#i guess. i can go see if they have my book yet afterwards..maybe they'll even have some halloween stuff up already idk..

[cetoddle-archive]

my favorite necklace got tangled into a nasty knot and i'm literally inconsolable about it

[autumnsxxangel]

So even though I don't really like reading in Chinese (it's really hard and i read really slow, ok?😥) I ended up buying the Love is Science? novel when it came out because I was having withdrawals from the show and couldn't resist.

It only goes up to episode 10 (which makes sense) and I probably should have waited to get it and save on shipping since they're definitely going to come out with a 2nd book after the show finishes, but 🤷‍♀️ Anyway, there are a bunch of Yan Fei and Hsuan Yu photos in the beginning of the book which is to be expected.

It comes with two collectible postcards. You get the Mark/Ou Wen one no matter what and it's a 50/50 chance on whether you get Yan Fei or Hsuan Yu (they really know who they're selling to lol). I love them both so I didn't mind which one I got, though I do wish they had a Joanna one. (Maybe book 2) I skimmed through it since I just got it today and as expected, it's the novelization and goes through everything that happens in the show.

HOWEVER! The most important part is that they included a little booklet that is exclusively about the Mark/Ou Wen side story and when I say it spoils things, OH DOES IT SPOIL THINGS!!!!!!!

If you want to spoil ep 11 after our month long drought, I'll detail what happens under the cut.

This actually pretty much confirms my theory that they cut a lot of Mark/Ou Wen stuff out of ep 10 and pushed it to ep 11. Otherwise I can't really explain why they put this much of a spoiler in the book when the episode hasn't even aired yet. It probably happened when they decided to change the number of episodes, but the book was already formatted so they decided not to touch it.

Just a disclaimer, I don't know how much they're going to put in the episode or if they'll change things, but I can tell you what the book says happens.

It goes through what happens in their relationship up until ep 10 AND THEN

As we know, Mark follows Ou Wen to the bar to meet up with Ou Wen's friend to get over his heartbreak. Mark is mad jealous and mad petty. He keeps calling Ronald "the blond guy". In fact, he says to himself, "Are you trying to swallow him with how happily you're smiling? So what if he's blond? Labradors are blond. Golden retrievers are also blond. What's so great about being blond?"

Ou Wen ends up trying to leave with Ronald which upsets Mark and because he is king of all that is petty, he fakes a stomachache to make Ou Wen stay. Which Ou Wen does of course. All the while Mark is laughing Ronald in his head and gloating that he's a more important friend to Ou Wen. Cue sleeping taxi scene!

Then it moves on to the scene we've all been waiting for! The chase scene!!!! Mark ends up chasing Ou Wen's taxi all the way to the hotel. Here it gets a little wonky. Obviously in the preview Mark kisses Ou Wen through the taxi window. However in the book, Mark shows up at the door of the hotel room. There's also the fact that Ou Wen was supposed to meet Ronald at that hotel room and he is just never mentioned again?

But plotholes aside, Mark shows up that the hotel room and kisses Ou Wen and Ou Wen pushes him away and goes, "Are you crazy? Don't you like women?" and Mark says, "I like women, but I also like you!" So I guess we're going straight to a confession? No gay panic necessary (I'll admit, I'm a little disappointed) BUT THAT"S NOT ALL!!!! I'm just going to translate this part directly.

Faced with Mark's fast ball confession, Ou Wen is blinded. "Are you sure you're sober right now? Are you going to regret this when you wake up?" Mark doesn't say anything and pushes Ou Wen on to the bed. He tries to kiss Ou Wen again, but Ou Wen presses a hand against Mark's mouth. "If you regret it right now, I can pretend like nothing's happened."

Mark impatiently pulls Ou Wen's hand away. "Are all you gays so full of nonsense? I'm not afraid!" Mark's arrogance is very attractive. Ou Wen and Mark stop for three seconds. Three seconds later, Ou Wen goes wild.

Ou Wen turns his body and pushes Mark down. On top of Mark, he takes off his dress shirt and his undershirt and throws them off to the side. Clothes and pants fall to the ground one by one. The two people on the bed are faintly visible....

AND THEN THEY HAVE SEXY TIME!!! (Damn boys, you move fast)

To top it all off, there's a morning after scene. Ou Wen is awkward, but Mark is just chill. Ou Wen tries to run away by going to shower and Mark is like "Cool! Let's shower together!"

Afterwards, they go and get breakfast together and there's like three sentences of semi-angst where Ou Wen is playing with his food and really confused because Mark was supposed to be after Joanna and he considers that maybe he's Joanna's replacement. But then Mark scolds him for playing with his food, peels an egg, and tries to feed it Ou Wen. Ou Wen refuses so Mark eats it and steals a sip of Ou Wen's coffee. Then when he's done, he grabs Ou Wen by the back of his head and kisses him (if front of the entire cafe's salad) and says "What? Is there a problem?"

And that's basically it! So if this is supposed to encompass what happens in ep 11, I guess we're going to get a few episodes of them actually being in a relationship which is going to be fun cuz they're definitely going to bicker like an old married couple (and maybe some scenes of Ou Wen doubting the Mark for dramatic purposes). Guess we're going to have to wait and see how closely the show follows the book!

[tardytothepardy]

Fruits Basket - Vol 23

It's the final banquet babyyyy

(i hate how blurry that picture is but my camera just wouldn't fucking focus)(also yeah i colored in the speech bubbles, they were kinda confusing without context and didn't have anything to do with this specific frame)

So everyone's gathered in the main Sohma house, and no one really knows what's going on. They have no idea what to expect. Hiro notes that the grown-ups are "the ones who can't sit still today". Some miscellaneous stuff happens but I'm not sure if it's worth talking about? After the miscellaneous stuff, it is announced that Akito is ready for everyone to see, and out she steps in a kimono (I bet it's red; she'd look great in red, I think) and asks where Shigure is, because he apparently dipped out. Ritsu is in complete awe, does Akito partake in the same hobby he does? No, Ritsu, this is who she is.

There's a brief flashback to the previous book, where Shigure gave her something, and said "I guess you could call it a farewell present." Akito did not take kindly to that at all, and lashed out, accusing him of being the first to abandon her. He asks where she got that idea, he meant that she's finally becoming her own person, rather than the person her father wanted her to be, and his gift was something to commemorate that. Welcome in the new Akito, and all that.

Back to the present, Akito explains that the rest of the Juunishi were able to become their true selves, beyond the curse, and so she decided to as well. She tries to apologize, but she can't-- she knows that won't make up for anything that she did, at all.

It goes back to that memory with Shigure (this chapter is just a series of flashbacks and flashpresents) and he teases her, saying that he didn't know he was so important to her, and Akito insists that wasn't the case, that he was the one that she was most afraid of, the one that strayed the furtherest from her, bond or not. He says he had to keep his cool, be nonchalant, because otherwise he'd explode (ka-blooey). He says that he's childish, and doesn't like getting hurt, he hates losing, and he can't stand sharing things. This causes Akito to basically go Ó///Ò in realization, and he confirms that realization (the realization being that he likes her as well, in case you didn't catch it. It kinda took me a second on first reading, and I'm not exactly explaining this the best), and says that if Akito wants to reject him, now's the time, that if she comes to him again, it'll become a Thing. They'll become a Thing.

Back to the meeting, Akito says that she still wants to live with the Sohma family, because there are still things she feels she needs to do. She still is, at the end of the day, the head of the family, it's her duty (probably). She plans on talking to Ren, which I imagine will go well. After the meeting (I think, I don't think it's before, though timey wimey stuff is difficult), Akito is with Shigure, and he's asking if she wants him to stay at the main Sohma house, and she asks if he's angry about it. The vibe I get from him is "yesn't", honestly, but hey if they're happy, I guess it's fine.

Next chapter!

So there are two exposition characters (I'm sorry but that's really all they are) at school, and one of them sees Kyo. She gets excited, maybe she can go talk to him, and the other thinks he's waiting for Tohru, his girlfriend, to finish up with her tests. The first girl goes, "Whaaa?? When did that happen??", and the second says that it happened shortly after Tohru came back from the hospital. The first girl's hopes and dreams are apparently destroyed, I guess she liked Kyo.

It pans back to Tohru, now finished with her test, and the teacher, Mayu, wishing her a good summer vacation, it'll be her last. She also asks if something happened in the Sohma family, because a certain He seemed a little happier when she saw him yesterday. Tohru took "he" to mean Kyo and Yuki, and was basically like "yeah I guess so". Mayu played it off, yeah yeah those two that's definitely who she meant yeah totally see you next school term byeeee.

At the house (Shigure's house), Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru are talking about the meeting, and how it felt like it came out of nowhere. They were surprised that Tohru already knew about Akito, but she had to pretend she didn't for Akito's privacy (you don't just out people, that's rude). She asks if it was that much of a shock, and Yuki says he's mostly dumbfounded, though there has been a lot going on lately, a lot to think about. Kyo says he feels weird about it, simply because now he knows he's been violent with a woman all this time, but also says something about if Akito was a man, Kyo would be in trouble if there was another guy who liked Tohru. I'm not really sure where he got that idea, but Yuki thought it was pretty funny. It made Tohru realize that the air between Kyo and Yuki had cooled off significantly, and they seemed to be more at ease with each other than they ever had before (i mean in the beginning yuki would sneeze and kyo would be like "and i took that personally", so yeah they've changed a lot). She asked Kyo what had caused that change, and he told her that Yuki beat the crap out of him, and knocked some screws loose, but it was okay. They needed to be loosened.

Later, it seems that Kyo and Tohru went to Kazuma's house, where Kazuma said "I have no regrets. At this point, I'm prepared for death at any time.", because he's happy, y'know? But Tohru and (that other guy whose name completely escapes me wtf) protest at that, saying that you can't say things like that, it's not true! The other whispers to Kazuma that he can't die yet, because when they get married and have kids, he'll be a grandparent, which he seems to like the idea of. He tells Tohru that he eagerly awaits that time, but since Tohru didn't overhear it, she just awkwardly agrees that she also can't wait. (Kyo kinda caught on though)

Izusu comes in, says, "This is stupid, by the way", then walks out before anyone can respond. Tohru follows after her, and Kyo asks what Izusu was saying. Kazuma says that a lot has happened recently, and not everyone is going through the same thing.

Going with Tohru, she finds Izusu in another room, saying that she doesn't get it, how can he (Kyo, presumably) act like nothing's wrong, after all that's happened, and how Tohru can do the same, after she got so hurt?! Those kinds of hurt don't go away easily. Izusu continues, and says that if she had to choose to forgive Akito or not, she wouldn't, because she can't. She doesn't want Akito to apologize, and she can't help but feel like she's doing something wrong, because she can't make herself accept everything and move on. Tohru reassures her that there's nothing wrong with her, she didn't do anything wrong. Izusu wonders if her demeanor will turn Haru away, if it will disappoint him. Tohru says that there's no way that Haru could hate her.

The scene changes to Akito, who is talking to that one old lady who pops up every now and then, but I've never seen her name, who says that Akito went to see Ren again, but heard that she wasn't able to really talk to her. She says it would be faster to chase her out of the house, but it's also possible that Akito complicated things by staying at the house. She continues, saying how it must be nice being young, and being able to change your life so easily. She notes that she was born with the Sohma family, and raised with them, and has lived at the house for sixty years, she couldn't change her life now. Akito says that no one can change every thing, and no one would be asking her to. Maybe all she needs is a helping hand. In the end, the maid simply walks away, but y'know, not everyone wants to change, or feels like they can, it's fine.

In the next chapter, it seems like it's the date with Tohru and Kyo that Uotani and Hanajima decided to tag along with. Kyo is thinking back to that moment when he tore off his bracelet, and how afterward, Tohru picked up all the beads. She put them in a little bowl in her room, next to the picture of her mom. In the moment, he could only watch as she did it, and in all honesty he wouldn't have minded if she had tossed them into a fire, but it also occurred to him that he might regret not having them. As he watched Tohru pick up the beads, he thought of it like she was "protecting both the me of now and the me of the future". Alternatively, and this one is a bit spoopy, she was gathering the memories of the people over the (many, many, many) years that had worn that bracelet. Either way, he realized that loving someone isn't just about loving the person as they currently are, but as they were, and as they will be.

That's what he thinks anyway.

I mentioned the date but I didn't talk about it at all. They went to a zoo, Uotani got excited about seeing elephants, and they went to a place with cats, and the cats did not care either way about Kyo. It was neat. By the end of the day, Tohru went off to use the bathroom, leaving Kyo with Hanajima and Uotani. This is when Hanajima asks Kyo if he's going to take Tohru away with him. She knew the time would come, eventually, when she, Uotani, and Tohru, would part ways, but it still hurts to think about. Uotani says that, despite how they might act, they do like Kyo, even if they think he's a bit of a dumbass (Uotani's words, btw), and it's because they both think he's a good guy. He just has to take care of Tohru, because she's like family to them, so he'd best not fuck up.

When Tohru comes back, Kyo says there's a place that he wants to take Tohru before going home. Can we go see what Yuki's up to first? Okay yeah we're going to do that now, we'll get back to Tohru and Kyo, don't worry.

So Yuki's at Kakeru's place, and it seems that they're talking about their college plans. Apparently Yuki's going to a college pretty far away from where they're currently at, but if they have subjects that he's interested in, it's fine. (I don't think it's ever said what exactly those subjects are. Like, what's his major? Do I really care? Eh. But it's still nice to know. Same thing for Kakeru, what is he doing?) When Yuki says he'll be living on his own, Kakeru asks if he can manage, he doesn't want to go for a visit and see an emaciated Yuki (living on like,, partially-cooked instant ramen noodles, and several scattered half-empty water bottles in a nest of laundry and schoolwork). Yuki is more optimistic, saying he's going to learn by doing (so that means those cups of instant ramen will be completely cooked). Apparently he told Machi about it and she's fine with it, though she would not be fine if she heard Kakeru saying that anyone is "climbing the stairway to adulthood" which honestly I wouldn't be fine with that either, that just sounds stupid.

Komaki asks how Yuki's going to get the money to live somewhere, and Yuki says that he considered asking his parents, but in the end he asked Ayame to help. Ayame was overjoyed to help, and went nuts to find a place that would suit Yuki's needs (Or be the foundation of his "empire", as he phrased it).

When asked about college, Kakeru said he'd go, not because he really wants to, but mostly because people keep telling him to. He was planning on taking over Komaki's family business (they run a laundry service), but he supposes he'll go anyway.

Later, Machi shows up with a package of meat, which Komaki was very excited about. Kakeru trotted out his "stairway to adulthood" line on Machi, and Machi punched him in the face along with the meat, she somehow balanced the meat on her fist to smash into Kakeru's face, much to Komaki's distress (over the meat, not Kakeru).

Anyway, let's go back to Tohru and Kyo.

Kyo took Tohru to the graveyard, and they're standing at the Honda's family tombstone(memorial? thingie? idk), and he says that after he graduates, he wants to leave, because he's spent his whole life up until pretty recently avoiding life, and not letting himself get involved in things. But now that he's a normal person, he wants to live in the world as a normal person, with Tohru, and because of all of this, he wants to go outside of this place that he's been his whole life. Tohru asks where he's planning to go, and he says that Kazuma knows someone with a dojo, but it's really far from where they presently live. He says he's planning on going there first, attending the dojo while he works, and then one day, he'll inherit Kazuma's dojo, using the experience from the first dojo. He hesitates on asking Tohru to break away from everything and everyone she's known to go off with him, but Tohru agrees, and says she wants to go with him, as soon as possible.

There is one thing that Tohru wants to tell Kyo, and it's that she's sure that her mom never hated him. Even if she did say that she would never forgive him, Tohru is confident that she didn't say it out of hate, she knows it. She will go along with Kyo, even if it hurts to leave everyone else, because it would hurt her more to be apart from him (🥺). To end this section, Kyo says that he'll keep the promise he made to Kyoko about Tohru, all that while back, and he'll keep it for his whole life.

(don't mind me i'm just screeching and wheezing simultaneously this shit is too much i'm gonna die)

Onto the next section, it actually has to do with Kyoko and Katsuya. Mostly Kyoko, and her last thoughts before she died. At first, it was weird. What's going on? She can't hear anything, she doesn't even really hurt. Why is it so dark? Oh crap, Tohru! She can't leave yet, she doesn't want to leave Tohru alone, she only just got into high school. She hopes that she loved her enough, and that Tohru knew that, though she wished she could have had more time to love Tohru. She finally understands, though, that leaving people behind and being left behind, they're both so hard. She hopes that someone can be there for Tohru, to protect her, stay with her as she cries.

She then sees Kyo, and recognizes him as the little orange-haired kiddo she used to talk to sometimes, and hopes that even if he forgets about her, that the next time Tohru gets lost, Kyoko wants him to find her, even just once. If he doesn't do that, she'll never forgive him(that's what she meant, out of what he heard, by the way). She hopes that he can somehow take her place, and protect Tohru, and let her be happy, let her be loved by lots of people. Even if she gets lost or makes a mistake, Kyoko wants Tohru to be proud of the life she lived.

Then she wakes up in a place. I don't really know what the place looks like, but I imagine it as a light blue shimmery place, and she can see someone walking towards her, from a distance. Katsuya. Suddenly she's young again, with her long hair and uniform, and she can be with the man she loves again. (🥺😭 dissolves in my tears)

There's a time skip, now Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, Hanajima, and Uotani have graduated, and it soon after shows Tohru and Kyo cleaning up their rooms, and reminiscing about when Tohru first arrived. A lot has changed in that time, it's incredible. Tohru thinks on how she will miss everyone, and all the things that have happened (in the span of a year, right? This all mostly happened within a year or two?). Kyo then says that everyone loves and appreciates her, and it's not like she'll never see any of them again, it's just the start of something new. Then Tohru's stomach grumbles and she gets embarrassed (oh no im hungry how embarrassing 😖)

We then jump to Yuki and Machi, and Yuki gives Machi a key to his new place, because he doesn't want her to think that he's cheating on her (why would she think that???) and then nearly fuckin yeets it out the window when she says that she's not worried that he'd do that. (So he does want her to have trust issues? Yuki, dude, you're confusing me on this) I think that Machi is a year behind Yuki, so she won't be starting college the same time as he will, but she promises that she'll follow after him and be back with him as soon as she can, which is very sweet.

This whole section is mostly jumping from one group of people to the next, so I think I'll try to summarize:

Ritsu and Kagura are talking, it seems that Ritsu is giving Kagura his old kimonos. He's cut his hair shorter, and he mentions how Shigure apparently has quit being an author, much to the relief of his editor, Mitsuru. Kagura asks if Ritsu is going to marry Mitsuru, which leaves him very flustered. Kagura still is hung up on Kyo, and says that she'll see Kyo and Tohru go just to see Kyo. She won't well wish them, because she knows that they'll be happy regardless.

Hiro and Kisa are walking past Shigure's old house, speculating on what is going to happen to it. Hiro says he thinks it will stay as it is for a while, which makes Kisa happy. She hopes that it can stay up and that a new household can live in it. She then starts crying, thinking about Kyo and Tohru leaving, but she says that she will smile when she sees them go, on the next day. Hiro tells her to not be upset over crying, that she can cry as much as she wants, because he knows how much Tohru means to Kisa.

Haru, Izusu, and Momiji are talking, and Haru mentions how Hatori said that eventually, Shigure's gonna get punched in the face, but he never did. Momiji says that it didn't happen because they are all more mature than Shigure. He says as an aside that he doesn't think it should be allowed that Kyo is "taking away" Tohru, because he's being selfish, and that he wants to pinch Kyo. Haru asks why he shouldn't do it tomorrow, and Momiji says that he can't do it in front of Tohru, but this whole thing has given Momiji a new sense of motivation, to find the best girlfriend in the world, and then he'll show her off to Kyo (not the best motivation to find a partner but okay). Izusu pops up by saying that she thinks Tohru should break up with Kyo. I'm not sure why though.

It's shown that Hanajima is working at Kazuma's place as a cook, which is something that Kyo was not pleased to find out, but despite his best efforts, The Guy Who is Also There at the Dojo Whose Name I Cannot Remember can't figure out how to get her to leave. Kazuma says that he will miss Kyo, but he won't worry about him. He's in good hands now.

Uotani is on the phone with Kureno, saying that she'll send his regards to Tohru and Kyo. She also says that she will miss Tohru, but she's also excited for her, for the both of them. She asks if the cherry blossoms are blooming yet, and that she'll have to make her way out to see them (and Kureno) soon.

Ayame and Mine are sending well wishes gifts in the form of big flouncy dresses, for Tohru (who I imagine would be flattered but I doubt she would wear them). Mine says that now that the time has come, she finds this sensation of "children leaving the nest" to be lonely, and Ayame agrees, and says that's exactly why adults put obnoxious amounts of love into cardboard boxes with instant ramen, socks, maid outfits, what have you. (They then say that they're going to send similarly flouncy dresses to Yuki, who I doubt will respond kindly)

Mayu and Hatori are on a date, and he offers to take her with him on a summer vacation to Okinawa. He says he's never been on a "decent" vacation, and that he wants to see the country. Mayu starts cracking up at the idea of Hatori in a swimsuit, then sobers quickly at the idea of herself in one, saying that her figure isn't ideal for a swimsuit (from the way she talked about herself I think she'd be all the rage in early 2000's Western fashion).

Akito says that she's not going to see Tohru and Kyo leave, saying that if she wants to visit Tohru, she'll go and see her, but I imagine it's also for the sake of everyone else that would be there.

Finally, we end with Yuki going to talk to Tohru. He tells her that he's happy about all that has happened, and that he's glad that he has gotten to this point. He says that he was weak, that he couldn't handle being around people, but he wanted to be loved, and be needed. All he ever did, he says, is want. But during that crucial time, Tohru appeared, and fulfilled that wish without even trying. He learned so much from her, and she gave him what he needed, and that's how he is able to be the person he presently is. And he also finally says that she was basically his mother, in a way. He wonders if she was like that to everyone, with how warm, welcome, and gentle she is to everyone she meets. He goes on to say that in this time, when everyone is parting ways, everyone is thinking of Tohru, wondering if she's happy, if she's crying, if she's doing well. Finally, he thanks her, and says that he's so glad that he got to meet her, and that she was there for him, and for all of them. (He also actually says her name, which he's never done, I don't think. It's always been "Honda-san", but never "Tohru", but now he's said it. There's really not an English version of that, as far as I'm aware, but from what I know, it is a pretty significant thing.)

There's a little bit of an epilogue, showing a child walking into a house, asking where Tohru and Kyo are. A woman replies saying, "That's Grandma and Grandpa to you!", but the child pouts and says that Grandma said she could call her by her name, and that they left her behind again on their walk. The woman tells her to not get in the way of their "lovey-dovey alone time", and there's a final establishing shot of Tohru and Kyo walking together, holding hands, with Kyoko's words: "Repeat the good, and the bad. Do it all, and pile on the years."

And that's the end!

I think I'm heartless, because I didn't cry at the end. I wanted to, but I didn't. Overall, I really liked this series! It was a lot of fun to read, a lot of shit goes down, it was a rollercoaster. Thinking back on how the story started, knowing some of the events that occurred before the story started, it all kinda leaves a bitter taste in my mouth (mainly the teasing that Kyo gets about him "training in the mountains", and knowing what was actually going on, it's kinda hard to laugh now 😬). One thing that I was kinda expecting the story to mention, but never did, was Izusu's mark on her back. It looks like some kinda of scar, but I never saw anything addressing it. Now that I think about it, it could have been from a number of things, but it was never said explicitly, which I think is weird. I think I'm gonna leave it here (I'm typing this last portion on my phone at 3:45am so it could be better).

[hadjalterdoneanythingwrong]

Servants & Singularities

(3/?)

Artoria kept walking, but held out her fist.

Jeanne stared at it for a moment, before meeting it with her own.

The first of many, for sure.

But the sound of a large cart with an uncooperative wheel brought the Alters to whirl around and look behind them. Eli stood within the remnants of the giant cake, holding a rather large pizza box with a pair of envelopes on it as Cat awkwardly tried to wheel her toward the resident living nightmares of Chaldea.

"Jeanne! Artoria! Just the Alters I was looking for~"

Jeanne and Artoria just exchanged unamused glances as she drew closer.

"Listen, Jeanne, I know we've had our differences—" Eli stumbled a bit as the cart came to a sudden halt. Cat jostled the cart a bit before deciding to rely on her strength, which caused the cart to make a migraine-inducing sound as it moved. "—but I'm willing to—"

"What?" Jeanne raised her voice.

"...I said I'm willing t—"

"What did you say??"

"I SAID I—"

"JE NE PEUX PAS T'ENTENDRE!"

Artoria did her best not to laugh. Despite how aggravating the noise would have been to most people, it really wasn't that loud; Jeanne was just being an asshole.

"...Cat, you can stop."

"Woof~" The cart stopped moving.

"...Anyway, Jeanne, I know we've had our diff—"

"WHAT?? MY EARS ARE STILL RINGING!"

"I'M NOT THAT STUPID!!" Eli pouted.

Artoria just gazed down at the pizza. "Is that yours?"

"...Oh, this?" Eli opened the box just a bit, letting the scent of the pizza inside waft out from within. Artoria couldn't fight the sparkles in her eyes. She could tell just from the scent that there were probably at least three cheeses and seven kinds of meat in there. Eli's face suddenly gained a smug expression. "It could be yours, if you both accept the invitation that comes with it~"

Before Eli could blink, one of the envelopes was opened and the invitation was in Artoria's hands. Jeanne didn't budge.

"Don't tell me you preemptively got invited as an echo fighter."

"IT'S NOT SMASH!!!" Eli pouted again. "I'm inviting you both to D&D tomorrow night!!"

"D and... what?" Jeanne leaned over and tried to make sense of Artoria's invitation. It didn't help.

"A tabletop game." Artoria folded the invitation and stuffed it back into the envelope. "Often considered the tabletop game. This is the one where all those elves and wizards and whatnot come from, right? I vaguely remember Merlin once trying to explain the rules to the Knights. Didn't end well."

"Then you'll be glad to know that I have no intention of inviting him! Or Astolfo. ...Or— man, do I need to put together a banlist? Anyway, the game's tomorrow night. And if you two show up...~" Eli slowly waved the pizza around in circles. Artoria's eyes followed its movements. "Well, I've said what I need to. Hopefully this pizza will see you there~ ...Cat?"

Cat went around the cart and simply picked up the cake. "Woof." Artoria watched as her newfound beloved drifted out of her reach. Along with Eli and Cat.

"...We're going." Artoria stared at Jeanne with a look of determination.

"Are you shitting me? To their little nerd game?" Jeanne shook her sword, creating tinier splatters on the floor. "You can go if you want, but I want no part of it."

"She said both of us need to show up."

"Are you really going to fall victim to this petty bribery? It’s not even going to be a fresh pizza; either you’re hoping she’ll give in and eat it and have to get a second one, or maybe—just maybe—you’re just weaker-willed than I thought."

Artoria looked to the ground and thought for a moment. "...Ritsuka's likely going to be there."

Jeanne sputtered. "A-AND???"

"And I get the feeling you'll want to be there too."

"WHY WOULD I WANT TO BE THERE!?" Jeanne held her sword up to Artoria's neck again, going as far as to push her chin up slightly. "Vous allez vouloir choisir vos prochains mots très soigneusement, 'mon ami'."

"...Because it's going to be fun." Artoria replied, once again without so much as batting an eye. "And what better way to ruin Ritsuka's fun than to show up and corrupt everything with your presence?"

Jeanne's grip on her sword faltered slightly, but the blade did not lower. "Don't screw with me, Ice Queen. Shakespeare tried this same trick a few months ago. It took them weeks to get him back after what I did to him."

"But this time you won't be here to give anyone chocolate or do anything remotely pleasant." Artoria pressed a finger against Jeanne's blade and slowly moved it away, with little resistance. "Hear me out. You'll join their silly little game, but you'll make your character the most unpleasant and vicious bitch they'll ever have the misfortune of dealing with."

"You're risking your pizza, telling me to do this."

"I'm risking nothing. They invited me. They invited you. We can't be blamed for each other's actions. I'll make a character that's comparatively normal so they won't suspect I was aware of this. That means the spotlight will be yours." Artoria held the blade to the side and leaned closer to Jeanne. "All of their eyes will be on you. And all of their eyes will be filled with despair once they witness what you've done to their game."

Jeanne stared at Artoria. The two stood there for what seemed like forever.

"Um... Jeanne? Artoria?"

The two glanced over at Carina, who had apparently just arrived. Mash stood beside her, holding a bunch of books.

"...Did you guys seriously go dragon hunting without me again?"

Artoria looked back at Jeanne. "You in or not, Jeanne? This could finally be your chance."

Jeanne growled, and slowly sheathed her sword. "Fine. I'll play your stupid little game."

Mash squeaked. "S-Senpai, did... Do you think Eli invited these two...?"

"Ha!" Jeanne extended her arm out dramatically toward Mash. "What's the matter, Kyrielight? Afraid your little night of fun is about to go down in flames? ...You should be."

Mash whimpered. "S-Senpai, I don't think—"

"We'll be fine, Mash." Carina rested her hand on Mash's head. "Every group needs a bit of chaos. ...We'll be glad to have you, Jeanne."

Jeanne staggered back, as if someone shot her in the chest. "Y-Yeah, well... y-you say that now!! But I'm certain you'll regret it when the time comes!!!" Jeanne let out a rather high-pitched "hmph" and ran away, leaving a messy trail of dragon blood behind her.

"...She really can't handle a full conversation with you, can she, Senpai?"

"I guess not. Ever since that Christmas party..." Carina cleared her throat. "So I take it you'll be joining too, Artoria?"

"Eli bribed me with a seven-meat pizza. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

"Glad to hear it~"

"W-Wait," Mash looked down at her books, "do they know the rules of the game already?"

"Like I told Jeanne, Merlin tried to teach the Knights once." Artoria looked back over her shoulder, in the direction Jeanne took off toward. "I bet if nothing else Blueberry might remember something. And if not, hey, that's what the internet is for."

"We'll see you there, then~" Carina was practically radiating sunshine at this point.

"That pizza better be intact by the time I show up." Artoria began following the blood trail, but stopped. "...Oh, and... another thing."

"...Yeah?"

"...The only way I managed to convince Jeanne to show up was to trick her into thinking that her presence would ruin everything. I'm no Shakespeare, so you won't need to worry about me afterwards, but... just a heads up, I guess."

"Good to know~"

Artoria allowed herself to smile. Not a smirk, not a smug grin, not a slasher smile after killing something. It was a small yet genuine kind of smile.

And then she walked away.