#no plan for Kou yet

[reyryz]

dropping some seiya kou wips...

[karleksmumskladdkaka]

Diabolik Lovers Dark Fate Vol. 3 Chapter of the Last Quarter — Short Story Translation

A short, sweet, and comedic tale about the Mukami brothers being supportive siblings… and nearly committing accidental fratricide in the process. Meanwhile, Yui watches with increasing concern as the disaster unfolds.

Please refrain from using or reposting the translation anywhere without my permission.

[Note: The story is written in Yui's POV.]

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅✮⋆⋅

"Uh...something's wrong..."

Kou-kun groaned as he stared down at the pot.

"Should I help after all?"

"Eve, you mustn't get involved...okay? Just quietly watch over us."

Even though he said that, an increasingly terrible smell was spreading throughout the kitchen. Despite being told not to interfere, I was starting to get a bit worried.

"Maybe it needs some sugar-chan!?"

"Ah!!"

Before I could stop him, Yuma-kun dumped several sugar cubes into the pot, filling the room with a foul stench. I felt a sense of despair.

The whole mess had started when Ruki-kun injured his hand.

"Ruki-kun always cooks for us, so let's all pitch in today!"

And so, Kou-kun's plan of making dinner ended up as disastrously as I had feared.

"...This is...?"

"Well... It's supposed to be curry..."

Kou-kun glanced at me as if pleading for help. When I looked at Yuma-kun and Azusa-kun, they averted their eyes. In short, something horrible had been created. Its color was... to put it nicely, pitch black. After tasting it, Yuma-kun commented nonsensically that it was "bittersweetsalty". Dubbed "Mukami Brothers' Style Curry" it had transformed into a mysterious substance resembling anything but curry. Just by looking at it, anyone would instantly recognize it as inedible.

Yet, Ruki-kun was peering at the plates lined up on the table with a happy look on his face.

"Maybe it's better if we don't eat this..."

In spite of Kou-kun's uneasiness, Ruki-kun scooped up the substance with a spoon and brought it to his mouth.

". . ."

"It's disgusting."

We all shared the same fear. That even though he's immortal, Ruki-kun might die from this.

Despite his words, Ruki-kun's expression suddenly relaxed. We stared at him in amazement.

"R-Ruki-kun...!!"

"Ruki..."

"Ruki...! Damn it! Yer such a...!"

The three brothers, seemingly drained, collapsed to their knees on the spot. Ruki-kun simply watched them in silence as he continued to eat.

And then, afterwards—Ruki-kun was bedridden for three days and nights. Even though Vampires aren't supposed to get sick...

Seeing this, his brothers made a firm vow to themselves. They would never try to cook again.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅✮⋆⋅

[otomehonyaku]

Diabolik Lovers Lost Eden Stellaworth Tokuten Short Stories スペシャル特典小冊子 ☽ Shin ver.

This short story booklet was part of the Stellaworth set for Lost Eden! Keep reading below the cut for Shin's version.

S ☽ [Ayato’s version by @kyouxa] [Laito’s version by @kyouxa] [Shuu’s version] [Reiji’s version] [Kanato’s version] [Subaru’s version]

M ☽ [Ruki’s version] [Yuma's version] [Kou’s version] [Azusa’s version]

TK ☽ [Carla’s version] [Shin’s version] [Kino’s version]

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

As always, special thanks to @karleksmumskladdkaka for providing the scans ♡⸜(˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝ Please do not reuse or post my translations elsewhere or translate my work into other languages without my permission.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When Brother took up his duties as the King of the Founders, I came to know what a great man he really was. I had already respected him before, of course, and while I had been jealous of him all the same, I truly realised how difficult it must be to reign over a country as the King of the Founders now that I had taken over my brother’s former tasks. 

He had to keep careful track of everything, from the relations between Species to the state of the castle. To make matters worse, the Demon World was still in a state of disorder. It was an extremely uncertain time. If he were to slack off, the different Species would perish in no time. Such a grim fate must be avoided at all costs—if it was not, we would be beyond saving.

As I sat brooding about this in my room, I suddenly heard footsteps coming near. Judging from the scent, it was her. I opened the door before she could knock.

“What’s up? Do you need me for—”

Before I finished speaking, she took my right hand in hers and gripped it tightly. In her other hand, she held a brown basket. My eyes widened at the sight of a water bottle hanging from a strap around her neck.

“Shin, let’s go on a picnic!”

A smile was plastered across her face as she spoke, only increasing my surprise. How many years had it been since I’d last gone on a picnic? The weather was certainly nice today, and I wanted to spend the day with her. However, documents were piling up on my desk.

“But I still have a lot to…”

“Do you really have to do all that today?”

I swallowed my reply when I saw the worried expression on her face. I almost wanted to say that yes, I wanted to get it done today, but as the thought formed in my mind, I knew that I didn’t need to.

I briefly turned over her invitation in my head before nodding and walking out the door.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

We left the castle behind us and spread the picnic mat on a low hill. I watched as she joyfully unpacked a variety of snacks and drinks. My face had unconsciously broken into a smile as well.

“Here, Shin, this is for you. I made many different kinds, so have some!”

I took a bite from the sandwich she held out to me. I’d known she was planning something from early this morning, but to think she’d been cooking… 

A pleasant taste flooded my mouth. I’d been way too busy lately, and I only now realised how long it had been since I got to spend time off like this. 

Maybe I’d been more anxious about my brother’s position as the King of the Founders than I thought. In my constant worrying about wanting to grow closer to him, to surpass him, I had neglected myself.

She had the rare talent of making me notice what’s truly important. No matter how bad things got, she remained by my side… and yet I had failed her as her partner.

“…I’m sorry.” 

When I quietly muttered my apology, she turned to look at me with a surprised expression.

“I became engrossed in my own stuff… and I didn’t spend enough time with you,” I continued.

“…That’s not true.”

She quietly grabbed my hand. The warmth of her body spread to mine through her palm.

“Shin, I know you always think of me dearly. But… I just want you to take care of yourself, too.”

I could never compete with her and her gentle smile. She always put me first. Her support is what got me to where I was today. 

I loved her from the bottom of my heart… and I wanted to make her happy.

“Thank you.”

As I stroked her hair, I leaned in and kissed her. Her shy smile, her extraordinary kindness… it made me want to make her mine forever.

“You made a lot of sandwiches, right? Feed them to me.”

“Hehe. Alright… Which flavour would you like?”

“I’ll eat all of them, so any will do… After I’ve eaten this one, I’ll feed you next.”

“Ah…! Y-you don’t have to…”

“You’re saying that, but I know you want me to.” I whispered, making her face turn red. 

I planted a kiss on her cheek, and took another bite of the sandwich.

[mari-lair]

It wouldn't make sense for Aoi to have her memories, much less fake her engagement with Teru, because we see Aoi at the start of the world reset and she is acting as if everything is normal, with no worries at all.

While Nene was confused and consumed by a sense that "something isn't right" and Teru was punching Akane in the student council, begging for answer, Aoi's only goal was enjoying the festival with Nene, which would be an extremely weird reaction to suddenly having her numb hand working again and being in a whole new world.

Plus, Aoi already knew Nene would be the star of their class play, something we and Nene, who are only familiar with the old timeline, had no way of knowing was the case.

So Aoi's memories and priorities do not match ours or our protagonist's right now.

The final thing that make me sure the engagement isn't some grand elaborate plan is that Aoi explains to Nene of all people that Kou is "Teru-Kun's brother" acting as if she is more familiar with Kou than Nene and using first names when there is no one to put on a show for.

Teru was as confused as Nene, everything Akane had explained the readers had been news for him too. He was scrapping for answers, even the most basic ones about the situation.

He is still prodding for more information. He does not have the upper hand here.

Even in the very wild possibility that Teru found Aoi first while searching for Nene and both awakened her memories and convinced her to have a marriage plan, it still wouldn't make sense? Cause Aoi had called Kou "Teru-kun's brother" from the very start.

Aoi also brought her mom into this marriage.

She never mentions her mom in the original timeline, so her mom will only visit the festival in this new world (once more, she is living in a different reality from the one we know.)

She is not the old Aoi, she acts way too different: determined to ignore Akane, clingier with Nene, and openly showing her anger/displeasure with Teru.

So I can't see her 'pretending' to be amnesiac. Or Teru pretending to be confused.

This feels genuine:

Teru only becomes smug when he notices the news has a giant effect on Akane, before that, he was just plain confused.

Which brings me to the second part of the ask.

"do you think this is the plot way to force Akane to join forces" and I don't think so. At least, not yet? It's hard to say with the minimal information we were given on the situation.

On the broad strokes Nene, Teru, and Akane are already on the same team the three don't like this reality. They don't want to be here. They miss their old world.

These two panels are after the 'Aoi engagement with Teru' reveal but this has been his mental state from the start. There are a lot of gags about the engagement and I do adore how pathetic Akane is in it, but he doesn't suddenly hate this new world because Aoi can't be with him.

He had hated it from the start.

The way he never includes himself when talking about how this timeline could be 'better for some people' is telling enough.

I have no doubt Aoi's engagement is one hell of a motivator but he had explicitly told us "I didn't have a choice on this, the only choice I had was to stay a clock keeper and hold on to any power I can" from the start.

But you may be asking if this is a plot device for him to have a proper team up with Teru and Nene, a true join forces and become a unit case! Not just a 'similar goal' type of deal.

Which... I find it unlikely.

Aoi's getting a big involvement will make Akane worried, will make him want to protect her, but I just can't see him asking for help, he trusts Teru to keep her safe, so no need to be glued to her side, and he is the kind of idiot who tries to do everything himself, even when his situation is unfair.

(Aoi still doesn't know he made a contract with the keepers to save her life, and he had kept his double life secret from his classmates for years, not letting it slow down his class rep duties, for example.)

So I can picture him hunting Tsukasa alone (and not mentioning to anyone, because that his duty as a clock keeper and of course he wouldn't shove it on someone else, especially when everyone is so angry with him for ruining their present.) but maybe the plot make his hunt cross paths with Nene storyline (which we know will involve hanako) or the wedding somehow (Akanes and Minamotos have history that involves sacrifices and their marriage begs the question of "what changed? why are they united in this timeline?") AND THEN a proper team up happen?? Honestly i have no idea.

It's too early for me to have a clear idea of what Aidairo intends to explore with Teru and Aoi's engagement but my hope is that it serves to flesh out Aoi and Teru's character and their home situation.

(Honestly, I just want Teru and Aoi to have a proper talk. It's a crime that the best teru and aoi conversation we have is from a spin-off. )

[makshu]

Ok. There's something going on and I need to talk about it.

We've all seen that AidaIro is posting new art every day, and on the 18th there will be a new chapter.

But I noticed something, all these arts are about the last arc and are telling the story of it again.

Let me show you

The first one we had was on chapter 111, which shows Yashiro. Everything is normal, but behind her we can see typical theater spotlights, it could just be something mundane or reference her school play rehearsals. Well we started with this.

So we have this art of 12y Tsukasa. Referencing when Yashiro and Mitsuba ended up in the past and found 12y Tsukasa talking to them. He said a rumor about the big clock that further opened the theme of this arc, really an omen for everything.

This art by Sakura is worth mentioning, as she is part of the broadcast gang. She is behind everything, and theories about her being the god or something powerful are increasing more and more. It's worth mentioning that she wished something for Tsukasa, everything he's doing is because of her (because of Amane too, but he has a bond with Sakura). Sakura is an extremely important piece in this puzzle.

Let the fun begin! Next in the series we have Mitsuba and Kou enjoying their time at the festival. Eating and playing together. We were informed, the festival has started.

More moments at the festival. This scene happened in the manga, it is the beginning of the festival that we see. Hanako and Yashiro in the haunted house made by Kou's class. Until that moment everything was normal (or so we thought).

This one is curious. We only see seal Tsukasa in this arc after the plan is initiated. But I believe he was also out there enjoying his last moments. And you can tell that it's really Tsukasa and not the creature. Well, now we're getting close.

Ohhh look what we have here! President and vice-president enjoying the festival as well, despite their work they still managed to find some time to have fun. Natsuhiko had already confronted Akane earlier and Teru had already discovered the black crane, they were probably already alert for anything suspicious. But, everything's still normal.

We return to Sakura, now in her maid outfit. We also have Natsuhiko's first appearance in these arts. This was possibly before or during the festival, but following the chronological line it must have been during. Note that until then this was the only art that did not have a black border (I will talk about this later). Moving on to the next...

From here things started to get serious. The plan had begun. This moment happens in chapter 105. Blood had started to spread throughout the auditorium and Hanako noticed that something was wrong. We are just a few steps away from entering No.1 boundary.

And finally we have today's art. The revelation of the immortal human, Natsuhiko. Breaking the timeline, in this art we go back to chapter 104, where Natsuhiko spreads his blood across the clock, thus executing the plan to go after the last yorishiros.

And these were all the arts released so far, the arts that reference the arc in this case. They all seem to be retelling the story of the Festival arc. Now why? Why would AidaIro be recapping the last arc?

We know that the past has changed and everything has a chance of being different from what we know. We go back to the beginning of the festival, where nothing had happened yet. Therefore, none of these events had happened, if everything really changed, the arts are telling an alternative version of history, the version we know.

Moving from analysis to theory... did you notice that almost all arts have a black border? Black borders are used to indicate flashbacks, the past in JSHK. Now, why would they be using this artifice? Assuming the present has changed, this would be the past. But not a past like something that happened years ago, but a past that no longer exists, in the sense of what it was before this current one. That's why the black borders, indicating that this would be the past.

What breaks this theory is Sakura's art in her maid outfit, as it doesn't have a black border. Maybe the borders are part of the new AidaIro style and are something made to style the arts, or actually have a connection to something. Well, that part is just a crazy theory.

But what do you think of this analysis? The images seem to be telling the arc of the festival all over again, and for what reason? Maybe we'll find out on the 18th, when chapter 112 comes out.

[thelunarfairy]

Listennnn, so we noticed the parallel of the red house between the original timeline and the altered one, from the original one where yashiro was the one with kou when they found the house and what happened next was yashiro taken to the sacrificial pit and got out with her fish form, but in the new timeline where mitsuba who is seen to parallel to yashiro, as in the part where he can take the seal off a yorishiro, found the house with kou, im afraid the same thing might happened to yashiro might happen to mitsuba...

Second thing, remember when tsukasa-kun said "Two more," when he met kou and mitsuba, and the latest chapter we see them going to the red house together, like the entity has already planned for this to happen, something about the sacrifices, maybe two more means they are the only ones amane needed to sacrifice to finally get what he wished for from the entity in the house??

Hellooooo :3

Well, both arcs are similar overall. The number six arc and the current arc, we must remember that the house has its own flow of time and, most importantly, that all of this has been planned by Tsukasa since the beginning.

Everything you are seeing now was purposely planned to happen because of Tsukasa. Remember that 12-year-old Tsukasa appeared to Nene to tell her that the time would be unstable during the festival.

He knows. He was the one who caused it.

And he is doing this to show more about Amane to Nene, and the red house is something important about Amane. Tsukasa is showing Nene what it would have been like if Hanako had followed his original destiny, as an adult teacher.

Probably to show her that that future would not be good either.

Or to make her choose.

Even though he knows the answer.

In the end, they all go to the red house, the difference is that apparently each one will be entering it at different times. Kou will enter the house of his reality, the destroyed house, and Mitsuba will enter the house in good condition.

Remember that technically Mitsuba is a mix, he is the real Mitsuba who did not die, but he has memories of Mitsuba 2, the supernatural one.

If he were just Mitsuba 2, he would not see the house in good condition. That is a hypothesis.

If that is not the case, the house is trying to use this to its advantage, we do not know how yet.

I have a slight feeling that we will find out how Mitsuba died, and that he will be the sacrifice here.

And well, apparently there is a specific number of sacrifices that they must make, perhaps to free Tsukasa?

It is still a mystery.

[lou-struck]

Spooky Spikes

Kotaro Bokuto x reader

Flufftober Day 3- Halloween Practice

~Bokuto is excited for you to come to his Halloween volleyball practice so he can show off the costume you gave him.

Warnings: Bare butt cheeks (No Smut I promise very SFW), Bokuto is taller and has a bigger butt than the reader, Cursing.

There’s something about the fall that makes your little kitchen coffee corner feel just a bit cozier. The warm scents of cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom fill your nose as you brew yourself a steaming cup of chai tea. The ceramic mug is warm in your hand as you grip the pumpkin-shaped handle. Carefully walking it over to the sun-soaked kitchen table, the large window giving you the perfect view of your neighbor’s old apple tree. The leaves are just beginning to change from deep green to a crisp yellow around the slightly pathetic-looking fruits.

You raise the cup to your lips, letting your eyes flutter shut as you breathe in what can only be described as ‘Liquid Autumn.’ Blowing slightly on the wisps of steam to take your first sip. You hear a loud thudding sound coming from down the hall and pause. 

Usually, you would be concerned and follow the noise, but you live with your lovingly klutzy boyfriend Kotaro Bokuto. The Volleyball player has never been the quietest in the morning when he is getting ready for morning practice.

“Babeeee, I need help.” his boisterous voice calls from behind you, the sound causing you to jolt as a bit of your tea splatters over the lip of the cup, down your hand, and onto the previously clean tabletop.

“Kou, what do you need ~” You turn your head mid-sentence and lose your train of thought when you see the tall form of your boyfriend. But instead of his defined muscles and owlish two-toned hair, all you see is a long white sheet draped over him; the only thing you are able to see of him behind the sheet is bare feet that poke out from .” What the hell are you wearing?” 

“Boo!” he yells, too elated to answer your question, the happy yet slightly muffled sounds bouncing off the walls and throwing his sheet-covered arms up into the air. “Did I scare ya? I can’t see very well in this thing, so you’ll have to tell me what you think of my costume.”

Oh, right. Today is the MSBY Jackals’ annual Halloween practice. It’s just like any other practice, but the players get to wear some costumes as they play. Judging by your lovable boyfriend’s costume, he has forgotten that he actually needs to be able to play in his costume.

“Are you going as a ghost?” You ask, gently pulling up the sheet to reveal his thick gray eyebrows, pinkish cheeks, and ruffled two-toned hair. It must be pretty hot under there.

“Yeah, pretty iconic, don’t you think?” he winks, leaning in to give you a minty fresh kiss. “It’s a bit hard to see, though. Can you help me make some eye holes?” he asks, reaching a muscled arm just past you over to the knife block. Your stomach drops at the continuation he is making when he grabs your well-loved kitchen scissors.

“Babe, these are our good sheets.” you giggle, gently prying the kitchen scissors from his much larger hands. “We can’t just cut holes into them. And you are definitely not going to be able to play volleyball in that thing. You can’t even lift your arms to Spike.”

His features fall in the most heartbreaking way as he looks down at the linen sheet, mourning the loss of his Halloween costume idea. “But that was my big plan. I thought of it the other day when one of the trainers said that my spikes were scary.” His golden gaze drifts to the glowing green numbers on the stovetop. “Shoot, Practice starts in an hour and I don’t have another costume. What do I do?”

You place a comforting hand on his bicep and give him a reassuring smile. “We still have time to think of something for you, what did you wear last year? I don’t remember you telling me.” 

“I-I can’t tell you that,” he says quickly, his large hand coming up to hide the rapidly spreading blush on his cheeks; it’s too embarrassing to talk about.”

“But not embarrassing enough to not wear it to the gym surrounded by at least twenty people?” 

He still shakes his head adamantly. “I don’t have that costume anymore, we gotta think of something else.”

You furrow your brow in thought, 

“Wait, come with me; I think I have an idea.” You smile, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the hallway eagerly. The still pristine bedsheet flows behind the two of you. 

In the back of your closet lies a clear plastic tub filled with old costumes and pieces from years past. You dig through the animal masks and wizard robes until you find what you are looking for. Your old Skeleton costume consists of an oversized black t-shirt and a pair of leggings; a realistic skeletal system print covers the entire thing. 

“Would these work?” you ask, holding up the pieces for him to take. The costume was baggy on you, but the stretchy material means that it most likely could fit your much taller, much more beefy boyfriend. 

His eyes light up when he sees the costume, and nods eagerly. “This will be great. I can actually play in these. He picks you up easily and spins you around the cramped closet space. “You’re so amazing Y/n. Where would I be without you?”

“ single and costumeless.” You giggle, returning his bear hug with as much strength as you can muster. “Wait, hang on,” you place your hands on his shoulders as you are hit with your second moment of brilliance that morning. “I think I have some face paint underneath the sink.”

~

After buying you a fresh tea to replace the one you hadn’t gotten to enjoy earlier, Kotaro insisted on dragging you to practice with him so you can see just how awesome his costume looks in comparison to his other teammates.

As the nosy little thing you are, it didn’t take much persuading to come with him. The scent of icy hot reaches your nose as the two of you pass the athletic training room where a few players are getting taped for today’s session. 

“Are you sure you don’t wanna wear your shorts over the leggings? “You ask, noticing just how tight the leggings are on his muscled bottom.

“No, I don’t need it,” he says, looking down and giving his butt a playful little smack. “It would ruin the vibe of my Amazing costume.”

“I can’t argue with that,” you giggle as he dances towards the sound of volleyball. He certainly is the happiest volleyball-playing skeleton you’ve ever seen. 

“Okay, babe, wish me luck.” Kotaro grins, stopping just outside the gymnasium doors, leaning in towards you with his now skeletal-painted lips puckered. 

You place your hand on his chest and push him back lightly, “Wait, you don’t want to mess up your face paint. You say quickly, noticing the puppy dog eyes he is giving you. 

“I don’t care about that if it means I don’t get a kiss,” he says with a pout, crossing his arms in usual Bokuto fashion. He is already leaning in for your kiss. He knows just how effective his pouty face is on you.

“Good luck,” you smile, leaning in on your tiptoes to give him a kiss. 

He is so happy he practically skips into the gym, pushing open the doors and waving to you one more time before he goes to work.

Now alone, you turn away from the sound of squeaking shoes and spikes to walk up the steps to the upper bleachers, where certain spectators are allowed to watch without distracting the players.

You are now looking over the whole court and see the dozens of players scattered around as practice begins. Costume-wise, it looks like the majority of the players are wearing masks of some sort, making it hard to tell who is who. But eventually, you do see familiar faces.

The blond head of Atsumu Miya grabs your attention as he takes his place by the net, a long, flowing red and black vampire cape tied behind his neck. And judging by how muffled his on-the-court communication is, he must be wearing some of those cheap vampire fangs as well.

Shoyo Hinata Is wearing all black with a large pair of black feathered wings tethered to his back with little elastic strings. They flap clumsily as they fail to keep up with the redhead’s speed as he runs about the court with boundless energy. 

The Third Person you are able to make out is Sakusa Kiyoomi, a true master of disguise. He is wearing his normal practice clothes and really looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. The only thing out of place on his clean frame is the hastily stuck red and white name tag that sits crookedly on his chest.

With those great options to compete with, you can safely say that Bokuto’s costume is by far the best. You watch as the team tries to play. Atsumu keeps tripping over his cape when he jumps, and Little feathers from Hinata’s wings keep littering the court as he bounds around, and the other players keep having to take off their rubber monster masks to breathe and truly look miserable. It keeps you thoroughly entertained throughout the training session. 

In between sets in their practice scrimmage, Bokuto and a few others end up by your bench, and you’re able to hear a little bit of your boyfriend’s not-so-quiet conversation.

“Omi, do you like my faceeee?” He gushes, pointing to his slightly sweaty face paint. “Y/n did it this morning; Arent they sooooo amazing.”

His honest declarations of his love for you are one of the many reasons why you love him. He effortlessly brings a smile to your lips as he continues to show off his painted face. The design really wasn’t that difficult to make. You just looked up a quick tutorial of how to do it online earlier and were able to copy it fairly well.

“No fair,” Hinata whines, coming over to look at the carefully painted design you made. He looks up at you and waves with a big grin. “Hey Y/n, can you paint my face next year too?”

“I guess I can,” you call back to him. “I’m not a professional or anything so I~”

“Helloooo? Your boyfriends jealousy interrupts, waving his hand in front of the shorter man’s face, “They’re mine, getting my face painted by them is a Boyfriend perk.” 

“Oh shoot, is that a thing?” The ginger responds with wide eyes as the two of them finish their water break and jog back onto the court. 

“Watch me, Babe,” he calls, trying to shoot you a wink as he takes his place by the net. The ball is set, and you watch as Bokuto begins his approach; the ball is set high over the net as the owl-haired man leaps for it. Soaring high above the double block in his way, he brings his hand down onto the poor volleyball with a frightening force. The ball hits the ground and bounces off in the opposite direction.

But Bokuto’s kill is robbed of any kind of celebration because the minute his powerful legs land on solid ground, the impact causes those little skeleton-printed leggings of yours to rippppp right down the middle, revealing two things to you and the rest of the gym as a deafening silence falls all around you.

One, Kotaro Bokuto was not wearing any underwear underneath your now-ruined leggings.

And Two, his muscular ass cheeks.

He feels the breeziness down below and looks at you with wide eyes, clearly too stunned to speak, or move, or cover up. 

You are in the same boat as him as your jaw hits the floor and your eyes go right to the rip.

As you are captivated by the scene in front of you, no one else says a word. Some are too fixated on Kotaro’s bare ass cheeks that seem to shine under the fluorescent lights of the stadium, and others are wondering where the hell the volleyball he spiked went off to

A player in a rubbery haunted pumpkin mask steps forward, his footsteps echoing across the silent gymnasium, breaking the silence. His hand flies up to take off the mask, revealing a head of slicked-back black hair. 

Captain Shūgo Meian sighs, Looking completely done as he tosses your poor boyfriend a towel to cover the rip as he speaks. “Bokuto, while this situation is uhhh… unfortunate. It is still not nearly as bad as what happened last year.” 

Tagging: @eussstasss @enchantedforest-network

[yuikomorii]

i think i can forgive yui for anything even toxic simply because she suffered the most because of those guys and deserves to get her lick back. they put her through so much in earlier games, it's insane

// PARDON?? 😀😀

I understand that the Diaboys were bitchy at first and they all treated others as less (which is bad), but other than Laito, Kanato and Carla, nobody made Yui suffer that bad to the point of breaking her. Kou was pretty nasty too at first, but the rest weren’t that horrible route based for characters supposed to be monsters. At the very least, I can name some human LIs who were way worse than most Diaboys, yet nobody seems to hate on them for that. I understand that it must be tiring being pushed around and being treated as “prey”, yet we’re talking about vampires here. They are predators and don’t have the same set of morals as humans do, for this reason humans are a mere food source for them. They can’t live without blood, even if this means having to sacrifice humans to satisfy their hunger. We love cats despite the fact that they like torturing mice before killing them, and that’s because we understand that it’s just how the predator instinct works. The Diaboys might look humanized, but they are a whole difference existence and you shouldn’t hold them at human standards. It’s good that DL showed how vampires were truly supposed to act, instead of making them romantic and flirty from the start.

Even the whole Adam’s apple plan focuses on Eve, a human, making Adam, a vampire, learn about human feelings. One thing about the Diaboys is that they all had growth. If someone is shown regretting their behavior and is genuinely changing into a better person just for you, it’s very insensitive to remind them about what they did a long time ago. They are aware of their actions and they are aware they were in the wrong, therefore bringing up their past mistakes won’t make you a better person than them. A Diaboy could sacrifice everything for Yui and put his life on the verge each and every time she’s in danger, but some of you guys would still only see him as “bad”, which would be a huge insult to his character, given that it would erase all the development he went through.

I’m not going to count the bad endings here, but saying that you forgive all of Yui’s toxic actions is very toxic itself. She is an abuse apologist herself, who tried to convince Ayato that his mother secretly cared for him (despite knowing the full story), Subaru that Karlheinz loved him and the Mukamis that Karlheinz, after he committed a whole genocide, saved them to redeem himself. These are all very wrong. Karlheinz always used everyone for his plans, just like Cordelia used her children for her selfish desires. Neither of them were ever shown regretting their actions. This is just one example of Yui’s toxic actions and I’m not saying that she did them with ill will, but stupidity can make one problematic too. It gives off the same vibes as “but they’re your parents”, after hearing someone talk about how much their parents hurt them.

It’s not that hard to admit that all DL characters have red flags. Nobody in this franchise is meant to be a role model and it’s okay if you don’t like certain actions. I’m a Yui stan, but I get why several people from the otoge community don’t really like her. However, I’m surprised that they see her as really that bad. I mean, she still is mostly kind and sweet, therefore I don’t think her bitchy moments are more significant. Yet, I suppose this has more to do with how they perceive things.

[ghostscrown]

TBHK chapter 110 spoilers

What could Mitsuba's yorishiro be, from the most likely to least likely to me

Kou : so this is the main theory, Kou himself could become Mitsuba's yorishiro. It would make sense, since he's basically the only thing Mitsuba truly cares about, and also the only person to truly care about Mitsuba as he is right now. It would also make sense since becoming a yorishiro would probably turn him into a supernatural, and Kou has been considering to become a supernatural for a while now, but we didn't get any news on that since a few chapters. It's even possible the "way for a human to become a supernatural" Natsuhiko told him about was actually to become a yorishiro, so maybe this is all part of a plan by Natsuhiko. Why would he want Kou to become Mitsuba's yorishiro, I don't know tho – we don't have enough clues on this yet. If I had to make assumptions now, I would say it may target Teru and/or a bigger plan more than Kou himself and Kou is just being used here, but who knows really

Kou's keychain : Mitsuba's keychain was destroyed, yeah – otherwise, it would've certainly become his yorishiro. But Kou's keychain is still intact. So maybe Kou's keychain can become Mitsuba's yorishiro, since it's an object related to Kou – similar logic as for the first option, it's something Mitsuba cares about

Sousuke's mom : she was there unconscious when Natsuhiko attacked Mitsuba, and Mitsuba seemed to be curious about her. It's a possibility she will become his yorishiro, but it's less likely than Kou, because Mitsuba doesn't have any real memory of her and doesn't even consider her as his mom, but as "Sousuke's mom" since he's not the real Mitsuba. We can still note the possibility, it will depend of the events happening I guess

Nothing : it's still possible Mitsuba isn't gonna get a yorishiro and die (I hope no) but it would be more interesting for the scenario if he gets one so I don't think that's very likely, unless they go for the tragedy route and remind us how the penguin keychain would've been his yorishiro but it didn't and now it's too late

Kou's picture : this one is even less likely but I saw this theory and I think we can still note it. This is the picture the first Mitsuba took of Kou when they met. It was important to him as he said when he took it. However the actual Mitsuba doesn't care about photography so it's not very likely the picture is gonna be his yorishiro. If anything, I think it's more likely to be a hint about how Kou could become his yorishiro, since back then he took a picture of "something important to him" and Kou is the only think from his past self that stayed important.

Something else : of course it could also be something else I didn't think about, but I don't have any more real idea there, or at least not anything that makes sense to me

[pearl-blue-musings]

Christmas Peaches

Merry Christmas!! I wanted to give one of my very closest and dearest friends a little gift so here’s this!

Warnings: 18+, fem/afab reader, dry humping, fingering, Christmas, pretty sweet

Word count: 1.4K

The wintry wind continues to blow harshly against the side of the snow cabin, briefly shaking the foundation. You sit comfortably in front of the fireplace, your hands wrapped around a warm mug of hot chocolate. Your fluffy cat sits beside you, stretching beside the warmth and curling back up again. Your eyes scan over the snow bustling outside. It’s beautiful yet right now it’s a tad bit daunting.

On most days you love the winter and immersing yourself in the snow. Dreaming of days when school would be closed and you would go out and adventure with your friends, sledding and making snow people and snow angels. You smile fondly at the memory which brings you some reprieve. However, you remember why your thoughts have been clouded with worry. Your beloved partner was supposed to be on his way, but he had warned you that training and an exhibition might keep him away from you this Christmas. You sigh deeply and take a sip, already planning on going to bed alone.

Suddenly, the door unlocks and swings open and you yelp in surprise. The shock and fear quickly transforms into joy as you carefully place your mug down and jump up from the floor. You let out a squeal of happiness before you jump into his arms.

“Kou!”

Bokuto easily picks you up and swings you around, nuzzling your cheek with a laugh. Even though he’s cold from outside and slightly damp from the snow, you don’t care. You’re just ecstatic to see him here and have him in your arms. The owl-like athlete finally puts you down and kisses your nose. “I told you I would make it, baby girl! I wasn’t gonna let the snow stand in between me and my Christmas peach.”

His toothy grin is infectious as you go up on your tiptoes to peck his lips. Bokuto’s hands easily fall to your waist as he pulls you in to keep the kiss coming. You hum happily and pull away to end the kiss, speaking to him sternly yet sweetly .

“Koutaro, you need to take off your coat and shoes. I’m still getting a little wet.”

Bokuto snickers as he removes his coat and shoes at your request, and places his bags to the side. His eyebrows wiggle along with his fingers in front of you. “I know other ways to get you wet, baby. All you have to do is ask.” You scoff and playfully slap his hands away with a chuckle. He feigns hurt before wrapping his arms around you, his chest pressing into your back. He kisses your neck as the two of you waddle toward the kitchen together. All the while, his hands don’t leave your body as you prepare another mug of hot chocolate for him. You love how clingy he gets, especially when he hasn’t seen you because of practice or matches. You can’t help the giddy grin that comes to your face as he continuously kisses your neck, your jaw, behind your ear… A breathy gasp leaving your lips as he presses into you. And of course he’s hard, what else is new? You can feel him start to slowly grind his hips into you. His hands travel down to your plump ass as he gives it a squeeze. Bokuto’s voice is low in your ear, “you know,” he draws out, squeezing your soft skin through your leggings, “this is still my favorite peach.”

Your hands grip the counter and you spread your legs to accommodate him. Bo’s rough hands grip the hem of your bottoms and pull them down along with your panties. You hear him growl behind you, his hand snaking around to your front. You can feel your thighs want to tremble as his fingers poke and fondle your lower lips. The skin of his fingers glazing over your clit and you whimper ever so slightly. That lingering feeling has your nerves on edge, the want and need for him to touch you becoming more prominent. You wonder slightly how he took off his own pants as he teases you.

With your lip in your mouth and eyes lidded, you whisper, “Kou please, don’t tease.”

He snickers and palms your cunt. “You have to tell me what you want, sweet girl. Where do you want my fingers?”

You whine and writhe under him, wanting nothing more than for him to give you what you want. “I want your fingers, baby. I wanna feel you.” You turn your head for a lust filled kiss in which he happily obliges. His tongue licks at the inside of your mouth as he slides his fingers into your warm pussy. The way you easily take him in makes his cock twitch against your ass. You love how needy he gets, humping against your plush skin. The tip of his cock starts to leak pre as he gets more desperate in his movements. His lip trembles in pleasure, his fingers being coated in your essence as you tighten and flutter around him.

The warmth of his cock on your ass only ignites your love and growing lust for your boyfriend. Your grip is knuckle white on the counter as you grind back into him. You go on your tiptoes as he scissors you open. The flat of his palm presses against your clit and you yelp in pleasure, head falling back against his chest. The two of you find a rhythm as you roll into him and he bucks into you. He can’t wait to fuck you but knows that he has to take his time with you, get you riled up and wanting him as much as he wants you. His whole drive up he was trying to keep himself in control. Bokuto couldn’t help but want, no, need to be inside you and immersed in everything that is you. The way your walls tighten and flutter around his fingers has him eager to take you to the bedroom. But right now, your pleasure comes first.

His fingers move faster, right in time with his bucking. The small kitchen is a chorus of grunts, praises, and your sweet moans. You struggle in your stance as you get more and more turned on, the coil inside you wanting to release and release hard. You pant loudly, “fuck Kou, I wanna cum. Please, can I?” He kisses you passionately in response as he keeps the pace, knowing you don’t like it when he changes what he’s doing. It’s moments like these Bokuto is thankful for being a volleyball player as his hand doesn’t tire of pleasuring you. He can feel you leaking onto your thighs and it spurs him on, his hips having a mind of their own.

“Fuck, princess. Cum for me, cum all over my hand. I’m getting close, too.”

You whimper and regain your composure for a quick second. “Can we? Together?”

He nods against the juncture of your neck and shoulder as he presses and rubs against your clit. You cum with a shrill moan as you flutter around his fingers. Your sounds and actions have your lover following suit, his cock twitching and spurting out cum on your ass and down to the floor. The two of you breathe for a bit, his grip loosening on you as he guides you to relax your feet against the floor. He quickly covers your neck and cheek in kisses, whispering soft ‘I love you’s’ as he rubs your back. He shuffles and searches for towels to clean the two of you up. Once the two of you are clean, he takes extra care to make you comfortable, he massages your back.

As you relax against the floor and his back, you sigh happily as he hugs you from behind. Your hands rest on his biceps as you scan the counter. You laugh lightly before you pinch him. He yelps an ow and pouts. “What was that for?”

“We came in here for hot chocolate! Not dry humping and fingering.” You hear your boyfriend laugh as he kisses your cheek again and hugs you tighter. Your slight upset feeling subsides as he burrows his head into your frame. You know he gets excited to be with you, so you can’t be too upset with him. You cup his cheek and softly kiss the corner of his mouth.

“Merry Christmas, darling.”

Merry Christmas @peaches-and-cream-pies 🥰🥰🎄

[pink-heart-jam]

10 must-read Yakuza BL

Yakuza stories have been my jam for many years now, and some of the most iconic BLs I’ve read in the past decade and a half are within this genre. Exquisite art style, adult romance, complex plots, smoking hot tattoos, high stakes! I love everything about this unique combo that makes it so hard to replicate. Any other hardcore fans around? Come and spread the love for these gems!

Acid Town by Kyugo (M)

In a city where the law has been rendered non-existent, Yuki and his best friend Tetsu break into the offices of the Seidoukai in a desperate attempt to finance his ailing brother's hospital bills. They ultimately fail but not without sparking the interest of the mob's young leader, Kazutaka Hyodo, who offers Yuki a deal he can't refuse.

Afterglow by Wagase wagimoko (E)

Higuchi Seitaka was on his way to becoming an elite cardiovascular surgeon after graduating from medical school. Yet, just before getting his specialty qualification, he was sent off to a remote rural town in Kyushu. Feeling dejected by what he sees as his sudden demotion, Higuchi spends his evenings drowning his sorrows, until one night, yakuza "Tenjun" rescues him.

Bi No Isu | Kobi no Kyoujin by ike reibun (E)

Kabu and Nirasawa have a troubled relationship, to say the least. Harsh yakuza lifestyle, torture, and violent sex are everyday occurrences for the volatile couple.

Canis series by Zakk (M)

Satoru has gotten himself into a bit of a pickle. He’s a successful hatter and has planned a big event for his store’s third anniversary, but he’s short on staff and his remaining employees are threatening mutiny is he can’t find a temporary worker by tomorrow. Luckily, he practically trips over Ryou, a young man who’s in need of a place to crash.

Jealousy by Scarlet Beriko (E)

A yakuza head finds himself ensnared in the unwavering attentions of a sometimes impetuous but always cunning schemer. If being yakuza doesn’t get him killed, his new lover just might!

Musunde, Hodoite, Kiss wo Shite by Emi Mitsuki (M)

Itabashi, who runs a tailor shop in a downtown shopping district, reunites with his classmate from middle school, Adachi, in the worst possible way. Adachi is now part of the yakuza, and he's here to run Itabashi out of his shop and redevelop the entire area.

NightS & Sequel by Yoneda Kou (E)

A yakuza comes to request the services of an specialized transporter that takes care of delicate and illegal merchandise. It seems this transporter is quite picky about his clients, however he gets interested in this transaction and in the mysterious man that is negotiating it.

Nights Before Night by Kazuki Natsume (E)

It's been a long time since Haru, owner of the gay escort service "Rain," left his yakuza days behind. But when the Ichijo clan says he's the only civilian they can trust to hide the clan head's troublemaking son Yukitaka, there seems to be no choice for him but to follow suit.

Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai by Yoneda Kou (E)

The masochistic, lewd and beautiful yakuza Yashiro and his silent, clumsy, impotent subordinate, Doumeki. This is the story of a man who has never known happiness and of a man who is reborn by getting to know him.

Syunrai to Mitsu by Retsujyo (E)

Yuen was abandoned by his parents and taken to an orphanage. His only support was Yan, who was like an older brother. Yan also cherished Yuen like his younger brother, but one night, a cruel incident that separates them occurs.

[schoolmysteryno69]

META ANALYSIS - Mitsukou (part 1)

General topic - how they’re written as a one of the romantic couples in the story

Before I start, I need to say few things:

1. I’m not native english speaker. I’m probably going to make a lot of errors and mistakes, mix times, have a lacking vocabulary etc. Please be ready for it. I want to write my meta post anyway, so I would be happy if you will stay to the end with me!

2. If you do not like Mitsukou/hate this ship or anything like that - maybe this post it's not for you. It's totally okay to ship different thing and like different things, I don’t mind. My post is not a starter for a discussion tho, I’m not interested in discourses, argues and hate. I don’t really plan to “prove” anything to anyone or force you to change your mind, whole post is only MY analysis and my point of view. You are not obligated to feel the same way I feel, to see things the same way I see them. 

3. I’m not interested in proving if Mitsukou is going to ever be canon or anything. I don’t know that. I’m also not going to analyze if they’re ever going to be a CANON COUPLE or an ENDGAME COUPLE. It’s only about if they’re written as a romantic relationship, and being written as a romantic couple =/= being a canon couple, they’re a lot of pairs in media that definitely are written as a romantic relationship without them being together ever or being an endgame. I’m not going to speculate about endgame, especially when one of the characters is supernatural and one is a human. 

Okay, I think we can start now!

Let's start from the beginning. Because my first language is not english my post may be a little bit chaotic, putting all my thoughts in at least some order and with at least some sense it's actually hard, haha. In part 1 I will try to cover the first meeting between Kou and the ghost of Mitsuba.

So!

They first met during chapter 18. And it was meeting between Kou and ghost of a Mitsuba Sousuke, so it wasn’t our currently Mitsuba - it worth to mention they're not the same person, even if they are extremely similar, share a lot elements of their personalities, they look nearly the same, and current Mitsuba even share some dead Sousuke's memories because of School Mystery No. 4 Shijima Mei and her Picture Perfect arc. Still - not the same person and Mitsuba Kou met in chapter 18 is not the current Mitsuba. 

At the beginning they're not really that much written as a romantic, their short arc was more like something starting Kou’s personal arc and his development. He got some background, some motivation, some angst, he changed. For most part Kou behaved pretty normal, just like himself - a selfless, lively boy that really wanted to help a lonely, sad ghost that Mitsuba was. (he wasn’t traumatized yet). Even if some of their interaction could be readed with a shippy glasses, there wasn’t anything that was inherently romantic about them. 

I think it's kind of ironic how this is literally their first panel in the manga. Mitsuba literally looks like some kind of eldritch horror and he says “Did you forget about me?”. Yeah Kou, did you? This quite sums some elements of their arc. We know that Kou actually did forget about Mitsuba, who was one of his classmates. Also, Kous' trauma, related to everything that happened to Mitsuba, hunts him for the rest of the story. He also, clearly has a problem with recognition of both Mitsubas, with dealing with Ghost Mitsuba death and with the idea of forgetting someone and leaving someone. We also know that, when current!Mitsuba was made by Tsukasa, he didn’t remember Kou. That's why this quote here is very ironic. 

There is nothing really to analyze here but I find it funny. Yeah, you quite literally just haunted the wrong guy and it’s going to be a problem for you and said guy for the next 15 volumes of the manga. Good luck. 

Even after calling Mitsuba an “evil spirit” Kou still tries to help him and even decides to “take the big tough guy approach” to make Mitsuba feel safer about him. Kou is not really “the big tough guy”, even if he tries to pose as one. He is a 14 yo kid with kind of fucked up situation in life, even, if he doesn’t recognize it yet. 

Maybe you could learn something from Kous stupid earning, mr. boy who DIED in the car accident.

It's definitely not an accident that Mitsuba died hit by a car and Kou has a BIG earning with a big caption “TRAFFIC SAFETY”. Even after reading all chapters up to 103 I’m not really sure how I should interpret this exact symbolism in their relationship, but it's definitely done on purpose by the authors. I think it may symbolize that Kou, with a “traffic safety” earning will save Mitsuba, who previously died in a traffic accident from dying another time? Like, now Mitsuba have Kou by his side and maybe Kou will manage to keep him safe. His earning is mentioned by Mitsuba too many times, it's done so we can notice it, for sure. And I wonder how it turns out. 

It’s the first time Mitsuba suggests that Kou either has some kind of feelings toward him, tries to do something dirty towards him or something similar. Every time he just jokes or tries to provoke Kou or something like that. At first I thought it's just how Mitsuba is, some people love to joke like that, but then I noticed, later in the story, that Kou is quite literally the only person Mitsuba ever does this to. Sure he does not have many friends “his age” but still during the manga it would be possible for him to behave like that toward other characters, but he does not. He jokes like that only toward Kou and I think during the next parts of my writing I will point it out more.

Even after 20 minutes of insulting he is still concerned about Mitsuba. That's so funny and sweet. 

Yeeeaaah sure it totally does not relate in any way to the fact that ghost Motsuba got to die after taking a photo of KOU out of everything yeeeeaaaah nada nope. It's crazy how the authors planned this because Hanako really started as some kind of funny manga about kids and ghosts and supernatural things, but the angst we get later is actually top notch and kinda scary. There was few moments I really had to like, stand up and walk in my room because of the emotions I felt after reading.

Look how happy he is with the idea of being a model to the Mitsubas photos. He is bright, smiling and even blushing. The next ironic thing is how he cried after actually seeing a picture of himself made by Mitsuba. Also I like how prominent his earning is here.

Mitsuba is very particular, he really made pictures only of animals, plants and other non-human things. That's probably why his photo of Kou hit me like a train. That's literally narratively confirming that Mitsuba saw Kou as something (someone) he likes, someone that is important to him. Kou also realized it after seeing the picture, that was one of the reasons why he was so devastated.

There are few things about that whole scene I would like to point up. The first are doves. Mitsuba, especially Ghost Mitsuba, is often presented with doves as a form of his symbolism. Doves and cherry blossoms are probably the most prominent symbols of his character. I’m not really that good when it comes to symbols, but I think doves symbolize things like peace, but also some form of innocence/purity and love. Some sources also say about transformation and spirituality. I think one of the reasons for choosing doves is to symbolize how he didn’t deserve to die like that, that his soul is actually good and seeks for peace. In Kou’s eyes he is also someone innocent, definitely. Especially when we are talking about ghost Mitsuba at the beginning of a story. 

ALSO I’m pretty sure birds are foreshadowing to current!Mitsuba being made from the school mystery no. 3 who looked like a bird and who current!Mitsuba gained a lot of his characteristics from. Current!Mitsuba hair looks like feathers, his hand looks like talons etc. He is heavily associated with birds from the beginning. Even if Ghost!Mitsuba is associated with doves more and current!Mitsuba with ravens or crows. 

The next thing about this scene is Kou finally realizing he knew Mitsuba and it hit him. Understanding that Mitsuba actually KNEW Kou and it was Kou who didn’t remember him probably made him feel remorse and generally really bad about himself. That’s not a nice thing if you forget about a boy who was with you in a class, and the fact that ghost Mitsuba actually tried to talk to him and asked him “Did you forget about me”... It's hard for me to even imagine what Kou felt at that moment. 

Also, Mitsuba surely didn’t know about Kou being from an exorcist family, so he wouldn't expect that Kou will take direct action after meeting a ghost lol. If it comes to Mitsuba, I’m pretty sure it was very scary.

I wish we could see more of them like that. Just like two boys having fun with each other. I love angst, trust me. But I think they deserve rest and to just have a chance to play and talk a be… normal for once. Everytime when they get a chance to have fun they’re cute and hilarious together. 

Rain can symbolize sadness and hard emotions soooo yeah, I’m not surprised it started raining. I think it sort of symbolizes feelings of both Kou and Mitsuba here.

They’re going to the third floor and I’m sure it's foreshadowing to Mitsuba becoming a School Mystery no. 3. 

I’m still impressed how much foreshadowing is during their first meeting (chap 18-20). Like the birds, nr 3, traffic safety earning, motif of remembering/forgetting etc. You could also think that photography would be something like that but… it's not. Photography becomes a thing that is helping recognizing human/ghost Mitsuba from current supernatural Mitsuba. They’re similar but not the same person. Photos were one of the main characteristics of the original Mitsuba, both in this arc and during a moment with Mitsubas mother later. It was always about photos, but it's never about photos when it comes to our current Mitsuba.

Yeah, that kind of explains why Kou didn’t remember him immediately, even after seeing how Mitsuba looks and hearing his surname he should know. Because, like, Kou should remember him, they were in the same class, sit close to each other etc. But the mask that Mitsuba created was so strong that made him nearly imperceptible (like, you know, a ghost hah) and at this point tbh I don’t think Mitsuba liked it very much. He is actually a pretty bold and cocky person and all of this probably bugged him. Of course he wasn’t bullied, but was it worth becoming somebody different, somebody boring and bland to others? I think there is some form of regret. But also I don’t think that ALL of this was a mask, because Mitsuba definitely has some of a calmer and more sweet side to himself, he showed it a lot of times.

He tries to fix it up by recognizing him now for who he is. With both his positive and negative aspects, even if he points out mostly his flaws. Still, this is the Mitsuba he met, the Mitsuba he knows and the Mitsuba he IS GOING TO remember. Mitsuba he befriended now. It actually means a lot for Sousuke. He is dead, he may have thought that it's the end for him and for all of his relationships he ever had. Its funny how Mitsuba said he is a ghost because he still wanted to do photos, but the truth is he wanted relationships, but the true ones. Not based on his “fake” nice self, but on real him with all his flaws and that's why he haunted other students rather than just… go do photos or something. He tried to connect to others, because he subconsciously thought relationships and friends he had when he lived weren’t really true and real. It’s ironic how it resembles the current!Mitsuba in Picture Perfect act. 

Kou started to realize who Mitsuba was and how tragic his situation was, he started to empathize. Kou has a martyr complex, so he wanted to help Mitsuba any way he could. It was also shown that he does LIKE Mitsuba even with his twisted personality, Kou said it himself and it surely means a lot for Mitsuba who wasn’t liked before for his true personality. That was probably the moment Mitsuba felt a real bond towards Kou and become attached to him. 

And Kou even blushed a few times.That would still be read as platonic and sweet tho!. I think it was, personally. The most important thing during their first meeting was, of course, how it ended, because, in my opinion, it was a moment when most (not all tho) Kou's mental problems started. There was still his family, of course. Teru loves Kou very much, but still his mentality and behavior was a root for Kou’s low self esteem and some other elements of his personality, tho I think it may be a topic for a whole different post.

In this small arc, in my opinion, the moment that was the beginning of me perceiving them as written as one of the couples, a romantic relationship was this exact moment:

“I don’t know… maybe something important to me?” 

And also a moment when Kous saw this picture for the first time, when he developed photos, and how this cracked him.

Generally, becoming friends with Mitsuba was very important to Kou. Not only because he wanted to help him (and, internally, also making Kou feel better about himself) but also it was probably the first time when… Kou may feel somewhat special? He always was in the shadow of Teru, he wasn’t an “official” exorcist, he wasn't going to missions in the town, he wasn’t very strong (Hanako literally KO’ed him without a sweat and Kou couldn't do much to Hanako), the girl he got a small crush on (Nene) clearly had something with Hanako… Kou was always pushed back and now, with Mitsuba, he made an actually special relationship between the only two of them. He felt NEEDED, and we all know how much Kou desperately needs to feel NEEDED. In his own mind, he was the only one that could help Mitsuba and that understood Mitsuba, that's why Mitsubas ghost death was so hard for him. He finally got something special for himself and he couldn't even protect it and he let lonely, poor ghost tragically vanish. That's some trauma for you.

I’m not going to write much about Mitsubas feelings there because it was Sousuke Mitsubas feelings - and currently I’m going to focus more on a School Mystery Mitsuba. Tho Sousuke definitely perceived Kou and his help as something special to him. That's where their fated bond started. 

“You can help me develop them tomorrow and then… I think I’ll be okay”.

Yet we can’t see his eyes when he speaks, and that suggests he thinks something different that what he speaks. Not showing eyes is a common motif to show that a character is lying or saying something he does not think or hiding something. Here is just like that - it’s not about photos, it's about KOU. It’s because of Kou he is going to be okay, not because of the photos he took today. Something changed for Mitsuba when Kou recognized him for someone he actually is and wanted to become friends with him. For Mitsuba it means a lot because when he was alive he couldn’t get true friends and real relationships with others. 

Yeah walk walk trauma baby. I know I mention  ‘trauma” a lot when it comes to Kou, but the whole manga is like a one big parade of traumas for this boy and it's not even funny. I’m not surprised he is starting to become more and more insane with every next arc. Especially in the Night Out small arc we can clearly see how detached from actual reality Kou starts to be and how he stops recognizing differencs between supernatural and real word, good and evil, selfless and selfish behavior etc. It’s all the result of the traumatic situations he was put in for like 16 volumes straight. And he is bearing it A LOT WORSE than Nene is.

Ouch. 

“You wished for people remembering you but now youre happy with just a one person?” That hits hard but also I’m angry at Tsukasa, like leave that boy alone.Even one person can make a change in someones life, and thats what Mitsuba felt at a moment. For Kou he was someone, he was real, he had a personality, Kou recognized him and that gives him a true sense of identity. For him it was enough

You met like half of a day before and you are calling him your friend and fighting for him with an unknown dangerous supernatural who looks exactly like your other friend. Bruh that's some dedication. Kou is desperate to save Mitsuba, but Kou is generally desperate to be a savior. He tries to “save” Nene a lot of times even if it’s not really necessary, because Nene also has other friends and people who support her and is pretty clever and capable of bearing problems on her own (most of the time). Yet Kou still treats Nene like some damsel in distress that need his protection when it's CLEARLY not like that. Sadly, Kou mostly fails anyway. He fails now with Mitsuba and if it comes to Nene, if she needs saving, the person who (usually) saves her is Hanako. Kou rarely has something he can actually do and it's cracking him up mentally.

Yeah, “I’m supernatural who grants wishes” not “I’m a ghost of a boy who once lived in this town”. Yeah. It was right here from the beginning.

I just hope it’s not a form of foreshadowing.

His last words were “Minamoto-kun”, it's so sad. On this last panel he actually looked a little brighter than on the previous panel of his transformation, and that's because he looked at Kou. 

I need to say, seeing a person you treat important to you and calling a friend dying in a horrible way and hearing their last words being your name must be pretty stressful. It would probably haunt me for a long time and I’m sure Kou is still affected by it.

On the 20 chapter cover Mitsuba is together with the rest of the main squad (Nene, Hanako, Kou). It was pretty weird back then - he literally died and looks like he was going to be a one-arc character that started Kous character development, but this cover was a hint that it's going to be different and Mitsuba, probably, is going to play a whole different role in the story. He, also, had a hand around Kous head and nearly touched his hair gently - its a symbol of intimacy. 

That was a proof how strong, narratively, their relationship is and is going to be during the progression of a story. And, in my opinion, a foreshadowing to Mitsubas feelings. Because I think currently, our Mitsuba is aware of his feelings toward Kou, but I’m going to cover this topic a little bit later. 

On this cover there is a lot more symbolism,especially with Hanako and his role in the story, but it's also a thing for a whole different post. 

What Tsukasa said was that Mitsubas wish was ‘“ want to stay with my friends forever and ever”.

That’s literally what I said earlier. 

It’s a recurring topic with current!Mitsuba and his relationship with Kou.  Mitsuba feels lonely and… Kou also feels lonely. Even if he has a brother, father and friends (Nene and Hanako and other school friends) Kou is incredibly lonely because of his inferiority complex. He desperately needed to be needed, needed to be special to someone, needed to be important to someone, and that person was Mitsuba. Right now, he is the most important person to Mitsuba and that's both good and very bad for Kou. Good because he finally feels like someone important and someones one and only, but bad because of how traumatic his relationship with Mitsuba is to him and how unhealthy it is. And by it I don’t mean  they’re toxic or bad people - they are kids who want to be loved and who want to have their place in the world. But Mitsuba is a monster, he is a supernatural, whos life is stained away by his instinct, who needs to eat other monsters and who does not really… have any actual bright future and Kou is traumatized boy with low self estem, problems with his selfworth, with martyr complex and some sort of suicidal tendencies. They have a lot to work out.

Kou is going to be a supernatural / is going to try to be a supernatural / is going to be forced to be supernatural - hint number one. 

Yes, I will go back to this topic, because I’m literally scared of it so much. It's prominent during the whole story that Kou is foreshadowed to have a plotline related to becoming supernatural in some way. And when this topic is touched it's usually related to his plotline with Mitsuba. I’m kind of scared of HOW it’s going to happen or if it’s going to be only a try or Kou really will become supernatural in some way. But it's too much of a recurring topic of Kous WHOLE character arc to not being important and to not happen. It's even hard to call it foreshadowing, its literal hints everywhere. 

Kou spent with Mitsuba literally… one day, outside of being in the same class for a while (Kou didn’t even remember this time THAT much, time they spend together this day was more important) and yet he CLINGED SO HARD to the idea that Mitsuba is his “friend”. He desperately needed to be wanted, needed, to have a special bond, to being able to help, to save someone. And yet he lost Mitsuba at this moment, he couldn't do shit to save him, he was absolutely… just useless during a fight. It affected him a lot. 

During the scene when Hanako “kills” Mitsuba, there are sakura petals. They’re heavily associate with Mitsuba and are one of his symbols:

This scene, narratively was a scene that said to us he is GONE. For good. It was a “goodbye” for him and Kou, he is dead. That's all. At this point we couldn't know we are going to meet current!Mitsuba, so we could thing that is the end of Mitsuba and the beginning of a Kous arc. And… it was both of these things but in the whole DIFFERENT meaning. Of course it was goodbye to the Sousuke, he is dead, he can’t come back. Of course it was a beginning for Kous development. But… it was also a beginning for our current!Mitsuba, for slowly progressing Kous insanity as an effect of his trauma and the beginning for Mitsuba and Kous actual arc and relationship. We thought it was the end but it was actually the beginning that changed… the whole Kou, to be honest.

I think it's related not only to Mitsuba but to Hanako, too. Imagine what Hanako could feel at that moment. He is a ghost and a supernatural who know how doomed he is and he only protects school and Nene. But Kou said it's bullshit and clearly believes in what he says. Sadly, Hanako is so stubborn.

One of the symbols related to Kou is a lion. Lions may symbolize a lot of things, like strength, courage but also - protection. Just like Kou tries to protect everyone and tries to be strong and courageous for others. I actually think it suits him quite well. Lions also symbolize the sun and it was shown a few times that Kou is like a sun to Mitsuba.

At some point of a story he is definitely going to do some crazy shit I’m telling you. He really tries to believe that he can find a way to change how the world works and it can end up good but.. it can also end up INCREDIBLY BAD. It’s not that good to mess up with life and death and when you cross up a border there is no coming back. With every arc the manga is becoming a little bit more dark and serious with topic it shows and och boy I’m kind of scared for Kou and Mitsuba.

You can literally hear me crying. It was probably the first moment in the manga that actually had any impact on me, I was really like… I had to stand and walk for a bit before reading. Kou sees a photo of himself and remembers Sousuke saying “Who knows? Maybe something important to me?” and starting crying was like. I wanted to cry too. I can’t even imagine what Kou felt at this moment, it was probably absolutely heartbreaking. 

This small arc finished with chapter 20.During the next arc, Kou, already  affected by Mitsubas death, gets to know that Nene also has a shortened lifespan and it's going to die very shortly. That wasn’t too good for his mental state and he literally fixated on a goal in saving her. When Kou learned about Nene’s situation, Hanako even related it to Mitsubas situation, so we can clearly understand these two examples are related to Kou. He doesn’t want this situation to happen again.

“Just like with this boy, there is nothing you can do” - Hanako you little shit

But yeah. Again Kou understands how useless he is. How weak he is, how he can’t save anyone the way he is. How he could do nothing about Mitsubas situation and how he can’t do nothing about Nene’s situation. That's tragic. And it's clear Kou doesn’t know what to do about it. Thats why, when current!Mitsuba appeared, he started to find such a ridiculous (and unhealthy) solutions to Mitsubas (and Kous) problems. He don't know what to do but desperately needs to do… something. Anything. To help, to be important. 

It's sad. He said he dont know what he is gonna do, but HE WILL DO SOMETHING. And yet… we know how it all goes for him. He is a brave kid, who is determined and wants others to be happy and alive. 

He even tried to stop a kiss between Hanako and Nene after reading Nenes book and failed. He always fails.

There is also an special page

It is titled “Love stories” that should be about Mitsuba. And it contains both Mitsuba and Kou. It's just a joke, but I need to point out that Mitsuba generally wasn’t shown to be interested in any girl during the progression of the story or never talked about it in general. He also does not crush on Nene, even when both Hanako and Kou felt something toward her at some point in the story.He also talks about how cute he is A LOT and I’m going to say something about it someday, but not now.

I think it's enough for part 1! I think I covered everything I wanted for their first meeting. Let's see at Mitsubas resurrection in the Hell of Mirrors!

[2n2n]

ch. 110

brutality, no survivors.... incredible suffering for the girlies (you, me, JP twitter)

and here I thought shenanigans would continue... this promo image was an immediate punch at 6AM

and yet this was all things considered the easy part...? ugh, but... please a moment to drink it in... all of my beliefs in the true power exchange... it's so satisfying to see it like this. it's easy, simple to still Tsukasa, isn't it... towering, presiding older brother.... his joudai trailing... touch your seal... the virtue by which you are kept safe, kept his. Poor Tsukasa. covetous object...!

a rascal....! uhh I love pocket-sanding Akane with old man parts ... amazing technique ahaha, Tsukasa knows how to make people lose focus huh? he's in such a good mood isn't he~ not as resentful as he was towards Mirai pestering him...

mirai explode lol.... I can't say I feel much personally, I guessed she might do this ... it's sweet of her to protect Akane, but I can't think much of it, beyond what it contributes to how we should feel about her. Noble rat after all? not so dumb as Akane had said before?

Mirai holding the yorishiro makes sense, for why she's typically locked in their boundary without any freedom. sure... easy. another key to haunt us! more keys why NOT

I like to see Natsuhiko being cool like this ... ♥

but this is so interesting...

I'm never sure how much Mitsuba really understood about the Broadcast club's greater plans... I wonder if Natsuhiko is being literal here, and Mitsuba DID know what he had to do, but had settled on his suicidal ennui.... ah, having to analyze your life for something precious is grim... he has an issue of not appreciating what he has while he has it, and being unable to state it...

.... and there's nobody to correct him. This is such a manga about... 'reasons'....

among the things even possible.. that poor keychain was destroyed. I wonder if there were a few things going on in Mitsuba's mind even then...

I really like... that mysteries, kaii need something anchoring them... I like that it's not enough, to exist... I like that the body naturally dilapidates, 'wants' to move on or become something else. It's a great metaphor....! In this manga... the most important thing, is loving something. If you don't love something, you can't stay alive. You won't....

I'm still wondering if the original thing Kou gave Mitsuba back in vol. 7 will ever come back around... or if it just gave him a complex or curiosity about the 'old' Mitsuba (who he snoops on in PP after this, so....) ... and can't itself be precious so much as worming...

anyhow... I like this turn of events, but it is so shocking we're stacking handling No. 3 and also No. 1!!!! I can't believe it!!!! IT'S ALL HAPPENINGGGG?????!?!? We haven't stacked mysteries like this before ~~!!!! It's so exciting.... I like Natsuhiko a lot in all of this ♥ I don't know... like with Tsukasa and Mitsuba, I believe him that he found it all charming in its own way, and that he wanted to offer what he could to Mitsuba for the timebeing. It's not as if there are other options, here... Mitsuba... really was never doing the things that needed to be done.... or letting others know what he needed to do.

I suppose Natsuhiko could wake up Kou to watch this if he wanted, but I find it much funnier if Kou just has to wake up at the end of this and Mitsuba is eradicated... lol...

can't say I really understand Teru's position about the mysteries...

you understand the mysteries are a kind of structural pillar for this region, but the pressure that was weighing on Hanako at least seemed to be the Minamoto ... it was that imperative the Broadcast Club's been taking advantage of. The rumors created an excuse to justify the sense of mistrust in the mysteries. But I'll never quite know what Teru is even capable of ... since he shouldn't be able to touch yorishiro ... but directly threatens to exorcize mysteries. Can you have extant yorishiro without the mysteries utilizing them.... ??? Well, I just don't understand it yet.... must put it aside.

back to what really matters...

I love how peaceful, relieved, serene he looks here.... finally, you've been so patient, Tsukasa... every little step of this has taken so long.... holding the last yorishiro in your hands... trusting Amane to handle you, after... it must feel good. The end in sight....

I really love this reach for Amane's knife...

back in this position, are we?

ah.... poor Amane. For a moment... I appreciate what he's trying to do, here. He sounds patient... he sounds like an older brother. Explaining so cleanly...

you want to be sure Tsukasa understands... maybe you think-- he hasn't thought this through, or he doesn't get the consequences, he's being childish, or reckless, maybe he's misunderstood how it happened before ... I love to hear Amane, say something so direct as... won't see you again.... won't be able to save you ... everything he did last time! to ensure... that you wouldn't be apart! the binding of their souls! tying Tsukasa down to him like a ship in a storm! protection, mooring... keeping you, where he can see you! remaining together, at all costs! that's important to you too, right, Tsukasa? don't you want to see each other?

it's as if you're saying you don't want to be together, don't want to be saved... what do we do with people who don't ask you to save them? why must they insist on leaving you behind?

Mitsuba won't ask Kou to save him. Sumire wouldn't ask Hakubo to save her. Aoi didn't want Akane to save her. I wonder if Tsukasa didn't ask Amane to save him, but Amane did it anyway... her certainly wasn't asking for a hero in the Red House, or to live on coming back.

it's a kind of rejection, isn't it? When someone is so ambivalent about the life you love so much... the life you want with them... it's as if they're saying, "I don't want to be with you enough to live for you."

Of course, every time, they're really saying ... "I just don't know what I mean to you." Mitsuba doesn't feel valuable to Kou; only a replacement, a reminder of something he once cared about. Best to give up. Sumire imagined Hakubo was only placating her, and could only wish not for his earnest sadness, but for him to pretend to be sad for her. Best to let death happen. and Aoi didn't feel Akane knew the real her, imagined he would reject the real Aoi, only in love with his grand projection of her. Best to step away now.

Of course, Tsukasa thought his brother hated him, so...

It all feels so simple and logical! It's saving trouble, right?

Amane made such a gesture last time... in their shinjuu... he tried, he really tried, to say something ... to Tsukasa.

but, the message didn't go through...

but I can only be so sympathetic to Amane, as he's an incredible hypocrite. Of course, Amane has put Nene-chan through everything Tsukasa puts him through.

You also try to grant your beloved a wish for a future that explicitly doesn't involve you, and make her feel rejected, abandoned, given no choice...

Amane...

oh, Yugi twins....

.... why can't you understand when you're precious? Why can't you understand how bad it hurts, to abandon somebody? Amane-chan really suffered without you, Tsukasa. You're always the one leaving him, and getting to feel sacrificial about it. He's trying to tie you down....

.... it's a natural response... to lash out. Rejected... misunderstood... abandoned... why is Tsukasa asking you to give up on him? Why can't he understand, even with that seal on his cheek... even as you died with him....

兄の思いは届かず…

I really love that for the chapter's end.

Amane's feelings never did reach Tsukasa. It wasn't understood, what he had tried to do, his sadness now. But... Amaneeeee....

maybe you could use a taste of your own medicine....

we think we know just how to make someone else's wish come true, don't we?

isn't it such an insult! WHY!!!!!! """"WHY""""""??????

..... I'm out of images, so I'll continue in a reblog, for a couple more thoughts I'm having ....

but for this post... ahhhh. It's unbelievable we're at least starting to tackle... this. I feel bad for Amane, I really do... I feel bad for Tsukasa, too. It's hard to not hurt someone you love ... in an attempt to only hurt yourself. If we hurt ourselves, we hurt the thing our lover adores ... we spit on their love for us.

I can understand why and how Amane can say "I hate you" ... to Tsukasa. As much as Akane could childishly say it to Aoi ... and you know, it is that same unimaginable love which makes it possible. Years of familiarity, it makes you more liable to lash out. There is such a greater sense of betrayal, when you've expended so much effort... when you try so hard for someone... when you're in so much pain about them....! After all I've done... you CAN'T say this or that to me.... etc, etc! Those intense emotions... can make you feel entitled, to never be hurt... you can't hurt me, after all I've hurt for you!

and I do think it's being said extremely childishly... daikirai... he's just, unable to be any more constructive with his feelings, he's so... hurt, mad. As much as Nene-chan is so mad, hearing Hanako spit on all of her efforts she made to reach him... BIG SLAP!!!

Amane, he's maybe endured 50 years of effort and an awful lot of physical suffering for Tsukasa, and it's not gotten through... wwww! I'm sorry, I'm worried Tsukasa might have a PROFOUND amount of suicidal urge. Might be an uphill battle, Amane... you might just need to save Tsukasa because you are selfish, and you want him for yourself. There might be no easier reason ... to keep him by your side. We can't make Tsukasa beg to stay with you... but you won't beg him to stay, will you? I think that would actually do a lot of good, Amane... but you really won't do that....

meanwhile, I love the juxtaposition of Nene-chan's incredibly childish DAI DAI DAISUKIII and this daikirai lol... we all have big feelings don't we lol....! well...

[otomehonyaku]

Diabolik Lovers Daylight Vol. 7 Ruki ☽ SKiT Dolce・Rejet Shop Tokuten Drama CD ☽ Absurd Lesson ♪

Original title: 理不尽レッスン♪ Voiced by Sakurai Takahiro English translation by @otomehonyaku Click here for the audio (provided and owned by me)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Please do not reuse or post my translations elsewhere or translate my work into other languages without my permission.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

I reached 1000 followers last week, so here’s a special treat: one of Ruki’s Daylight tokuten CDs, plus a translation which you can read below the cut╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ This was yet another short but sweet one with a surprisingly wholesome message. I hope you enjoy!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

00:00 Hey. Have you finally finished getting ready?

[You apologise for taking so long.]

Heh. It’s alright. We still have some time before we have to go to class.

Besides, Kou and the others are still busy preparing.

Have a seat, too. It seems like it’ll take a while longer.

[You sit down.]

I thought I’d prepare tea, so I boiled some water. Would you like some?

[You suggest getting the tea for him.]

No, I’ll pour it for you. I have only just cleaned the kitchen, after all. I would like to have it as tidy as possible before we leave.

[Ruki walks to the counter.]

Come to think of it, they’re being so rowdy that we can hear them all the way from here. Are they bickering again? Kou and Yuma tend to fight over who gets to use the bathroom first, right?

[You confirm his suspicions.]

Hm. So they were, even though that only chips away at the time they actually get to use the bathroom to begin with… 

They never learn, do they?

[Ruki pours the tea.]

Every time we wait for them to get ready, we head out late.

[Ruki brings the tea to you.]

Here’s yours. Be careful not to burn yourself.

We should be able to head out by the time we finish drinking the tea.

[You compliment him on his time management.]

You know I always like to have ample time before going out.

[You tell him that he’s much quicker than you are.]

It’s not as if I’m particularly quick to get ready. The four of you are slow. You always take way too long, even though your routine is the same every day. It’s only school. There is no need for such lengthy preparations.

[You tell Ruki he does much more before class than you do.]

Well, that’s true. I have many things to do, but none of them are major tasks. When you make a habit out of cooking and cleaning, you get the hang of it quickly, and it all goes smoothly before you know it. Even if I actually were to be burdened with more tasks, I would still be done before you guys.

[You ask him why he thinks that.]

It must be because I’m skilled in time management. I plan out all of my tasks for the day in advance. What I am trying to say is: you simply have to calculate the amount of time you need for each of these tasks.

[You tell him you wish you were more like him in that regard.]

Like me, you say?  Well, alright. I will do you a favour and teach you some of the tools of the trade.

[You ask him if that’s alright with him.]

Yes. If you learn to divide your time more effectively, you will have more time to help me out with running the household, right? If we can successfully distribute the household chores, we will both have more free time. I see no disadvantages.

[You tell him you will work hard.]

03:50 That’s the spirit. I wish Kou and the others would follow your example. If you help me out with the chores, I might have some time left to prepare a dessert for you.

[You’re happy about that.]

Heh, you silly girl.  You are much too happy about such trivial things. However, if you are a good student and learn how to manage your time more effectively, I will make whatever you request. Would you like blancmange, panna cotta, or rather pudding?  These are fairly straight-forward desserts, so I could easily make them for you. After all, it’s my job as your master to discipline you. 

[You get flustered.]

You look like your mind is wandering.  I always intend to discipline you thoroughly, but no matter how much time passes, your reaction is always the same. I thought you would have gotten used to it by now, but…

[His remark makes you a little shy.]

You are truly hopeless. Well, all the more reason for me to discipline you. Anyway, we have limited time before we have to go to class, so I should quit the teasing for now. Seeing you so flustered only makes me want to tease you all the more, though.  That’s no good, is it?

[You make a face.]

What, does that displease you? The face you were making earlier told me otherwise. If you want, we could continue this after class. You like it better when I take my sweet time to torment you, right? 

[You keep your mouth shut.]

I will take your silence as a yes.  Well, fine by me. Your face is like an open book, anyway.

06:28 Well, then, it is my duty as your master to teach you what I know. I will explain things in a clear order that will be easy for you to understand, so listen carefully.

[You respond enthusiastically.]

Heh. That’s what I wanted to hear. Let’s start with time management, then. You know most of the things you need to do in a day, right? You must have daily habits and other recurring tasks. You have to fit these tasks together like a puzzle and think about which ones you can carry out at the same time.

[You ask him what he means.]

Right…  For example, I do the dishes while I’m cooking, or I make a side dish(1) while I’m heating up soup. I actively try to perform tasks at the same time whenever possible. What’s important is to not waste time.

[You ask him to elaborate.]

07:07 Well, if you act without using your head, you tend to waste time much more easily. You should make a habit out of acting with intention. If you do that, you will be able to divide your time more effectively in general, not just when getting ready to go out.

[You tell him that Ruki is much better at it than you are.]

It’s not as if I do anything difficult in particular. You can do it too. It just takes practice. First, tell me the things you need to do in a day.

[You tell him.]

Hm. Washing your face and brushing your teeth are things you should do at the sink. It is best to do the various things you need to do in a given place all in succession. Moving from room to room to do something is a good example of wasting time. Are there other things you do near the sink?

[You tell him.]

08:05 I didn’t expect you to have so much to do. So, hair styling and skincare—they each have an order to them too, right? Try to think of whether there are any unnecessary steps in these actions.

[You start listing the steps in your hair care routine, but…]

Wait. You do all that just for your regular hairstyle? I can understand combing your hair, but is applying hair oil and using a hair curler really necessary?

[You nod.]

I see. If you say it’s necessary, then it must be. Looking after your appearance is not a bad thing, after all. But if your hair styling alone consists of so many steps, your skincare routine must have even more.

[You start to tell him, but…]

09:04 No, I’ve heard enough. I understand very well that you need to do many things in order to get ready. Are there any steps in your hair styling and skincare that you could perform at the same time?

[You’re unsure.]

I see.  If that’s the case, then you should try looking to improve elsewhere. But even then…

[You ask him whether something’s wrong.]

No, I’m actually kind of impressed. There is much more to your morning routine than I thought. I knew women always took some time to get ready in the morning, but I did not expect this. As a man, it barely takes any time. To do all of these additional things must take considerable effort. You do all of these steps every day, right?

[You nod.]

I see. That is quite admirable.

[You’re surprised.]

Why are you so surprised?

[You tell him it’s because of his compliment.]

Is it that unusual for me to praise you? As your master, I assumed it was only natural to reward you when you deserve praise, but… It must not have been enough for you. If you wish, I could give you a more obvious reward.

[You get flustered again.]

10:38 Heh. Your cheeks are red.  What did you imagine just now? I figured that it would suffice to pet your head or pamper you from time to time, but to you, that is only a half-hearted reward, isn’t it?

[You deny it.]

Heh. If you shake your head so vigorously, the hairstyle you spent so much time on will go to waste. After all, considering all the time and effort you put into your hair, I should refrain from petting your head, too. I should think of other methods to reward you.

[You’re a little disappointed.]

Heh. No need to be so sad.  I did not say I would never touch you again. I should merely touch you carefully so as to not ruin your hair and makeup.  Besides, we’re only talking about before you get ready, right? When we’re at home, it doesn’t matter how messed up your hair gets…

[Ruki holds you close.]

Next time I reward you, I am sure it will be to your liking. Look forward to it. And from now on, I will factor in the time you need to get ready when we make plans to head out together. Because thanks to you, I fully understand how much effort women put into their appearance.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

1. Honestly I just wrote ‘side dish’ here because I could not decipher for the life of me what word he used instead lol

[old-poptart]

hi!! KIND OF TERU X READER REQUEST ?? Basically the reader (who is homeschooled / not at kamome) just moved pretty near Teru’s house and she tends to stay up really late at light to play the piano, listen to music, read, watch animes etc

And Teru starts noticing it!! At time goes by he starts to slow down a bit when he see her room lights are still on, to hear her play the piano or just rumble about the game she’s playing or something like that!! Then one night he actually sees her looking outside her window and they just kind of stare at each other ? AND FROM THEN NOW I DON’T KNOW, but I imagined the reader to be a real source of comfort for Teru!! They could meet up at night after his exorcism jobs and it would be like a break from his really busy life and yeaaah

a/n: OH MY GOSH??? THIS IS SO CUTE??? YEYSYEYSYYSSY I LOVE THISISBZB i wrote this as a lil oneshot if you don’t mind mueuehehheh ANYWAYSSSS ONTO THE ONESHOT!!!

warnings: cutie patootiez in love

Teru 🤺 with his new neighbor (fem!):

"she's worth it"

"i want this one!" you darted upstairs to be met with two rooms, picking the best one for yourself. whilst catching your breath, you checked out the empty room and started to picture what would go where.

"alright kiddo, which one did you pick out?" your parents walked up the stairs, wheezing a bit due to the tedious exercise. they looked around the room, making sure that it was ample enough for their child. "you sure you like this one, honey?" your mom peeped in your soon to be room, smiling.

"yep!! i already know where everything is gonna go.." you already planned out what goes where. the bed goes in that corner, your desk goes over there, ooh the tv would look great there!! you wanted to get a head start, so you went downstairs to get as many boxes as possible and start assembling your new little space.

"look, teru! we have new neighbors!"

a few days had gone by, you already had the basics of your room down. sure it wasn't all glamoured up yet, but you have a space to sleep and watch your shows, so all was good!

a vague knocking could be heard at the door, but your mind was too busy figuring out how to do this one assignment that always managed to get you stuck. your parents weren't home due to work, so it was up to you to get it. after a few more knocks, you finally snapped out of it and came rushing downstairs without bothering to spruce up your appearance a smidge, thinking it was just the food delivery service.

you opened the door to three beaming, young faces. there seemed to be three siblings, a little girl and two teenage boys. the younger teenager was holding a container of sweets he made all on his own. the elder teen held the little girl's hand and held a small gift bag in the other.

"welcome to the neighborhood!! we are so glad to have you here" they all said in sync as if they'd practiced that greeting for hours. "we are the minamotos, i'm teru, this is kou, and here's-"

"im tiara!!" the young girl interrupted, wanting to take things into her own hands despite literally being held back. you snickered at the cute interruption, taking a step back yourself. "sorry about her, she loves saying her name"

"thank you so much!! ah, im y/n l/n, pleasure to meet you all!" you smiled, charmed.

"how long have you been here? i don't see you at school" teru asked curiously, maybe you two had completely different schedules

"oh i'm actually homeschooled!!"

"is that so?" he placed a finger on his chin, leaning in closer to show his interest. kou started to sense the tension between the two of you. he decided to step in.

"u-uh as a welcome gift, we give you these sweets! we hope you are fond of them" kou handed the sweet treats over to you, his smile bright as ever.

"he baked them himself" teru mentioned. "oh it's nothing!" "oh don't be so modest, kou! his cooking is to die for, you should come over some time to try it" he used his hand to whisper this sacred information to you, the closeness between you two making your cheeks go a bit warm. he then realized how close you two were, backing up immediately.

"i can't thank you enough! they look marvelous, i'll definitely be snacking on them when i study hehe" you improvised the tension between you and the tall, charming teen.

from that moment on, you two have been noticing each other from each other's windows. whether it was you studying, teru finishing up extra student council work, or just simply admiring each other, your eyes always managed to wander off to hopefully catch a glance at his frosty blue ones.

day by day, he has noticed more things about you. due to complicated schedules with school and exorcist training, poor thing hasn't had the chance to properly get to know you. but that wouldn't be much of a problem soon.

anytime that he would be working on something in his room late at night, he would hear a charming melody. it was like no other, he could practically taste how sweet it was no matter how muffled it was. it always managed to put him at ease. he didn't know where it came from, shoot he thought that the melody popped up in his head out of the blue. but why? he's not one for composing music. he always saw your light on but never put two and two together, it just never came to mind.

weeks went by and eventually he got to meet the face of those angelic hands. he needed some fresh air, quite frankly he needed to stretch as well. being crouched over like a shrimp all night won't do you well as the school's prince!

to his surprise, a familiar face was also catching some fresh air from the cool breeze outside your cozy room. it was well needed after practicing that scale for hours, shoot your fingers started to cramp up! rubbing your sore fingers, you looked around the atmosphere. you actually never got the chance to properly look outside your window. it was always just a quick glance or trying to tell what the weather was like outside, then again you just gave up and checked on your phone.

two sets of eyes have officially locked, their blinking came to a short pause and was set aside. clearly holding the contact was far more important to these two souls. it all began there, a source of comfort and warmth blossomed between these two young soon-to-be lovers.

meet ups were being set up, snacks at sleepovers, studying, helping out, whatever put him at ease helped him. in reality you were the one who put him at ease. a break from being perfect all the time. just what he needed, and that little tune you play on the piano still roams around his head like a parasite. he loves you dearly, dear.

HOLY MOLY IM SO SORRY THIS CAME OUT LATE IM SPEEDRUSHING REQUESTS RN AGHSHHS BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOY!!

-ooga :D

[mari-lair]

Akane is the only character to have ever been explicitly shown to both enjoy being alive and value life as a whole.

Ghosts envy the living, they crave life, but despite hanging out with ghosts all the time and feeling their envy, many human characters don’t seem to appreciate life. 

Nene and Kou are optimists, genuinely kind people, but they can be insensitive in their naivety. They recognize Hanako killing someone is “a bad thing” but that seems to be the most they allow themselves to process. If possible, they will push the knowledge Hanako is a killer far away.

When his kill is brought up, they try to justify his actions, jumping at the opportunity to forgive him. They don’t consider the act of taking someone’s life away a deal breaker, like Hanako does, because the act is not as heavy when you don’t fully treasure life.

Kou has been able to see spirits since young so the idea of death is muddier for him. Still, he lost his mom, was deeply troubled by Nene’s lifespan, and had Mitsuba vent in tears about how envious he is of Kou for being alive, and yet, Kou still tries to jump off a building, he is constantly too blinded by his own insecurity complex to grasp how valuable his life is, unaware his death would deeply hurt his loved ones. 

He gets better at seeing the value of life after visiting Sousuke’s mom, and venting in the red house to Tsukasa about how much it hurts to lose a family member but I wouldn’t say he is happy to be alive. 

He still dismisses his own well being, and shows a lack of self-awareness when people are worried about him, because he thinks his life isn’t valuable, his skills or lack of are what have value.

“I’ll clean up when I get back” is his first response not “I’m safe, don’t worry”.

It's obvious Teru was worried about his safety here, not the dirty dishes, but the thought never crosses Kou’s mind.

Unlike Kou, Nene loves being alive and has plenty of desires, hopes, plans for the future, and dreams.

If asked, I’m sure she would say life is a beautiful thing, she wants to enjoy her life even if short, but she doesn’t understand the comcept of life and death very well, and that makes her unable to grasp how fragil life is.

Enjoying your life and treasuring life as a whole are very different things.

Unless the person is truly gone, Nene is quick to forgive and forget. Danger is danger, and once it passes, it passes. She just takes life for granted.

When she decided to stay on the far shore with Hanako without telling anyone, and undermined the value of her own life, she was incredibly naive. 

If her plan had worked, and she had died, she would have put Aoi in the same position she had been in: saved at the cost of her friend’s life ‘for her own good’, while also roping Kou into a plan he didn’t know about (you can’t convince me Kou would have helped Nene if he was aware she planned to kill herself.)

She doesn’t want to think about these things, she likes to be optimistic! But since she doesn’t allow herself to really process death, she doesn’t understand life.

She chalks dying as “I’ll be like Hanako and stay in a boundary with him”, she tries her best to reassure herself that she is fine with losing everything: her home, and a future with weddings,  college plans, and jobs, all for the sake of love. She treats her decision as one would a very long trip, a runaway romance.

She had to be told exactly what will happen, how much of herself, which she loves, she would lose if she tried to stay. The idea of loss, of death, is something that she tries not to think about, so it greatly distraught her.

Even Teru, whose job is to protect the living and put their safety above it all had admitted this idea is not something that comes easy to him. 

Yes, he value life, and he understands how precious it is, but his view on it is not that simple: This value was taught from a young age by the same clan that has a history of human sacrifices. 

Teru has a detachment to the concept of death, since he was born able to see spirits and he travels to the far shore, which takes some weight from the idea that “death is the end” while being personally affected by it, since his mom died without regrets, without leaving a spirit behind.

Teru can understand loss, he can process that death is a terrible thing. He is genuine in his kindness to people, but it doesn’t feel personal. He values life but he doesn’t treasure it, he treasures his family and close friends only. 

Saving people is intricately intertwined with responsibilities for Teru, and he is a very arrogant and proud person, he takes his responsibility serious. His professional view on life is simple, almost heroic, but his personal view on life is skewed: There is contradiction to his values.

Dedicating his time to save others makes it so he can’t enjoy his own life to the fullest.

And there are moments when he feels tired of being a protector, almost resenting it.

He would never kill a person, but he jokes too much about destroying humanity to not betray the feeling that maybe, if there was no life to protect, he could finally live his own life.

Akane on the other hand sees life as something beautiful and worth protecting: Something to treasure.

He wasn’t taught to do so. His feelings on it are not complicated, he simply enjoys being alive, and that appreciation skyrocketed once he nearly lost Aoi to the clock keepers.

He doesn’t dislike supernaturals because of a job or a duty, he wasn’t even aware they existed before his contract with the clock keepers. This hate he feels for them is personal, born out of his own beliefs. 

He understands death is the end. He understands how fragile a human life is. And he hates how careless supernatural are, not hesitating to play with it

He has no respect for someone that is willing to murder someone, and he feels strange when people are too easy to forguive them.

Similarly, his respect visibly raises when he notices a person falls into his beliefs. Once he realized Teru’s job isn’t just supernatural extermination, and that he will go out of his way to save lives, his view changes drastically.

Teru was perceived as an asshole, a tyrannical demon in Akane’s life.

And Teru may still be an asshole in Akane’s eyes, but no one that goes out of their way to save people can be a demon.

Even when Akane dragged Aoi into the far shore, his goal was to keep her away from No.6, who he knew wanted to kill her, and to not be separated.

He isn’t happy when they fall, he fights to get back, he’ll march on with a hole in his chest and keep struggling, bleeding out, instead of resting, because he needs to get back.

There is no “Now that we have each other, I can rest”, there is no "Let’s die and be together forever.”

He doesn’t want only to be together, he wants her to live. He wants them both to live. 

Because life is precious to him.