#look at kiryu for more than 1 minute. can you really tell me that man is not autistic?

[madtype]

third mini-essay to write eventually

3. a good chunk of these fuckers are autistic and this is not me making a cutesy joke i am dead serious.

actually and a fourth one

4. yuki is a lesbian

[cryingcow]

Character Story - Yumi [RGGO]

After a couple weeks of seeing babies, I am back to online classes :D I’ve had half of this done for months, but in the end the motivation I needed to finish this in a week was 1) people still waiting for it, and 2) the fact that there is absolutely no Kansai speak here after how hard doing Minami’s was XD Thank you to @arysthaeniru​, @snuggetfish​, and @integralcalculus​ for voting for Yumi! Sorry for how long it took!

(Don’t be fooled by the card picture, this does not take place in 2005 :< )

Story: Yumi works at Serena with another hostess and feels inadequate in comparison up until said hostess leaves to join a prostitution ring, at which point she reveals her secret ability.

Notes: 耳が痛いわ or “my ears hurt” - means something like “that’s painfully true” (spiritually, it probably means “haha oof yeah”).

.

CHAPTER 1

.

|Kamurocho – 1992.|

Serena Customer: “Oh? Yumi-chan, you haven’t touched your alcohol. Is it not to your liking?”

Yumi: “No, that’s not it, President. It’s just . . .”

President: “Come to think of it, Yumi-chan isn’t a heavy drinker of alcohol.”

Yumi: “Yeah, well . . .”

President: “Haha, you don’t have to overdo it.”

Yumi: (I shouldn’t cause the customers concern . . . really, I . . .)

{The door opens.}

Reina: “Oh, Yuu-chan. Welcome back.”

Yuu: “I’m back! Mama, I went shopping!”

Reina: “Thank you. Can you stay to assist Yumi-chan?”

Yuu: “Okay.”

Yuu: “Good evening, I’m Yuu. May I disturb you?”

President: “Oh, you’re cute! Sit down, sit down!”

Yuu: “Pardon me!”

Reina: “Wait, Yuu-chan. Is this all you bought? Some items are missing.”

Yuu: “Eh, it’s not enough? That’s funny~, I confirmed everything was all there.”

President: “Ahaha! Yuu-chan, are you saying it fell out?”

Yuu: “You know~? I often make mistakes~! Like last time . . .”

Yumi: “. . . President, may I leave my seat for a moment? I’m going to go buy more.”

President: “Yeah sure, sure! I’m having fun with Yuu-chan!”

Yumi: “. . . Well then, excuse me.”

----

Yumi: “Alright, that’s everything. I have to get back quickly . . .”

Drunk Thug: “Oh?! It’s Yumi-chan of Serena!”

Yumi: “Eh?”

Drunk Thug: “We’ve gone drinking a few times before. I feel like this is fate~! We met tonight because of it, so let’s go drinking together!”

Yumi: “I’m sorry, I have to get back to the bar . . .”

Drunk Thug: “Huuh?! Come on!!”

Yumi: “Kyaa?! Don’t pull! It hurts!”

Drunk Thug: “Heh, you’re always so high and mighty. Come to think of it, you never join in when I start drinking. The other hostess with you is Yuu, right? That one was more entertaining.”

Yumi: “. . . !”

Drunk Thug: “That’s it! Starting now, I’ll teach you how to please your customers.”

Yumi: “No, let go!”

Male voice: “Oi, you thug. What are you doing?”

Drunk Thug: “Huh?”

Yumi: “Shi-Shinji-kun?!”

Shinji: “Yumi-san, are you alright?”

Yumi: “Y-Yup. But, this person . . .”

Drunk Thug: “What do you want?!”

Shinji: “Don’t say bad words. If this is a pick-up, make your move somewhere else.”

Drunk Thug: “This is going to be fun . . . you wanna be messed up?! Apologize, hey!”

Yumi: “Shinji-kun, this is dangerous!”

Shinji: “Yumi-san, please stand back. I’ll deal with him.”

Drunk Thug: “Hah! I’m not scared of some kid! I’ll show you!”

{Shinji beats up the drunk.}

Drunk Thug: “Damn it, I’ll get you for this!”

Shinji: “Geez . . . I’m relieved you’re okay, Yumi-san.”

Yumi: “Thank you. But why is Shinji-kun here?”

Shinji: “I had something to do in the area and was walking nearby when I heard Yumi-san’s voice, so I came rushing in.”

Yumi: “I see. You really helped me.”

Shinji: “Hehe, it’s not a big deal. Something else might happen, so I’ll escort you to Serena.”

----

Yumi: “Thank you for escorting me to the bar. Ah, I know. Let me treat you to a drink as thanks.”

Shinji: “I’d be glad to, but I still have work to do . . . I’ll drop by the bar again some other time.”

Yumi: “I see . . . Yup. That’s alright.”

Shinji: “. . . Yumi-san, is something wrong? You don’t look fine.”

Yumi: “. . . I was thinking about how I’m always just getting help from someone.”

Shinji: “No, that’s not the case! Kiryu-san and Nishikiyama-san say that Yumi-san simply being there for them is soothing.”

Yumi: “Eh . . . ? Really?”

Shinji: “Really! I think the same way! So please stay as you are, Yumi-san.  . . . Oh, I need to get to my Aniki. See ya!”

{Shinji runs off.}

Yumi: (Shinji-kun says that . . . I should stay as I am . . . should I really?)

----

Reina: “Oh, Yumi-chan! Welcome back. It’s late, did something happen?”

Yumi: “No, everything’s fine. I just took my time in shopping.”

Yuu’s voice: “Ahaha! That’s right~!”

Reina: “The President and Yuu-chan are enjoying themselves.”

Yumi: (The President is drinking a lot . . . but he looks like he’s having fun, isn’t he?)

Reina: “Yuu-chan is amazing, even though it’s only been half a year since she became a hostess.”

Yumi: “Yeah, I can’t get the President to drop his reservations that quickly . . .”

Yuu: “So then, President. Please continue the story you were telling earlier!”

President: “Hahaha! I’m glad I got to know Yuu-chan today!”

Yumi: (Do I even need to be here? With Yuu-chan here, I’m not necessary . . . )

----

Yumi: “Good morning.”

Reina: “Oh, Yumi-chan! You’re not with Yuu-chan?”

Yumi: “Eh? She hasn’t come in yet? Shouldn’t she have an early shift today . . .”

Reina: “That’s right. I tried to contact her, but the call wouldn’t go through . . .”

Yumi: “Maybe she’s just late again? I’ll go change clothes for the time being and help out.”

{The phone rings.}

Reina: “Oh, a phone call.  . . . Yes, this is Serena. Ah, Yuu-chan! It’s already time for your shift . . . Eh? Wait a minute! So sudden . . . the call dropped.”

Yumi: “What’s wrong? Was the call from Yuu-chan?”

Reina: “It was . . . Yuu-chan’s quitting from the bar.”

Yumi: “Eh?”

Reina:” That’s all she said before the call cut off.”

Yumi (Why? Even though the President liked her so much.)

Reina: “I wonder what happened all of a sudden . . . I hope it’s nothing.”

----

Yumi: “Thank you, please come again.”

Office Worker Customer: “Of course, Yumi-chan. But I’m lonely without Yuu-chan~.”

Yumi: “Fufu, don’t say that.”

{The customer leaves.}

Reina: “It’s been a week since Yuu-chan quit. It’s lonely because of her sudden disappearance.”

Yumi: “Yup . . . it was a little too sudden. Maybe something happened.”

Reina: “. . . I failed to tell you at the time, but Yuu-chan said this. ‘I quit because I found a place I can make more money’.”

Yumi: “Eh? Serena pays pretty well. More than that . . .”

Reina: “Yup. I’m worried that it’s a dangerous place. I’ve called several times since then, but I couldn’t get in touch with Yuu-chan. I hope she’s alright . . . I worry something fishy is going on. Ah, Yumi-chan, a customer. Welcome~!”

Regular Customer: “Reina-mama, is Yuu-chan in?”

Reina: “Sorry. Yuu-chan quit a while ago.”

Regular Customer: “Ah, then . . . was the kid in that shop Yuu-chan?”

Reina: “Eh, did you see Yuu-chan somewhere?”

Regular Customer: “Yeah, in the cabaret club I came from, there’s a new hostess who looked like Yuu-chan. Well, I couldn’t see the face clearly because I wasn’t in my seat.”

Reina: “I see, a cabaret club . . . did she look okay?”

Regular Customer: “Hmm, I wonder . . . I’m really worried if that is Yuu-chan.”

Yumi: “. . . Why?”

Regular Customer: “That cabaret club seems to have changed management recently, and the evaluation is not good. Rumor has it they’re forcing girls into recruitment for prostitution.”

Yumi: “Forcing into prostitution . . . ? That’s a crime!”

Reina: “Calm down, Yumi-chan.”

Regular Customer: “It’s just rumors. If you’re worried, would you like to go there? Here’s the club’s business card.”

Reina: “Understood, thank you.”

Yumi: (Recruiting for prostitution . . . If that’s true, is Yuu-chan aware of it . . . ?)

.

-END-

.

CHAPTER 2

.

Yumi: (This is the address on the business card . . . Yuu-chan is in this cabaret club. Someone came out . . . that’s-!)

Yumi: “Yuu-chan!”

Yuu: “Whoa, Senpai? What are you doing here?”

Yumi: “I was worried about how Yuu-chan was . . . I heard from a customer that you work here.”

Yuu: “Hmm? Is that so?”

Yumi: “. . . Hey, Yuu-chan. Is your current workplace enjoyable?”

Yuu: “. . . It’s fun, I can make a lot of money. See, please take a look. I was able to buy the necklace I wanted right away!”

Yumi: “I see . . . that’s good. I was worried because I heard bad rumors about the club Yuu-chan is working at.”

Yuu: “Don’t worry. Besides, Senpai and I aren’t working together anymore, right?”

Yumi: (Certainly, she’s already quit Serena, so it’s just as Yuu-chan says . . .)

Man’s voice: “Where’s my Yuu?”

Yumi: “Ah, sorry. I’m just here to see a friend . . .”

Mild-mannered Man: “Is that right. However, Yuu has work after this . . . can you come back some other time?”

Yumi: (. . . This person, I wonder. I can’t put a finger on it, but he makes me uncomfortable . . .)

Mild-mannered Man: “Are you alright?”

Yumi: “. . . Yes. Yuu-chan, sorry for disturbing you from your work.”

Yuu: “. . .”

Mild-mannered Man: “Yuu, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and let’s go.”

Yuu: “. . . Yes sir.”

Yumi: “. . . U-Um!”

Mild-mannered Man: “Something else you want?”

Yumi: “Yuu-chan, she’s not in trouble, is she?”

Mild-mannered Man: “. . . Yeah. Don’t worry. Rest assured. If there’s nothing else, we’ll take our leave.”

{Yuu and the man walk off.}

Yumi: (Yuu-chan looks fine . . . but . . .)

Yakuza-like Man A: “Oh, it’s a beautiful Nee-chan. If you’re depressed, shall we comfort you?”

Yumi: “I-I’m fine. Excuse me . . . !”

Yakuza-like Man B: “Now, don’t say that. After all our effort?”

Yumi: “Kyaa . . . ! Don’t grab my arm!”

Kiryu: “Oi, what are you doing?”

Yakuza-like Man A: “Aah? Who are you?”

Yumi: “Kazuma!”

Kiryu: “Yumi, I’m here to help now.”

Yakuza-like Man B: “Kazuma . . . is this guy Kiryu Kazuma?! The one called the Dragon of Dojima . . . !”

Yakuza-like Man A: “Haw, that’s something. I’ve only heard the rumors, Kiryu-san. It’s a good opportunity. We’ll beat you and be the ones to name you!”

{Kiryu beats up the yakuza. They run away.}

Kiryu: “Are you injured, Yumi?”

Yumi: “I’m alright. Thank you for your help, Kazuma. For us to meet in such a place . . .”

Kiryu: “There’s something I wanted to check around here. That’s why I was passing by. Those men . . . they’re guys from the Takezuka Family. So that means the rumors are true?”

Yumi: “What do you mean?”

Kiryu: “This area is our territory, but I heard the Takezuka Family is moving in on it. It seems some stores have been crushed because of this situation. They must have been bought off . . .”

Yumi: (. . . If Kazuma’s story is true, then the man with Yuu-chan a while ago . . . I’m not sure . . . but I have to go. Mama and the regulars didn’t know!)

Yumi: “Sorry, Kazuma! I remembered I have a little errand!”

{Yumi runs off.}

Kiryu: “Oi, Yumi?!”

----

Yumi: “Haa, haa . . .”

Yumi: (Should be around here . . . ah! There!)

Yuu: “Um . . .”

Mild-mannered Man: “What? Are you going to say you want to quit now?”

Yuu: “No, I just wanted to finish this as soon as possible.”

Mild-mannered Man: “I see. Then head inside . . .”

Yumi: “Yuu-chan!!”

Yuu: “Senpai? Why are you here?”

Yumi: “That person might be a yakuza. I thought Yuu-chan might be in danger . . .”

Yuu: “. . . I know this person is the captain of the Takezuka Family, we’re here together.”

Yumi: “Eh . . . ?!”

Yuu: “Why doesn’t Senpai come with us? See, Kiryu Kazuma . . . you get along with him well, don’t you?”

Yumi: “That is . . .”

Takezuka Family Captain: “Kiryu? That’s good to hear.  . . . Looks like you can be used.”

{The captain grabs Yumi.}

Takezuka Family Captain: “Would you like to come with us too? Oops, don’t make any noise. See this?”

Yumi: (He has a handgun pointed at me . . . !)

.

-END-

.

CHAPTER 3

.

Takezuka Family Captain: “Now then, why don’t you behave yourself here?”

Yumi: “. . . Trapping us here, what are you planning to do with us?”

Takezuka Family Captain: “You’ll understand soon enough. Oh, you guys, keep an eye on the woman. I’ll come back out in a moment.”

{The captain leaves.}

Yumi: “Yuu-chan, are you alright?”

Yuu: “Why are you worrying about me more than I am? I’m here for work.”

Yumi: “Work . . . for a yakuza? You don’t even know what that entails.”

Yuu: “So what are you trying to say?”

Yumi: “Yuu-chan . . . ?”

Yuu: “As long as you make money, it doesn’t matter if the other party is a yakuza.”

Yumi: “. . .”

Takezuka Family Member A: “Yo, Nee-chan. You’re free while you’re waiting, right? Come give us a hand.”

Yuu: “I don’t want to. Because it’s not part of my job.”

Takezuka Family Member B: “Heh, saying something so cheeky. You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into, do you? You are our product. It’s your job to do what we say.”

Yuu: “If you’re with the Captain, you don’t have to listen to what the underlings say.”

Takezuka Family Member A: “. . . Geez, it seems like there’s a need for you to be educated.”

Yuu: “Wait, ow! Don’t grab my hair!”

Yumi: “Let go of Yuu-chan!”

{Yumi slaps the yakuza holding Yuu.}

Takezuka Family Member A: “Haw, I’ll admit Nee-chan has courage. But Nee-chan and Yuu are in a bad position now, aren’t they?”

Yumi: “. . . !”

Takezuka Family Member B: “You should give us compensation, yeah?!”

Yumi: (If it comes to that . . . !)

Yumi: “. . . I’m the one who raised my hand. So I’ll be the one to keep you company.”

Takezuka Family Member A: “Hehe, so you understand?”

Yumi: (To get out of this situation . . . what can I do . . . Ah! That’s it . . . !)

Yumi: “Do you guys like alcohol? It seems there’s a lot of liquor lined up over there.”

Takezuka Family Member A: “Yeah, I like alcohol. Especially the alcohol I drink with a woman like Nee-chan.”

Yumi: “Then I’ll drink it with you.  . . . If you can get me drunk, I’ll do whatever you like.”

Yuu: “Senpai, what are you saying?! You can’t hold your liquor at all!”

Takezuka Family Member B: “Oi oi, you can’t drink but you want to compete in a drinking contest with us?”

Takezuka Family Member A: “Well, it’s entertainment before the actual fun. I’ll take you up on that.”

Yumi: “Well then, let’s get started.”

{Yumi and the yakuza down drink after drink.}

Takezuka Family Member A: “Uugh . . . I can’t drink anymore . . .”

Takezuka Family Member B: “Uughp . . . ! Lo-Losing to a woman at drinking alcohol . . .”

Yumi: “Are you alright? I’m only just getting started in drinking.”

Yuu: “Whoa . . . so many liquor bottles emptied out.”

Takezuka Family Member A: “Wh-What the hell is this . . . weren’t you weak at handling alcohol . . . ?”

Yumi: “Are you already at your limit?”

Takezuka Family Member B: “Shit . . . ! Everything is spinning in front of me . . .”

Yumi: “Yuu-chan, now’s our chance . . . !”

Takezuka Family Member A: “Don’t be silly . . . we won’t let you escape . . . !”

Yumi: (All right . . . ! With such unsteady opponents, I can do something!)

{Yumi beats up the drunk yakuza.}

Takezuka Family Member A: “O-Ow . . . I’m also feeling sick . . . ! Uuugh!”

Yumi: “Hooray . . . ! Quickly, before it’s too late . . .”

{The yakuza collapse. The door opens as someone comes running in.}

Kiryu: “Yumi, are you safe?!”

Yumi: “Kazuma?!”

Kiryu: “. . . What’s this, what’s going on?”

Yumi: “Kazuma, why are you here?”

Kiryu: “I was contacted by the Takezuka Family saying they had you in their custody. They called me and said they had the intention of getting rid of you.”

Yumi: “Are you okay?”

Kiryu: “Heh . . . they weren’t a big problem. Even so, it’s good I arrived before they sold you off.”

Yumi: “. . . What does it mean to be sold?”

Kiryu: “These guys weren’t just mediating prostitution. They were selling the women they gathered to overseas organizations.”

Yuu: “. . . I didn’t know that.”

Kiryu: “Even the Dojima Family had trouble getting a lead on it.”

Yuu: “Was Senpai aware? That they were that kind of a dangerous organization.”

Yumi: “Not at all . . . this is the first I heard of it.”

Yuu: “. . . Aren’t you too fearless? Despite that, you still challenged them at a contest.”

Yumi: “It’s thanks to Yuu-chan.”

Yuu: “. . . Ha?”

Yumi: “I . . . I wasn’t confident in myself. At first I wanted to be someone that can be relied on, so I tried to help Yuu-chan. But when I saw Yuu-chan, that’s when I realized. If you really want to be confident, you need to possess a sufficiently strong will within yourself. That’s why I was able to act like that. Without Yuu-chan, I wouldn’t have had self-confidence.”

Yuu: “. . . In that case, I don’t need to thank you. Ah, but now what should I do? I’m going to lose my job.”

Yumi: “How about you come back to Serena? Mama and the regulars are waiting for Yuu-chan.”

Yuu: “. . . I don’t want to. As if I’ll accept Senpai’s help. If I do, just like with the President the other day, I’m told nothing but stories of Senpai.”

Yumi: “Stories of me . . . ?”

Yuu: “’Yumi-chan cares about my physical condition, right?’ . . . is all the President says. You can drink so much, and yet you don’t drink at the bar because you’re thinking about the customers . . . that’s it, isn’t it? Ultimately, instead of revealing that to customers, you’d rather be a lousy liar.”

Yumi: “. . . My ears hurt.”

Yuu: “Well, that’s my reason. I wonder if I should go back to the countryside.”

Yumi: “I see . . . it’ll be lonely.”

Yuu: “You won’t be saying stuff like that for long. When I return, I’ll overtake Senpai right away.”

Yumi: “Fufu, then I’ll have to work harder. So that I can fight back when Yuu-chan returns.”

Yumi: (From this moment on, instead of being helped, I will be the one who helps others.)

.

-END-

Masterlist

[maddogofshimano]

Kiryu (Final Fight) Character Story

Spoilers for Yakuza 1

I wasn’t sure what I expected out of this one, but it sure wasn’t this, given the card it’s attached to is.....

Yeah. 

Remember how in the Rikiya event Kiryu kept saying things that were wildly easy to misconstrue? Yeah, he’s gonna do a bunch of that.

Summary: Set right after the events of Y1, Kiryu is attempting to make ends meet, but he’s struggling with reintegrating into civilian life.

<part 1>

So this starts off with Kiryu, as requested by the store’s manager, attempting to be a cashier, but the customers just keep running away at the sight of him. The manager comes back and decides okay, this job is clearly not working for Kiryu, let’s put him in the back, and sends him to work in the kitchen. 

The kitchen staff are immediately scared of him. The manager says not to worry, he’s ex-yakuza! This worries the staff even more.

Kiryu: That meat knife (Tl note: slang usually used about daggers) looks like it cuts well. Be careful not to cut your fingers (Tl note: slang for chopping off a pinky) Staff: Dagger???? Chop a pinky off???? Kiryu: Ooh, this is a good dagger (Tl note: even more slang, closer to shiv). It'll be great for slicing it open and pulling all the organs out. Staff: Shiv?? Rip out guts???? Kiryu: (Why's he seem so confused? Doesn't he know you have to gut the fish?) Kiryu: Am I doing something that's not how you normally do it? Staff: N-N-Not normal at all! I can't work here! <runs out the door> I can't work if he tries to rip out all my guts!! Manager: ...Kiryu why the hell are you going to rip his guts out?!?! Kiryu: ...I was talking about the fish............... Manager: I see... Kiryu, you're kind of bad at talking.........

The manager decides to give Kiryu a job SO SIMPLE there’s no way he could possibly screw it up, he just needs to go to the store across the street and check on something, it should take 10 minutes tops.

Kiryu comes back 3 hours later because a lady was being harassed and he had to fight off a whole gang. Oops. He gets fired and takes a moment to be sad in the park and eat the bento Haruka made him for dinner

<part 2> Next up Kiryu has a job handing out pocket tissues! Unfortunately, he’s got the same problem as before, everyone keeps running away from him! He decides he’s going to act more cutely, so that people are less afraid.

“Here, take this~”

“Kyaaa!?”

His next tactic is to try being quieter. There’s a cut here where presumably Kiryu went through multiple more iterations of refinements such as speaking more politely until finally after an hour, he gets one lady to take a tissue pack. Success! 

(...I see. So the trick was to present the tissues firmly.)

Which would mean Kiryu’s initial method was shouting “Take this!!” at random people and not even presenting the tissues. Now that Kiryu’s finally gotten the hang of this, a bunch of ex-Shimano goons jump him because they’re mad that Shimano’s dead and blame Kiryu for it. They fight, Kiryu wins, but gets fired for getting into fist fights on the clock. Ouch.

<part 3>

Back to having sad bento dinner at the park, Kiryu decides that he’ll find a new job, and he’ll keep it this time! He’s Haruka’s parent, after all. He decides he’ll enter the cleaning industry, specifically the sanitation workers that clean up the streets.

Kiryu is working alongside another guy to clean the park, and he’s thankful this job doesn’t require much talking since he’s not very good at that. Some goon starts chucking garbage all over the spot Kiryu just cleaned and he’s mad but won’t do anything about it since he can’t afford to lose this job too. 

They all get done with their work and leave only to come back and find the park absolutely wrecked, the goons have spray painted on everything, it will take forever to clean this and there’s going to be an inspection today! The other cleaners are distraught and Kiryu wants nothing more than to punch them but he’s still holding himself back. 

He tells the other workers that he’s just going to talk to these goons. He tries to and the goons make fun of Kiryu for being a garbage man and being old and asks him what he’s gonna do about them making a mess?

“I’m sorry, Haruka. I’m not qualified to be your parent.”

He then beats the daylights out of the goons and makes them spend all day cleaning up the graffiti and makes them swear not to do it again. 

The head of the district’s sanitation department shows up and says he heard what Kiryu did here, and while he’s personally impressed, Kiryu did break a lot of rules and will have to be fired. Kiryu says he understands and is just sorry for causing a disturbance. 

However, all the other sanitation workers come forward and say that he can’t fire Kiryu! Kiryu protected all of them! If Kiryu is fired, every single one of them will quit in protest! The boss decides that okay, since there were extenuating circumstances, Kiryu can keep his job. Kiryu is touched and says “I’ve lived my life as a good-for-nothing until now... Even still, there’s a place for me.”

He goes back to the park to eat his dinner and finds that the bento Haruka made him is a little bigger than usual. “Heh. Haruka’s a smart one.”

<END>

As a side note you see those sanitation workers everywhere in Japan, even heavy drinking and red light spots are remarkably clean for the amount of bodily fluids that hit the street every night. 

I think it’s really cool that that’s what Kiryu’s job was between 1 and 2 and it’s not mocked or looked down on. What exactly his income was during that time is something that has been asked in interviews before and they’ve always said it was a secret that would be revealed later, and so we finally got our answer! 

This is also an unusual character story because Kiryu never changes his sprite to match the one in the actual card art. I kept wondering when he was going to rip off his shirt or have a flashback, but it never happened.

[clubstardust]

hi! can i ask why you didn’t like y6? i just started 3 lmao, i don’t mind the spoilers i was just curious as to why you didn’t like it if you’d be willing 2 explain!

yeah of course! excuse me if this is long winded i have a lot to say on the matter.

6 is just... lacking. a lot. especially for the ending of Kiryu's story (im biased though because i love 5 but i also think it ended the series better than 6 did) it has fun boss fights and good music but thats about it for me.

and the characters are just really badly portrayed everyone feels out of character.

Saejima, Majima, and Daigo get maybe 5 minutes of screentime in total. I dont even really care that Majima and Daigo are barely seen because they are just side characters, but the fact that Saejima, a PROTAGONIST, was thrown to the side is so :/

In place of him (and literally all the other former protagonists) is Akiyama. Dont get me wrong, I love Akiyama, but 6 did him so badly. His whole character in 4/5 is lazy business man who has a heart of gold (simplifying it for the sake of the post, hes obviously more than that) and then in 6 he's some badass who is willing to kill for Kiryu ? i think literally any other character would have fit that role more than him (Daigo and Majima especially, maybe even Saejima as that would be an interesting display of dedication for him to be willing to kill for Kiryu)

Kiryus character is just. Meh. It didn't make me feel anything as compared to other games and thats all I have to really say about it. Lackluster, I guess is a good way to say it, especially being his final game.

Then let's look at Haruka. My darling, sweet Haruka. If I think about her treatment in 6 too long I get really angry. Haruka's character throughout the games is a headstrong girl who stands up for what is right. She's brave, she's stubborn, she's unafraid to put herself at risk for the sake of others. Only, like, one of those traits is highlighted in 6 by the fact she puts herself in the way of a car to protect Haruto. Besides that, her character is just everything Haruka is not. She runs away (going against the very like Yumi tells her in yakuza 1 about making sure to never run away) and she runs for help when she thinks people are after her. Especially damning when you look at her behavior in any other game. K1, she puts herself between her father and Kiryu to shield him, RGG3 she stands between her siblings and Mine to protect them, RGG4 she defies Kiryu to stand up for her distrust to Hamizaki, and perhaps most telling of all, RGG5 she willing sets off on her own to face a group of yakuza (theres even a quote about how she was raised by Kiryu, so she's not going to back down in fear to yakuza) and thats just all thrown away in 6. 6 Haruka comes off as a scared little girl who needs to rely on others to help her, and that's just not Haruka.

The characters are what I dislike the most, but the plot itself is meh for me. Haruka having a kid is... weird. I think it's unnecessary and the whole idea of Kiryu 'not needing to watch over her anymore' is like... I get it but also, like, its weird seeing as 5 cemented the fact in he's her dad and they belong together.

I think the catalyst for the plot is dumb too, there's like no reason for Kiryu to be arrested (Daigo and Majima too, but especially Kiryu) especially when like similar things happened in other games and no one got fucking arrested.

Akiayama bailing on Sky Finance is weird because that's basically his whole character. He's the lifeline of Kamurocho and then he's just not.

The final bosses didn't even really have a reason to dislike Kiryu? There's even a quote before the final boss fight about how his issue is with Daigo? But then Kiryu fights him. Ok.

The throwaway at the end with Kiryu calling Daigo his son was really weird (also admittedly one of like the three scenes in the whole game that made me feel something). It would have fit better in 5 when they... you know... actually interact and actually have really good scenes displaying their affection for the other.

The ending is just infuriating, especially after playing 5. Or any other game really. The whole premise of most yakuza games ends with Kiryu and Haruka together and the idea they belong together. Thats how their story starts and then it ends basicslly ripping that apart. It's not a happy ending. It's not even bittersweet because theres no real reason Kiryu needs to fake his own death? So it just sucks because theres no reason for Haruka or her siblings to lose their dad.

Just in game mechanics, the game feels unfinished. You can't access Park Blvd. or the Champion District the whole game. I thought it would just be for certain chapters but nope! whole game. There's no coliseum at all, which is weird seeing its in all the games. Also the only game (besides 0) without Harukas whims which is just :/

short version : in my opinion it was not worth the time i put in <3 just play 5 and pretend it ends there i like to pretend 6 doesnt exist

[subasekabang]

A Redbud’s Name in an Ink-Splattered World

Rating: T Word Count: 7676 Pairings/Characters: Neku Sakuraba/Yoshiya “Joshua” Kiryu; Neku & Joshua & Beat & Rhyme & Shiki & Eri; Neku Sakuraba, Yoshiya “Joshua” Kiryu, Daisukenojou “Beat” Bito, Raimu “Rhyme” Bito, Sanae Hanekoma,  Yodai Higashizawa. [Other Characters(9)/Ships(1) to appear in later chapters.] Warnings: Frequent Canon-Typical Violence, Injury; alluded to, but neither appear in the chapter. Swearing, mostly from Neku. Summary: It’s summer in Inkopolis, just after the chaos that broke loose during the last celebrations—and yet, even in its aftermath, a delicate balance meant to be enough to wrap up the mess that was made isn’t anything close to scrubbing the grime and stone under the city’s waves. Yet, when something pulls at the balance and tugs the seas of color too far and too thin, he finds himself of all people squidnapped and sunk into an underwater espionage, stubbornly searching for what hides in Inkopolis’s murky depths. As much as he hates the ‘people’ part of it…

Well, maybe he’ll find he’s submerged himself in much more than he agreed to—both in his missions and in the hearts of those he works with.

Partners: Vi, Turtel Author’s Note: I’ll be posting this on ao3 eventually (probably with way more gushing than I can fit here!!) This was the only chapter I managed to complete, but I’m happy with how it turned out. Thank you so much to everyone I talked to and worked with along the way!!

The day that Neku’s world starts isn’t when he’s born, but it is the last Saturday of July.

It’s a day when less than a week has passed since the last Splatfest, at a time when both celebration and cleanup are as remarkably chaotic as any of the other 18,994 or so weeks Neku has endured have ever been. Now, the sun pours over Inkopolis Square like a cast in a mold. The city, absolved of the mess and dissonance that had fully collected itself nine days prior, wafts a gentle balance into the air once again, its citizens ambling once more along its glowing streets and sunlit buildings.

So it claims.

By all means, Inkopolis should be—and is far better, if it is—a place of peace. In the days following the final festivities, Neku and his mother saw lotuses and water lilies hung from the other tenants’ windows in rows. All turf wars and activities had declined, even during peak hours. Any hints of disaster from the Splatfest should have dissolved, leaving its hosts, participants, and spectators behind with the precarious rubble—and to Inkopolis, that was exactly how it seemed. If this had kept up for longer, Neku would have been pretty pleased.

It does not take long for him, a normal, law-abiding, doing his best to survive now and that’s it Inkling, to walk straight into disaster.

He doesn’t even mean to, honest! It’s a complete and utter mistake that shouldn’t be one—the most glaring reason being that this was the quickest way home, and his normal path home. Plus, it was supposed to be relatively safe; sure, maybe he could find people fighting or tagging the walls, but that was a rare occurrence and a given for Inkopolis. Turf wars and art were indispensable to the city: the two together were its blood, its infrastructure, and its entire world.

Perhaps it’s the absence of both on his way home that hurls him into another world.

When Neku walks home from Inkopolis Square, often a twenty-seven minute trip if he speedwalks, there are no brawlers and no graffitists. Every drop of ink that dripped and spilled was gathered up by the air before sunset. Now, there is he, his bag and tank, his cherry-blossom sketchbook, his Permanent Inkbrush and the concrete floor. He walks with only one companion, and that is the music streaming through his headphones—not a single other being is in sight.

And then, of course, it happens. Because nothing can go without a hitch in Inkopolis.

Neku doesn’t register exactly when he bumps into a stranger, but it’s after three songs and four seconds into a “Twister” remix, which seems to place it at a solid fourteen minutes into his walk. When he does, it’s because he’s falling face-flat onto the floor, and because he almost hits it if not for his last-second scrambling.

That’s weird, is the first sentence that comes to mind. There’s nothing to trip over on this way home. Unless someone thinks that kicking rocks into incoming pedestrians’ paths is supposed to be funny, Neku knows this route enough to use his phone or daydream on the way back, and that requires a very specific amount of certitude in the neighbors’ goodwill.

In an uncontrollable wave of curiosity, Neku turns his head, then his arm and bag, then his legs—

And he finds himself staring not exactly face-to-face with a towering, 100 percent glowering Inkling. He has dark brown hair, ancient ram symbols all over his clothes, and fluorescent sneakers that disrupt the menacing vibe he’s trying to pull off, and Neku swears that he’s never met him before in his life.

As unexpected as this is, Neku devises a plan. It’s short and simple; after all, there’s only one solution to this, panic-led or not.

He breathes. Sighs.

Then, he turns back around and starts walking away.

It is an incredibly ingenious plan, which is also probably why it fails so quickly. No more than four steps forward and Neku swears the start of the lyrics in this remix sounds horrendously off-beat, which shouldn’t be a problem when he’s listened to this version again and again.

Then, of course, the obvious sets itself into motion. The drums thud closer and faster until they cease; the air shifts behind Neku and sends goosebumps through his shirt; in one swift motion, Neku yanks his Inkbrush off of his shoulders and jerks his ink tank back in place, and dashes forward in a stroke of ink before any foreboding hell can break loose.

A few seconds pass before he pivots back around, granting an unwavering stare towards his imposing assailant. His Inkbrush drips at his side, knuckles white around one of the two black grips as the others brush against his walkman.

The song skips and a different mix encompasses the fray, swallowing all but the stranger’s words.

“You,” he rumbles, shaking the ground but little of Neku himself, “why swing that measly pastry brush along this concrete?”

Neku grimaces. Nobody calls a paintbrush, let alone his Inkbrush, a goddamn pastry brush, and gets away with attempted murder. It’s an insult and injury he isn’t standing for, so he weighs out his conversational choices and comes up with, “Pretty sure we both know the reason why, dude,” and gives a shrug with his spare hand.

“Hmph.” The man scowls, and he drags his roller back. Neku studies the length of the roller and the gold paint covering it; he realizes how normal it looks in comparison to the man, who looms over both him and his own weapon with ease. “Of all foods, I could not have expected you to be a citrus peel. Your bitter bark is just that: a bark that none dare bite.”

“And your point is…?” Neku could laugh at how bad that was if he wasn’t in danger. “I think you’ve got the wrong person.”

“You need not play coy. You are just the same as them. Unlike the raw morsels of this city, you are consumed by your desire.” The roller draws in further, and Neku steps back. “Even after this haluhalo of chaos and order, there is still something you want, isn’t there? No matter what it is, they are just the same—and soon enough, you—”

“That’s enough out of you, isn’t it?” a voice echoes from the nearby alley, stepping out of its maw and into the fray. Out tumbles a boy made of shades of platinum and lavender, the bell sleeves of a silvery blouse trailing behind him as he tiptoes past the puddles of orange and brown. When he stops, he stares straight up towards Neku’s assailant. “I would think your group would have more dignity than go after odd passerby on the street, but I must have overestimated you.”

“Quite the way to prove a point, isn’t it? Perhaps next time, you should be more covert in your preparations.”

“I see no point when there won’t be a ‘next time,’” Neku’s ally—maybe an ally? he can’t really tell—shrugs, still turned away from him. “He has no relation to our missions. If you’re looking for a fight, then I regret to say that it’s me you’ll challenge.”

“I desire no challenge. This recipe was issued to me not so long ago, and it was purely to the point. But, if you must stand in my way—”

The man lifts the roller behind him, high in the air, and the boy in front of Neku sidesteps out of the ink, glancing to him as he does. Neku’s gaze lingers on his odd acquaintance; he even squints until the man’s attack comes back to mind, and he springs off of the sidewalk, possessions rattling behind and around him as he rolls onto the road. The roller meets the concrete and thuds, cracking the tiles Neku had once stood over as he drags himself off of the asphalt.

Smooth, he grimaces, rubbing a red spot on his shoulder. Dangerous, too, considering his lack of skill with rolling.

Cods, if this is some kind of evaluation, he’s certainly failing it.

“How long do you intend to keep this up, Higashizawa?” the boy asks, crossing his arms. “You should know by know that you can’t defeat us.”

Neku’s eyes narrow. He’s not particularly keen on being included—hell, he hasn’t even done anything himself, but… has this guy even pulled out a weapon yet?

He tries to ignore that fact to focus on his assailant. Higashizawa—that must be his name, if not ‘the man who tried to kill Neku, like, twice with shitty food jokes’—stands like a statue, unmoving, his eyes trailing their every move and nothing else. For a while, the noise is deafening. The cold stone reverberates fire and whistles. The strange boy hums an odd, harmonic tune. Neku observes both, his hearts rasping a fast, arrhythmic beat, and waits for a signal.

Higashizawa moves first. He slings his roller over his shoulders and turns away from them, sending a wave of nervous heat over Neku as he remains silent. Then, finally, he speaks, slow and steady.

“How shameful. You would prefer the table set and appetizers cold before cooking the main dish?” a ‘tsk’ slips from under his breath. “It will be an unpleasant meal. Let us see if you liven it up once all has been said and done.”

Neku watches the man turn away and disappear on the path to the square, and a final wave of relief washes over him, letting his breath escape like steam. He looks back to the boy, who turns at the same time that he does and quirks a small smile.

“You’d best be getting home, wouldn’t you? Go on. He won’t be back for a while.”

“Yeah, great hearing that from a stranger.” Neku snorts, but he considers it. He turns around and takes a step forward before a realization settles in his head, and he jerks his head back to the boy.

“Hey—who even are you, anyways?” One of ‘them’ might be a good guess, considering what Higashizawa said, but… who the hell, and why?

The boy is already a good distance away when Neku yells at him, but still within hearing range. It doesn’t stop him from continuing onwards, giving naught but a cryptic silence in response.

“Hey! Answer me!” he yells again, and the boy stops, pivoting on his heel and leaning back. His phone glows, tinting his face blue as he speaks.

“I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough, won’t you?”

The boy doesn’t deign Neku with another response after that, even when he yells once more. He turns the corner up to Inkopolis Square, and Neku spins back around, leaving the dissipating puddles behind.

What the fuck just happened? He wishes he knew. Maybe that would’ve helped him give his mother a reason it took five extra minutes to get home and get ink over his shoes.

The next day, Neku takes the time to process what the hell happened, and doesn’t come up with shit.

The day after is when they—unfortunately—cross paths again.

Call him an idiot for it, don’t call him one—whatever. It shouldn’t exactly be Neku’s fault that Inkopolis Square is at the peak of popularity and Inkopolis Plaza is the ghost town four minutes away from his house, or that that means that all of his clients are up and kicking ink at the Deca Tower instead, but maybe it should be his fault for taking a trip outside to sketch their commissions in the face of possible danger.

But it should so not be his fault that they meet at one of the freshest coffee shops downtown. That’s a factor he doesn’t take credit for.

All things considered, it’s quite possible that he should: Neku has always found solace from the city’s constant chatter within a corner of CATfish Café, where a small table and two chairs are enough for him to seat himself, his things, and his coffee while doing whatever. But that is exactly why—because after a year and a half of visiting the store, from the moment winter froze the rest of the town over to now, when summer burned it to a crisp, he’s never seen the other enter the store once.

Until now.

It’s like a freaky coincidence—the chance that they meet while waiting near the pick-up counter, standing side-by-side because there’s no other place to stand when it’s so crowded. Neku doesn’t notice until he turns left out of curiosity and looks straight into the same hair and shade of lavenders. He has on a periwinkle button-up and dark jeans, and the longer that he stares into that orange phone, the more Neku realizes he’s either ignoring him or he genuinely hasn’t seen him.

For four seconds, Neku considers what to do, until he resolves to speak first, harshly, “It’s you. You’re that kid from Saturday.”

All that Neku gets is another flick down the blue screen.

He tugs the boy’s right sleeve once, twice as he continues, “Hey, you didn’t answer me last time. What the hell did you mean by—”

“Shh.” The boy budges away from his pull. He places the index finger of his free hand over his mouth, even as he continues to look over his phone. “Try not to be loud about it, will you, Neku? We’re in a public space. We wouldn’t want to drag anyone else into this fiasco, would we?”

“As if I signed up for this in the first place,” Neku grumbles. He pauses, processing every word as two Inklings, teal and fern hair respectively, take an order from the counter.

Wait.

“How do you—”

“Oh, you know.”

No, he glares pointedly, I certainly do not know! “Fine. Fine,” he sighs, throwing his hands out in front of him. “Okay. What do you want from me?”

The boy smiles again. “Isn’t that obvious? I came to talk. Go find us a seat, will you?”

“Only if you get my order,” Neku mutters, but he doesn’t give him his receipt and swivels to find a seat instead. Luckily enough, the corner is still open, and he drops all of his belongings gracelessly over one of the seats before leaning back in it himself. He waits, tapping his foot over the wooden panels and glancing at the mural-like segments which pop in bright colors from the walls. Eventually, the other arrives, their coffees both landing like airplanes over two runways and the stranger following suit in an opposing chair.

“Alright, first things first,” Neku starts, crossing his arms. “Name. So I don’t need to make a stupid name for you like ‘Salted Cod’ or whatever that ancient jellyfish says.”

“Straightforward,” he notes, and clears his throat before responding. “My name is Yoshiya Kiryu. My parents would call me Joshua, however—and seeing as how we’ll be meeting in the future, feel free to say the same.”

Oh, he really hates that.

“Okay. Joshua. Great,” he says, uncrossing his arms and pointedly avoiding his loathing. “I don’t need to introduce myself, so shoot: what the hell happened yesterday?”

The boy replies quickly. “You were attacked by Higashizawa on the way home.”

“Dude, I’m not dumb.”

“Of course,” he lilts, though the smile on his face says otherwise. “But he did have a reason, as incorrect as it may have been. He thought you were one of ours.”

“Is this that ‘them’ thing he mentioned yesterday?”

“Correct! You’re rather smart, aren’t you?” he hums, “He was talking about the ‘Cephalosquad.’ I suppose the other group would call it a ‘secret society of heroes,’ but there’s nothing quite heroic about defeating lower-level fighters.”

“What a name,” Neku rolls his eyes. Cephalosquad. “And the reason he thought I was involved was…?”

“Presumably the wrong place at the wrong time. We’ve had missions all over the city.”

“So that just prompts premeditated murder? I could’ve died there—”

“And it’s likely that you wouldn’t have. You wouldn’t have given up and died, would you?”

“…No,” Neku resigns, and Joshua smirks, “Exactly.”

It’s unfortunate that he has a point.

“Now that that’s settled…” Joshua takes a sip from his coffee, setting it down before steepling his hands. “How would you feel about actually joining?”

Neku’s hand freezes over his own coffee, the heat ineffective to thaw it. “What.”

“It’s nothing complicated, really. You’re already rather involved in this, regardless, so it’s not like you have much of a choice.”

Joshua’s voice is careless, as fluous as honey and as calm as the snowfalls in storybooks. Neku’s bridges the gap between nettles and marcato notes as he leans forward. “I told you, I didn’t ask to be a part of it. What, do you want me to say ‘yes?’ Oh, sure,” he hisses, voice bristling yet dulcet in tone, “I’d be happy to die the next time I go outside, thanks a bunch for the offer!”

“…So you’re saying no.”

“With pleasure.”

The table falls silent. When the sound over their coffee returns, it’s from Joshua chuckling, his smile even more evident on his face. It’s saccharine, and it’s sickening, and—

“So, did you have anything else to tell me, or can I go? I have a job to do,” he says, even though his sketchbook is the first thing he meant to grab when he got to the table and not anywhere else.

“…Hmph,” Joshua frowns, his eyes narrowing. “No, I don’t. If that’s what you really want, then I won’t stop you.”

He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it; by the time he can possibly say a word, however, Neku’s already gone on his way, his person and belongings wholly absent from the opposite chair and his shadow ten steps away from that of the café overhang.

He doesn’t see Joshua again for a while, but it doesn’t mean the boy’s presence ever leaves him.

Which is godawful unfortunate. When he had said that he wouldn’t sign up for whatever joke of a ‘Cephalosquad’ that the boy was a part of, he had meant it—and he still does, even three days after their talk.

And, technically, one could say that the other had done the same, following through with the words that he had said before Neku had left—but it seems today that it isn’t the case, not when Neku’s pocket is yet again disrupted by someone out of the crowds.

It happens when he’s drawing those same commissions that he had meant to the day of the past incident, right in the midst of a more complex one: it’s a poster for two twins, an Inkling and an Octoling clad in yellow and purple as they gesture and yell through a microphone in close composition. It’s not as special as it’s been made out to be, whether by him or the client—their mom, apparently, even though she’s got hair dyed with lime and not sunstone or amethyst—but considering the quality, it’s an oddly significant one.

He can’t really fathom why someone would request so much from a high school student, but he doesn’t have much time to dwell on it.

“Excuse me,” a voice snaps him out of his thoughts, tapping the table before lifting their hand back up, “Did someone named Yoshiya Kiryu come by here yesterday?”

An Inkling looks down at him from the tableside, a cup of coffee wrapped in her hands. Her fingers peek from rosy sweater sleeves, and she smiles the sun from under a black beanie and a skull pin. For every second that she speaks, a brown bag around her shoulder and her hip rustles, blown by the wind of every note nearby.

He’d feel bad snarking to her, but she’s the one who sought him out. She should definitely see this coming.

“Sure did. And I met him.” Twice, he doesn’t add.

“Oh, good.” she speaks, and then there’s a look of regret on her face that adds, well, not really. “I was wondering if I could talk to you. About—well, what he was supposed to talk about.”

“I think he talked plenty,” Neku grumbles, erasing a harsh line, and the girl winces.

“Well…” her voice trails off. A finger taps her chin before resting over the cup sleeve again. “Yes. I’m sure he did. But I don’t think he said the right things. Otherwise, we probably would have met somewhere else.”

“What, are you expecting me to join because you’ll say something he didn’t? ” Neku rolls his eyes, glaring up to the Inkling shortly afterward. “ You’re bullshitting it at this point, aren’t you.”

“I’m not, really,” she sighs, and she pauses. The music overhead drowns as it ends in the crowds, and she speaks as the next track plays. “Please, will you hear me out? I don’t have any reason for funny business, honest.”

Neku feels a little sorry for her, actually. She came all this way and now he’s turning her down without a second thought, his mouth opening not seconds after to respond—

And then he looks up at her one last time, her eyes pleading under knotted brows and her fingers cutting small dents in the paper mold, and his first words fade to naught.

The beat of a drum echoes through the speakers. It is quiet, waiting, expectant.

Neku groans. This is going to kick his ass, and he knows it. 

“…Fine. Go ahead.”

Her face lights up like the sun, and as she nears the opposite chair, Neku just knows that he’s screwed more than a hundred times over.

“May I?” she gestures. Neku nods, and her face nearly glows, the effect only disrupted as she sets her coffee down with a ‘clink.’

“Alright. Thank you,” she smiles, steadying herself in spite of the shakes and glee in her voice. 

“Before we get started, we should introduce ourselves, shouldn’t we?” The chair drags along the white tile and she slides swiftly into the seat as she speaks. “My name is Raimu Bito, but Rhyme’s just fine. Joshua and I have been working together for the past eight months.”

She nods once again, then twice, eyes training on him and waiting, and Neku jolts himself out of his commission-induced stupor to speak.

“Neku Sakuraba. I’m, uh—pretty sure you know how we met.”

Rhyme interlaces her hands in her lap, barely visible between the table and the loops of pink. The edges of her mouth turn upward, and her eyes narrow in turn, apologetic but almost laughing in Neku’s eyes. “Well, Neku, it’s nice to meet you!”

He doesn’t grant her a response. The weariness pales her face.

“Alright—back to business,” she says, and sips her coffee. “So, did Joshua at least tell you about the Cephalosquad?”

“Yeah. And why I’m stuck in this mess.” Neku says, leaning into his sketch. “That’s it.”

“Is… that when you left?”

“No, I left after he said I didn’t have the choice to join or not.”

Rhyme pauses, fidgeting her hands as she mulls over what to say. Eventually, she half-whispers, “…Neku, I think you might be barking up the wrong tree.”

Unbelievable.

“What the hell is there to mishear from that?” Neku leans back, eyes narrowing. Rhyme continues to stare up at him, no sign of being unfazed. “Well, nothing. It’s what he didn’t tell you that might’ve helped, you know?”

She takes another sip of her coffee—although by now, Neku’s pretty convinced it’s just tea. “He probably said you got caught up in this because of a coincidence, right? It’s partially true. Sometimes, you just happened to be somewhere by chance. But other times, it would be on purpose.”

“We’ve got a little… no, a big problem on our hands,” she whispers, her eyes now glancing between Neku and her own palms. “To tell the truth, we’re not a big group—after all, we haven’t worked together for long, and we can’t reach out to too many people. We wouldn’t want anyone to catch on, you know?” her shoulders lift and plummet. “But, of course, that means that we’re not prepared when something like this happens.”

“Like… what, exactly?”

“Something’s… happening. We’re all sure of it,” Rhyme murmurs, and Neku raises a brow. “We’ve been hearing about these people in town called the ‘Reefers,’ and their name hasn’t yet sunk to the bottom of the sea. We’ve been tracking them ever since we first heard about them—and one of them was the guy who nearly killed you.”

Her fingers interlace again, twisting into untangleable knots. “After what happened… we really have to be on full alert. Whatever they’re after, they’ll get it—and if they’ll harm strangers, then they’ll likely get rid of anyone in their way if they have to.”

She falls silent. The café, from the people to the music, takes in a breath, a pause.

“Sorry. That’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?” Rhyme sighs once more, and her hands fall apart, the palms briefly white as a sheet. “We really need the help, though. I know it might be a fixed decision, but would you at least think about it?”

Neku stares at her, gaze unmoving. She locks eye contact with him, and they stare and stare, the café and music picking back up in their place.

…Ugh. “Okay. And what are you going to do if I don’t?”

Rhyme regards it quickly, thoughtlessly, like she’s considering the tirade of a fifth grader. “We’ll find someone else who’ll help.”

“And if you don’t?”

“We have to,” she says, hope persistent in her voice.

“But if you don’t,” Neku snaps, and she smiles.

“I think we will. But, if not, then… I guess we’ll try to do it on our own.”

The silence returns. This time, it drags on, stretching as thin as a wire. Neku watches it pull along, focusing on Rhyme, her drink, his own and the notebook and the table, until it finally snaps in two with his own voice.

“Your damn team isn’t gonna leave me be, will it.”

“Well, I will, and I’ll try to stop them. I can’t make any promises, though.”

Something in her eyes shifts; then, her seat creaks, and she rises from the table, taking her drink with her. The clasp around her bag opens as she starts walking—but she doesn’t leave the vicinity before turning back to Neku one last time.

“Neku? Thank you, at least, for hearing us out. It really means a lot.”

And then, before Neku can say even the smallest of words—she’s gone. All that’s left is all that belongs in his hands, and a thin sheet of paper with cursive letters and neat prints of numbers.

How clever.

He tucks it away between the pages of his sketchbook, and his world shifts back to normal once more.

Frankly, Neku isn’t sure how he got so caught up in this.

The Great Zapfish casts a shadow overhead. It slinks around the Deca Tower and chimes like a bell. Neku catches a glimpse of its oil black skin when he looks up, its whiskers jittering as it appears and disappears. With its departure, he glances back down to the conversation in the palm of his hands, the bright hues fluorescent under both shadow and sun as he scrolls through the few messages from the night before.

> August 1, XX19.    

    neku. (20:07) hey. this is neku     neku. (20:08) ill do it

    rhyme! (20:19) Perfect!!     rhyme! (20:19) Can you meet in front of the Deca Tower, tomorrow, at 12?

    neku. (20:22) sure w/e

    rhyme! (20:22) ٩(•̤̀ᵕ•̤́๑)彡ᵒᵏᵎᵎᵎᵎ I’ll see you there!

He’s dumber than a stream of minnows. Why did he agree to this when that’s the equivalent of casting away any normalcy in his life?

He sighs again, peering around for any sign of rose knit or black. There’s little to find in the crowds of people, all arranged in a spectrum of designs as usual, so Neku casts his eyes back to his phone and the headphones slung for once around his shoulder.

“Neku, over here—!” A familiar voice bursts from the crowd, and Neku turns his head, one hand halfway through to pulling his headphones back up. He ducks through some of the passing crowds, ensures any chance of actually bumping into them never becomes true as he makes his way to Rhyme. When he finally catches sight of them, he notices another next to her—another Inkling with the same color hair, taller, and dressed in a loose tank top and cargo pants—and he seems to recognize him at the same time, his voice raising as he looks Neku over.

“So’s this the guy you and priss kid were talkin’ about?”

Rhyme beams. “Yep! Neku, this is my brother, Beat. Beat, this is Neku. He’s going to be working with us from now on.”

“Yo!” He grins as well, waving his hand halfway in the air. “Wassup?”

Neku responds with silence.

“Well, jeez,” Beat mutters, crossing his arms, “if that’s what you wanna do.”

Rhyme cuts through the tension with a tilt of her head and a step forward, then another as she walks past them. “Okay—we should get going, right? I bet those two are waiting for us back there!”

“They can’t have been for a while,” Neku shrugs, following behind her and her brother. “Why’s your brother here, anyways?”

“You got a problem with that?”

“Beat!” Rhyme yells, turning around once before continuing. “He kinda wanted to go with me. Plus, I thought it’d be a good idea—you guys could get to know each other on the way!”

“How long is the walk?”

“Not too far! But striking a conversation like this never hurt, right?”

Honestly, Neku’s surprised that she can keep up a smile for this long, stop, and bring it back so quickly after. Still, instead of arguing with her, he merely resigns, “…Sure.”

He’s gotta say, though, the silence that follows seems almost laughable. Finally, after a few minutes of it, Rhyme brings up another topic again, drifting to Beat’s side and leaning past him as she does.

“So, what’ve you been up to this summer?”

“…Nothing.”

Rhyme tilts her head, a finger tapping her chin in thought. “Really? I mean, besides turf wars or Grizzco? Like, at The Reef, or Arowana, or— ” suddenly, she nearly jumps, eyes widening as she notes, “ Oh! What about the Splatocalypse?”

“You mean the last Splatfest?” Neku raises an eyebrow, and Rhyme continues on.

“Yeah! But calling it the Splatocalypse is pretty fitting, too, isn’t it? It makes it unique.”

He’ll ignore the destructive parameters of that name—cods and carps, of all things those hosts could call it, it didn’t need to be that—and pretend like it’s still just the ‘Final Splatfest’ that they held. “Whatever. What do you mean, ‘what about’ it?”

“Well, which team were you on? It’s always interesting to hear about everyone’s teams and opinions during the Splatfest.” Before Neku can swat away her and her question, she adds, “C’mon, we‘d never make fun of your decision!”

Well. Now she’s just forcing him to. He should get some kind of reward for this, like what they give in games when you tell the truth or a good option.

Neku glances around them, then back to their group, and finally gives in. “…Pretty sure I joined Chaos.”

“Someone like you joined Chaos?” Beat says, and Neku almost laughs at how contrary his words are to Rhyme’s own.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nah, there’s nothin’—” Beat gives up, and leans a ways back— “I just didn’ expect you to join it.”

“You don’t have to say why. I’m sure you had a good reason,” Rhyme hums, “But, if it says anything, Beat and I actually joined Chaos, too! Right?”

Beat grins and yells, “Hell yeah we did! And those Team Order punks got their asses beat hard!”

“…Well, basically,” Rhyme laughs, though she jabs him lightly in the shoulder soon after. “You’re exaggerating, though. We lost a few of those rounds, didn’t we?”

“Well—yeah, but what about the other rounds? Order got served, and most of it’s ‘cause of us!”

“I can’t disagree with that,” she sighs, but she smiles again before looking back in front of them. “Hey, Neku, guess where we are?”

“…‘Here’?” It doesn’t take much skill to notice the difference in setting, but only when Neku actually bothers to look around. When she gives him a small nod and affirmation, he’s only even more stunned than he was prior. Color him surprised more by the fact that they barely needed one topic to cover the distance—though maybe they were walking pretty fast, and maybe most of that time was covered by a wash of silence.

Something’s… kind of weird about this, though. Taking a look around, most of the walls and path has faded to a dull grey and obsidian; Neku faintly thinks he’s seen this before as they pass by the sound of rushing water, a background noise that only heightens as they pass through the area. When they step over panels of white chalk and splatters of old graffiti, Neku realizes exactly where they are, and the shock nearly escapes through his voice.

“Wait, isn’t this Angelfish Canal?”

“Yep. But we built the base over here since it was quiet. Nobody would notice us.” She gestures to him to approach a grey door, the windows covered by blinds and steel frames, and knocks twice before pushing the door open. “Anyways, welcome!”

Neku steps through, not expecting much from the dreary exterior, and subsequently tries to avoid the shock that resurges and follows.

They’re in a main room, vast in size but nearly void of spare space. Instead of the light steel from the windows, black steel melds around the clear glass windows, the stark white shelves and hangers, and all else that hangs around and in the room. A white tile snakes from one entrance to another, passing white napkins and containers and a glassy table with white borders prominent in the room’s center. The only difference in color are the chairs surrounding it, black but splattered with color alike a construction paper and crayons. 

“…Yeah,” he winds up hissing, “I did not see that coming.”

Rhyme shrugs and responds, “That’s fair.”

“Is that the new kid?” A voice bursts from a separate room. Its speaker soon follows: a man with similar monochromatic tones in his clothes and hair, walking calmly through the doorway almost incognizant of anything that had occurred prior. He slouches back, one hand in the front pocket of his pants and one against the doorway. Rhyme waves to him as she notices him.

“Yep! He said he’d do it!”

“Nice,” he pushes himself off the frame and waves, wrapping his free hand around the nape of his neck. “Well. Welcome, Phones! Feel free to make yourself at home.”

Oh, Neku has absolutely seen that face before. He’s exactly sure he knows where, too.

“Mr. H?!” he sputters, falling back onto one leg. “Aren’t you normally at—”

“Nah, we’re closed this morning. Had some ‘deliveries’ to make.” The man laughs; his shades glint, the same ones Neku’s always seen him wear behind the counter, and continues on. “But, hey, thanks for joining. Really livens up the place, you know?”

And here Neku thought it was lively enough with the cast and decor, but now, this— “Sorry, are—am I getting some kind of explanation for this? Like, what’s going on?”

“ Yeah, of course, Phones. ”

“Neku,” he frowns. “It’s Neku Sakuraba. I’ve told you this a million times before.”

“Gotcha! Sorry, Phones,” Hanekoma gives a thumbs-up in response, and Neku wishes the door weren’t so far away now.

“As for your question, though: what we’re doing is all top secret.” He walks towards Neku and the rest of the group, pointing at the two around him once before bringing his hand back to his neck. “We have agents, here, so to say—like Rhyme and Beat, here. That’s three down. Then, there’s support: there’s two on communication and three on designs. They‘re the same; you’ll see ‘em soon enough.”

“Then, of course, there’s me. Sanae Hanekoma. Blood type A, March 3. By day, your hip café barista. By night, local sponsor, leader, third designer, the works.” He jabs a thumb towards his chest, and Neku raises an eyebrow. He’s pretty sure he’s heard the first half of this before.

Hey, though. Maybe he should be glad the guy didn’t give even more of a personal ad than before.

“Okay. Sure,” he groans. “So what am I supposed to do?”

“How good are you at Turf Wars?” He asks.

“What, is that going to affect what I do?” Neku says, raising a hand up in a half-shrug.

“Nah, it won’t. But it’ll affect how good you are at it.” Hanekoma looks around, even past Neku and the others and even lowering his shades to squint past the window blinds and the front door. “…Seriously, he can’t be this backed up. I know the others are workin’ shop, but where’s—”

A single, sound knock echoes on the door, and the door creaks open. Neku whips around, nerves and fears filling his head at the singular knock versus the two of Rhyme’s own, and looks back to a bright lifevest. It soars through the air, the original orange and white just barely visible under layers of cream and neon pink ink as its owner enters. “Sorry, did I miss something?”

The owner’s hair is noticeable first, a pale silver and lavender against the black and contrasting hues. Even then, his hair and his skin seems to be covered or singed in patches of the same hues of ink, and Neku doesn’t think he’s ever regretted a decision so much in his life as this.

“There’s the kid of the hour!” Hanekoma yells, waving in the agent; Rhyme gives a smaller wave, short and curt, and follows up with a soft, “Welcome back, Joshua.”

“Why, thank you both. My apologies for the delay—I was rather caught up during the mission.” He grabs a hand towel off of one of the racks and swats the ink off and away from him, and Hanekoma waves him off.

“’s alright. Actually, you showed up just in time.”

“Oh?” Joshua looks up from the towel, already stained in the foreign ink, and his eyes widen slightly before he speaks. “Oh, Neku! You actually showed up. Color me surprised.”

Neku crosses his arms and scoffs, stepping back from the boy. “…Yeah, no thanks to you.”

“Not even one? I’d like to think I had some effect on your joining.”

Beat jumps in, standing solidly between his group and Joshua alone as he yells, “Yeah, well, you almost ruined it! What if Rhyme hadn’t stepped in to help, huh?”

Joshua wipes the last of the ink off and drops the towel in a small hamper nearby as he points out, “But she did.”

“Guys, not the point.” Hanekoma steps in the center between all of them, both of his hands out towards the two. When they’ve both backed down—though, arguably, Beat certainly hasn’t, a hand still held out in front of Rhyme—he straightens up and turns to Neku. “Anyways. Neku—you’ll be working with Josh as an agent.”

Neku feels his mouth go dry, his gaze unmoving from the other as he struggles to speak.

“Excuse me?”

“Do you have a problem with that?” Hanekoma sighs, shoving his hands back into his pockets. “I know you might have some qualms with it, but we’ve been needing a second agent for a while. Our team’s usually out in partners. Safety reasons, y’know?”

Frankly, Neku’s calling bullshit.

“Okay,” he says, throwing his hands in front of him, “well—then why can’t Beat or Rhyme go with him?”

Beat turns, his face scrunched up as he mutters, “‘Cause I ain’t goin’ with that priss.”

“Beat…!” Rhyme says, half-gasping and half-warning as she places a hand over Beat’s arm.

“Sheesh, see what I put up with?” Hanekoma sighs, his hands digging deeper into the ends of his pockets. His voice cracks with amusement soon after. “…Kiddin’. But he already was—and then after a mission, he didn’t want to. He’s been with Rhyme ever since—and hey, that’s why you’re goin’ in his place!”

“I—” Neku feels his voice rising into a yell— “You could have told me beforehand!”

“Does it really matter, Phones? It’s the same goal either way! You’ll just be farther out on the field than the rest. Isn’t that what you signed up for?”

He hates to admit it, but… he does have a point, and it’s hardly refutable with how he’s phrased it. “…Sure. Yeah,” he gives in, and Hanekoma grins.

“That’s the spirit! Now, Neku, apologize to the kid, will ya?”

Wow, this is not getting any better, is it? “…What?”

“Did I stutter? I told you two you’d be workin’ together, didn’t I? How are you gonna work together if you won’t even talk nice?”

Neku glares daggers at him, at Joshua, at all of them—and, in the end, it doesn’t do anything. He sighs, “…Fine. Okay,” and takes a deep breath, and he runs through the few points he can apologize for. “I… am. Sorry. For being a jerk and telling you off five or so days ago.”

It doesn’t seem like more than a half-canned response to him—at least, that’s the amount of effort he put into it, anyways, and Rhyme’s clouded stare back must have noticed it, too—but Hanekoma nods and turns away. “Alright. Josh?”

The boy looks up towards him, a smile faint on his face as he says, “Yes?”

“C’mon, get over here. You’re included in this, too.”

“Really?” The smile falls from his face, drowning quickly under the waves of apprehension before he shrugs it off. “…Well, alright. I’m sorry for what happened four days ago. I understand that it jeopardized our objective, and I apologize to Rhyme for just the same.” He looks back to Hanekoma with the same expression: Is that good enough for you?

Apparently, it is.

What a damn low standard.

“Good! See? You two are talking to another! That’s an improvement from before, isn’t it?” Hanekoma turns back to all of them. His face, momentarily alight, grows pale. The lights around them flicker once, twice, and again, and for a moment, it feels like all of the winter has seeped past the summer heat. “Now, before I can dismiss you four, I’m gonna need you all to remember something—especially so this sort of thing doesn’t happen again. Alright?”

“Trust your partner. You remember when I said that last time, right?” He looks through to all of them but Neku, watching each of them nod slightly before he continues. “I meant it. You can’t face these Reefers without one another. You can trust yourself all you want, but you’ve got to trust each other—and more than ever, you’ve got to trust your partner when you’re here. No matter how far apart, no matter what happens: you need to remember you’re not alone. All of you are stronger together. If you can open up, reach out, and tell them what you’re thinking, then you’ll only grow stronger. You all got that?”

Beat and Rhyme nod once more. Neku tries, as fake as a nod would be, but his chin and his mouth clam up, frozen by frost and wind, and all that comes out is silence.

“…Josh?” Hanekoma asks. “Phones?”

His voice is a fire, quick and unsteady to the ice; Neku places his hands to his elbows, and musters the little strength and masks he has after to mumble out, “Yeah, sure.”

“Yep,” Joshua follows him, nods. “Got it.”

Neku spots the man’s eyebrow raise just above his shades—and then, he sees it lower, falling in place of a sigh. He takes his hands out of his pockets and places them firm around his waist.

“Alright! Well, class—you’re all dismissed.”

The lacking reception begins, and it ends almost as soon as it starts. “…Kidding, kidding. I’ll see you kids back soon, yeah? I’ve gotta open up shop. Why don’t you all stop by later? Especially you, Phones—maybe you’ll see the others, while you’re at it.”

“…It’s fine. I think I’ve had enough coffee for one day.” Neku grumbles. “I’m just gonna go.”

“That’s cool. Hurts a little, but it’s cool.” Hanekoma places a hand over his chest; it falls from it just as easily, and he laughs Neku’s words off with a wave of his hand. “I’m kiddin’. Go and be on your way.”

Neku doesn’t take long to approach the door before he hears another yell.

“Hey, Phones: one more thing?”

“…What?”

“Get a good rest. You never know when a mission could pop up, you know. We try to be available whenever we can.”

“…Sure,” he chokes out, half between laughter and half between exhaustion. Hanekoma? Acting as some kind of dad for him? Where did that come from?

The answer never comes—he pushes the door open and enters the open canal again, and the visions of jet black and white and silver hues fades back to a dull grey. The water fills his ears once more. But just as easily as he pulls his headphones over his ears, everything floods back in a blur—what happened six days ago, four, one day ago, and today, all else washing away with the waves and debris—

and, honestly, the whole way back, Neku wonders what the hell he got himself into, because he sure as hell never thought it’d be this.

…It’s going to be a long summer.

[dynamite-derek]

My top-10 games of 2018

It’s that time of the year where you are flooded with lists of the best stuff from 2018 and I’m no different. Originally I was going to just make a list of the top 10 games I played in 2018. I even had a giant list I was updating throughout the year. But one day my phone randomly reset and I lost that list. So, business as usual this year. Maybe next year. 

Before I start with the numbered list, I’d like to note a couple of games that won’t be appearing for various reasons.

Games I liked a lot but haven’t played enough of to place on a list like this: Into the Breach, Dead Cells

A critically acclaimed game I haven’t played: God of War

I don’t want remakes on my list, but these games were really good: Shadow of the Colossus, Yakuza Kiwami 2 and Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Ports aren’t eligible but I like these a lot too: Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Shenmue 1&2, Hyrule Warriors and the PC port of one of the best games ever, Yakuza 0.

Okay, let’s get started.

10-) Red Dead Redemption 2: Actually had to debate between this and Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu for this spot. Ultimately I chose this game because the narrative is spectacular. Well that and the fact that Let’s Go is sort of a remake. This game absolutely nails atmospheric storytelling and creates one of the most interesting protagonists in AAA gaming. This game does a lot of things well, but the actual gameplay portion is...pretty mixed. I didn’t have fun with the open world at all and most missions involved long bouts of horseback riding with dialogue or ambient music. But RDR 2 does everything else so well. It also knows when to go all out. Every major mission in the game is memorable for one reason or another, especially with intelligent usage of music. It’s a game I will never play again, but despite some problems with the gameplay I can safely say that I enjoyed my time with it.

9-) Mario Tennis Aces: This game was a lot of fun. I wrote about it earlier in the year and my opinions on it are still the same.  Even though the gameplay is fairly simplistic, every match against another human felt unique and different. You have to learn the styles of your opposition and adapt. It’s like a fighting game! The online gameplay was also pretty solid. I felt pretty damn good whenever I would win a tournament. Really, Smash Bros. Ultimate would have done well to borrow this mechanic in some way. The only real problem with the game is that there is just a major lack of content. The heavily advertised story mode is barely worth playing and the cups, well, you might as well be playing against an unmanned player 2. I haven’t touched the game in a while, so this might have been fixed via update. As I said a few months ago, this game could have been a masterpiece with a bit of extra fine tuning.

8-) Dragon Ball Fighter Z: This game feels like it was made specifically for me. I have a lot of love for the Marvel vs. Capcom games and even more love for the Dragon Ball franchise. The game is easy to approach for newcomers to this type of game by keeping the inputs simple and having very easy to pull of auto-combos. You won’t do too well online if you stick to the auto combos, but it’s a good way to start and learn how to play. I think a lot of people could start with Fighter Z and transition into more complicated fighting games, which is exactly what you want with a game like this that will attract many people who might not otherwise play a traditional fighter. Oh, and sometimes it looks like you’re playing an episode of the anime which is insane. The story mode is pretty tedious at times, which is a let down, but Fighter Z is an absolute blast to play and is easily the best playing Dragon Ball game yet. Hopefully season 2 of the DLC goes less heavy on all the Gokus. 

7-) Mega Man 11: The blue bomber returns! It’s been a long wait, but after playing through both collections last year and then the X-collection earlier this year, I was ready for Mega Man to get back into the spotlight. It’s a little hard to get into at first because the level design seems pretty tied into the main new mechanic, the gear system. Basically the player can slow things down to a crawl or boost Mega Man’s power. If you just play this game like you would any other Mega Man game, you’re probably going to throw your console out the window during Tiki Man’s stage. Once you figure this out, the system adds a unique flavor to the Mega Man experience and feels like an actual new Mega Man. I love MM9 and 10, but those did not feel like new games. The only thing that I didn’t like about this game was the music. Which, uh, is weird for a Mega Man game. Here’s hoping they get it right in the inevitable Mega Man X9. 

6-) Marvel’s Spider-Man: I don’t particularly like super hero movies and I haven’t enjoyed a Spider-Man game thoroughly since the first PS1 Spider-Man, so you wouldn’t normally think this game would appeal to me. But it absolutely does. The gameplay is outstanding and combines an improved version of the swinging scene in Spider-Man 2 with a combat system that is fairly similar to the Batman Arkham games. I recommend playing the game on hard because, while it’s hard to get used to, it makes every encounter feel unique. You constantly have to adapt to what the enemy is doing. You can’t just mash on the attack button and then press the dodge button when the dodge prompt comes up. 

The story is also interesting throughout. It has my favorite interpretation of Peter Parker I’ve seen in a while and has a pretty enjoyable cast of characters. Really Mary Jane is the only character I didn’t like and even with her, there are moments that hit home - specifically the text exchanges between MJ and Peter. The game is littered with references to past Spidey adventures and just feels like a giant love letter to fans of the hero. Can’t recommend it enough.

5-) Celeste: I didn’t know what to expect with this game. Sometimes I feel very leery of when a bunch of people prop up an indy game too much. Gone Home a couple of years ago told a pretty mediocre story that was held up as some form of high art. Just didn’t get it. So I went into Celeste wanting to not like it and came out fairly surprised. The gameplay feels like a better version of Super Meat Boy and the narrative tells a pretty compelling tale about depression and how to come to terms with yourself. I even don’t mind the pixel art. I am getting sick of indy games going for the retro aesthetic, but when combined with the great soundtrack it’s hard not to love what it’s presenting. 

The game is simple enough to complete on its own. I would argue that anybody could do it as long as they keep at it. But for those platforming veterans, the game also offers a heavy challenge. The B-side and C-side levels will test your skills and remind you of some of the most challenging bits of hard platforming games like Super Meat Boy and I Wanna Be The Guy. Basically, come for the compelling narrative. Stay for the wickedly difficult and addicting gameplay.

4-) Yakuza 6: I believe I enjoyed this game far more than most folks. It told the end of Kazuma Kiryu’s story. It had some problems along the way but my god did I enjoy the ride. The cast of characters surrounding Kiryu in Hiroshima are all great and one of the main characters is Beat Takeshi. It also has a ton of things to do and see. I love the clan wars sidequest featuring New Japan wrestlers, I love the baseball manager quest, I LOVED becoming a regular at a bar and getting to know everyone in it like I was playing some sort of weird Cheers game, I even loved the adult cam chats that came with wacky dialogue. This game is full of charm.

I haven’t mentioned the gameplay yet you might have noticed. That’s because, well, it’s a new direction for the franchise. It focuses on allowing more people to fight Kiryu at once and as a result feels less refined than recent entries Yakuza 0 and Yakuza 5. I am excited to see where they take it in Yakuza 7, but I would be fibbing if I suggested that I felt 6 plays as well as previous entries. Still, the entire Yakuza package is compelling and I never felt like I was scrambling for things to do or see. I don’t 100% games out of obligation. I’m not one of those people that feels the need to 100% every game I play. I 100%ed Yakuza 6 though. And I loved every minute of it, combat and all.

3-) Valkyria Chronicles 4: As none of you might know, I used to review games for a website called 411mania. One of the games I reviewed for them was the original Valkyria Chronicles. Nobody else wanted to do it because it looked like a generic jRPG and I was really the only person on the site who liked jRPGs so the game fell to me. And I absolutely loved it. The story was captivating, the graphics were stylish and and the gameplay felt like a breath of fresh air. It was the combination of a tactical RPG and a (very, very simplified) shooter. To this day it remains one of my favorite games ever. Conversely, Valkyria Chronicles 2 on the PSP is one of my least favorite games ever and 3 never came to the states - though it does have a fan translation. The franchise has felt dead in the west for ages. The musou-like Azure Revolution sure as fuck didn’t get me going.

4 came out this year and it felt like I went back in time. Everything I loved about 1 was back. It’s even expanded upon. The grenadier is a great new troop that feels overpowered at first, but really forces the player to rethink how to approach certain situations. The story isn’t as good as the story in 1, but I found it simple and enjoyable. I genuinely liked the main cast and wanted to see them do well. That’s more than I can say for a lot of games. I know I mentioned earlier in my blurb about Mega Man that what I liked about it was that it actually felt like a new game. The difference here is that I have 10 other Mega Man games that play like Mega Man games. With this franchise, I have 1 (or maybe 2, I hate how maps work on the PSP but I have not played enough of 3 to judge). Sometimes a franchise revival needs to go “like the one you like but more” route. I loved this game and I hope as it gets cheaper more people try it. 

2-) Dragon Quest XI: Hey you might notice this about my gaming preferences, but I really enjoy Japanese RPGs! And this sure as hell was one of those! DQ XI felt like a game from another dimension in a lot of ways. It’s a traditional playing Japanese RPG with a big AAA budget. It looks breathtaking. Big budget JRPGs feel like something out of the PS2 era, which is great because I sure love PS2 era RPGs. It’s lengthy, it has a crazy amount of postgame content and has a lot of side stuff in case you get tired of fighting down the main path. It’s a great throwback. 

This game also has the most balanced party in recent RPG memory. Usually games like these have one or two party members that you just don’t enjoy. For instance, Final Fantasy X is one of my favorite games ever. But I just don’t like Kimahri. I don’t like using him and I don’t think his character is interesting. DQ XI has nobody like that. I found everybody likable. Sylvando and Jade in particular stand out and are among my favorite characters in gaming. Really, I enjoy everything about this game. Even the music! I know a lot of people complain about the simplified score in the western version, but I honestly found it to work out pretty well for the game. Obviously the Japanese version is superior, but I still enjoy it. If you’re a fan of RPGs and you haven’t played DQ XI, you’re missing out.

1-) Super Smash Brothers Ultimate: This was my most anticipated game of 2018 from the moment it was announced and the final product delivered everything that I had hoped it would. You have a large cast of characters, a crazy number of stages and a bunch of single player content to consume in between bouts of online or local multiplayer. The single player is what ranks this game so high for me. The classic mode - think arcade mode in standard fighters - is easily the best it has ever been. Each character has their own route with their own gimmick, which gives the player incentive to play each and every one. With a roster of over 70 fighters, that’s impressive. The adventure mode can start off slow, but once you get into the groove of it I really think it stands out as something special. It’s an expanded version of event battles from past games. You face off against a fighter (or fighters) embodying the personality of a character that isn’t in the game. They range from obscure stuff you haven’t heard of to a fight with Geno’s spirit that has you do battle with the cast of Super Mario RPG (with substitutes for Geno and Mallow). It feels very creative. It can be grindy for some, but I really enjoyed my time with it.

I think the online could be more fleshed out. I don’t experience as many laggy matches as most people, but even still the options online are fairly bare bones. You don’t even have leaderboards. I want to compare how good I am with how good my friends are! I think Nintendo plans to keep this game alive for the duration of the Switch’s lifespan, so I believe there will be plenty of time to get the online situation perfect. That doesn’t really excuse Nintendo from still not getting online even close to right in 2018, but I find Ultimate to be such a complete package that I can look past these shortcomings. Ultimately, it is my favorite entry in one of my favorite franchises. So it’s pretty easily my game of the year.

[entergamingxp]

DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Ricky’s Top 10

January 1, 2020 10:00 AM EST

Fortunately for you, the great editors at DualShockers have saved the best of these GOTY lists for last. Here are my top 10 games of 2019.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

2019 was a surprisingly good year in video games, at least for me. Sure, we didn’t get many absolute bangers that held the collective video game public hostage for weeks at a time. However, there were several good games that had a major impact on what should be a “tune-up” year as we near the release of next-gen consoles.

That said, while we’ve enjoyed a cornucopia of good games, they all had a flaw or five that held them back from being truly spectacular. So, in a sea of good, not great releases, I’ve chosen to highlight the games that I had the most fun with in 2019. After all, isn’t that we play games in the first place?

Here are my top 10 games of 2019.

Honorable Mention: FIFA 20 Web App

Let’s be clear, FIFA 20 was an overwhelmingly mediocre game on launch and EA has only made it worse with their various “fixes.” Ultimate Team, in particular, is in shambles for much of the community. However, I have spent more time playing FIFA than any other game in 2019. So, while I refuse to put it on my list, I still feel like I have to recognize it in some way.

Enter the FIFA 20 web app. I’m on this all the time playing FIFA‘s transfer market and usually having a great time doing so. If you like the idea of playing the stock market without actually investing money, this is the best way I’ve found to do it. Buying and selling players on the market and seeing that coin total slowly rise has been a fun challenge in 2019.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for FIFA 20.

10. Heroes of the Storm

I know, I know; Heroes is a dead game that no one plays. The way Blizzard just killed off the pro scene in 2018 continues to be massively disappointing, and those of us who still play are baby gamers who can’t handle a real MOBA. I get all that and mostly agree with you.

That said, Heroes, for me, is like a fresh plate of my grandma’s meatloaf: something I can always go back to and love regardless of where I’m at in life. My time in HOTS has certainly died down over the last year or so, but it’s the game I always go back to when I just need 20 minutes to unwind. Plus, Deathwing came out this year. That was pretty great.

9. Wattam

Listen, I’m a simple man. If you make a game that lets me make friends with and then explode poop, I’m probably going to like your game. So, while Wattam is in many ways barely a game, there aren’t many other games I enjoyed start to finish as Keita Takahashi’s latest.

This tale about friendship and coming together to conquer evil is one of the most joyous games out in 2019. Perfect for kids and adults alike, I thoroughly recommend this experience to anyone that has an afternoon to kill over the holiday. It won’t change your life and it doesn’t innovate, but stacking up poop and kabooming it to smithereens is so much fun.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Wattam.

8. Death Stranding

As of this writing, I’ve yet to finish Death Stranding. In fact, I just hit Chapter 3, which is where I hear a lot of people begin to have problems with Kojima’s latest. So, I reserve the right to move just toss this game off the list in the next few days.

That said, since starting the game a few days ago, I haven’t been able to think about anything else besides playing Death Stranding. I love the slow, methodical plodding Sam Bridges does as you move cargo from place to place. I love trying to map out the best possible route to stay away from trouble. I even love all the weird lore that keeps getting dumped on me.

Maybe it’s the fact that I come from a family of porters (read: truck drivers), but Death Stranding is the most fun I’ve ever had doing something that, in real life, seems like it would be pretty boring. I hope it stays that way.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Death Stranding.

7. Outer Wilds

Outer Wilds is among the most inventive games in 2019. I love how the game just gives you a world and says, “explore.” There aren’t any roadblocks to you beating it in 20 minutes and everyone is going to get to the ending in a different way. Add in a Majora’s Mask-like constantly-moving map and you have a game that’s nothing like anything else.

Outer Wilds also does something many games can’t and sticks the landing with a stellar (interstellar?) ending. I know you’ve heard this from every corner of the internet, but you really should give Mobius Digital’s freshman effort a try.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Outer Wilds.

6. What The Golf?

I adore golf games. My middle school summers were filled with countless hours of Mario Golf for the Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64. The reason I bought a Switch was to play Golf Story. For whatever reason, I can’t get enough golf in my video gaming life. I can’t stand playing golf in the real world, but virtually, there’s not much better.

That said, What The Golf? is not a golf game. Oh sure, you’ll hit objects toward a flag, but that’s where the similarities end. However, this game does just about everything else besides golf. And still, it’s by far my favorite mobile release of the year. The sheer amount of creativity in how to approach a non-golfing golf game is staggering. I don’t want to say much about what actually happens, as that would ruin the surprise. Just know that What The Golf? is great, regardless of how you feel about golf.

5. Control

Control is my annual “wow, this looks so good on my RTX card” game. Visually, there wasn’t a more impressive game to me all year. Much of this comes down to Remedy’s striking art direction. They do so much with color and lighting to make a game that is a visual feast. It sucks to hear that the console versions are less than stellar, because I want everyone to have the same experience I did.

Outside of the impressive visuals is a story that I had to see to completion. I don’t know if it breaks any new ground, but the narrative threads were so fun to pull at that I ended up doing everything. Combat is mostly fine outside of a few truly bad boss fights. If you’re looking for an entry-point to the Remedy-verse, Control seems like a great jumping-on point, especially if you have a relatively beefy PC.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Control.

4. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Bloodstained is a fantastic reimagining of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The Metroidvania combat and exploration is tight and incredibly fun. If that was all the game did, it would probably still make my list. However, what makes this game really stand out for me is how willing it is to not take itself too seriously.

Bloodstained is good with it if you become laughably overpowered. In fact, it seems to want you to. The way you can just break the game is so amusing. Many games are too precious about their power curve. Bloodstained doesn’t care. It just wants you to have a good time and rest assured, that’s exactly what I did.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

3. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

I had a paragraph written up about how FromSoft has truly evolved their gameplay with Sekiro to force you to actually learn how to play well and not cheese bosses, but honestly, there’s only one thing you need to know. This game is worth playing (or at least watching) to see the Monkey Fight.

For a developer known for creating controller-breaking and genre-defining boss fights, the Monkey Fight stands head and shoulders above them all. If the overbearing difficulty isn’t for you, that’s fine. Just look it up on YouTube, sit back, and enjoy FromSoft at its best.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

2. Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2, as a remake, has no business being as good as it is. Mr. X is my favorite thing in gaming this year. His horrifying, omnipresent role in the game’s first half makes RE2 a must-play. The way he stalks you throughout the police station, appearing when you least expect it, made for countless moments of both pure terror and hilarity. Plus, the memes that sprung up around the character were exceptional.

When people ask if they should play the game, I just show them the “Mr. X Gon Give it to You” videos and they’re sold instantly. And sure, once you leave the police station, the game kind of slogs to the finish, but that shouldn’t keep you from experiencing the panic-inducing joy that is the early parts of Resident Evil 2.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Resident Evil 2.

1. Judgment

Where do I even start? Do we talk about the oddly captivating murder mystery full of more twists than a bad M. Night Shyamalan movie? Seriously, this story just goes places and is constantly defying what you think a Ryu Ga Gotoku game can be. The studio has really hit its story-telling stride with Judgment. Do we talk about how Yagami might be a better character than Kiryu? Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always love the Dragon of Dojima, but Yagami has more much range than the ever-stoic favorite foster son of Shintaro Kazama. How about the ease with which Judgment switches between serious, soap opera-style narrative and the wacky side quests we’ve come to love from Yakuza games? This has always been one of the series’ strengths; however, with the main character being a private detective, it makes a lot more sense for them to be randomly searching for a man’s cats or beating up a disgusting pervert.

Really, Judgment is my game of the year because I can’t think of another game that I had more fun playing. The beat ’em up gameplay is the same as it’s always been, but RGG has made it instantly a blast. If I want to show someone why I love Judgment, I’ll just jump into a random battle and I’m immediately piledriving all those young thugs into the ground. Judgment has, quite possibly, the best set of “heat” finishers in the Yakuza franchise. And truthfully, that’s the kicker with Judgment. It doesn’t do anything remarkably new with the Yakuza format. What it does is distill everything in the game down to its most fun form and slaps it all over the world of Kamurocho.

As I get older and there are more demands on my time, “fun factor” has become more important than ever. Judgment has that in spades. I’ve already put 100 plus hours into the game and just thinking about the game’s big moments over the past week while writing this has me seriously considering jumping back in. That Platinum’s not gonna earn itself. Thank you for reading my mini-review for Yagami’s greatest journey. If you haven’t checked out a Yakuza game yet, this is a perfect jumping-on point.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Judgment.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor  December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager // Kris Cornelisse, Staff Writer December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer

January 1, 2020 10:00 AM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/01/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-rickys-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-rickys-top-10

[cryingcow]

Character Story - Kiryu (Junior High Student) [RGGO]

Remember how in Kiwami there’s a Majima Everywhere event where Majima accuses Kiryu of reading sexy magazines outside of M Store and Kiryu just snaps? Well, this may or may not be the backstory to that XD

We don’t have Junior High in our country, so how old is a JH student? 13? 14? Either way, if I were the one in Kiryu’s position, I’m pretty sure I’d be crying the entire time. Kudos to our Dragon Baby for staying strong!

Story: Kiryu enters a bookstore to buy the latest issue of Dragon Ball, and ends up getting accused of stealing a porn magazine and earning a reputation in Kamurocho.

Kazama: “It’s normal for a growing boy to feel these things, Kazuma. You see when a man and a woman love each other very much-”

Kiryu: “AaAaAaAAaaAAaaaAAAaAaaA!!!”

For those who don’t know, the H stands for "hentai" :D

.

CHAPTER 1

.

|When Kiryu Kazuma was a junior high student . . .|

|On that day, Kiryu was visiting a bookstore.|

 [Bookstore]

Bookstore Clerk: “Welcome.”

Kiryu: “Now . . . what to do . . .”

Kiryu: (Today is the release of the latest issue of ‘Dragon Bowling’ . . . but if I buy it now, I’ll be broke for the rest of the month. But I really want to read the new issue . . . hmm, I’m conflicted.)

{The front door opens.}

Bookstore Clerk: “Welcome.”

Bald Guy: “. . .”

Kiryu: (. . . What is with that bald guy? He keeps glaring over here . . . Hm? It looks like I wandered into the erotic books corner . . . Ah, so it wasn’t me he was looking at. This is awkward, there’s only the two of us here. I don’t want to linger here too much . . .)

Kiryu: “Well then, I need to decide if I’m going to buy that book or not. Hmm . . .”

{Bald Guy bumps into Kiryu.}

Bald Guy: “Oops . . . you shouldn’t be standing there, bro, you’re in the way.”

Kiryu: “What . . . ?”

{Bald Guy leaves the store.}

Bookstore Clerk: “Thank you very much.”

Kiryu: “Tch. What’s with that guy? Bumping into someone and not even buying anything.  . . . I should just go home for today. If I still have money at the end of the month, then I’ll buy it.”

Bookstore Clerk: “Hey, you . . . can I talk to you for a moment?”

Kiryu: “Hm?”

Bookstore Clerk: “I’m sorry if it’s a misunderstanding. But . . . I want you to show me the inside of your bag.”

Kiryu: “My bag . . . ? Why?”

Bookstore Clerk: “One of the adult books on the shelf is gone. If it’s a misunderstanding, I apologize in advance. But for the time being, please allow me to check.”

Kiryu: “. . . You’re saying I shoplifted? That’s absurd. If you want to look in my bag, fine.”

{Kiryu unzips his bag.}

Kiryu: “As you can see . . . hn?!”

Kiryu: (‘Erotic Volcano Summer Special Issue’?! What is this doing in my bag . . . ?!)

Bookstore Clerk: “Th-This is . . . the lost H book!! There’s no doubt, the mystery is solved! You . . . shoplifter! Come here, I’m calling the police!”

Kiryu: “W-Wait! I didn’t shoplift! This . . . this is a mistake!”

Bookstore Clerk: “Oh you made a mistake and somehow this H book just fell into your bag without your permission?”

Kiryu: “Th-That’s . . .”

Bookstore Clerk: “Now come with me . . .”

Kiryu: “Please wait. Here, you can have my student ID. I can’t run away or hide. So please give me some time . . . I will definitely find the true criminal who framed me.”

{Kiryu runs off.}

Bookstore Clerk: “Ah! Wait!!”

----

[Nakamichi Alley]

Kiryu: “Haa . . . haa . . . I can’t find him at all . . . Where did that man go? I have to clear this misunderstanding with the clerk as soon as possible . . .”

Giant Man: “. . . Are you Kiryu Kazuma?”

Kiryu: “? . . . and if I am?”

Giant Man: “Apparently it’s true . . . but even if you’re a kid, I can’t forgive you. I’ll punish you!!”

Kiryu: “Tch. I’m in a hurry!”

{Kiryu defeats the Giant Man.}

Giant Man: “F-Fuck! To lose to a shoplifter of erotic books . . .”

Kiryu: “What?!”

Giant Man: “Because of you, Muramura Bookstore is closed . . . The store had the best assortment of erotic books!”

Kiryu: “W-Wait a minute . . . you think I’m a shoplifter?”

Giant Man: “You can’t hide your lechery by playing dumb! You’re absolutely unforgivable!”

Kiryu: “Wait! . . . Damn it, he’s gone. What does he mean? Why does that guy think I’m a shoplifter?”

City Man: “I thought he was a good kid, but that Kiryu-kun shoplifts H books.”

Kiryu: “?!”

City Woman: “Hey kid, shoplifting isn’t cute. If you want to know about H things, I can teach you.”

Kiryu: “?!”

Kiryu: “N-No way . . . does this mean the rumors of me shoplifting are spreading through the city? Only that bald guy could have done this, but why . . . ?!”

Kazama: “Kazuma . . .”

Kiryu: “O-Oyassan! What are you doing here?”

Kazama: “. . .”

Kiryu: “. . . ?”

Kazama: “. . . Ah, I’m sorry . . . I shouldn’t have thought that you’d stay a child forever. You’re going through puberty.”

Kiryu: “. . . Eh?”

Kazama: ‘I was like that too when I was your age. It’s not bad to be interested in such things.”

Kiryu: “Oyassan? What are you . . . D-Don’t tell me it reached even your ears!! O-Oyassan! It’s all a misunderstanding!!”

Kazama: “I know the kind of person you are. But are you saying the shoplifting is a misunderstanding?”

Kiryu: “Eh? Y-Yes! That’s right! I was screwed over . . . !”

Kiryu: (It’s Oyassan after all! He knows me better than anyone else . . .)

Kazama: “. . . Most of the time, such rumors are started even if you’re just browsing.”

Kiryu: “?!”

Kazama: “Next time, read it in a place where no one will find you. A man has to keep up appearances, after all.”

Kiryu: “O-Oyassan! I-It’s not like that!”

Kazama: “it’s alright . . . I know you want to hide your interests. But there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Kiryu: “No . . . that’s not . . .”

Kazama: “Don’t worry. I asked the guy who told me this not to tell anyone else.  . . . Oh, sorry. I was on my way to Patriarch Dojima. Let’s discuss this more later. Kazuma, I know you’re anxious, but you can always rely on me.”

{Kazama leaves Kiryu alone.}

Kiryu: “O-Oyassan . . . ! Th-This is the worst . . . Damn it, I have to find that bald guy and prove my innocence before the rumors spread even further . . . !”

.

-END-

.

CHAPTER 2

.

[Nakamichi Street]

Kiryu: “Haa . . . haa . . . That bald guy . . . I can’t find him at all.”

Mister: “Hey, isn’t that the boy who shoplifts H books? Haha, say . . . are you okay?”

Kiryu: “?!”

Young Woman: “You get withdrawal symptoms if you can’t steal H books, right? That’s scary.”

Kiryu: “?!”

Mister: “He has a bed made of H books at his house, and he can’t sleep without them . . . That’s abnormal.”

Kiryu: “?!”

Kiryu: “Oi! Wait a moment! I’m not a shoplifter! And-“

Mister: “Hiii! Did you get even more excited when we mentioned H books?! D-Don’t attack us!”

Young Woman: “Hiii! Don’t come any closer!”

{The two run away.}

Kiryu: “O-Oi! Wait . . . ! Damn it. Why are the shoplifting rumors so widespread . . . is it the work of that bald guy? And why are the rumors escalating? At this rate, I’m going to end up sounding terribly perverted . . . I need to prove my innocence quickly. But where on earth can I find that man?”

Nishikiyama: “Kiryu! Haa . . . haa . . . I finally found you.”

Kiryu: “Nishiki . . . ! What is it?”

Nishikiyama: “Haa . . . haa . . . you . . . I heard you shoplifted erotic books and got thrown into prison . . .”

Kiryu: “I’m in prison?!”

Nishikiyama: “Yeah, you’re an addict who shoplifts erotic books . . . many erotic bookstores have shut down from your erotic book shoplifting. Now that they’ve caught you, you can’t escape imprisonment.”

Kiryu: “That’s not true! It’s all a rumor.”

Nishikiyama: “. . . Rumor? So it’s not true?”

Kiryu: “It’s a lie. It’s all a lie.”

Nishikiyama: “. . . So it’s not true that you’ve shoplifted so many erotic books and became so addicted to shoplifting that you can’t sleep anymore?”

Kiryu: “Yeah . . . it’s a lie.”

Nishikiyama: “Haa . . . well, it was a good one. That little liar.”

Kiryu: “Little?”

Nishikiyama: “Yeah, there was a little old man telling passersby about it. So I thought you were in a pinch . . .”

Kiryu: “Why is the man spreading such a lie . . . Where was he?”

Nishikiyama: “Suppon Street. I just heard it a while ago, so he’s probably still there.”

Kiryu: “Damn him!”

{Kiryu runs off.}

Nishikiyama: “Oi! Kiryu, wait!”

----

[Suppon Street]

Petite Man: “So now, that Kiryu guy is . . . hm?”

Kiryu: “Hey, can you tell me the story of that Kiryu guy?”

Petite Man: “Oh, good. That Kiryu Kazuma is a shoplifter specializing in H books. It’s outrageous. Countless shops have been crushed by his shoplifting, the total amount of damage incurred is more than 10 million yen. Did you hear that Muramura Bookstore and Sukehira Land shut down recently? That was Kiryu’s work.”

Kiryu: “Huh . . . what an outrageous guy . . . So, where did you hear that big lie?”

Petite Man: “. . . Big lie? What do you know.”

Kiryu: “I know more than you. Because that Kiryu Kazuma is me.”

Petite Man: “?!”

{The man tries to run, but bumps into Nishiki.}

Nishikiyama: “Oops, can’t let you escape.”

Petite Man: “L-Let me go!”

Kiryu: “We’ll let you go. If you tell us why you’re spreading such a lie.”

Petite Man: “Gck . . . I’ll kill you!”

{Kiryu and Nishiki beat the guy up.}

Petite Man: “H-Hiii! S-Sorry! I’ll tell you anything! Please forgive me!”

Kiryu: “Then tell me . . . who are you?”

Petite Man: “I’m . . . Ken . . . I’m a thief . . . there’s two of us working together.”

Kiryu: “Thieves? Why’s a guy like you spreading lies about me?”

Ken: “M-My aniki asked me to . . .”

Kiryu: “Aniki?”

Ken: “He’s the boss of our little group. My aniki is a master a shoplifting, known as the Miraculous Tatsu.  . . . He’s the one who slipped that H book in your bag.”

Kiryu: “What?! Is that the guy with the shaved head?!”

Ken: “He wears a jumper, has a beard . . . has a lot of exposed skin on his head, yeah.”

Kiryu: “So it is him . . . Then why is he framing me and telling lies?”

Ken: “He said he had a grudge against Kiryu-san because he lost a fight to him once . . . That’s why he framed you as a shoplifter of H books and pinned his crime of making bookstores shut down on you.”

Nishikiyama: ��What a guy.”

Kiryu: “What kind of person is that aniki of yours? Where is he now?”

Ken: “When he contacted me earlier, he said he was shoplifting back at that bookstore where you got accused.”

Kiryu: “. . . Alright. Then I’ll go to the bookstore. Follow me. I want you as my witness.”

Ken: “Y-Yes sir . . .”

.

-END-

.

CHAPTER 3

.

Bookstore Clerk: “. . .”

Bald Guy: (Oh? A new erotic book is out. Should I take 10 when the clerk takes his eyes off me? Kuku, how unfortunate for him that Miraculous Tatsu is here. I’ll keep shoplifting until the store shuts down.)

Kiryu: “I found him. The Miraculous Tatsu.”

Ken: “Aniki . . . I’m sorry . . .”

Miraculous Tatsu: “. . . Hm? . . .Kiryu . . . and . . . Ken?!”

Bookstore Clerk: “Hm? Ah, you shoplifter!! I won’t let you run this time!”

Kiryu: “Wait, Mr. Clerk. I’m not the shoplifter. That bald guy is the one who put the book in my bag and framed me.”

Bookstore Clerk: “Eh?!”

Miraculous Tatsu: “. . . I don’t know what he’s talking about. Can you stop imposing your sins on others?”

Kiryu: “There’s no use trying to squeeze your way out of this. Your subordinate has ratted you out already. Right?”

Ken: “Y-Yes . . . my aniki framed Kiryu for the shoplifting . . .”

Miraculous Tatsu: “. . . tch.”

Bookstore Clerk: “Wh-what! So it was you!”

Miraculous Tatsu: “. . . I don’t know that guy. Kiryu just brought him up as a false witness.”

Bookstore Clerk: “What was that . . . is that right?! Boy!”

Kiryu: “Don’t be stupid. That guy’s the criminal!”

Bookstore Clerk: “Wh-Which one is telling the truth . . .”

Miraculous Tatsu: “Mr. Clerk. Are you going to listen to a shoplifter? Isn’t this guy the villain who’s been getting bookstores shut down?”

Kiryu: “?!”

Miraculous Tatsu: “If you don’t make up your mind quickly, your store will be destroyed.”

Bookstore Clerk: “I-I won’t forgive you! I’ll protect this bookstore! This time I’m not letting you go, I’m calling the police!”

Kiryu: “Fuck . . .”

Miraculous Tatsu: “Hehe . . . give it up, Kiryu. You’ll forever be known as the pervert who steals erotic books.”

Kiryu: “I’m . . . not a shoplifter . . . or a pervert . . . !”

Miraculous Tatsu: “Heh, shoplifting ‘Erotic Volcano Summer Special Issue’, you don’t have an excuse.”

Kiryu: “. . . wait. You . . . why do you know the name of the book?”

Miraculous Tatsu: “. . . Ah?!”

Bookstore Clerk: “?!”

Kiryu: “The ones who know the title should only be me and the clerk here.”

Bookstore Clerk: “Surely you have an explanation, customer. Why do you know the title?”

Miraculous Tatsu: “Th-That is . . .”

Kiryu: “If you can’t say it, I’ll answer. There’s only one reason . . . because you’re the one who put it in my bag.”

Miraculous Tatsu: “Fuck . . .”

Bookstore Clerk: “Customer. Do you have anything else to say in your defense?”

Miraculous Tatsu: “Tch!”

Kiryu: “You can’t escape.”

Miraculous Tatsu: “That’s it! I’ll kill you!”

Kiryu: “If you can do it, then go ahead. On behalf of all the bookstores you put out of business . . . I’ll crush you again!!”

{Kiryu defeats the guy.}

Miraculous Tatsu: “Hiii! Please forgive me! I’ll confess to everything! I-I’ll admit I did it!!!! So please stop!!!!”

Kiryu: “. . . so that’s it then. Mr. Clerk, please handle this guy and the other one.”

Ken: “Hiii . . . “

Bookstore Clerk: “Y-Yeah. I’ll take care for them and hand them over to the police. And . . . thank you. Because of you, I’ve finally caught the real shoplifter. I’m sorry I suspected you of shoplifting H books.”

Kiryu: “. . . You just did your job. You don’t need to apologize.”

Bookstore Clerk: “But . . . there’s rumors about you in the city, right? That you stole H books . . .”

Kiryu: “. . .”

Bookstore Clerk: “I’m sorry about that. I’ll take full responsibility for the rumors. If I spread word that you were framed, the rumors should disappear in a few days.”

Kiryu: “Really?”

Bookstore Clerk: “Yeah. I know a rumor-loving Aunt who lives in a radio tower in Kamurocho. I’m sure the rumors will be managed.”

----

Kiryu: “. . . Phew. The rumors are likely to settle down now with this.”

Nishikiyama: “Kiryu! How was it?”

Kiryu: “Nishiki . . . things should be fine. I caught the criminal and cleared up my name.”

Nishikiyama: “Hehe, I’m glad. Well, even if you were accused of shoplifting erotic books, you have to admit it was funny.”

Kiryu: “. . . I’m not laughing.”

Nishikiyama: “Well, anyway, at least the case is settled.”

Giant Man: “Oh! You! I finally found you!”

Kiryu: “! You . . . we met earlier . . . I’m not a shoplifter.”

Giant Man: “Hehe, yeah it was a mistake. I heard it was all a lie. Sorry you got framed.”

Kiryu: “Really . . . ? Then what’s this about?”

Giant Man: “Did you get it? Did you buy ‘Erotic Volcano Summer Special Issue’? Even if you’re young, I want to discuss it with you!”

Kiryu: “. . .”

Nishikiyama: “This . . . the rumors aren’t going to disappear any time soon, huh . . .”

.

-END-

Masterlist