#bad said he would do an alt game day but we all know he's addicted to qsmp 😭

[alchemicaladarna]

Ok so BBH Hollow Knight lore because it's silly, but I'm actually so invested it's not even a joke:

BBH is BeetleBoyHalo (some other names for him I saw are BadBoyHollow or just Knight!Bad.

Fatherless. Fatherless behaviour. I'M JOKING BTW ALL JOKES- but anyways his dad (elderbug) abandoned him as a child oof-

Apparently, elderbug was also abandoned by his grandfather, who he calls Grandpapi.

Which led to him embarking on this quest to seek the approval of a father figure. We currently have three: Elder Dad, Bench Dad, and Adoptive Dad (actually wants him as his son and trained with him)

Oh and um, BeetleBoyHalo also has three children...I think. Because he got an item called a "womb charm" or something....congratulations?? I guess 0_0??

In my heart, those kids are named Dappeetle, Pommeetle, and Richarlybug.

Uhh BeetleBoyHalo is really concerned about this world's economy, and he's downright sassy, snarky, and a wee bit existential.

He's also very worried about this one guy's marriage and has been begging recommending him to see a marriage counselor.

Listen, as much as I miss the QSMP, I wouldn't mind if it stayed closed for at least a few more days- not only to make sure that they're actually making sure the admins are receiving proper working conditions- but also because I'm way too invested in Beetleboyhalo's novela and I NEED to see how it ends because this man only plays Minecraft😭

Bad said he could do like. Variety weekends or smth? WHICH YES PLEASE!! But also idk if he actually will do that though💀

[shemakesmusic-uk]

Texan-born, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and TikTok personality Allison Ponthier makes a splash with 'Cowboy' – it's the enthralling first taste of her upcoming EP. Finding a path away from her conservative upbringing, queer singer-songwriter Allison Ponthier is another artist making country music her own. Taking references from Kacey Musgraves and Orville Peck, Ponthier's take on the genre is high camp and features a kaleidoscopic visual world too. Growing a huge following on TikTok, 'Cowboy' marks the start of a whole new chapter for Ponthier with her debut release with Interscope and Polydor. The track itself references her move from the bible belt to New York City and her journey accepting her sexuality. Warm and inviting 'Cowboy' is cinematic pop with some real heart-on-sleeve confessional songwriting. Complete with a masterful music video that runs like a mini-movie complete with impressive special effects, on reflection, cinematic is an understatement. The video itself is a striking and exciting introduction to this new artist, “I probably watch movies more than I listen to music,” Ponthier says of the video. The clip, directed by Jordan Bahat (Christine and the Queens) adds a whole new cosmic energy to the track and aims to amplify the lyrics' detailed storytelling. As she unveils more of her forthcoming debut EP, Ponthier explains what we can expect from her; “a lot of my songs are about being uncomfortable in your own skin but getting to know yourself better, figuring out who you really are.” [via the Line Of Best Fit]

Miley Cyrus has shared the full video for 'Angels Like You'. The pop rebel returned in 2020 with her excellent album Plastic Hearts, a series of superb empowerment anthems. Album highlight 'Angels Like You' has received the video treatment, shot at the Superbowl in front of an audience of fully vaccinated healthcare workers. Miley has also provided a note for the video describing her feelings of gratitude to these workers. [via Clash]

LA punk four-piece The Paranoyds have dropped a new video for track 'Egg Salad', taken from their album Carnage Bargain which is out now on Suicide Squeeze. The video's director Nicole Stunwyck comments "The video presents the glitzy & glamorous world of a teenage girl who, after accidentally catching a beauty pageant on TV, dreams of her rise to stardom & subsequent downfall... It’s not a commentary on anything but an experimental depiction of my own personal fascination for young tragic starlets alà Valley of The Dolls."

Noga Erez and collaborative partner ROUSSO have shared a fifth compelling new single from forthcoming album KIDS which is set for release on March 26 via City Slang. 'Story' is a snappy, addictive song about how couples relationships are always a relationship between two people’s past and present. "Everyone brings their past experiences to the relationship even if things are great" Erez comments. "Sometimes past situations come in and take over." As with the album's previous singles 'Story' is brought to life with a captivating video, starring Erez and ROUSSO, who also provides vocals on the track. "ROUSSO is my partner in music as well as my partner in life" she explains. "This is the first time we tell a story about our relationship in a song and video. It’s a song about a couple fighting and how, in that situation, sometimes what you hear the other person say is not what they actually said. The making of this video was a 10-day couples therapy session for us. As we rehearsed the pretend fighting and martial arts moves we knew that, at times, one of us would get punched just a little too hard. It was so intense and interesting to live in this world, where our relationship comes alive in the most physical way."

After announcing Detritus with lead outing 'Stories' last month, Sarah Neufeld has unveiled the album's second single 'With Love and Blindness'. Neufeld says of the song and Jason Last-directed video, "The video for 'With Love and Blindness' came together through a long-time collaboration between myself and videographer Jason Last. I knew that Jason and I would work together again on some visual aspect for my third solo release, and it so happened that before I even began recording the album, we were presented with the opportunity to do a mini residence on Corsica with Providenza; an amazing collective with a farm, cultural laboratory, festival and residency program." She continues, "I was doing a short solo tour in Europe in the summer of 2019 in order to re-work some of the pieces from the dance collaboration to begin to find a shape for the album that was to be recorded in the Fall. In the middle of that tour, Jason and I travelled to Corsica for several days (graced once again with a suitcase containing Esteban Cortazar’s unique and beautiful creations). Besides performing in Providenza’s outdoor amphitheater, we were immersed in nature, literally staying in a treehouse perched on the side of a mountain, overlooking the dramatic coastline." Neufeld adds, "I found that the pulse of the landscape resonated with the essence of the music, especially "With Love and Blindness"; a sense of rawness, of sensuality, of a strange gravity intensified by the hypnotic summer heat and the general otherworldliness of the place." [via the Line Of Best Fit]

Molly Burman was brought up around music. At every family event, every party, the soundtrack would resonate with her, providing an education in itself. Both parents were gigging musicians, and she always wanted to follow in their footsteps, to use performance as a means of self-expression. Lockdown brought the time and space to bring these ideas into focus, and she's working to unveil a series of one off singles. Her debut single proper 'Fool Me With Flattery' is out now, a blissfully melodic piece of indie pop with some whip-smart lyricism. There's a tongue in cheek element to her sound that is fantastically endearing, matched by the subtle lo-fi elements of her bedroom pop confection. She comments: "I wrote the song after a long day of feeling overlooked and ignored by some of the guys in my life. I was fed up, angry and used the stereotype of a mansplaining misogynist to let it all out. This song is for anyone who feels belittled and like they’re being made to shrink themselves; be as big as you possibly can, and don’t let anyone fool you with flattery." The video is a hilarious showcase for Molly's offbeat sense of humour. [via Clash]

Punk provocateurs Pussy Riot have unveiled their latest song 'Panic Attack', as well as a music video that features a hologram of singer Nadya Tolokonnikova. This is the final release from Pussy Riot’s new Panic Attack EP, a collection of three linked songs that, for now, can only be streamed as separate singles. The title track features punk guitars underneath a tinkling music box melody, as Tolokonnikova turns anxiety into a sports cheer. “Gimme an A,” she says, “Gimme a T/ Gimme a T/ Gimme an A/ Gimme a C/ Gimme a K/ Okay? Okay.” While upbeat and seemingly cheerful, the synth-punk song comes out of the trauma she experienced in a Russian prison camp. As she explained in a statement, “After serving 2 years in a labor camp, I’m still struggling with mental health issues. Trauma, fear and insecurity never fully go away, causing depression episodes and deep anxiety. ‘PANIC ATTACK’ was born as the result of me staring at the wall for 24 hours in the middle of the pandemic, feeling 100% helpless. I was trying to write something uplifting to encourage people to get through the tough times. But I was just failing and failing. Magically, at the second I allowed myself to be honest and write about despair I was experiencing, I wrote the track in like a half an hour. Depression is a plague of the 21st century, and it tells me that there’s something broken in the way we treat each other. The video ‘PANIC ATTACK’ reflects on objectification of human beings, loneliness, disconnection from the environment that causes us to feel small and powerless. And it’s us who caused it with our own hands – that’s why in the end of the video I’m fighting with my own clone.” The music video for 'Panic Attack' was directed by  Asad J. Malik. He used 106 cameras to capture all angles of Tolokonnikova, then converted that information into a photoreal hologram. Afterwards, Tokyo-based creative technologist Ruben Fro built out landscapes reminiscent of video games through which the virtual Tolokonnikova could frolic. But as the visuals progress, those idyllic settings give way to a hellscape, and the singer faces off against a clone of herself. [via Consequence of Sound]

The wait is finally over. BLACKPINK’s Rosé shines like the star she is with her official solo debut. On Friday, she released two solo songs on her debut single album titled R, 'On the Ground' and 'Gone.' With its deep lyrics, angelic bridge, and Rosé’s high note at the end, 'On the Ground' is an exemplary song for her solo debut. Add the fact that Rosé is credited as a writer for the song, and one can really tell how much time she spent perfecting it for release. The accompanying music video, meanwhile, expands the story of life and growth. Rosé starts off looking lost and trying to find herself amidst all the wildness of life; she eventually encounters past and present versions of herself while searching for answers and purpose. By the end, she finds herself and her path forward, and one can’t help but smile as she sings an explosive outro. [via Teen Vogue]

On Ellise's latest alt-pop concoction the rising pop star gets gothic as 'Feeling Something Bad...' transforms a crush into an obsession. An expert at catastrophising everyday experiences, the LA-based artist has arrived fully formed with not only a consistent and cohesive sound but a striking visual identity too. That's even more clear when you press play on the accompanying video for her latest infectiously catchy track. With the clip directed by Joakim Carlsson we get to see Ellise in her absolute element as she brings "Feeling Something Bad..." to life in a macabre world of its own. “I just love dramatising little everyday feelings in life, so this is my big dramatic ‘I have a crush on you’ song,” Ellise explains – it's a song she wrote about a boy she barely knew. [via the Line Of Best Fit]

With President Biden determined to get the majority of American adults vaccinated by summer, bands are earnestly beginning to look forward to the return of live music. Purity Ring are the latest to announce 2021 tour dates, which they’ve shared alongside the video for their track 'sinew'. The song comes from WOMB, the synth-pop duo’s first album in five years that was released just before the pandemic struck. Directed by Toby Stretch, the clip brings back the abstract graphics and costumes that featured in the 'stardew' music video, continuing the enigmatic story of the domed bicyclist and their sun-headed sidecar companion. [via Consequence of Sound]

Australian Pop Princess, Peach PRC releases the official music video for her debut single 'Josh'. Peach PRC comments on the official 'Josh' visuals, “The music video was inspired by growing up watching the same five infomercials, morning news channels and old movies on my little pink box tv when I was a kid and couldn’t sleep on a school night. The idea was to have “josh” feel just as harassed the more he tries to call. Every creative step along the way was entirely my vision, from writing the music video script, to the lyrics and everything in between. I’m so happy and hope all the girls, gays and theys who dated “josh” will sing along.”

[dilettantereviews]

Due to some personal circumstances, finishing this list took longer than I’m proud of, but I hope it’s worth it.

Isolation by Kali Uchis- This was a hard album to write for, not because of the quality (obviously), but because it’s so all over the place and hard to classify. I first paid attention to her through an ONTD original about pop stars with personas, then I thought of her as an indie pop girl, and her collaborations with rap and Latin artists make me compare her to women in R&B or urban music as well. But she’s just Kali. People always talk about “it took Ms.Nancy 8 years for her debut but it’s iconic!!” but for Kali I definitely feel it. The psychedelic baroque intro alone lets you know that you’re about you go on a journey of an album. Songs like Miami, Tomorrow, and Your Teeth, My Neck (and I guess Just a Stranger) all talk about the uncomfortable intersection between wealth and desire, while songs like Dead to Me (lol) give some brevity and energy to this album. For critics who think she can’t sing, Killer has a great Winehouse-esque performance. The album cover looks like a Prince Protege vanity set fantasy painting.

Joyride by Tinashe- Tinashe had a weird 2017, with Flame flopping, Light Up the Sky dropping, and a bizarre Taco Tuesday outing (why?!?! They said it was a networking event, but for who? The girl has more collaborations than all the different companies Pepsi distributes for), but her 2018 was better. We got a random HQ picture that turned out to be the first cover for a tringle that lead to Joyride. She answered many questions like yes, she did need to use legal options to release Joyride, and no, she didn’t like Flame. She release a great pop album that is a little Frankensteined together but you can still use all the songs. Although things seem murky now, I feel that Tinashe will keep giving us great, unique music. Personal favorites include No Drama, Faded Love, No Contest, and Ooh La La.

Caution by Mariah Carey- I keep seeing people mention that this is their first Mariah album, which is appropriate, because this feels like a new beginning for her. It’s my first Mariah album too, but I’ve seen one Popjustice member say that this is her only album where she mainly sings in a lower register and where the background instrumentals are darker electronics. I’ve heard that Me.. I am Mariah at least tried out new things, but this incorporated everything successfully. I’ve never really listened to Mariah before because I just figured it would be mostly ballads and midtempos, but this album kept things unique. Highlights include GTFO, A No No, Giving Me Life, and Portrait. This album is the sonic equivalent of putting your favorite Bath and Body Works moisturizer on, making a warm drink, and hiding under a weighted blanket, and who doesn’t want that in a year like this?

Take Me to the Disco by Meg Myers- People say that there are too many meaningless buzzwords (true) but I don’t think alt vs indie rock is one of those. Indie is generally minimal and guitar based but alt is left of the middle rock and expansive. Meg went for category 2. Following her great debut album from 2015, she went for a bigger, better, and darker sound this time. It reminds me of Tori (Tear Me to Pieces and Jealous Sea sound very Choirgirl), PJ, Trent, and the Smashing Pumpkins. Take Me to the Disco is a nice ballad that starts out the album, which doesn’t prepare you at all for Numb, the following track. Done and Funeral are also strong. Listen if you’re tired of slackers in music.

Childqueen by Kadhja Bonet- If music indicates mood, I don’t know what Spotify premium subscribing, Allmusic reading, time travelling aliens would know about 2018. Sure, there were some political albums, but I feel like the pace of crappy events was faster than (High quality) political music. Even on a personal level, 2018 wasn’t ridiculously iconic or anything for me, and I was still petty and had grudges to work on. That being said, I have no clue how psychedelic music became big for me this year. We had Moodoid, Melody’s Echo Chamber, The Internet (sort of), and Dita Von Teese. But my favorite is perhaps Kadhja Bonet, whose theatrical sounds are like the score to an old Disney movie. Mother, …, and Second Wind are great. Bonus EP was released this fall.

so sad, so sexy by Lykke Li- I haven’t really listened to Lykke before, so I figured her pop reinvention was a good time to get into her. This album reminds me of Nelly Furtado for indie songwriting but with hooks. Although sometimes the trap parts are a little awkward (use vaporwave instead!), this was a good reinvention. My favorites include Two Nights featuring Amine (he is NOT a rent a rapper!), Jaguars in the Air (you and me we’re psychedelic!), and of course, sex money feelings die. I would love a Jessy Lanza remix album commissioned.

Silk Canvas by Vanjess- Everyone loves whisper registers and high pitched whisper singing in R&B (Diana Ross, Janet, Aaliyah, Ciara, Cassie, Tinashe) but what I really love is a deep voice (or at least one that sounds a little raspy). Vanjess joins Her, Total, and T Boz and even The Weeknd in the deep vocals crowd. Don’t mark these Nigerian princesses as spam, just give them a stream, no bank accounts required. I like that they have a better understanding of making a cohesive album with different genres and still staying in a certain vibe instead of doing the same song 12 times. Even their remix EP gets that. Control Me and Addicted, the big singles from this album, are good symbols for their moody R&B sound but they have more than that. Touch the Floor is more uptempo in the vein of Kaytranada, as are the excellent Through Enough and Another Love. My Love reminds me of Aaliyah’s One in a Million. The One picks up where the 80’s revival trend left off, but improves on the synth funk sound. Even Cool Off the Rain, a 2 minute interlude, is worth listening to.

7 by Beach House- I don’t know what made this album click with me. This is my 4th album for Beach House, so I thought I just wouldn’t get them by now, I listen to dream pop and shoegaze enough where I thought I’d like any vibey music. This album didn’t reinvent the wheel but it has warmth to it, without losing their signature ‘when your arm has pins and needles and you need to wiggle yourself to a healthy blood circulation again’ sound. Favorites include Lemon Glow, Black Car, Dark Spring, and Girl of the Year. I also recommend Wax idols and Pinkshinyultrablast if you’re looking for more shoegaze..

Dita Von Teese by Dita Von Teese- This was always going to be a niche passion project by a burlesque artist, so I don’t think it was ever going to set the charts on fire, but not even the internet cared about this? If you miss Lana’s old Hollywood glamour, you should check out this album. It mixes 60’s psychedelics with electronic music to create a perfect loungy sound. I’m not saying I’m those “I miss 2012 Lana!!” but I stuck with her through her Old Hollywood Jackie Kennedy Born to Die phase, her 60’s Manson Girl Ultraviolence cult phase, her 50’s (?) maps to the stars Honeymoon, and 70’s singer songwriter Lust for Life phase, so I was excited to see what other incarnations we would get. Would we get a full on spaced out culty version of Honeymoon? An 80’s Midwest goth album? A late 90’s vaporwave mixtape? Okay, most of these are just words thrown together that nobody would want, but Dita’s album had the concept and the execution there, all it needed was the audience. The French songs have a certain sadness in them. I like Bird of Prey and Dangerous Guy as well, but the whole album is well produced and beautiful sounding, so you should listen to it if you just want some easy listening that’s riskier than most of pop and alternative’s current artists.

Black Panther- Yes, this should count as an album. I’ve seen people treat The Hunger Games soundtracks (yes, those movies didn’t spontaneously appear on TNT one day) as real albums and stan Lorde’s vision for it. I’ve seen people stan the soundtrack for A Star is Born, like it’s a real Lady Gaga album, but Black Panther is where y’all draw the line? Okay. Aside from the breakout single, you get a good vocal performance from SZA, a top tier Jorja Smith song, the best flute performance of 2018, and the downtemp Seasons. That a random soundtrack can have that much cohesion is good for Kendrick Lamar but bad for other artists.

[swordandcat]

Three is a crowd but Nine is a party: Ch 3.  The Gears Begin to Turn

(AO3 Link)

Chapter 3 of Book 2 of the Legends series!

Ships: YouYoshi, with KanaDiaMari, ChikaRiko, RubyMaru on side

((Alt Title: Yoshiko is a game addict and Yo is a dumb jock, but somehow it works and they kiss, i guess))

Yoshiko ended up not speaking to Yo again for the rest of the weekend. Yo sent her a message asking if she was okay, but all she received, in turn, was a brief, “It’s fine”.

When she boarded the bus to school, she was still checking her phone to see if Yoshiko had said anything else. As she’d expected (but not as she hoped), there was still no response. She sighed, pocketing her phone again and staring glumly out of the window. After Yoshiko’s crushing defeat at the hands of Mari, Yo’s had this bad feeling bubbling in her gut that she just couldn’t shake, and her experiences of getting into trouble with Chika has taught her to respect those gut feelings.

She could tell that Yoshiko was badly shaken by that loss, but she wasn’t sure just how bad was it. She bit her lip, revisiting Yoshiko’s expression in her mind. It was more than frustration, more than just defeat. It was resignation, desperation, and… a chilling sense of acceptance.

Yo didn’t like that expression. Her instincts had screamed at her to chase after Yoshiko when she left, but at the same time, she wanted to respect Yoshiko’s wishes for some alone time.

As she was lost in thought, the bus drew up to the Tochiman inn, and Chika and Riko filed onto the bus, holding hands and laughing about something or another.

“Yo! Good morning!”

Chika waved cheerfully at Yo, before frowning upon coming closer. “Hey, you okay? You seem kind of, uh, out of it.”

Yo blinked, shook her head slightly, and looked over to Chika, smiling weakly. “Hey. Sorry, I’m just… distracted.”

Chika hummed, eying Yo suspiciously, before turning to Riko. “What’d ya think? Isn’t Yo a little out of it?”

“Um…” Riko looked between Chika and Yo, before saying uncertainly, “Well, you do look tired… have you been sleeping properly?”

Yo laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. Riko hit the nail on the head - she’d been online most of the night, checking to see if Yoshiko had come online at any point, as well as keeping an eye on the fallout of the duel between Yohane and Mari.

“Ah— You were up playing, right?” Chika suddenly said, grinning. “The duel between Yohane and Mari - it must’ve gotten you fired up, huh?”

“T-The duel, right.” Yo laughed airily, smiling along with Chika. “You got me, haha…”

Riko leaned close to Chika and whispered, “This is that Immortal Legends game, right?”

“Right!” Chika nodded, and laughed, elbowing Yo in the side. “I introduced you to the game, but now you’re even more addicted than me, huh? Jeez, you really have no self-control, huh, Yo?”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, you impulsive mikan…” Yo smirked wryly, pinching Chika’s cheek.

“Oww!” Chika whined, turning to look at Riko with puppy-dog eyes. “Riko, Yo is bullying me.”

“She’s… got a point,” Riko said.

“Etu, Riko?” Chika reeled back, in mock horror at the betrayal.

“Sorry!” Riko said, only a little apologetically. “It’s just, you really do have no self-control sometimes…”

“Oh yeah, you’d know,” Chika said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Chika!” Riko blushed and slapped Chika lightly on the arm. “Stop!”

“Get a room, you two,” Yo grumbled, with mock disgust. She sighed, though, as her thoughts returned to their previous topic, and she glanced over to Chika. “Hey, Chika?”

“Yeah?”

“What did you think about the duel?” She asked, curious about Chika’s view of it. “You saw it, right?”

“Hmm? Yeah, I did.” Chika pondered the question for a moment before starting slowly, “I guess it was surprising? Like, Yohane is one of the top Japan players, and she got totally bodied by Mari. Though she’s the US champion, so maybe it wasn’t as big a surprise.”

“It’s gotta be a shock to Yohane’s fans, though,” She said as an afterthought.

“Hm.” Yo nodded slowly, before asking, “…How do you think she felt?”

“Who? Yohane?” Chika asked, tilting her head. “Well… I’m not her, so I can’t say for sure, but… if I were the best player on the server, and I got totally trashed…”

Chika frowned, thinking hard. “Mmm… I’d say I’d feel pretty dang useless. I’m the best, but I’m still not good enough to win… something like that?”

Yo nodded thoughtfully, mulling the response over.

“Something like that, huh.”

It made sense to Yo, but she’s long since learned that she and Yoshiko thought very differently. She didn’t dare to make too many assumptions about how Yoshiko felt - she didn’t want to come off as pushing too hard or being too insensitive. Yo knew that she could be a bit oblivious at times.

Sighing, she shrugged and decided to drop the subject for now.

“So what did you two do over the weekend?” She asked instead.

“Oh! Well, I took her over to Awashima to look at the marine park.” Chika paused. “It was fun, but she didn’t like the frogs.”

“You showed her the frogs?” Yo frowned. “That’s not very romantic.”

“Right?” Riko said, sighing in exasperation. “You’re the worst girlfriend.”

But despite saying that, Riko leaned subtly closer to Chika, their fingers intertwined together. The small motion didn’t slip past Yo’s notice, but she didn’t say anything about it. All she could do now was support the two of them silently, cheering them on in her mind. Riko was shy and Chika was obtuse, sometimes, but they deserved to be with each other.

At least, that was what Yo kept telling herself.

Trying to distract herself from those toxic thoughts, she then asked, “But the marine park was fun, right? Did you see the penguins?”

“I did! They’re very cute.” Riko smiled, though she frowned slightly at the memory. “Though they didn’t smell the best…”

“Oh!” Chika spoke up suddenly, perking up. “We met Kanan!”

“Did you now?” Yo asked, curious.

“Yeah!” Chika nodded excitedly. “She’s gonna be in school today!”

“Really?” Yo tilted her head. “She told me her grandfather still had a few days until recovery…”

“Apparently her gramps didn’t want her to miss any more school, so he called off any appointments for the week and closed up shop.”

“Wow, that’s nice of him,” Yo commented, glancing out of the bus window as it turned a corner and came into view of the school station. Shouldering her bag, she stood up, thinking out loud: “Maybe we can visit her during break?”

“Yeah! That sounds good,” Chika said excitedly, as they got off the bus.

Yo looked around as they walked up the long slope to the school, glancing about distractedly. She almost walks into a streetlight, and nearly

Noticing Yo acting off, Chika leaned in, tilting her head comically sideways. “What’s up?”

“Huh?” Yo blinked, and quickly smiled, shaking her head. “Oh, it’s nothing. Come on, we’re gonna be late.”

Chika stared at her for a while as Yo hurried up the slope, before eventually shrugging and following after her, with a confused Riko bringing up the rear.

* * * * *

“Ahhh, I thought she’d never stop!”

Chika complained loudly, once the bell for morning break sounded. “Honestly, what’s the big deal with binomials anyway? I’m gonna run an inn, not be a rocket scientist…”

“You should always keep your options open, Chika,” Riko said firmly, tapping the open exercise book on Chika’s table. “Now, you need to finish this now or you’ll have to stay back after school, so get working.”

“Why is homework even a thing anyway…” Chika grumbled. She glanced over to Yo, who was resting her head on her table and staring across the aisle at Chika and Riko. “Oh, right… you were going to go see Kanan, right? You don’t have to wait for us, you can just go.”

Chika grimaced. “I’m probably gonna be here for a while…”

Riko nodded in agreement, and Yo sighed, scratching her head as she stood up. “I’ll tell her you said hi,” She promised, waving them goodbye and leaving the classroom.

Honestly, it was just as well - Yo needed some time to herself. Dealing with Chika and Riko, lovely as they were, was frankly exhausting.

She wanted to speak to Yoshiko. But, Kanan would have to do.

She made her way over to the third year’s classroom, poking her head in through the doorway and looking around. Kanan’s nowhere to be found, but there were a few of her seniors on the swim team, sitting and chatting, so she walked up and waved hello.

“Ah, Yo! What’s up?” One of the seniors - the swim team captain, actually - grinned, waving at Yo as well.

“Is Kanan around?” Yo asked. “I was told she’s at school today but… looks like she’s stepped out.”

The seniors glanced amongst each other for a moment before turning back to Yo.

“Uh… yeah, she was here, but she left with Ohara to talk about something…”

Yo frowned. There was that name again - Ohara. Kanan mentioned them when they hung out. “Ohara? The rich family?”

“Yeah, their daughter transferred back in after being gone for a year. Ohara asked if she could speak to Kanan privately, so they went up to the room. They just left, you should be able to catch her if you’re fast.”

“Okay, thanks, Cap! I’ll see you during practice tomorrow!”

“See ya, Yo.”

Yo turned and ran out, heading for the roof. Going up the stairs, she slowed down, carefully making her way past the open door and stopping just short of coming into view from the rooftop.

“…What did you want to talk to me about that couldn’t be done in the classroom, Mari?”

Yo peeked out from around the corner, taking care to keep quiet. She felt bad for listening in, but at the same time, her curiosity couldn’t be contained. Kanan was on first name terms with the Ohara girl - Mari - so they had to know each other. Yo didn’t remember anyone by the name of Mari being in town, and she knew just about every girl in Uchiura.

Kanan was standing on the roof, with her arms crossed, her expression impassive. Yo hadn’t seen Kanan like that in… ever, really. She always seemed so at ease and easy going, it was kind of unnerving to see this side of her - cold, and inscrutable.

The girl she was talking to was blonde, around the same height as Kanan, with dazzling golden eyes. A foreigner? And- her name was Mari? Yo studied her features again, and indeed, she very much resembled the Mari that had defeated Yoshiko in Immortal Legends. Kanan knew that Mari?

Mari had a smile on her face as she said, “Well, I wanted to catch up with you, Kanan. It’s been so long since I’ve spoken to my best friend.”

She put heavy emphasis on the end, and Kanan almost seemed to flinch at those words. But just as quickly, Kanan recovered her composure, breathing in and fixing Mari with a hard stare.

“Why are you back, Mari?” She asked quietly. “Why come back? Why now?”

Mari’s smile slipped at Kanan’s question.

“That’s it? No ‘welcome back’? No ‘how have you been’?” Mari’s expression quickly turned into a frown. “Just, that?”

Kanan turned away, looking away from Mari.

“I didn’t want you to come back.” She said, her expression unreadable.

“You didn’t…” Mari looked shaken for a moment, before she shakes her head, hardening her expression. “Of course you didn’t. Silly me, why would Kanan ever want me back?”

She laughed airily, shrugging and starting towards the stairs. Yo jumped and prepared to leave, but she stopped when she saw Mari pause right before the corner.

“Just so you know, I’m not back because of you,” Mari said cooly. “Don’t misunderstand. I’m back for the school, and nothing else.”

Then she suddenly changed tones entirely and flashed Kanan a smug grin. “Ciao~”

Rounding the corner, she seemed only mildly surprised to find Yo standing in front of the stairwell, staring at her. Mari smirked and put her finger to her lips in a shush gesture, giving her a wink like she’d told Yo some kind of inside joke. She then breezed past Yo, heading down the stairway with a spring in her step.

But despite her confident smile, Yo had just barely managed to catch a flash of wetness at the corners of her eyes. Yo stared at the girl as she rounded the corner of the staircase and disappeared from sight, then turned back to the rooftop.

As she wondered what to do, she heard Kanan sniff, and start walking towards the stairs. She didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping by Kanan, so she beat a hasty retreat, quickly heading back to the second year classroom before Kanan could catch her.

All the while, she couldn’t get the conversation out of her head, replaying the short back-and-forth over and over again in her mind. Kanan knew Mari, who was also the American champion on Immortal Legends, who had beaten Yoshiko, who had been in shock because of that. A strangely interconnected web of events.

…It seems things are going to get hectic again… Yo thought, wearily, as she went back into the classroom.

* * * * *

Time flew by in class. Yo barely paid any attention to class - she could just ask for Riko’s notes anyway - and the moment they were released from class, she bolted to her feet, cramming all of her things into her bag.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Chika asked, looking up from the maths exercise that she still hadn’t finished yet. “A date?”

“No, just the first year’s classroom,” Yo said quickly, shouldering her bag.

Chika had a sly smile on her face. “Tsushima?”

Yo blushed, looking away. “Shut up, Chika. Your girlfriend is waiting for you to get done.”

Chika pouted, looking briefly down at her work before back up at Yo. “But it’s booooring.”

Riko reached across the table and pinched Chika on the cheek. “Finish it. Or we can’t go home.”

Chika sighed, her gaze slowly dropping back down to the page. “Fine. You have fun with the first years, Yo. …I’ll be stuck here for a while…” Finishing her sentence gloomily, she reluctantly continued to write, under Riko’s watchful supervision.

After silently cheering Chika on, Yo left the classroom, hurrying down to the first year’s classroom.

Since school had only just ended, it was still crowded and busy, and Yo waited a few moments at the door for the stream of fleeing students to subside before heading in. Hanamaru and Ruby were still there, idly chatting as they slowly packed up. They noticed Yo in the doorway and waved excitedly.

“Yo! Good afternoon, zura!” Hanamaru said, smiling at her as she approached.

“What’s up, Hanamaru, Ruby?” Yo grinned, giving the two of them a salute. She looked around, before turning back to the two. “Is Yoshiko not around?”

Hanamaru was about to answer when a shrill, obnoxious voice sounded.

“If you looking for the freak, she’s already left.”

Yo narrowed her eyes. “Aoki.”

Aoki sneered at Yo from across the room. Both girls’ glares were frigid, and the tension was palpable.

But then Aoki shrugged and turned away, going to leave the classroom. “I’m busy today so I don’t have the time to deal with the rabble. Come on, girls. Let’s go.”

Yo glared at her as she left, before turning to Ruby and Hanamaru for confirmation.

“She did leave,” Ruby nodded.

“Right…” Yo sighed, and straightened up, giving them a quick smile. “Okay, thanks a bunch you two. I’m gonna go, then.”

Just as she was about to leave, Ruby spoke up suddenly.

“Um! If you happen to bump into Yoshiko, um…” Ruby tapped her fingers together awkwardly. "Could… could you ask her to cheer up? She seemed… off, today.”

Yo thought about it for a moment. It had to be the defeat, right? She nodded, saying, “I’ll try my best, but you know how Yoshiko can be sometimes.”

Ruby and Hanamaru laughed - they did know. All three of them were well aware of Yoshiko’s temperament - maybe that’s exactly why Ruby asked Yo to go instead of seeking Yoshiko out herself. Waving goodbye to the girls, Yo left the room, hurrying downstairs towards the entrance.

There were still throngs of girls loitering around the school grounds, slowly filtering out through the school gates, and it took Yo a while before she could track down Yoshiko, whose distinctive bun set her apart from the crowd.

Yo was about to run up to her when she stopped suddenly, caught off guard by an unusual sight: Yoshiko was talking to a group of girls, who looked like they belonged to the relatively popular clique.

Yo frowned, but she actually knew some of the girls in the group - they were on the swim team - so she let the conversation play out, watching as Yoshiko nodded in response to something the girls said. Yo couldn’t see Yoshiko’s expression - her back was to Yo - but it seemed like the girl Yoshiko was talking was satisfied, nodding with a smile before departing with the rest of the group, leaving Yoshiko standing alone.

Yo gave her a few seconds before stepping up, calling her name and waving. “Hey, Yoshiko!”

Yoshiko flinched as though she’d been hit, and turned around slowly, giving Yo a weak smile. “Ah… hi, Yo…”

Noting her reaction with some worry, Yo asked cautiously, “So… what were you talking about?”

“Oh! It’s, erm…” Yoshiko shook her head quickly. “It’s nothing. Really.”

“They weren’t giving you any trouble, were they?” Yo said sharply, eying the departing group suspiciously.

“No!” Yoshiko said quickly, shaking her head insistently. “No. It’s… it’s nothing, really. We just wanted to talk.”

“Well, okay.” Yo acquiesced, holding up her hands placatingly. “I just wanted to make sure you’re doing alright. Especially with…” She trailed off, but she was sure Yoshiko knew what she was talking about.

Yoshiko grimaced.

“About that…” She breathed in. “I’d… like to apologize for that, actually. I lost my composure and ran off without explaining anything. Sorry.”

“No, that’s okay! It’s fine. It must’ve been a shock.” Yo said, remembering what Chika thought of the duel. “I don’t blame you for needing a moment to yourself. At least you look like you’re… doing a little better now? Are you going to be okay for the tournament?”

“Well…” Yoshiko hesitated.

“Actually… I, erm…” She closed her eyes, breathing in a deep breath to steel her nerves. Somehow it was harder to tell Yo than to muster up the resolve to actually go through with her decision.

“I’m… going to take a break from Immortal Legends.”

Yo felt her heart stop for a moment. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at Yoshiko. “You… what?”

“I was… thinking.” Yoshiko said slowly. “That maybe I should… spend a little more time… doing something else.” She looked at Yo hopefully. “Maybe… spend some more time with you?”

“Well,” Yo blushed, not sure what to what to say in response. “…Good for you? I mean, um, I’d love to hang out with you more, yeah. That sounds… great.”

She really didn’t know what to say. It was really good that Yoshiko wanted to do things other than Immortal Legends, and it was really sweet that she wanted to spend more time with Yo, but at the same time, it had Yo worried. She knew how much Immortal Legends meant to Yoshiko. For her to just… give it up…

“What about the tournament?” Yo asked, after a moment. “Weren’t you looking forward to that?”

A complicated expression flashed across Yoshiko’s face before she shook her head and smiled at Yo. “That’s… well, I’ve already been champion once. I should let others have a shot at it, right?”

“I… guess…”

Yo nodded slowly. She was still uneasy, but there was nothing she could think of to say that wouldn’t upset or offend Yoshiko in some way. She didn’t want her to think that Yo was opposed to her being more proactive in her life or something.

Besides, Yo did want to spend more time with her. It could be the turning point in their relationship that Yo was waiting for.

She jumped suddenly - Yoshiko had gently tugged on her hand. Their hands weren’t in contact for long, but the sensation lingered on her skin, making her suddenly hyper-aware of her sweaty palm. They hadn’t held hands since the day when Yo was sick and Yoshiko had come to visit her in her bedroom - but the brief touch reminded her of that time.

Yo glanced up at Yoshiko, who was smiling at her.

“Um… should we go? You don’t have swim practice today, right?”

Yo stared at her for a moment, before shaking herself from her reverie and nodded quickly. “Yeah, before the queue at the bus stop gets too long…”

They set off, walking past the school gates. Despite her unease, Yo starts chatting with Yoshiko about inane school life, trying hard to ignore that gnawing doubt in her mind. Yoshiko was trying to change for the better - that was a good thing.

…Right?