! That's not what I meant..."

Susumu Yamazaki: "...Sannan-sensei."

Keisuke Sannan: "I know, I know, Yamazaki-kun. I was only teasing."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Really...?"

Keisuke Sannan: "Heh. It was only a joke. Feel free to come by anytime, now. Of course you should visit when you're feeling ill, but do stop by if you have other concerns as well. I have some good medicine."

Susumu Yamazaki: "Sannan-sensei? But that's...!"

Keisuke Sannan: "Yamazaki-kun. Is there something you'd like to say...?"

Susumu Yamazaki: "...Nothing."

Chizuru Yukimura: "???"

The bell for afternoon classes rang just after I left the infirmary.

Chizuru Yukimura: "I'm already so sleepy..."

With my full stomach and the warm weather, I began to feel a bit drowsy. Thinking that, I returned to my classroom.

Then, as usual, I finished my afternoon classes...

It was time for homeroom again.

Sanosuke Harada: "...and that's all for today. Those in clubs ― give it all you’ve got. Those going home ― take care not to wander about too much."

Whole class: "Yeeessir."

Sanosuke Harada: "...Oh, right, Yukimura."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Yes?"

Sanosuke Harada: "I also told Heisuke. Don't be late tomorrow."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Y-Yes, sir...!"

Sanosuke Harada: "Hahaha, don't give me that face. I'm not really angry with you. Well then, see you tomorrow."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Right! Have a nice day."

I smiled and left the classroom.

Chizuru Yukimura: "Hm? What's going on.... What's all this commotion about?"

???: "Hey, hey, move it, bastards!"

???: "I'm so sorry, but if you could make way,please."

Chizuru Yukimura: "...That voice is..."

Chikage Kazama: "Hmph. For these nobodies to block my path... unforgivable. Those who dare defy yours truly, the eminent student council president, Chikage Kazama, must prepare to face the consequences."

Kyuuju Amagiri: "...Please understand this is to avoid further trouble, from what you can see here."

Kyou Shiranui: "It’d be less dull if some guys here had the guts to throw down with him though."

Chizuru Yukimura: "......!"

When I saw those three cut through the surging crowd, I thought to myself, 'Oh, no.' I really didn’t want to get caught, if I could avoid it. But as that crossed my mind...

Chikage Kazama: "Oh... You came to meet me yourself. What a praiseworthy sentiment, my betrothed."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Ack! It was a coincidence...!"

Kyuuju Amagiri: "Greetings, Yukimura-kun. ...You have my sympathies."

Chikage Kazama: "Amagiri. What do you mean by that?"

Kyou Shiranui: "The man said what he said. Ain't that right, Chizuru?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Um......"

I was at a loss. I could only stand there in silence.

This is Chikage Kazama-senpai. He was a senior, and the student council president of Hakuou Academy. He was always accompanied by his attendants, Kyuuju Amagiri-senpai and Kyou Shiranui-senpai, and acted as if the whole world belongs to him.

And why, really, why did he want me to be his bride? He decided that completely on his own...

This is Kyuuju Amagiri-senpai, another senior who acted like Kazama-senpai's watchman of sorts. ...He didn’t look anything like a high school student. There’s really no other way to put it. But I'd decided not to worry about that. He was probably the only person able to put up with Kazama-senpai's recklessness with any amount of success.

And lastly, this is Kyou Shiranui-senpai. He was also a senior, like Amagiri-senpai, and always with Kazama-senpai. However, unlike Amagiri, he didn’t seem to really respect Kazama. He could be violent sometimes and a bit scary, but occasionally he could be quite kind too, according to his whim.

Chizuru Yukimura: "Um... Kazama-senpai. I've repeatedly asked you to not call me your wife, so please stop..."

Chikage Kazama: "Why?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "W-Why....? Because it's not true!!"

Chikage Kazama: "...I can't hear you. Amagiri, what is the girl saying?"

Kyuuju Amagiri: "......She said that she is currently undeserving of the honour of marrying you."

Chizuru Yukimura: "What?!"

Chikage Kazama: "Is that so. Such a commendable attitude; such humility is a virtue."

Chizuru Yukimura:: “But, th-that's not...!"

Kyou Shiranui: "Give it up. He doesn’t wanna hear it."

Chizuru Yukimura: "No way!"

Chikage Kazama: "Hm... Fine. I'll overlook this for today. But know this, Chizuru. Once I set my eyes on my prey, I never let it escape. I suggest you ready yourself by coming to a decision.”

Chizuru Yukimura: "Kazama-senpai! Wait...!”

Without listening to a word I said, he turned and left, along with Amagiri-senpai and Shiranui-senpai.

...As they were leaving, Amagiri-senpai bowed deeply to me.

Chizuru Yukimura: “I would rather that he deny it along with me, though...”

"Phew..."

Somehow, after that, a wave of exhaustion came over me, and I let out a sigh. At that moment…

Isami Kondou: "Hm? If it isn't Yukimura-kun. Are you heading home now?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Kondou-sensei!"

This is Isami Kondou, the founder of Hakuouki Academy. He was always full of enthusiasm. Just watching him and his energy inspired me to do my best, too. His topknot hairstyle surprised me at first. But it seemed that he sports one as his own policy of sorts.

Isami Kondou: "Glad to see you're doing well. Have you had any issues lately?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Thank you very much. Everyone's very kind and polite, so I'm doing well!"

Isami Kondou: "I see, I see, that's great! To think that you're the only girl among a sorry lot of guys."

Isami Kondou: "Even now, I think the admission interview was a bit crazy. I'm sorry about that."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Ahaha..."

As I remembered the Hakuou Academy entrance exam, a wry smile came to my face.

That was back in the winter of this year. I was at a loss for which school I should attend.

My friend, Osen-chan, suggested Shimabara Girls' High, which she was attending... It was an upper-class all-girls school, and I was worried about the formalities and expensive tuition fees.

Many other schools also interested me, and I just couldn't make up my mind.

Then, as I was trying to decide…

Heisuke Toudou: "Hey, Chizuru! Come to my school! Starting next year, they'll accept girls as well!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh... Really?"

Heisuke Toudou: "Really! Go to the same school as me!"

At Heisuke-kun's suggestion, I began researching Hakuou Academy.

The tuition was pretty cheap, but more importantly, their educational ideals resonated deeply with me.

And so, I decided to take the entrance exam for Hakuou Academy.

It was difficult, but thanks to the work I put into revising, I managed to pass somehow. What I was most nervous about was actually the interview afterwards. What would they ask me? As my heart began to pound thinking that, the person I faced in the interview was…

Toshizou Hijikata: "...Chizuru Yukimura. Our academy will begin to admit girls for the first time next year. Depending on the situation, the number of girls may be considerably low. Could you focus on your studies in such an environment?"

Chizuru Yukimura: “...I may have fewer female friends, which might be lonely. But studying is bound to be the main priority for school, so I'll be fine."

Toshizou Hijikata: "...Why did you choose our school?"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Though this is embarrassing to admit… For one, the tuition is cheap. I don't want to burden my father,” I said. “Beyond that, a childhood friend of mine attends this school, and he told me this was a good place... And after looking into it, it seemed to me that this academy creates an environment that puts their students first... So now, I want to study here. That's what I truly think."

Toshizou Hijikata "...I see."

For some reason, Hijikata-sensei had kept silent for a while after that.

With his most serious expression yet, he had finally opened his mouth again, and asked me this:

Toshizou Hijikata: "...Last question. Can you recite our school's educational philosophy?"

Of course, I had responded immediately.

Chizuru Yukimura: "Yes! It's 'Sincerity'!"

Toshizou Hijikata: "......"

After that, I made it. I was able to pass the admissions process.

At the time, I would never have guessed I'd be the only girl in the school. That had me fairly worried at first.

Isami Kondou: "I can tell you now that Toshi was against accepting female students until the very last minute.” He continued, "Ah... How do I put it? Um, we're a school with a short history, even if we have noble ideals and whatnot... So, when the proposal to accept girls was raised, Toshi insisted it'd distract the current students and disrupt their discipline."

Chizuru Yukimura: "S-So that's what happened..."

Isami Kondou: "The compromise was that Toshi would interview candidates himself. And here you are ― the only girl who passed! But I am really sorry. You must have felt out of place. I wouldn't blame you for feeling nervous..."

Chizuru Yukimura: "Kondou-sensei... It's true that I did at first, but I'm alright now. And besides... Now that I'm enrolled here, I think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made!"

Isami Kondou: "R-Really...! Thank you!! There may be hard times along with the good ones… But I want you to be proud that you're a student Toshi himself accepted, and enjoy your time here. As the principal of this school, I'll be watching over you!"

Chizuru Yukimura: "Thank you so much!"

Mr. Kondou waved me off with a smile and, after waving back at him, I left the school.

Chizuru Yukimura: "I'm home...! ...Haah... It feels kind of lonely when nobody's home..."

My father, a doctor, was on a business trip to some remote island, and wouldn’t be coming home for a while.

Our family clinic was also closed. While I was used to it by then, I think I took it for granted that someone would welcome me home before.

Chizuru Yukimura: "Hm?"

‘I should probably reply as soon as I can.’

-----

Sub: About emails

Since we're in the same class and we're pretty much friends, I'll tell you something.

At the entrance ceremony, the school admins announced that they would contact us via email. Have you registered an address?

You're going to start receiving emails, but apparently you can only reply to them right on the spot when you receive them.

You'll be able to check your email history later, but you can't reply.

If you want to reply to a message, reply on the spot.

Well, even if the school contacts you, I'm sure it'll just be chatter from teachers and students anyway.

That's all I wanted to tell you.

-----

Chizuru Yukimura: "Huh?"

"It's Ibuki-kun again."

-----

Sub: Ryuunosuke Shop Grand Opening

My bad, I forgot I needed to tell you one more thing.

As you spend time at Hakuo Academy, you'll accumulate points from doing things like replying to emails or playing mini-games.

Now that my shop has opened, you can exchange those points for various goods at the shop.

There is a limit to the number of points you can have, so use them quickly.

There are also certain things that cannot be obtained until a certain time has passed, so come and look often.

I mean.

The operation of this shop is a matter of life or death for me.

I'm begging you!

Please exchange points!

-----

"Alright, I guess I'll take a look next time."

After I checked the email from Ibuki-kun, I put my phone on my desk and looked out the window.

Chizuru Yukimura: "...I have my friends and teachers. It'll be okay."

‘Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day. I'm sure I won't have time to feel lonely then.’

A place dear to my heart, where I could enjoy my everyday life.

My days at Private Hakuo Academy had only just begun――

#Hakuouki #Hakuoki #Hakuouki SSL #otome #fan translation #common route #prologue #updated

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fierce-little-miana · 4 years

Text

Meetings

Here is my first entry for the @saitofest 2020 following the prompt Fond Memories | The Best of the Best, beta-read by the lovely and frighteningly fast and efficient @fleeting-blossom-of-the-dawn (thank you so much). Thank you to @impracticaldemon for organizing and @queengurako for helping with the information.

This is a onceagainbutwithfeeling fic about Saito arrival at the Shinsengumi. Technically this is canon compliant and historically ‘informed’ (just like your favorite period dramas are). Enjoy!

(and if I made a mistake in the way people addressed each other just know that I am sorry, I did my best)

Edo was not as loud as Saito remembered it. The city was as heavy as the summer heat, but it was more bearable than it had been two years ago, like a wound which had closed. People’s accent wasn’t singing to his hear but it wasn’t accusing him either. He found himself capable of walking as he had done in Kyoto, one step after another toward a goal. Yet, he still caught himself stopping for a few seconds, looking for something familiar. Nothing came, even the cicadas chirping sounded foreign.

“And this our main courtyard,” Inoue said pointing to a square in front of them. “Kondo-san likes to organize contests here.”

Saito nodded to his guide who was smiling at him. The moment lasted a bit longer than it was comfortable and he saw the man’s muscles around his mouth twitch, the smile never disappearing. Had he expected another answer? Before Saito could even try adding something to show proper respect to Inoue the man declared with some affability.

“Well I guess you would rather want to meet everyone Saito-kun? Follow-me.”

This time the man turned away without waiting for an answer. Saito went after him in silence letting his eyes take the courtyard in a bit more. It was very neat. He had heard conflicting things about the Shieikan dojo, not all of them good, but everyone agreed on the fact that it brought together unusual men. He was glad discipline wasn’t disregarded nevertheless.

“You studied with Yoshida-san in Kyoto, right?”

Saito’s attention snapped back to Inoue. Tentatively he answered:

“Ha…”

“You didn’t want to continue there?”

He felt no ill intention behind the question, just honest curiosity.

“I was unable to attain the Menkyo Kaiden,” he answered while putting his right hand on the hilt of the sword he carried on the same side.

It was Inoue’s turn to answer with only a nod. He did so after a short instant of consideration. Then he kept leading him within the compound. Saito wondered what it must feel like, to welcome in one’s school someone who had failed somewhere else. Surely no-one wanted a student like that. Still as long as the man was ready to guide, he was willing to follow.

Saito could now hear voices. Two more turns on the engawa and they arrived in front of a room whose shoji were wide open to try to create some sort of draught to fight the summer heat.

There was a dozen of men in the room, training with vigor. Two of them were directing the session. The first instructor was the largest and the loudest of the two. He wore a green bandana and was correcting a group of three men at the same time. Saito was first taken aback by his conduct, but he quickly realized that the advice he was giving was clear and appropriate. The trainees looked attentive and eager to satisfy his demands. His stance was quite good too. If his apparent physical strength was matched by enough kenjutsu talent he could be a dangerous opponent.

But it was the second instructor that drew his attention. He didn’t look much older than Saito but clearly he was the one who most set the trainees on edge. He walked through the room, apparently relaxed, but his pass had something feline about it. Something that didn’t bode well for anyone crossing him. And indeed, when a trainee started to get distracted and sloppy the man would stop in front of him and fix him up until he was somehow capable of correcting his form. This was not an efficient teaching technique by any means, but Saito had to recognize that the instructor was razor sharp in noticing mistakes and lack of discipline. His green eyes seemed acute to his surroundings. Unsurprisingly they had fixed upon Saito when he appeared in full view of the room.

He wasn’t completely hostile but not far off and didn’t even bother to hide it. Still Saito did not budge. There was something about this man that gave him the urge to face him.

“Hey Gen-san, who is the visitor?” a red-haired man sitting at Saito and Inoue’s right asked.

“This is Saito-kun,” the man kindly answered. “He has expressed interest in our dojo.”

“Hajimemashite Saito-san. I am Harada Sanosuke and this is Todo Heisuke.” he said while pointing to his neighbor.

“Hajimemashite!” the latter exclaimed.

Saito slightly bowed to both of them while answering in the same manner. He felt a certain curiosity coming from both men but none as potent as the one of the green-eyed instructor.

“Sano-kun are Toshi or Isami around?” Inoue asked.

“No, they are out on business and Sannan-san is with them. Considering the hour I doubt they will be back before tomorrow, probably enjoying the pleasure of a night out.” Harada added with a grin.

Inoue sighed before turning toward Saito.

“I am sorry Saito-kun, I thought you could meet and discuss with them today. Would you mind coming back tomorrow?”

“I don’t mind Inoue-san,” Saito turned toward Harada and Todo. “It was nice meeting you two.”

“Same,” the red-haired warrior simply answered.

His guide started to walk back toward the entrance and Saito followed. As long as he was in view of the training room he could feel the green eyes of the instructor on him, unyielding.

* * *

“What was that about this afternoon?” Shinpachi asked while entering to join them for dinner.

This made Souji focus. Finally, a conversation that might be more interesting than Heisuke complaining about his seasoning. The Shieikan dojo did receive unannounced visitors from time to time but they were rarely coming with good intentions. Having an unknown left-handed warrior walking in the compound was probably bad news for Kondo. What was Gen thinking showing him around?

“No idea,” Sanosuke answered while moving to the right to leave some room for Shinpachi to seat. “I wanted to ask Gen-san but he apparently left to run some errands just after escorting our ‘guest’ out. He hasn’t come back, so I guess he joined Kondo-san and the others.”

“Come on! You talked to them, you know at least more than Souji and I do.”

Sanosuke’s eyes went to Souji who nodded his support to Shinpachi. The more they knew the better. If people thought they could just scout Kondo’s dojo before making trouble they were gravely mistaken. Sanosuke sighed:

“He wasn’t much of a talker, we introduced each other that’s all.”

“That’s an understatement,” Heisuke intervened. “The guy was gloomy!”

“You might want to take a page from his book. I doubt he was much older than you and yet he had so much more gravity,” Sanosuke added with a smile.

They were getting distracted. Who cared about the gravity of the man? It was just another way to add to his humorless demeanor. Souji couldn’t care less about that.

“And was our dark and not-so-tall stranger’s name?” he asked while putting his chopstick down.

“Saito.”

Souji snorted. So, mister mysterious was indeed surrounded by secrecy. Did he think anonymity would protect him from retribution? That was an issue though. It would be complicated getting info on him with just his name.

“That’s extremely convenient,” he finally commented.

“Is it?” Heisuke asked. “How many left-handed Saito could be running around Edo?”

“Are you serious? Do you realize how many people have this name? I know at least three left-handed Saito. One of them is working in tea shop. She is taller than you shrimp.”

Heisuke tried to send his elbow into Sanosuke’s side for that. The red-haired man only had to move a little to dodge it. They kept fighting even as Shinpachi said under his breath:

“That’s odd.”

Souji’s attention was entirely on him now. Shinpachi looked absorbed in his thoughts. While noisy the man had a head for politics that sometimes lead him into long and apparently captivating conversations with Kondo. Souji never took part in them but he stayed around. Currently Shinpachi had the same look on his face that when I was about to make some decisive point. Unfortunately for Souji he was staring to get pulled into Heisuke and Sanosuke’s oral jab.

“Keep talking Shinpachi-san.”

His three companions went silent. Their eyes were on him. They were uneasy. People, expect Kondo, sometimes looked at him like that. Sometimes he knew why sometimes he didn’t. His voice tone was probably off. In any case that served him well.

“It is nothing Souji, don’t worry.”

Ah, Shinpachi was already recovering from whatever he had felt. Usual. Souji had to act quickly because if Shinpachi decided to ignore him no matter what he would then do, even more deliberate things, it would just slip on the man. But before he could add anything it was Sanosuke who surprisingly came to his help:

“Just tell him. He has the look on his face that says that he won’t leave us alone until he knows whatever he thinks you are hiding. He is going to be an ass all evening.”

Well he didn’t exactly like the formulation, and he had to fight back the urge of retorting something - he didn’t know what but something - but it worked.

“It is just that it reminded me of something. One or two years ago two idiot kids ended up dueling each other. One of them was a Hatamoto’s son and the other one the son of a lowly samurai. Surprisingly it was the Hatamoto’s son who was killed. Long story short it was quite a scandal and the lowly samurai son was forced to flee Edo.”

“And?” Souji asked.

“I think the kid was left-handed.”

Souji found nothing to say to that, nor was Shinpachi ready to tell him more. Slowly the evening meal went back to its normal rhythm. While the chatter grew around him, Souji considered what he just learned. It didn’t mean that mystery man was the lowly samurai son of course. It was probably just a coincidence. And even if it wasn’t, having killed someone wouldn’t give his adversary an edge on him.

He forced his hands to open. At some point they had contracted on his hakama. No, whoever this man was, whatever he had done, it wouldn’t change a thing.

* * *

Saito came back. This time no-one was there to welcome him. He had hesitated at the gate. Wandering alone, and armed, in a dojo was a bad idea. Especially considering that he didn’t come to make enemies. Still he had been told to return today, so he entered.

He was able to come right to the middle of the Shieikan, where he had witnessed the training session the day before. Today the shoji were closed and it felt as if he had failed something. The cicadas were singing again making the day look like a distorted repeat of his first visit. He didn’t particularly like hot weather, but he usually endured it without a complaint. Right now, it was more suffocating than ever. He would have been lying if he said that at this moment he didn’t consider turning back, yet he called out:

“Pardon me, is anyone in?”

There was a movement on his right. The four men he had noticed in the training room yesterday were standing in the shadow of an engawa. The green eyes were once again fixed on him.

“Who is it?” the instructor asked looking like he had very much been waiting for him. “Did he come to challenge our school?”

Saito was expecting that. There was apparently no-one else around despite Inoue’s word. Probably they had made their decision before he came back and let their best students handle him. He saw no point in correcting their wrong assumption. The man was spoiling for a fight. The three others weren’t as antagonistic, but they didn’t look ready to stop their peer either. Well he was used to that. He could give the man what he was looking for.

Facing his silence, the green-eyed instructor joined him. His mouth was smiling but his eyes weren’t, and his informality had an edge to it.

“Follow-me.”

He went into the training room with him, the three other men following behind. Today the room was mainly closed which gave it a stifling atmosphere. His interlocutor gave him a bokken and they faced each other. The green-eyed man was still smiling when he started speaking again with faked candor in his voice:

“I still haven’t asked for your name yet, haven’t I? I guess I might as well ask while you can still talk.”

“Saito Hajime,” he simply answered unfazed by the bravado of his adversary.

“Saito-kun, ne? I am Okita Souji, nice to meet you.”

His surprise and his politeness were feigned but his confidence wasn’t. Saito assured his grip on the bokken.

“Shinpachi-san, could you act as our referee?” Okita suddenly asked to the other instructor.

“Sure,” he answered with a bit of hesitation.

The man took his place before turning toward Saito, much to his surprise:

“Hey, are going to be okay? Souji’s the star student of our dojo.”

“There is no need for concern,” Saito answered and he took his stand.

Okita’s smile grew wider and he joined Saito. There was a short moment in which their bokken touched and they were only facing each other. Both of them were intensely focused and Saito had no trouble believing what Shinpachi had said.

“Hajime!”

Saito kept his stance as it was but Okita changed his guard calmly, bringing his bokken behind him. Fine he would engage.

He went toward Okita at full speed aiming for his head. His adversary seemed surprised for a split-second but managed to dodge. Saito carried on with multiple thrusts, nearly landing a blow several times. Still he didn’t manage to actually make a hit. Okita finally warded his attack off and Saito was forced to draw back.

That was unexpected but not as much as the nearly immediate counterattack he barely managed to fend off. He was good. Very good. Saito hadn’t had an adversary like that in ages, forcing him on the defensive. He took a vicious blow on his left side, several inches under the heart. It should have taken his breath away, but he gritted his teeth and put all his weight in a counter blow that allowed him to regain some edge.

The referee had screamed something that Saito barely registered. He had to focus on his adversary, thankfully Okita seemed in the same mindset. They traded several other blows, perfectly countering each other none of them managing to gain the upper hand.

At some point they came to a halt, if one could call it that. Their bokken were pushing against each other and both of them were putting as much of their weight in their confrontation as they could without risking unbalance. Okita was panting as much as him but he still surprisingly managed to speak:

“You are stronger than I expected. No one’s been able to dodge my thrusts before.”

“You are the first person I fail to defeat in my first move.”

Okita smiled more earnestly this time, a bizarrely gratifying sight. Unfortunately for Saito his adversary was considerably taller than him and his superior size ultimately gave him the advantage in their current confrontation. He was once again thrown a few steps backward and they started giving and repelling blows. Someone else was screaming now. Saito didn’t recognize the voice and had no time to try to.

Suddenly Shinpachi and Todo were on Okita. Saito barely managed to take a step back in surprise before Harada caught his right arm. It took an enormous effort from Saito to break his fight like that, but he recognized an immediate request to stop when he saw one. He went still trying to find his breath back. In front of him Okita was struggling against the two men who had more or less physically restrained him. His eyes were still fixed on Saito.

Now that he was a bit more able to take his surroundings in Saito noticed that two men had arrived, one of them looking quite angered by what he saw but it was the other one who spoke:

“You were quite impressive!”

The compliment surprised him. He wasn’t used to this. He took two more breaths in before messily answering with a question:

“I fight using a left-handed stance, does that not bother you?”

His interlocutor seemed surprise, as if he hadn’t even noticed it. It was the other man, the one with the long black hair, who reacted. Somehow his comment seemed to have made him angrier but strangely not at Saito:

“Whether you use a right-handed stance or a left-handed stance, it doesn’t change the fact that you are strong.”

Saito was struck dumb. He had never expected that, maybe a grudging welcome, but certainly not at total acknowledgement. The men were talking in front of him. He had to focus to listen to them.

“He is the boy Gen-san told us about. I wanted to test him, but I think this won’t be necessary, don’t you think Toshi?”

“Indeed, I don’t think it will be necessary Kondo-san,” the man with the long hair answered with a smile on his face.

Kondo-san? So this man was the head of the Shieikan dojo. Saito knew he was supposed to bow to him but somehow he did not manage to. His attention was fixed on the man with the long ponytail.

“So, would you follow us uhm?” Kondo asked.

It took Saito a minute to realize that the man was talking to him. He was supposed to introduce himself. By the time he had actually intellectualized this Okita was answering for him:

“This is Saito Hajime-kun.”

“Would you follow us Hajime-kun? We have things to discuss.”

Kondo and the other man started to lead the way out of the training room. He wanted to follow. He wanted it so bad he might have never wanted something as badly in his entire life. But he couldn’t. Maybe if he started moving again all of this would disappear. He would again be the left-handed warrior no-one wanted to be associated with no matter what.

Someone gave him a friendly slap in the back. He was forced to take a step forward not to fall.

“Welcome Hajime-kun, I am looking forward to sparring with you again,” Okita said with a wicked grin while going after Kondo and the other man.

Everything was still here. The training room, his uneven breathing from the impromptu duel, Harada, Shinpachi and Todo next to him, Okita, Kondo and the black-haired man in front of him. The welcome was new. It was a good change.

#saitofest #hakuouki #hakuoki #saito hajime #okita souji #and a lot others #and yes it is canon compliant #just because you have suspicions that your best friend has already killed someone doesn't mean that you know for sure

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sparklyjojos · 4 years

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CARNIVAL DAY recaps [1/13]

These will be recaps for Carnival Day, the book right after Carnival. The first three parts for this will have a bit of a different structure, but afterwards the normal chapter numbers from Carnival will resume.

Today’s recap: What Juku and Yasha were doing during the entire mess in Carnival, or: I’m starting to think that the author expresses his love for characters by torturing them emotionally.

[BOOK III — CARNIVAL CUT]

FIRST ILLUSION

10 Aug 1996 — 23 Aug 1996

[The narration tells us that Yasha will now be reminiscing about the events that happened after the JDC explosion, reconstructing the events of the first half of the Crime Olympics. The next 200 pages or so are narrated by him, but I’ll be using licentia poetica (licentia recapica?) here and do third person. Also notice we’re covering two weeks per chapter now.]

In the beginning of August 1996, Inugami Yasha, Tsukumo Juku, and Tousen Yomiko were staying in Shunkashuutou, the Tsukumo family’s summer residence in Shimane prefecture.

Juku had just found Yasha’s missing bombay cat Kanaihidetaka and was about to explain the mystery of its disappearance, but was interrupted by the sound of his cellphone. [His ringtone is the theme from Nippon Manga Mukashi Banashi, a children anime adaptation of Japanese folk tales. That’s cute.]

(Yasha attempts to describe Juku here, but the best he can do is to say the man had his trademark sunglasses and long black hair, and was beautiful; it seems like very little description, but in Juku’s case it’s more than enough.)

The call was clearly not a happy one, seeing as Juku’s voice quickly grew sorrowful, and after the call ended he just stood there motionless for a long moment like a beautiful statue. Yasha had never seen him so overwhelmed. It took a gentle question from Yomiko for Juku to say that JDC headquarters in Kyoto had been blown up, that many people were dead or missing, and that he had to return there immediately.

Yasha instantly declared he was going too. Yomiko also wanted to join them, but Juku asked her to stay and take care of Shunkashuutou, as he wasn’t sure when they’d be back. Her offer to take care of Kanaihidetaka in the meanwhile was also overturned (Yasha knew how hard it was to keep an eye on the cat and preferred to keep it close), so she at least borrowed them a backpack to hold the cat in and walked them down to the train station.

They arrived at the scene in the evening. Juku talked with a few of his fellow detectives, like Yaiba Somahito, Ryuuguu Jounosuke, and Yuiga Dokuson. That was actually the first time Dokuson had ever entered JDC grounds, as he had only recently passed the entrance exam and was supposed to start working as a detective the next month. Strange how someone like that would just become JDC’s leader out of nowhere, but Yasha didn’t voice his protest, because it’s not like he knew the guy’s skills.

All the death and destruction had a visible emotional impact on Juku. He looked especially distraught by the disappearance of Ajiro Souji, who he had been close friends with ever since the legendary Saimon Family Murder Case. It was even more shocking that the man had disappeared into thin air instead of just being found dead.

Another puzzling thing was a fax sent to JDC just before the explosion, which announced that the sender, “Tsukumo Jaki”, would kill Juku during the current century and that no one could stop it. The message resembled a similar “announcement” sent to JDC during the Locked Room Lord case, but Yasha still couldn’t take it seriously at first, because there was no way someone like Juku would die (although this was more Yasha’s wishful thinking than a proper analysis of the situation).

Dokuson ordered Juku to physically keep away from the organization for now, which earned him quite a lot of disbelieving stares and protests from others, but in the end Juku himself said it would be for the best.

Starting with August 10th, the death rate in the entire world skyrocketed, instantly reaching an average of four million per day in comparison with the usual hundred and thirty thousand. The terrorist organization RISE announced that it was the doing of their “Invisible Soldiers”, that the Crime Olympics had started, and that the one responsible for the JDC explosion was an almighty transcendent being known as the Billion Killer who would continue to kill people on 1 PM local time every Saturday. Indeed, a week later (August 17th) another explosion destroyed the Empire State Building in New York.

Back in Shunkashuutou, Juku and Yasha talked about what to do. Juku of course wouldn’t stand for just hiding like a coward until the end of the century, and the sooner he could go back to help JDC the better, so the most pressing matter was uncovering the true identity of Tsukumo Jaki.

Apart from the daily call from Dokuson, Juku was also contacted by Ronely Queen, an S-detective who had just solved the case of the serial killer Deep Cut and wanted to get Juku’s opinion on a few remaining details.

Juku told Yasha that while the police arrested the bomber who blew up JDC, it was probably a fake culprit, as many details didn’t fit. Yasha too got the feeling that a case of someone called something as grand as the Billion Killer probably wasn’t this simple to solve. In the cases of both JDC and Empire State, a trio wearing black suits and sunglasses had been spotted before the explosions, and skulls made of a strange material were left in the ruins.

Juku thought that there must have been a trick behind the explosions that they would have to solve as quickly as possible. For some reason, no one could find any remains of the explosive used for the Empire State case, as if the building was pulverized in another way. Yasha said that they should probably leave that to others and worry about Tsukumo Jaki first, which Juku agreed with. (Yasha couldn’t see his eyes due to the sunglasses, but got a feeling like Juku was staring somewhere far into space after this conversation—into the uncertain future or maybe the distant past.)

The grim mood was interrupted when Yomiko called them for dinner, which she had clearly put a lot of heart in, as it was the last day of their stay at Shunkashuutou.

Petting Kanaihidetaka, Yasha looked at the cat’s golden collar with an engraved letter D and thought about its previous owner.

SECOND ILLUSION

24 Aug 1996 — 06 Sept 1996

It would be dangerous for Juku to keep walking around in public, so he had to spend his entire time cooped up in a hotel room in Kyoto. He was still quite busy, as both JDC and DOLL called him constantly for remote help with cases. He also took care of Kanaihidetaka whenever Yasha was out investigating. Though keeping pets in the hotel was prohibited, the owner happened to be a big fan of Juku and made an exception.

In the next two weeks of the Crime Olympics, another two detective organizations were blown up, but the serial bombing apparently became its own case independent of the Billion Killer, who moved on to do other things. On August 24th, the stones of Stonehenge in England fell over and crushed seventy tourists. On August 31st, Cappadocia’s rock monastery was burned off the face of the earth, killing a movie crew.

On the same day as the Stonehenge case, the Carnac stones of France were somehow thrown on top of people’s heads killing about a hundred, too big of a coincidence not to try connecting it to the English incident (even though no strange skull was found in France). The culprit of the Carnac stones case was quickly found by DOLL’s leader, the S-detective Zerofini “Madame Alpha” Roi. However, the trick used in the crime remained a mystery. Yasha thought it weird that Madame would guess the culprit without knowing the trick, but Juku assured him it wasn’t anything strange for her, as she used “Zero Reasoning” that far outshined any standard logical methods.

Juku said that the Cappadocia case would definitely prove hard to solve, considering that no one even witnessed the moment of destruction; the only clues were signs of high heat treatment on the now empty rock base of the monastery. With all those falling stones they at least knew that someone had purposefully made it look like they fell by themselves, which limited the number of possible tricks used.

Yasha thought that perhaps the reason for Tsukumo Jaki targeting Juku had something to do with the Billion Killer, but had no idea what exactly the connection could be.

Right after the Carnac stones case, Ryuuguu Jounosuke and Tsukumo Nemu came to France to investigate as a duo. There they met with Hikimiya Yuuya, who had been staying in Paris. When the three were in a cafe, a waiter died in what looked like a poisoning case, which led to Jounosuke becoming a suspect. However, it turned out that the waiter hadn’t been poisoned, but died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Jounosuke was free to go, but soon afterwards he suddenly collapsed, and the nearby hospital confirmed that he had been infected with the Alive virus.

Alive had first emerged in August, hotspots improbably appearing in many different places of the world at once, which made it hard to contain. Contraction always resulted in the eventual arrival of symptoms resembling the sleeping sickness, which culminated in the patient entering deep sleep until death from dehydration. Even with proper care only two or three percent people were able to recover, and even then they could suffer major after-effects like memory loss. The quick spread of the disease at first made everyone fear it was airborne, but experts confirmed that the virus at fault was likely transmitted by blood and body fluids.

The news that his friend contracted a deadly disease left Juku speechless. Yasha knew that he and Jounosuke had been close friends since childhood, having met for the first time during the Saimon Family Murder Case. Juku seemed not as much sad, as at a complete and utter loss for words; even someone as stoic as him couldn’t help but be visibly moved by all the tragedy around.

When he was finally able to focus on reasoning again, Juku said that it was strange how a virus that wasn’t airborne spread so quickly, and that he couldn’t quite imagine when Jounosuke could have been infected (that waiter didn’t have Alive).

While Yasha was spending time with Juku, he kept in contact with his family, especially with Sayo, an older woman who had been helping around the house since time immemorial and treated Yasha like her own grandson. She was a very caring person—maybe a bit too caring, as she constantly worried over “young master Yasha” (which he hated being addressed as) like he was still a child, and complained about him not calling her frequently enough. [Imagine every nagging grandma ever. That’s Sayo.]

Two days before the Cappadocia case, Sayo called Yasha saying that the United Nations sent them a letter addressed to him. UN planned to fight RISE by creating UND (United Nations Detectives), an organization similar to DOLL and comprised of the finest private detectives. They were inviting Yasha to join their ranks.

Around the same time, Yomiko called Juku to say she had received a similar invitation to UND. (Yasha thought it was a good move on the UN part, as he knew first-hand from the Locked Room Lord case that her psychology-related reasoning method made her a good detective). Yomiko already decided she would accept the offer.

Yasha was a bit surprised that Yomiko would go investigate around the world right now, considering that she looked so worried about Juku being in danger. Juku explained that he actually had to explicitly tell her to follow her dreams—she was clearly eager to help restore the world’s harmony, so she should just go and stop worrying about him, and besides, he didn’t want to mix other people too much into his own trouble.

Yasha declared that he would stay and keep on helping Juku, especially since he had promised that to Dokuson. But then again, he also felt he should go back home if only for a short time so Sayo would stop pestering him with calls. Juku was alright with it, considering he wanted to leave Kyoto for a while too, to go back to Shunkashuutou and check a few things in his family’s library.

Before they'd go their separate ways, they talked about all the mysteries once more.

The serial bombing of detective organization was still going on, but since everyone had already caught on after New York, all those organizations would have everyone leave their headquarters around 1 PM local time. The next two explosions resulted in no casualties.

Juku was highly interested in “the pregnant genius” Hanto Maimu, the previous JDC secretary who could apparently predict the Billion Killer cases. A pretty outrageous theory said that her predictions came from the child she was pregnant with, who had somehow genetically inherited the knowledge about the planned cases from their RISE-affiliated father Tanna Sazen.

As for Ajiro Souji’s disappearance, Juku couldn’t explain it yet, and acknowledged that it was the least pressing matter right now. (Even though Ajiro wasn’t around, Yasha could tell that he nevertheless was still a point of support and hope for Juku, and could only imagine how great of a person he had to be.)

The night before the two detectives would head separate ways, a fire broke out in the hotel and engulfed their floor. Juku and Yasha (and the cat) managed to escape through the window with help from firefighters, but a few other people died.

When they found themselves in the crowd of onlookers outside the hotel, Juku got a call from someone. As soon as the call ended he got Yasha to listen to a recording of it. The mysterious caller used a voice changer.

“I could have killed you today. I only didn’t because there is still time left. Continue to suffer through the current century. You cannot run from your fated death…”

There was no doubt: the caller as well as the arsonist had to be Tsukumo Jaki.

THIRD ILLUSION

07 Sept 1996 — 20 Sept 1996

Even though Juku was in danger, he firmly refused Yasha’s offer of sticking together instead of following their separate plans. Hiding in hotels wouldn’t accomplish much, since Jaki had been able to find them and several people lost their lives for it. Juku didn’t intend to let anyone else die because of him.

And so, just like the two had planned earlier, they parted ways for some time.

[Yasha’s reminiscing moves to an earlier time.]

Shortly before the Crime Olympics, Yasha was in the middle of China, undergoing training to polish his reasoning method and thinking a lot about the difference between his insomnia reasoning and Juku’s Jintsuuriki.

Yasha wasn’t as quick as Juku in solving cases, but he wasn’t much slower either. Both of them were meta-detectives, so their reasonings had a similar basis of suddenly getting enlightened as to the truth, solving any case as long as they had the necessary data. All that seemed more like traits of fictional detective characters than actual human beings, and maybe that’s why people like them were treated like superheroes. Some believed that meta-reasoning was like getting information from God, but it was actually perfectly normal logical thinking, just incredibly fast.

DOLL had created the category of “meta-detectives” as separate of their letter rankings, the term meaning that they “surpassed the meta level”. The category was pretty broad and encompassed many different distinct reasoning methods.

Yasha’s mentor told him that the reason he never solved a case faster than Juku was because his insomnia reasoning was still not perfected, so Yasha trained hard in the mountains, but it didn’t seem to have the desired effect.

It was at that time that Yasha met a young man calling himself D, who was on the brink of death and looked like he had been running away from somewhere. D revealed that his real name was Kanai Hidetaka [which is the author’s real name], left Yasha a cryptic message, and asked him to search for his black cat named after himself. He passed away soon afterwards.

The cryptic message was: the most supreme jewel Shinrui will be the key to solving the mystery of the last case of humanity. Even D himself didn’t know what it meant, just that it was important.

Finding a single black cat in the entirety of Japan seemed like a tall order, but once Yasha got back to the country, he happened to see missing posters with D’s face and was able to meet his parents in Shiga. They indeed had a black kitten called Kanaihidetaka (do not separate that name) that wore a shining collar with an engraved “D”. Once Yasha explained his plight, the parents gave him the cat and said their son had been working in the ryokan Geneijo in northern Kyoto, where he was known as “Employee D”.

At that point in time, Yasha had already assisted Juku with many cases, and even though the Geneijo Murder Case wasn’t one of them, he knew a little about it. The strange coincidence made him call Juku, who promised to meet him at Shunkashuutou later to talk about it—that was the entire reason why Yasha, Juku and Yomiko met there.

Then Kanaihidetaka went missing, but was found by Juku the morning of the fateful August 10th. Juku seemed intrigued by the cat’s collar. Apparently the Ryuuguu family’s dog Tamatebako had an identical collar, except with the letter R. Both collars were made out of strange metal that shone with all the colors of the rainbow. When Juku called Otohime, she recalled that Tamatebako had always had its collar, and they even tried in vain to find the dog’s owner before they took it in. The collar stayed on, since the R fit with the family name Ryuuguu.

There clearly had to be a connection between that D and that R. (Yasha’s personal association was DNA and RNA, but that probably wasn’t the case.)

Yasha, Juku and Yomiko talked a lot about D’s cryptic message. Could that “last case of humanity” have something to do with the Crime Olympics?

Yasha still hadn’t mentioned an important thing, which was that he had dyed his hair silver after meeting D. With his last breath, D said what sounded like “kaminoke… silver”, so “hair, silver”. Yasha did what he thought he had been asked to do. Once he came to Shunkashuutou and explained why his hair looked so weird now, Juku made him realize that D probably meant something else.

A legend said that the ghost of Pytia the oracle appeared in the ruined Temple of Apollo and delivered messages from gods. Juku swore he met the ghost once, the revelation he obtained allowing him a better grasp of Jintsuuriki. The oracle’s name was Silva or Siva (the pronunciation wasn’t clear in the middle).

What D was trying to say was “kami no keiji… silva”, so “[listen to the] divine revelation... [of] Silva”. Clearly Yasha would have to meet that Silva one day.

FOURTH ILLUSION

21 Sept 1996 — 04 Oct 1996

While Yasha was away in his hometown, the Billion Killer kept striking again and again.

On September 7th, UN’s new submarine known as the Robo-Ship suddenly disappeared underwater in the Bermuda Triangle. Three headless bodies and a skull of the Billion Killer were found in a lonely pontoon in the area.

On September 14th, a passenger ship sunk near the Cape of Good Hope, the sole survivor claiming they saw a skull of the Billion Killer on the deck just before the impact. Among the bodies recovered from the sea, three wore suits and were inexplicably headless, and a lot of people still haven’t been found.

On September 21st, exactly 401 naked bodies and another skull were found in Machu Picchu.

On September 28th, the Eiffel Tower was destroyed—its upper part cut off, then sent flying by a subsequent explosion—and once again three headless bodies in suits and another skull were found in the aftermath.

Yasha and Juku talked a lot on the phone throughout that month.

Juku received yet another emotional blow when the Robo-Ship disappeared with many UND detectives on board, Yomiko among them. Just like it was with Ajiro’s disappearance, Yomiko simply vanishing seemed to give Juku more perplexed grief than if she was found dead. He couldn’t keep the bewilderment out of his voice.

A JDC detective Suzukaze Unomaru was among the passengers who still haven’t been found after the Cape of Good Hope tragedy. Juku had never really talked with him that much, but Unomaru was still a coworker. (Yasha couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved that at least this person was barely an acquaintance; he was getting worried that if everyone close to Juku kept dying, he’d break down inside even before Jaki had a chance to get him.)

At least Juku’s sister Nemu was just fine and doing major progress. Aside from investigating in Machu Picchu, she also travelled all the way to Moscow pursuing the case of corned beef cans containing human brain tissue, the indirect cause of death of that parisian waiter.

As for the Cape of Good Hope case, they knew that Unomaru had been investigating the rumored appearances of a sea monster and that the ship seemed to have hit something big that the rescue team couldn’t find later. Those facts were probably connected somewhere.

Every time their conversations touched upon the Billion Killer, Yasha got the impression that Juku was holding himself back from saying too much. At first Yasha thought that maybe the man simply despised even thinking about the Billion Killer, but... it felt more like Juku had deep thoughts on the topic that he didn’t want to share just yet.

They also talked about the sudden rise of the number of daily deaths. Considering that it also included accidents and suicides, it would mean that RISE’s Invisible Soldiers were committing murders that didn’t look like murders—the number of those “perfect crimes” was on the (nomen omen) rise.

Criminals kept disappearing from jail en masse, something only the police and detective organizations knew about. One of those disappeared prisoners was the JDC detective Yakuma Suzume, and another was Deep Cut, the serial killer Ronely Queen had caught back in August.

Juku found it improbable that the daily number of deaths would just suddenly jump from a hundred thirty thousand to four million and constantly stay at that level, and he doubted the official UN figures. Alive’s sudden spread also didn’t seem natural to him. He stated that RISE would need to be an unimaginably powerful organization to keep influencing all the media like this.

Even among all the tragedy, Yasha still wanted to believe that everything would end happily ever after. They had no choice but to keep on solving what they could.

[>>>NEXT PART>>>]

#sparkly reads carnival day #maijo and jdc stuff

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hakuoki-dreams · 5 years

Note

Yay!! The ask box is open!!! Do you mind doing some general drinking headcanons for the bachelor's? Any will do!! Thank you for all that you do!! You run an amazing blog!! 💙💙💙

Thanks for the kind words, dude! I did a random assortment of the boys 😉

Okita

Prefers to keep a nice, steady buzz when he’s drinking. No more, no less

Souji might know his limits best out of the whole bunch. Always stops before he’s had too much

He overindulged once or twice back in the Edo days. Waking up with the realization that he couldn’t recall what he did last night was a terrifying and uncomfortable experience for him, and one he never wanted to repeat

Even worse was the fact Saito couldn’t (or wouldn’t?) tell him exactly what happened. He swore him to secrecy just in case

Once Souji gets sick and his appetite lessens, sake is one of the only things he can still stomach. Dr. Matsumoto practically wrote him a daily prescription for it to keep his strength up, to Shinpachi’s jealous dismay

Heisuke

Loves to drink and hasn’t learned self-control

He’s still young and bounces back pretty fast the next day, so he usually feels like he can get away with it

Has a super unrefined palate

Will drink practically anything if it’s offered, although Sano is trying his damndest to teach him to be more discerning

Tends to be a loud and happy drunk; he’s the guy who kicks off all the drinking songs

Will laugh at any joke, no matter how stupid

Hijikata

Poor Toshi. Everyone knows about his lightweight tendencies at this point

He grew up in a very health-conscious family, and both his parents firmly abstained from alcohol, so he never got much practice drinking as a young man

By the time he met Kondou and joined the Shieikan dojo, he found himself far behind his peers in terms of tolerance. He struggled to avoid social outings for a while until finally confiding in Kondou. After that, the two of them would often stay behind on those nights to share tea and talk together

At this point in his life, he’s stopped caring so much about getting teased about it, even by captains under his command. Couldn’t really give a fuck anymore. If he wants to go for a drink, he’ll go for a damn drink

It even works in his favor sometimes. When you really need to let off steam and be able to say some outrageous shit, it helps to have a reputation as a weak drinker to blame it on the next day

Saito

Possibly the highest tolerance in the Shinsengumi

His liver must be some kind of medical miracle. Or maybe it’s the way he can always keep himself composed even when he’s three sheets to the wind

Gets less inhibited when drunk though

Sometimes lets slip a savage or sarcastic remark in response to the rest of the captains’ antics

Usually ends up sharing a bottle of sake with Okita, since they both drink at a similar speed and can pace themselves better than the Baka Trio

Yamazaki

Strictly a social drinker

He’ll go along with drinking outings if it’s a special occasion, but he really doesn’t enjoy the taste of sake or the feeling of being tipsy and unguarded

Usually tends to be a sad, nostalgic drunk

Waxes poetic about his life’s work for the Shinsengumi, or talks about his childhood, or just leans on the shoulder of whoever will listen

It usually falls to Sano to try and get him back in the party spirit

If they’re at Shimabara, his boyish looks and gloomy mood tend to attract some extra attention from the geisha, who always want to try and cheer him up

Shinpachi

Would have something resembling an alcohol problem, if it weren’t for the fact that he hates to drink alone

He instigates well over half their outings to the red-light district

He’s the type to drown his sorrows in sake whenever he can

Shin tends to feel things really strongly, but he’s a little emotionally repressed and hasn’t learned the healthiest ways to work through his issues

Grew up in a big family with several brothers, so he’s been able to hold his liquor since adolescence

He’s learned good hangover prevention methods over the years and always encourages everyone else to get some water before bed

#hakuouki headcanons #okita souji #hijikata toshizo #toudou heisuke #yamazaki susumu #saito hajime #nagakura shinpachi #hakuoki-dreams

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angevon · 5 years

Text

Souyo Nov 2017 Writing Challenge (prompt list)

Day 24: Party/Festival

Links

Souji - AO3, ffnet

Yu - DW, Pillowfort, Tumblr (read it below)

Heh, yes, that’s right, 2017... this is over a year late now... But this is a cute one and hopefully worth the wait. It’s an AU of the Culture Festival Event. Instead of a group date, there’s a kissing booth!

[ko-fi]

It was the first day of Yasogami High's Culture Festival. Yosuke trudged up the stairs to the second floor. He didn't want to take part in some stupid group date cafe, and he was pretty sure no one else did either. Why'd everyone in class vote for that?

At the top of the stairs, though, he stopped and stared, because an unbelievably long queue of fellow students and other festival-goers was lined up outside his classroom. There was Saki-senpai's little brother, and Hanako Ohtani, and that girl who liked being on the roof, and that one old lady in her mourning garb, and...

Yosuke was speechless for a long moment. "W-wait," he finally said. "Are you all here for the group date cafe?"

"What group date cafe?" asked Kou, who was standing in the line. "That doesn't sound like fun at all."

"We're not doing a group date thing," Chie said. She wasn't in line. By the big 'Ask me anything!' sticker on her blouse, she was part of the festival staff, helping visitors find their way around the school. "Come on, Yosuke, you were there when we made the decision in class." She rolled her eyes. "Of course you weren't listening."

"I don't remember," Yosuke admitted. "But I can't say I'm all that disappointed we aren't doing that, even if it was my idea and all."

Kou laughed. "That sounds like one of your ideas."

Yosuke made a face, then asked, "So what are we doing? This hall is more happening than Junes on a sales day."

"Our class is doing a kissing booth, you dork," said Chie.

"What, really?" Yosuke blinked in surprise. Then he narrowed his eyes at Kou. "Wait, you wanna kiss someone other than—oof!"

Kou nudged him hard in the ribs. "Ahaha, no," he said, eyeing Chie with a vaguely panicked expression. "But no one can resist the guy they got at the booth."

"'Guy'?" Yosuke's expression flattened. "It's not Teddie, is it? I mean, he's always charming people at the store."

"Guess again," said Chie.

"It can't be our class rep. I mean, he's got the glasses going for him, but that's not a wide enough appeal."

"One more try."

Yosuke's crossed his arms and thought. Anyone watching him could pinpoint the exact moment the truth dawned on him. "N-no way," he stuttered. "Yu?!"

Chie's toothy grin told him he was right on the money.

"Why don't you get in line, too?" Kou said. "There's room for one more. Or five," he added, as a few more students lined up behind him.

"I don't want to kiss Yu!"

Chie tilted her head. "Well... you're in the minority here."

Bewildered, Yosuke glanced down the long line once more. Some of the students weren't even from Yasogami. Wait, was that a cat!?

"Huh," he said.

He thought of how he'd always wanted his first kiss to be something special under the moonlight. His tentative plan to fake a yawn and stretch his arm out and lazily put it around his girlfriend's shoulders, and then he'd move in and they'd gaze into each others' eyes and...

A kissing booth wasn't romantic at all. Yosuke wondered how many people were going to ruin their first kiss with Yu like this. A lot, by the looks of it. Heck, even Nanako-chan was in line—she waved at him when she noticed him looking—but she was just a little kid so it didn't mean anything.

"You wanna be the only guy who hasn't kissed Yu?" Kou asked.

Yosuke scowled. "Come on, don't make it weird."

"I, for one, am getting a kiss," Kou said.

The line moved then, and Kou moved with it, putting him inside the classroom. Yosuke stared after him, still frowning.

He remembered all the times Yu had listened to him without judgement. How he'd told off those annoying girls at Junes on his behalf, and how he'd always looked after him in the TV World. And when he thought about it, well, Yu did have a really cute smile.

They were best friends, and the truth was that Yu was important to him.

Avoiding everyone's eyes, Yosuke got in line. He could feel Chie sneering at him, but fortunately, she was soon distracted by a student asking for directions to a different event.

Despite its length, the line moved quickly, and soon enough he was inside the classroom, where the line looped around a few desks. He could see the kissing booth situated at the far end, next to the chalkboard. A thick red curtain hung around the front of the booth to allow some privacy. Yosuke appreciated that. He knew he wouldn't want an audience.

One by one, like a production line, people went behind the curtain to get their kiss and left with wistful smiles on their faces. It couldn't be much of a kiss, Yosuke figured, since it happened so quickly. It'd just be in and out. No need to get all nervous about this. Heck, Yu'd probably just kiss his cheek and that'd be it.

Yeah, there's nothing to worry about, Yosuke thought as the line continued to move. It was just a kiss from Yu. His best friend in the whole world. Besides, he was just one person in this big crowd. No one could judge him for being here. He could just point out that they were in line too. And he knew Yu. Yu wouldn't think anything—

"Next?" Yu's voice came from behind the curtain.

Startled, Yosuke glanced around before realizing 1) that he was next and 2) that Yu had called "Next" for him more than once.

With the combined strength of all the glares of everyone in line behind him hitting him full force, Yosuke couldn't hesitate any longer. He hustled around the curtain. Standing there resting his arms on the booth's counter and looking totally relaxed, was Yu.

Totally relaxed only for a second, anyway, because he was startled most ungracefully when he saw Yosuke approach. Yosuke wondered if he was okay, but within seconds Yu had composed himself. "Yosuke," he said, with a somewhat glassy smile as if he hadn't nearly just fallen over. "I didn't expect to see you."

Yosuke waved a hand. "Uh, w-well, it was Chie's idea to come here," he claimed. "And I gotta support our class, you know?"

"Oh," Yu said. "Of course. Umm, okay, then... come closer."

Yosuke nodded, determined to get this over with and move on. He stepped closer and closed his eyes and waited.

Nothing happened.

He opened his eyes. Yu was simply looking at him. Spacing out, maybe? No, it wasn't exactly looking, more like gazing at him in a way that reminded him of a puppy.

"Yu?" Yosuke asked.

Yu blinked back to himself. "Oh. Sorry. Umm, here."

He leaned over the booth's counter and gently set one hand behind Yosuke's head, pulling him a little closer. With the other hand he cupped Yosuke's face. Despite himself, Yosuke's heart began to beat faster. This was closer than he'd ever been to his best friend. His cologne was strong, maybe he'd put it on extra thick today. As for himself, Yosuke hoped he didn't smell as nervous as he suddenly felt.

He closed his eyes, because this would be too embarrassing to watch. Yu's presence drew closer. Warm breath played over his face, building anticipation, and then...

Yu was kissing him. It really was just lips on lips, a simple kiss. Yosuke sighed softly and prepared to draw back as the kiss ended.

Except it didn't end. Yu's soft lips lingered. Then his tongue darted over Yosuke's lips. Confused, Yosuke opened his mouth, and Yu apparently took this as a sign.

The kiss deepened.

Yosuke's alarmed sound was cut short by the realization that this felt good. Yu's hand, steadying the back of his head, was gentle as it threaded fingers into his hair. Yu murmured softly into his mouth, and Yosuke found himself murmuring back. He tasted faintly of mint.

When they finally parted, all Yosuke could do was stare and lick his lips. Yu was staring back at him, too, an odd look on his face that Yosuke didn't recognize.

Yu broke the gaze first. "You should probably go," he said.

"H-huh..." Yosuke managed. Slowly, he remembered where he was. At the Culture Festival, right. He was holding up the line. Other people wanted to kiss Yu, too.

And with a kiss like that, he couldn't blame them.

"R-right," he said. "Uh..."

Yu's eyes were already looking past him, as if he could see around the curtain to the next person in line.

Yosuke stepped away, unsure of what he was feeling. On his way out of the classroom, he didn't notice how the next person in line kept checking his watch.

In a daze, he wandered around the Culture Festival, but didn't find anything he wanted to do. After passing a takoyaki stand, he thought of eating, but he wasn't hungry. The taste of mint was still there in his mouth, making him think of how it'd got there, how it had been passed to him by Yu's tongue. He didn't want to wash it away just yet.

Eventually he ended up on the roof, where some of the Investigation Team were gathered: Rise, Yukiko, Kanji, and Naoto. Chie was absent, probably still helping out somewhere.

Rise sent him a playful look as he sat down to join them. "Soooooooo," she trilled. "How was it, Yosuke-senpai? Don't deny it, Chie-senpai told me you went for it."

Yosuke crossed his arms and tried to shrug nonchalantly.

"Yeah," Rise agreed with a nod. "I wish it'd been more than just a peck. Senpai's lips felt like they could do so much more."

"I must admit I'm a little disappointed too," Yukiko said.

"Wait," Yosuke said. "It wasn't just a..."

"Still," Rise said, "I thought you wouldn't go for it, Yosuke-senpai. Way to go! You've matured so much since I've known you. Don't worry, a tiny peck like that isn't weird."

A... peck?

"It wasn't..." Yosuke shook his head and caught Kanji's eyes. "Wait, did you do it too? The kissing booth?"

"Uh, yeah?" Kanji replied. "Senpai's the man. He taught me a lot, y'know. 'Course I gotta support him."

"Support him with your lips?" Yosuke's voice grew louder as he began to panic. "Wh-what kind of kiss was it?!"

Kanji's brow knit together. "Dunno what you mean. Was just a peck."

"Just a... Naoto, did you do it?"

"But of course," Naoto replied. "I can't deny I was curious."

"But what was it like!"

"I could describe it as no more than a peck. It was on my cheek, for the record."

"A peck? A peck?" Yosuke stood up suddenly, and the world reeled around him, partly from his panic and confusion, and partly from the blood rushing from his head.

"Yosuke-senpai?" Rise asked. "It's all right. We all kissed Senpai, or were kissed by him anyway. So we're all in the same place. Oh, but I wonder... does that mean we indirectly kissed everyone else too?"

Yosuke opened and closed his mouth, and then sat back down. He palmed his forehead and splayed his fingers through his hair, trying to calm down. The revelation that Yu had given him and only him much more than a peck was too much for him to process.

"Nah," said Kanji. "Senpai had a whole jug of mouthwash back there. He washed out real good every time."

"That much mouthwash can't be good for him," Naoto remarked. "But I suppose he'll be fine if it's just for the festival."

Yosuke nibbled his lower lip. So that's why the minty taste. It had faded from his tongue by now, and he couldn't help but feel disappointed about that. Maybe... he could visit the booth again later?

The door to the rooftop opened and, to everyone's surprise, Yu joined them.

"Hi," he said, breathlessly. It had to be breathlessly, Yosuke figured, after all that kissing. But then, if he'd only given everyone a peck of a kiss, he wouldn't need much breath for that. "They finally let me have a break."

"You..." Yosuke began.

Yu smiled at him, then addressed the rest of the group. "How's the festival?" He sat down between Yosuke and Rise.

"The haunted house wasn't scary," Yukiko said. "This boy kept following me around inside it. It was very uncomfortable."

"For him, you mean?" Rise said.

Yukiko's eyes glinted in the sunlight.

The group continued to talk about the festival, but Yosuke wasn't listening. The kissing booth wasn't supposed to mean anything. It was just a stupid school event, but now, now...

Now Yu was right next to him and Yosuke didn't know what to think. He found himself watching his mouth. His lips were kind of red, probably from kissing people all day. Had it really been just Yosuke, or were there others he'd kissed so deeply? Which of these scenarios was he more okay with?

Yu was his best friend, and best friends didn't kiss with tongue, right?

At some point during the conversation, Yu wet his lips with his tongue, and Yosuke found himself mimicking the action.

All of a sudden—or so it seemed to Yosuke—Rise was getting up, followed by the other underclassmen. "We gotta get back to our class's booth," Rise said with a dramatic sigh. "We're just doing a bake sale. It's so boring."

"I dunno, the cupcakes are hella cute," Kanji said. "You oughta come by and get one for Nanako-chan, Senpai."

"I will," Yu promised.

"I'll come with you and get one for Chie," Yukiko said.

"See you later, Senpai~~"

In the middle of his crisis, Yosuke now found himself alone with Yu. He wasn't anywhere near ready for that.

Though Yu didn't seem to be either. He was fidgeting with his fingers in his lap. The awkward silence lasted for some time. Finally, Yu spoke. "Yosuke? You've been awfully quiet."

"Why?" Yosuke blurted out. "Why was my kiss different?"

Yu's eyes widened. "It wasn't—" he began, but he saw the look on Yosuke's face and stopped attempting to deny it. His eyes darted away, and then back again. Finally, he mumbled, "...Why do you think?"

Yosuke opened and closed his mouth. "Me?"

Yu didn't answer.

"Me?" he repeated. "Of all those people... you really wanted to kiss me?"

Yu was blushing. Yosuke was pretty sure he'd never seen this before. It was flattering.

"That was my first kiss," Yosuke told him.

"It wasn't mine," Yu said.

"Well, yeah! You were kissing people all day!"

Yosuke laughed, and soon Yu was laughing too. The tension between them lessened into something more comfortable.

"I couldn't help it," Yu said. "I didn't want to kiss any of them, not really, but everyone had voted for me to man the booth, so... I didn't have a choice. And then you were there, and... I wanted something more."

"After the kiss you gave me, I kinda want something more too," Yosuke admitted.

Yu stared at him. "Really?"

Blushing, Yosuke set his hand conspicuously between them. Yu watched it, and like a wary feline, he slowly brought his own hand closer. Yosuke didn't pull his hand away. Finally Yu placed his hand on top, and Yosuke turned his hand so they were holding hands.

Yu's goofy smile after that was its own reward.

"You were my first kiss," Yosuke said. "And..."

"And?" Yu prompted.

"I think," Yosuke said, "I want you to be my second kiss, too."

As they closed the distance, Yosuke could only think: and third, and fourth, and fifth, and...

#persona 4 #souyo #souyowrimo 2017 #p4 #my fic

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soulsxng--a · 5 years

Text

Souji’s Confession

Souji smiled up at Io, trying to look serene despite the way he played with his fingers…the ends of his hair. “Io I…. What I’m about to say, I want you to remember it, okay??”

“Truth is I’ve been thinking a lot…about us, about you… I know there are a lot of things that we share, but there’s so much left unsaid, and I want you to know… You’re probably the first person who’s ever made me feel completely safe since…I don’t even want to say. It’s too embarrassing.”

He curled up a little, but his eyes didn’t lose that sparkle as he looked at the other. “I don’t feel like I have to pretend with you…and maybe that’s the scariest part. I don’t pretend…not really…I’ve hid my share of issues from you…and each time you’ve found a piece you never once turned me away. You’ve just…held me closer. Which got me thinking.”

He ran off a moment, but came back with a small covered tray. “We were taking about mates before…remember?? I don’t….know what it entails…what I have to do for it to happen…but I know that when I’m with you I feel at ease and if I can feel like that forever…if I could feel like you’re with me all the time..that I would never feel lonely again….then I want it…”

He lifted the cloth, revealing the bottle and cup. “Is not a true ceremony…but I’ve never been one for elaborate things… Maybe one day we’ll have a real one but… Io…you’re the only one I want….this is it. This is everything…and I want you to remember it..to remember that for the rest of our lives. Marry me, Io…please??”

The pair had only just gotten back from a date not long ago, and Io had thought that they would have just taken some time to wind down (or wind up, he was fine with either, really) before bed as they usually did. He’d slipped Souji’s coat off for him though, pausing to press a kiss to the top of the smaller’s head, when it started to look like Souji had something he wanted to say.

It almost made him nervous, the way the other had spoken, but...he hadn’t been sensing any negative emotions from Souji, so Io doubted that it was anything bad.

And it wasn’t. In fact, the more Souji spoke, the wider Io’s smile grew as he looked down at his little love. One hand reached out briefly to stroke a thumb over porcelain smooth cheek; an affectionate gesture to show that the demon appreciated what was being said without interrupting. And then Souji turned to run off, and it was then that the artist’s intentions hit him.

Tears were slow when Souji came back; a drop here and there from wide eyes, but by the time he’d revealed the cup and bottle on the tray he’d brought to Io-- by the time he asked if the demon would marry him, they were flowing much more steadily. And yet, Io’s smile never faltered for even a moment.

“Dammit, Sou...” He laughed; a shaky sound through the tears as he reached into his pocket to pull out a small wooden ring box, and held it out to his beloved. “You beat me to it! And here, I’ve been waiting for the perfect time...I guess there’s really no such time, huh?”

The box was opened to reveal a surprisingly intricate ring. Spiraled on the outside of the ring itself, with the spirals coming upward to form the shape of a flower. The stones lining it were all of a soft, pale berry color, with the one in center of the flower being the only one that was clear.

“Of course I’ll marry you, Souji. You know I’m already yours though, right...? My heart, my mind, my body, and my soul...they’re all yours. I’m all yours. And that’s exactly how it’ll stay, as long as I live. So let’s do this. If this is everything, then I want it all. I want to be able to call every last bit of you mine.”

“I love you, Souji. Al seiluin.”

@akumanoken

#akumanoken #~Poison Flows Beneath His Skin IO~#~I'm told my love is toxic; But I can't stop loving you Io&Souji~#submission

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resshiiram · 6 years

Note

“I can take care of myself just fine.” For Souji and Chinatsu

Okay, so this one was originally going to be a drabble, but I ended up tossing into a one-shot I was working on, so ENJOY. Very much thanks to @eheartangel for beta reading it. (: Word count is 2,289.

@sabinasanfanfic, @flower-dragon, @waywardxdevil, @hakuouki-or-hakuoki, @emmalanna, @hidetheremote, @beyondsympathy, @lescahiersdesable, @annahakuouki, @eliz1369, @k-chan95. [If you want on the tagging list, message me.]

Okitastood awkwardly outside the door to the room Chinatsu shared with Chizuru,chewing on the inside of his cheek. Kondou-san had been the one thoughtfulenough to bring him the dango in the first place, so why had he insisted onsharing it with Chinatsu instead? Okita hadn’t seen much of Kondou as of late,between the commander being busy with all the duties that came with leading theShinsengumi and Okita himself was growing sicker as time progressed. But Okita remembered that dango was a favoriteof Chinatsu’s, much like himself, so perhaps this would make her happy. She hadbeen so worried about him since she found out about his tuberculosis, afterall.

Well,whatever the reason was for his decision, it was too late for him to back outnow.

So,Okita cleared out his throat before requesting entrance. “Hey, can I come in?”

It wasa moment before the shoji was slid open, revealing a very surprised Chizuru. “Okita-san?Um sure, come in.”

Okita steppedinto the room and gave Chizuru a curt bow, since his attention was alreadydrawn to Chinatsu. She was wearing her hair loose with an otherwise casual appearanceabout her. Okita suddenly felt very self-conscious for shaving and cleaninghimself up before coming, but he figured that seeing him with stubble coveringhis face while drenched in sweat would only increase Chinatsu’s concern for him.

Ifpossible, Chinatsu seemed to be even more surprised than Chizuru by hispresence. “Okita-san!? What are you doing here?”

Okita gaveChinatsu an anxious smile as they made eye contact as he rubbed his necksheepishly, abruptly at a loss for words.

Whatthe hell was he so nervous about…? It wasn’t as if he was asking for the girl’shand in marriage. At long last, Okitasucked in a breath, willing himself to speak.

“Hey,Chinatsu. Uh, Kondou-san brought me some dango and I was wondering if you maybe wanted to share it…?”

Chizuru,seeming to notice that something was happening between the pair, suddenly spokeup. “I, uh, just remembered that I actually have to go do some cleaning. Youtwo enjoy yourselves!”

Chinatsuwatched Chizuru scramble out of the room before turning her attention to Okita.“Uh…sorry about her…”

“Heh.Don’t be. There’s only enough here for two,” Okita responded, giving her awink.

His slygesture caused Chinatsu to shake her head before one of her eyebrows quirked athim. “So, are you going to sit down or are you planning on just standingthere?”

“Right,right.”

Okita quicklyplaced himself on the floor beside her, lightly placing the dango on the tatamiin front of them.

Once hewas situated, Chinatsu addressed him. “Okay, you, of all people, offering toshare dango? Who are you and what have you done with Okita?”

Okitapushed a hand through his hair, shrugging. “I haven’t really been hungry as oflate, so it’s too much for me.”

Somewhatfrowning, Chinatsu tilted her head to get a better look at him. “I thought youlooked a little skinnier…”

AlthoughOkita rolled his eyes, the corner of his lips nonetheless curled into a small,self-assured smirk. “And exactly howmuch time have you spent looking at me to notice that?”

Chinatsurolled her eyes as well, giving him a playful punch to the shoulder. “Last timeI checked, you’re my captain. I’m kind of required to pay a lot of attention toyou. Really, I cannot believe how full of yourself you are at times.”

“Heynow. Give me anymore lip and I’ll go share this with Hajime-kun.”

Chinatsu’seyes grew large and she threw her hands in the air, prompting Okita to laughsoftly.

“Relax,kid. I’m only teasing you.”

Asurprised squeal escaped Chinatsu’s throat as he then reached over to gentlyruffle her hair. “You’re an asshole,” she grumbled.

Eventhough Okita’s expression otherwise looked wounded, the impish grin playing onhis lips refused to dissipate. “I’ll have you know that I take offense tothat.”

Chinatsugiggled and stuck her tongue out him. “Suureyou do.”

Okitafound himself chuckling along at her antics. His bedrest had left him rathertemperamental, so simply being in her presence was a breath of fresh air forhim. He hadn’t realized just how badly he had been craving her company…All of asudden remembering why he had dropped by in the first place, Okita took amoment to shake off his curious thoughts, subsequently gesturing toward thedango.

“Well,shall we?”

“Absolutely.”

A smallsmile graced Okita’s mouth as he carefully opened up the package, revealing thecontents. His stomach grumbled in protest as he gazed at the sweet treats, buteven so he tentatively reached for one. Chinatsu reached to help herself to theother one, causing their knuckles to lightly brush together as she did so.Okita flinched at the unforeseen contact and jerked his hand away, feeling ashiver go down his spine. His eyes frantically darted to Chinatsu only tonotice a soft pink hue cross her cheeks, which did nothing for his rattlednerves.

Okitashut his eyes and absently stroked his stomach in an effort to relax himself,feeling his skin tingling from the brief contact. He hadn’t the slightest clue whatany of this meant, but he did knowthat now wasn’t really the time for him to make sense of it. He instead turnedhis attention to the dango in his other hand and after regarding it warily fora moment, brought it to his mouth to gingerly take a bite. Okita’s featurestwisted into a grimace when he could hardly taste the flavor; even though itshouldn’t have surprised him, for some reason he had expected differently thistime.

He usedto love dango so much and now he couldn’t even enjoy it anymore…what else wouldthis damned illness take away from him?

But thethought of Kondou-san’s disappointment in him for not eating the dango cutOkita deeply. So he forced himself to eat it, taking it slowly so he wouldn’taggravate his stomach. He really felt as if he should be talking to Chinatsu,but he really didn’t know what to say to her. Despite himself, his eyes foundtheir way over to her. Having not seen seen Chinatsu with her hair loose sincehe had tucked that cherry blossom into her hair, Okita had forgotten just howpretty she looked with it down. It was a sight he admittedly wished he couldsee more.

Chinatsumust have sensed his gaze on her, since she flicked her eyes to Okita whilegiving him a dazzling smile. Okita’s eyes grew wide and felt his cheeks startto turn dangerously warm. He turned away so quickly that he nearly choked onthe piece of dango in his mouth. She had never smiled at him like that before,which made him feel somewhat guilty for trying to push her away all thosetimes. All the same, Chinatsu’s gesture had managed to warm Okita’s soul, whichmade him feel much better than any disgusting medicine could. He was quitestartled to realize that he would give anythingto get another such smile from her.

Unfortunately,Souji’s perturbed reaction didn’t go unnoticed by Chinatsu. “Is everythingokay, Okita?”

Okitaswallowed as he nodded, forcing himself to look at her. “Yeah, I’m fine,” hemumbled.

It wasclear that Chinatsu was unconvinced, since she quirked an eyebrow at him,causing him to avert his eyes once again. He took a another bite of the dango,pressing his hand against his stomach as he chewed it slowly. Once heswallowed, he brought his attention to her again.

“So,uh…how are the guys doing?”

“Oh,you mean the unit? They’re okay, I guess.”

“Noneof them are giving you shit, right?” Okita questioned, his expressionunreadable.

Chinatsushook her head quickly. “Oh, no! Of course not! Well, to be honest…they’re allworried about you.”

Noddinghis head, Okita hummed in response. “I should have figured that…” he saidquietly, but then paused and tilted his head slightly, “…wait, all of them are worried about me? Doesthat include Fuyuki?”

A smallsmirk flicked across Chinatsu’s lips. “I think that he actually may be, but notthat he’d admit it.”

“Fuyuki-sanworried about me, hm? Never thought I’d see the day.”

“Iknow, right? I was convinced he wanted to kill you himself,” Chinatsu replied.

Okitareleased a bark of laughter at her remark, although it was quick to turn into afrenzy of ragged coughs. He dropped the dango onto the floor as he clasped hishand over his mouth, his entire frame doubling over in pain.

“Okita-san!”Chinatsu exclaimed, moving toward him.

Unableto respond, Okita threw out a hand in an attempt to stop her. That didn’t deterChinatsu, who seized his wrist and pressed closer to him.

“Okita,you really need to rest…”

Okitaglared at her through his bangs as his coughs began to taper off, praying thatshe wouldn’t notice the goosebumps developing along his wrist.

“Don’t,”he rasped. “I can take care of myself just fine.”

He thenovertaken by another series of agonizing coughs and Chinatsu released his wrist,instead slipping an arm around his shoulders.

“Oh,for the love of…that is not what itlooks like to me,” Chinatsu countered. “C’mon, I’m bringing you back to yourroom.”

Okita knewhe wasn’t really in a position to argue that, so he simply allowed Chinatsu tohelp him to his feet. His tall figuresagged against her as they slowly walked, utterly fatigued at this point. Hewas angry at Chinatsu, simply because he knew she was absolutely correct; the fact that his condition had declined tothe point that he could no longer take care of himself filled him withrevulsion. Although he was mainly angry with himself…angry that he had somehow contractedthis goddamned illness…angry that it was once again cutting short their timetogether.

Asomber silence drifted over them as Chinatsu escorted Okita back to hisquarters, who was left straining for breath as his coughing faded away. Once they were in the privacy of his quarters,Chinatsu gently maneuvered Okita onto his futon. She then placed a hand on hisshoulder.

“I’llbe back in a second, okay?”

Okitacould only nod meekly and Chinatsu gave him a pat on the shoulder before steppingout of the room. She returned a minutelater with a cloth, kneeling down beside him to wipe the sweat off hisforehead.

“Isthat better?”

Chinatsugave Okita a half-hearted smile when he nodded again. “Well, I guess I’ll leaveyou to rest.”

“Chinatsu,wait!” Okita inwardly cringed at how croaky his voice sounded.

“What’swrong?”

Okitadropped his eyes, focusing intently at his lap as he tried to formulate histhoughts into a sentence.

“I’m,uh…well, damn. I’m sorry about all of this…”

Chinatsushook her head rapidly. “Okita, it isn’t your fault that you’re sick.”

Recliningon his futon, Okita frowned somewhat. “No, you don’t get what I’m trying tosay. I thought that…” he released a frustrated sigh before continuing, “…well,I remembered how much you liked dango…and I know you’re been worried about me.I…I just wanted you to be happy.”

A paleblush crossed Chinatsu’s cheeks at Okita’s confession, her eyes growing wide.“Oh, Okita…”

BeforeOkita could respond, she leaned down to touch her lips to his cheek.

“Ah!”

Okitafelt his own cheeks burning at the soft contact and rolled over so his back wasfacing her, yanking the covers up over his head. How did she expect him to restafter that!? He mumbled something incoherent as he squeezed his eyes shut,trying to ignore his racing heart.

Thatmustn’t have been the reaction that Chinatsu was expecting, since her voicesounded more than a little self-conscious.

“Sorry…Iguess I’ll leave now…”

Okita’seyes shot open at Chinatsu’s words, his stomach dropping. “No!” he practicallyshouted.

“Hm?”

Okitamentally cursed at his impulsive response. “I don’t want you to go…” hemuttered, his voice muffled by the blanket, “Please stay with me…even if it’sjust until I fall asleep.”

“Ofcourse I will, but think you can come out from under the blankets like anadult?”

Despitehimself, Okita was unable to help the smirk crossing his lips as he pulled theblankets back.

“Man,you just love to make my life difficult, don’t you?”

He rolledonto his belly, folding his arms across the pillow to rest his head againstthem.

Shakingher head, Chinatsu rolled her eyes. “Only when you act like a kid.”

“Ah,please, hon. You know that this is simply who I am,” Okita retorted, his smirkwidening.

Chinatsurolled her eyes, but her lips nonetheless curled into a smile. “Yes, it is, andI would never change that about you.”

A weirdsensation filled Okita’s stomach at Chinatsu’s words and he was silent for a momentas he decided his next words.

“So, uh…willyou…stay with me?”

“Ialready told you I would, silly.”

Okitashifted so he was on his back again, adjusting the blankets and resting hishand over his stomach.

“Thanks.It really means a lot. I just…I miss spending time with you.”

His wordscaused Chinatsu to gasp before reaching over so she could tangle their fingerstogether. “I miss you, too, Okita.”

Okita felthis heart flutter at Chinatsu’s action, squeezing her fingers gently as hiseyes slid shut. The last thing he heard as he drifted to sleep was Chinatsu’swhispered voice.

“Getsome sleep, Okita. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

#my writing #oneshot #replies #hakuyamazakisensei #okita souji #ariyoshi chinatsu #original character

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artikgato · 7 years

Text

Souyowrimo Day 11

Prompt list here!

These are definitely getting longer as the month goes on...

You can read the rest here.

Day 11 - Confession

It all started with an innocent conversation at lunch.

“Man, did you guys hear about Satsuma in 2-C?” Yosuke asked, just as the four of them sat down to eat lunch in their usual spot on the roof. Chie rolled her eyes.

“Not all of us are gossip-mongers like you are, Yosuke,” she chided. Yosuke glowered at her, and Yukiko giggled.

“What happened?” Souji asked, because he wanted to keep the conversation going, and he really didn’t like it when Chie shut Yosuke down like that. Yosuke brightened a little, turning to him.

“He got confessed to by an underclassman! She dropped a note in his locker and everything. I didn’t even know that people still did the note in the locker thing nowadays,” Yosuke explained.

“I get notes in my locker all the time,” Yukiko said. Yosuke looked surprised.

“Yeah, even I’ve gotten a couple of notes in my locker,” Chie added.

“Same here,” Souji chimed in. Yosuke turned to him, with a pout.

“You’ve only been here for like a month! What the heck?!” he demanded. Chie laughed.

“Aww, Yosuke, are you hoping to get a love confession in your locker too?” she teased.

“So what if I am?” Yosuke mumbled, frowning down at his food.

“It gets annoying after a while,” Yukiko said, trying to sound consoling, but it only caused Yosuke to sulk even more.

“Agh, never mind!” he grumbled, tearing into his cup ramen as a way to end the conversation.

So it was that, a few months later, the information was there in the back of Souji’s head that Yosuke wanted to get notes in his locker. A few months, a few ventures into the TV world, and a whole lot of hanging out with Yosuke had caused Souji to develop a bit of a crush on him. He knew it was dumb for a multitude of reasons, many of which were Yosuke’s vehement dislike of anything and everything even slightly gay. So, Souji decided the best thing to do would be to just ignore his feelings. It would only be a few months, anyway, before he had to go back to the city.

That was, of course, way easier said than done. The more time he spent with Yosuke the more his feelings grew, and the more time he wanted to spend with Yosuke, and the more his feelings grew... It was a vicious cycle, and Souji knew that if he didn’t do something about it he was going to just end up blurting out his feelings one day and ruin what was turning into the best friendship he’d ever had. And then one night, folding his stack of colorful paper into origami, he arrived at the answer to his problems: the paper in his hands. He couldn’t tell Yosuke how he felt - directly. But he could tell him, in a way at least, and probably boost his self-confidence at the same time. So he grabbed a pen and got to work.

He knew his idea had been a good one when, the next day, Yosuke showed up to homeroom grinning his ass off.

“What’s got you in a good mood this morning, Hanamura?” Chie grumbled at him. He reached into his bag and tugged out a piece of light orange paper, which Souji recognized right away, and waved it around in front of himself.

“I got a confession in my locker!” he announced to them.

“Really?” Chie asked, reaching for the paper. She read it, blinking. “Huh. You really did.”

“What’s with that ‘really’? You don’t think I’m worth confessing to?” he asked.

“I think whoever wrote this must have some kind of brain damage,” she joked, and Yosuke pouted. He turned to Souji.

“What do you think, Partner? Think it’s legit?” he asked. Even though he knew damn well what was on the paper, Souji took it and read over it again. He’d made sure not to use his usual handwriting, just in case Yosuke paid attention, but the words were still clear and legible:

‘I really like you a lot. You are cute, and funny, and nice to be around.’

That was all that he’d allowed himself to write. There were probably about half a dozen crumpled up pieces of orange origami paper in his wastebasket back in his room, where he’d realized after the fact that he’d written something that could point to his identity.

“It isn’t signed,” Yukiko, who had leaned over Souji’s shoulder to read, pointed out. Yosuke frowned at that, taking the note back from Souji.

“Yeah, I know. I’m really curious about who wrote it,” he sighed. “But hey, someone out there likes me, right? They’re bound to want to confess face-to-face some time!”

“Maybe,” Chie replied, with a shrug. Yosuke started to respond, but Kashiwagi entered the classroom at that point, and all discussion came to an immediate halt.

The first note had felt good to write. It was nice to get that off of his chest, even if Souji knew that Yosuke would never find out it was from him. So a couple of weeks later he found himself sitting down at his work table again, another piece of orange origami paper in front of him.

‘I still really like you. You’re a good person, and nobody appreciates that.’

And then, a couple of weeks later,

‘I still like you. I wish I could tell you in person.’

“What do you think she means by that?” Yosuke asked. Souji refrained from sighing. Yosuke had been referring to the ‘mystery person’ slipping notes into his locker as ‘she’ for a while now, and Souji couldn’t exactly correct him, but...it was a big reminder of why he was having to write the notes in the first place.

“She’s probably too embarrassed to tell you in person,” Chie explained.

“Maybe…” Yosuke replied, with a frown.

“Perhaps the person writing the notes thinks that they aren’t your type?” Souji suggested, before he could think the better of it. Yosuke arched an eyebrow.

“Really? I mean...I guess?” he asked. He thought for a second, and then looked horrified. “Oh no, you don’t think it’s Hanako, do you?”

“I don’t think you’re her type,” Chie replied. Yosuke let out a relieved breath in response.

“Yeah, the handwriting doesn’t look like hers anyway. It looks like it should belong to a pretty girl,” Yosuke remarked. He sighed. “Ah, oh well. Maybe one day she’ll confess in person.”

“Maybe,” Souji replied. With a frown.

‘I’m afraid to meet you in person, because you won’t like me.’

“See, it’s just like Souji said! She’s afraid that you won’t like her because she isn’t your type,” Chie said, handing the latest note back to a frowning Yosuke.

“Well how does she know?” Yosuke replied, with a groan.

“Maybe they aren’t a she, Yosuke-sempai,” Kanji spoke up, halfway around a piece of melon pan that he was eating. Yosuke’s eyes widened, and he looked alarmed.

“Wh-wh-what makes you think that?” he demanded, stalking over to Kanji, orange note in hand.

“I dunno, just a hunch,” Kanji mumbled in response, swallowing a big bite of the bread before continuing. “I mean, why do you think the person giving you these notes is a girl?”

“Be-because!” Yosuke sputtered. “I mean, the handwriting is too nice to belong to a guy!”

“Sempai has nice handwriting,” Rise pointed out. Souji felt a sudden panic start to set in when Yosuke turned to look at him.

“Okay, but Partner’s the exception to the rule,” Yosuke replied. “Anyway, there’s no way some guy is writing me love letters, right? It’s just a shy girl with no self confidence or something.”

They all returned to their lunches after that, making other small talk. Luckily Souji didn’t usually talk much, so nobody noticed if he was a little quieter than usual.

After that, Souji resolved to stop leaving letters in Yosuke’s locker. Someone was bound to see him eventually anyway, so it was probably better if he just stopped before he got caught. He kept writing the notes, though, because even if the intended recipient wasn’t ever going to see them, it still made him feel a little better to get his feelings out in the open. At first he was just balling them up and throwing them away, but eventually he reasoned that he might as well do something with them, so he started folding them into paper cranes. A couple of months came and went, Yosuke lamented about how he wasn’t getting any more notes, Chie joked that he’d finally scared off his would-be girlfriend, and all was forgotten.

Until November.

Yosuke was over for what felt like the thousandth time for a study session, in preparation for their upcoming final exams. He’d been over so many times before and had never found the orange cranes. He’d poked in to what felt like every corner of Souji’s room once, looking for his ‘stash’ as he put it, and hadn’t found them. And even if he did find them, chances were he wouldn’t think anything was weird enough to examine them closely or unfold one, right? Boy, was Souji wrong.

He came back upstairs after leaving a pot of curry on the stove to simmer, ready to get Yosuke back on the task of studying. He assumed, correctly, that rather than studying on his own Yosuke had gotten bored and started doing something else. He just hadn’t been expecting to see Yosuke standing by his desk, holding an unfolded crane and staring at it with wide eyes.

“S-Souji,” Yosuke stammered, looking up from the unfolded crane to him, and Souji felt himself go a little pale. “You wrote this?”

He wanted to turn right back around and run back down the stairs. Instead he leaned back against the doorframe, biting his lip.

“Yeah,” he answered, his voice tight. He managed to keep his eyes on Yosuke’s face for a few seconds, before having to avert his gaze to the floor. Yosuke was quiet for an unnervingly long time.

“The note says,” Yosuke started, hesitating for a second before continuing. “It says ‘I’ll never tell you this, but you mean the world to me. You’re my best friend, and I could never ruin that’. Souji...”

“I’m sorry,” Souji replied. He wanted to just slide down the doorframe and sit on the floor, but managed to keep himself standing up. “I know you wanted those notes to be from a girl.”

“I…” Yosuke started. He sighed. Souji heard the sound of rustling paper, and looked up to find Yosuke kneeling beside the open drawer, unfolding another crane.

“What are you doing?” he asked. Yosuke frowned, but read the note.

“‘I still really like you. I hope you are happy one day, even if it isn’t with me.’ Partner...” More rustling. “‘I’m so scared that one day you’ll figure all of this out and you’ll hate me.’ ‘I love watching you in the TV world, you’re so energetic and optimistic.’ ‘I want to tell you all of this so badly, but I don’t want to lose my best friend.’” A sigh. “Partner.”

“I won’t be shocked if you hate me,” Souji said, still looking at the floor. “Yes, I wrote all of the notes, this whole time.” He realized that he was blocking the doorway, so he stepped inside the room, at a loss for what to do. He ended up just sitting down on the floor and putting his head in his hands. “You can...I won’t be mad if you leave, Yosuke.”

“I’m not gonna leave,” Yosuke replied, his voice quiet. There was more rustling, and Souji lifted his head to see Yosuke determinedly opening another crane. He didn’t read the message aloud this time, just reached back into the drawer and opened another, and another. Eventually, he had a stack of rumpled up orange papers beside him. He finally looked up at Souji after reading what was presumably the last crane.

“I’m gonna be honest,” Yosuke said, after a long silence. Souji wanted to look away, because he was pretty sure that Yosuke as about to tell him that their friendship was over. Yosuke swallowed audibly before continuing, his voice sounding strained. “I...I really appreciate all the good things you said about me.”

Huh…?

“It made me feel good about myself when I got the notes in my locker, before,” Yosuke continued. “And I’m kind of...I’m glad it’s been you this whole time, ‘cause I’ve gotta be honest, Partner, if it’s between some random girl that doesn’t even know me that well and you…” He sighed. “Augh, I’m messing this up.” To Souji’s surprise, he dropped the paper and stood up, making his way over to where Souji was sitting in a heap on the floor and kneeling down in front of him. Souji watched, baffled, as he reached down and took Souji’s hands in his.

“I know I’ve been kind of a jerk about things like this and this makes me a total hypocrite but I like you too, Partner.”

Souji just stared up at him in shock for a few minutes, sure he was dreaming. Until Yosuke started to look nervous, he wasn’t entirely sure that he wasn’t, in fact.

“Can you pinch me? Because I must be dreaming,” he finally asked, and Yosuke frowned.

“You’re not dreaming,” he replied. Then he blushed and leaned forward, mumbling “I’ll prove it”, before kissing a shocked Souji. He couldn’t look at Souji when he pulled away.

“If I’m dreaming, I hope I never wake up,” Souji replied, after processing the fact that Yosuke had just kissed him.

“You’re not dreaming!” Yosuke exclaimed, with a huff. That seemed to snap Souji out of his shocked state. He reached up and cupped one of Yosuke’s bright red cheeks, and Yosuke finally looked him in the eyes.

“Is this really how you feel?” he asked. Yosuke somehow turned redder, but he nodded. “And you’re okay with us both being guys?”

“Only because it’s you, Partner,” Yosuke mumbled, ducking his head in embarrassment. Souji finally, finally felt himself smile. He shifted until he had his legs under him, tugging Yosuke up and into a hug. Yosuke buried his face in Souji’s shoulder with a relieved sigh, wrapping his arms around Souji in return.

“So you’re not disappointed that the person writing all those notes didn’t turn out to be Hanako?” he asked, and he felt Yosuke chuckle.

“Not in the slightest,” he replied. “Though I’ve gotta say, Partner, you really do have nice handwriting.”

#souyowrimo 2017 #souyo #souyo hell

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once-a-turncoat · 7 years

Text

Shinsenvember 14 - Kids in Kyoto

Prompt list here.

Boys’ play, by Hiroshige, circa 1830

“Hey, Yukimura-senpai, there are a bunch of kids here looking for Captain Okita.”

Chizuru, who had been cutting vegetables for dinner, looked towards the door where Souma Kazue was standing. He looked flustered.

“I’m not a kid, I’m fifteen!” she heard a young voice protest.

”Sorry, a bunch of kids and . . . errr . . . a young man.”

Putting down her knife, Chizuru went to the door. She was already quite certain who these children would be, but when she stepped outside, her jaw dropped.

“Tamesaburo!” she greeted the tallest of the group. Yagi Tamesaburo, the oldest of the Yagi family’s children, was exactly the person she was expecting, but that he would be so tall . . . It shouldn’t be strange that kids grew but . . . “You’re taller than me!”

“Yukimura-san!” the boy was similarly staring at her. “You haven’t grown at all?”

“Hey, show some respect,” growled Souma.

“It’s okay,” Chizuru said quickly. “Souma, this is Yagi Tamesaburo. We stayed at his family’s house in Mibu our first couple years in Kyoto.”

Tamesaburo nodded. “I’ve brought the whole neighbourhood.” He motioned around to the group of about fifteen girls and boys, ranging from children nearly his age to babies on their sisters’ backs.

“That’s very nice of you,” began Chizuru uncertainly. “You came to see Captain Okita?”

“Souji hasn’t come seen us since forever,” a younger boy complained.

Back in Mibu village, Okita had always been playing with the neighbourhood kids. He was a great favourite there, and the Yagi children especially had been devastated when the Shinsengumi moved its Headquarters to Nishi-Honganji. It wasn’t very far from Mibu to the temple, though. On a regular basis the kids would march over to find their playmate or Okita would go to them.

Yet, as Okita’s health deteriorated, the visits slowed. They’d diplomatically told the children Okita was busy. It’d now been more than a year since Chizuru saw any of this bunch. As far as she knew, this was the first time they’d come out to their new headquarters in Fududo Village, a mile and a half away from Mibu.

“I thought maybe it’d be easier for us to visit now you have your own place?” Tamesaburo began in a pleading tone. “I know the monks didn’t like you being there. They probably didn’t want kids all over the place either, right?”

Chizuru sighed. “It’s nice you kids came out but Captain Okita has a really bad cold today. He’s got to stay inside and sleep it off.”

“Just tell him we’re here!” demanded another boy, whom she thought might be the Yagi’s younger son.

“SOU-JI! SOU-JI! “ one child began it and the rest joined in. “SOU-JI. SOU-JI.” They stamped their feet in time to their chant. Souma’s attempts to hush them were completely useless.

Tamesaburo, however, stood aside from the group. “I’m sorry,” he said to Chizuru in a hushed tone. “It’s true then . . .”

“What’s true?” she asked.

“People say Souji’s really sick. I didn’t want to believe that.”

Of course the rumours would be spreading through Kyoto. The Shinsengumi’s First Captain was never seen on patrol now. So Tamesaburo had come to prove to himself that Souji was the same happy friend from their Mibu days.

“Okita-san is not feeling well right now, but you should know he’s fighting to get better,” she told Tamesaburo.

“And those kids yelling are probably giving him a head-ache,” Souma added.

Tamesaburo jumped into action. “YOU KIDS, SHUT UP. SOUJI’S TRYING TO SLEEP!”

The kids shut up immediately.

“We’ll come back when Souji’s feeling better,” he told his band of followers.

“But-“ one girl complained, but Tamesaburo shut her up. “The Shinsengumi will cut off your heads if you give Souji a headache.”

The eyes of the smaller children widened in fear at this pronouncement. “No we won’t,” Chizuru assured them.

“Are you sure?” a familiar, high-pitched voice replied behind her. “I heard I might have to chop off some heads here.”

She turned around and saw Okita. He was pale as snow, and still in his thin sleeping yukata, though he’d slipped geta on his feet and thrown on his haori.

The kids roared his name and rushed towards him, but he held out his hand for them to stop. They knew him well enough to obey. “Come a step closer and I really will kill you,” he told the kids, smiling broadly.

“But Souji, where’s your sword?” one of the boys demanded.

“You think I can’t kill you without a sword, brat?” He turned now to Tamesaburo. “Hmmm. . . you think you’re all grown up now, don’t you?”

Tamesaburo’s cheeks flushed deep crimson. “I know I’m not an adult . . . But I’m almost as old as Yukimura was when he joined the Shinsengumi, right?”

Okita began to laugh, but straightaway his laughter turned to coughing, and Souma rushed to support him. When he’d finished his coughing fit, he looked back at Tamesaburo with a more serious expression. “Your mom and dad need you. The Shinsengumi doesn’t.”

“That’s what you think,” said Tamesaburo stubbornly.

“That’s what Kondou-san thinks. And if you really must ask, Hijikata will yell at you a bit before he sends you packing. We’re grateful to your family for taking us in, we’re not going to repay them by stealing away their oldest son.”

“But I just want to be with all of you,” Tamesaburo pleaded.

Okita shook his head. “Not your choice, kid. Do you think we all have parents like yours? Parents who love you and can give you everything you need? Don’t mess that up.”

Tamesaburo stared at Okita. Realization at last, Chizuru thought. Tamesaburo had doubtless never imagined that the young samurai whose life he envied could envy Tamesaburo’s life in turn. Chizuru knew little about Okita’s family, but she knew his parents were dead, that he had an older sister in Edo, and that he had lived at Kondou’s dojo for many years.

“If you just come by yourself, don’t bring this whole gang, I wouldn’t mind if you dropped by to chat sometimes,” Okita continued in a softer voice.

Tamesaburo’s voice cracked, “Yes, Souji, I’ll come!”

Okita nodded, then turned his attention back to the crowd of waiting children. “What a pain. Chizuru, you’ll get them some treats, right?”

“Uh. . . I’ll have to look what we have.”

“You’ll manage. Hey kids!” he called them to attention. “You heard me coughing, I have a cold and I’m going right back to bed. But this guy here, this is Souma-kun. He’s my deputy and he’s going to organize a game of tag.”

Souma looked surprised, but he immediately took up his role. “All right, we’re going to play tag! Who’s going to be the oni?”

“Yukimura,” Okita answered promptly. His eyes were dancing with mischief. Chizuru glared at him, but she could say nothing In front of the kids.

“Yukimura-senpai’s getting the snacks ready,” Souma replied, coming to her rescue as he always did.

“All right. Have fun. See you later, Tamesaburo.” Okita nodded to the teenager. He turned and slowly walked off towards his room. Tamesaburo stood still watching him leave, while around him, the other children threw themselves into a frenzied game of tag.

“You’re the oni now!” a kid shrieked as he tagged Tamesaburo on the back. Tamesaburo whirled around. He was grinning as he began to give chase.

Notes: About sixty years later, Yagi Tamesaburo fondly remembered his days living with the Shinsengumi, particularly playing with Okita Souji. He was twelve the year of the Ikedaya.

The role of “it” in Japanese tag is called the oni. So I couldn’t resist trolilng poor Chizuru via Souji.

#shinsenvember #hakuouki

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memoriesofthecity · 7 years

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aaa!! another new persona blog to follow! welcome! hope your blog flourishes in followers and asks! may i request for p3, p4, and p5 protags and how they would deal with their growing crush over s/o?

aaah thank you! i had a little too much fun with this one and it is a little long, but i hope you enjoy it! (also, I call yu souji, so i hope that doesn’t bother anyone.)

Minato:

Minato was usually stoic around other people, but when he was around you, he dropped his cool demeanor instantly. He didn’t know exactly why at first, and was confused why you could make him embarrassed so easily.

After a few days, he finally realized that he had a crush on you, and was even more flustered by that. He never had to deal with these things, so he really didn’t know how to.

Minato, being who he is, went to the internet for answers first. Searching things like ‘how to deal with a crush’ or ‘how to stop liking someone’. After a few hours of research, he came up with nothing but stronger feelings for you. Accepting that he wasn’t going to get rid of it that easily, he tried to move on.

The next couple of weeks, he came to a realization that he didn’t want to stop loving you, unlike how he initially had wanted to. He was scared, yes, but he didn’t want the feelings to disappear. All he wanted was for you to be his and to be able to protect you.

So once again, being who he was, he came up to you one day and spilled his feelings to you. He didn’t feel like it was right to hide something like this from you, and since you were friends he thought you would at least forget it for him and let him move on.

What he didn’t expect was for you to return his feelings.

So he asked you on a date to Wild Duck Burger, of course. You laughed inside your head, not that you were complaining though, and agreed.

Minato then decided that maybe having a crush wasn’t so bad. After all, he now had a date with you.

Souji:

Souji would know he had a crush on you when he felt butterflies in his stomach during a seemingly normal conversation. You were one of his friends, and he thought that was all at first, but apparently there was more.

He didn’t deny the feelings at first and wanted to tell you. After thinking about it for a bit, though, he decided he didn’t want to risk losing you just for a little crush. He also didn’t want to hold it in forever, but he thought that losing you would be a fate worse than death.

As the weeks went on, he realized it wasn’t just a little crush. He was absolutely, positively, madly in love with you. Just making eye contact was enough to get him embarrassed. Once he noticed this, he tried to avoid you. Maybe staying away from you would cause his feelings to go away, too.

Souji’s plan failed. His feelings only grew stronger, and it caused you to approach him after school a few days later. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, he guessed. You asked him why he was avoiding you, not telling him that it was hurting you feelings but he could tell it was. He apologized to you, but said he couldn’t explain it. He tried to walk away, but you grabbed his arm before he could.

You both knew he could easily escape your hand’s grasp, but he didn’t. Sucking in a breath, he explained that he had a crush on you and that he was going mad because of it. He didn’t want you to abandon him, so he tried to ignore it, and eventually you.

Before he could take back what he said, you quickly told him that you felt the same way. It was an understatement to say he was shocked.

Before either of you knew it, you had planned a date at Aiya’s. You walked away with a smile, telling him you would see him tomorrow, not noticing his beaming smile behind you.

Maybe everything would be okay in the end, Souji thought.

Akira:

Akira was confused why he had a crush on his friend, of all people. Why not a random stranger? He wasn’t sure.

He did his best to hide it the first day he realized, and once he got home began to look up online on how to get rid of a crush. Thankfully, Morgana didn’t question it. After an hour or so, he came up with nothing but to hold it in or to confess. He decided holding it in would ultimately be better than making such a risky move like confessing.

It wasn’t, though. After a few weeks, he realized his crush only got worse and he could barely hold a conversation with you without blushing or rambling on about things that wasn’t even remotely related to the subject. He needed to make a plan to fix that, and fast.

He eventually decided to invite you over to Leblanc one day, hoping that he could either confess or move on. You agreed, and went home with him that day.

It wasn’t unnatural for him to invite you over, so you went on like you usually did. You played video games together, watched a movie, and once Sojiro had closed the shop he even made you curry and coffee. All in all, it was nice. It even made your own crush on him grow even stronger.

You two were sitting in one of the booths across from each other when he decided it was going to be now or never. Akira started fidgeting nervously, and asked you what you would do in a situation where you liked your friend. Thinking he wasn’t talking about yourself, you said that you would confess when you felt the time was right, if you thought you wouldn’t lose the other. You felt disappointed that it wasn’t you, but ignored it.

You asked why he was asking you, and he confessed to you. Stunned, you sat there for a minute in shock, before admitting with a relieved smile that you felt the same way.

You planned a date at the Shibuya Diner before he walked you back to the station so you could go home. As he headed back to his own home, he felt that everything was going to turn out well after all. He couldn’t wait until your first date.

#minato arisato #souji seta #yu narukami #akira kurusu #persona 3 #persona 4 #persona 5 #headcanons #persona 3 imagines #persona 4 imagines #persona 5 imagines #anonymous

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