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kareofbears · 4 years

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blinding lights, chapter 3/4

Their height gap is a wide one, but in no way is Sumire going to let Akechi keep looking down on her. “It became my business the minute we wanted the same thing: to fix this reality.“

—

Akechi and Sumire have to traverse through the events of the third semester without Akira (or rather, against him).

read on ao3 or under the cut!

——

On a technical standpoint, rain doesn’t bother Akechi.

Whenever it rains, no matter if it was just a drizzle or a downpour, people scramble to the nearest overhang, praying that they don’t get drenched. Such a trivial thing to get panicked by, he thought. City rain like this was hardly something to fear, yet it remains a constant in societal culture—water starts falling from the sky and people stop whatever they’re doing to duck for cover.

And since Akechi had long since accepted to reform himself into the mold of society rather than the other way around, here he was, in the middle of Kichijoji, shoulders pressed back against the building of Darts & Billboards, waiting for the rain to tire itself out.

Out of all the habits he’s practiced and perfected from his days of deceit, it’s strange that hiding out from rainfall is one of the few that he still can’t shake, inconsequential as it was. He had learned that mimicking what can be considered societal norms and exercised it in everyday life can at least trick most people that he, Akechi Goro, can be lumped in with the norms and be heightened to excellence later on. People hid from droplets and because the path of normalcy is what he wanted, he decided that he’ll hide with them.

It took him a long time to narrow down why it bothered him. Why, for some reason, it had pissed him off that idiots would commit to such an insignificant action. It’s because when people run for cover, when they prioritize the act of hiding over everything else, they’re essentially allowing the rain—this overall harmless entity—to prevent them from reaching their destination. Fools let their decisions be dictated by the weather, wasting their time waiting it out, letting themselves be dictated beyond their control.

It’s a product of the collective unconscious; rather than pushing past the drizzle to reach their destination, or continue living their life as it were before the storm clouds rolled in, the masses decided that the better decision was to cease all movements because it would be easier. When it rains, society comes at a standstill.

“D’you always just stand in the middle of the promenade lookin’ pissed, or am I just lucky?”

Akechi blinks and turns his head to see a patch of bright, blond hair with an even brighter grin. His purple hood was pulled up, but it’s too short that it does little to block out the downpour.

Sakamoto Ryuji stands in front of him, completely drenched and unbothered.

“I’d hardly call it luck, so much as a coincidence.” Flicking his eyes downward, Ryuji adjusts the heavy looking plastic bags hanging off of his wrists. “And you?”

“Doing some grocery shopping for my ma. She’s been real busy at work, so…” he shrugs.

It really was a strange coincidence that he shows up like this, unprompted. The universe, if it ever was sentient, had never thrown him a bone. However, for Ryuji to show up, it almost seems like a waste to let it go.

If he’s been wanting to see Sakamoto up close, this is as good as it’s gonna get.

“How do you feel about joining me in some people-watching?” Akechi asks.

Ryuji’s eyes light up. “Sure! These bags are getting heavy anyway, could use a break.” He dodges a stream of water flowing cleanly from the gutter and joins Akechi underneath the overhang. Whether he can sense Akechi’s discomfort or perhaps it’s a feeling residing from the real reality, Ryuji had kept a gap of about a meter between the two.

“I hope I didn’t take you away from any pressing matters, Sakamoto.”

“Nah,” he gently sets down his bags before turning to give Akechi his full attention. “Don’t got much waiting for me back home with my ma at work, but can’t stay for too long,” he nods his head down to his bags. “She’d kick my ass if I let the milk go bad.”

Ryuji laughs, shoulders shaking. “But y’know, I see you hangin’ with ‘Kira sometimes, and any friend of that bastard is a friend of mine. And, uh, speaking of…” With an expression of guilt and reluctance so tremulous that Akechi can only compare it to a child getting caught with their hand in a cookie jar. “That’s kinda what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Yes, technically he’s an unforgivable hypocrite for advising Sumire against speaking to Ryuji, but that won’t stop him from getting the information he needs. (It never has.)

After all, there must be something special about Sakamoto in order to have Kurusu Akira wrapped around his finger.

“Oh?” he responds.

“Yeah, it, uh, might be a bit awkward so I’ll do my best to be straight about it,” Ryuji looks embarrassed, but determined. “I know the feeling of not wanting to say something, to have it weigh you down and shit. Basically, what I’m tryna say is: you don’t just gotta rely on Akira!”

Akechi’s eyes widen. It should’ve been impossible. How did he figure out about Akira and the other reality when he hasn’t even been snapped out of it—

“You looked super stressed back in New Year’s and I get that you’d rather talk to Akira, but he’s a busy guy. And I know we aren’t close, but if you want to vent, or just, I dunno, get some ramen together?” he shrugs and throws a smile in Akechi’s direction. “I’m here for you.”

Akechi’s face is carefully blank. He’s wrong, because of course Sakamoto didn’t figure it out. (Has he ever figured anything out?)

He had done extensive research on the Thieves the second he got a whiff of who they might be, and that was especially the case for the initial members of the group. Sakamoto Ryuji, a second-year in the now infamous Shujin Academy. Formerly the star of the track team, his leg was snapped beyond repair by Kamoshida, the Thieves’ initial target. While he had always possessed a temper, it had grown exponentially when the teacher had faced no charges and he was shunned by the rest of the school. It’s like the Boy Who Cried Wolf—except there had undoubtedly been a wolf, and the boy ended up with a lifetime’s worth of permanent damage.

At first, he had chalked up Ryuji’s temper as yet another weakness—Akechi had learned firsthand just how fast the hand of authority strikes if one were to place a toe out of line. It’s how he decided to perfect the weapon of deceit. Akechi learned from his mistakes, to the point that his heart had split itself into two people he could become: Loki as his true self, and Robin Hood as who he needs to be.

Even Akira had understood the hubris of exposing himself, had felt the same punishment that Akechi was subjected to (ironically by the same person). In a world where a mask can be the difference between life and death, Akechi and Akira had decided to be its executioner rather than the one subjected to the sharp end of the guillotine.

By the nature of these rules, Ryuji should have been beheaded. And he was.

But instead of learning his lesson the way Akechi and Akira had, he had been rejuvenated. Instead of bending to the will of authority, he let that pressure mold him into something tougher, let the anger inside him fester and grow.

It had made sense, in hindsight, why Ryuji had treated him the way he did (it’s not like Akechi had the best intentions). So seeing him like this, where he never found out Akechi’s true personality, allowed him to see Ryuji in his natural state.

A feeling surges within Akechi, so foreign that it takes him slightly too long just to name it. All around him, deep in his gut, spread all the way to the tips of his fingers and his toes is wave after wave of…

“I’m done here,” Akechi says.

Discomfort.

“Huh?” Ryuji cocks his head. “Uh, was that weird of me to say? My bad, Ann’s always said I had a big, fat mouth. Sorry, yeah we aren’t close and stuff. Just thought it’d be nice—”

Akechi holds back a click of his tongue and, with a little effort, morphs his expression into one of false platitudes and plasticity. A slight quirk in his lips (not too high or it’ll scare them), tilt his head at a certain angle, and raise his voice an octave to indicate an apology. “Sorry to leave so suddenly. Thank you for your time.”

The rain had stopped sometime during their conversation and he hates that the universe seemed like it had taken pity on him.

Ryuji says something to him, but Akechi refuses to listen to another word—he doesn’t need to. He got what he wanted. All it took was one conversation for Akechi to know exactly what Akira sees in him.

That incessant authenticity and kindness shouldn’t exist in a world like this. It shouldn’t have existed in an angry boy like him.

Akechi tries (and fails) to look like he isn’t running away.

It was only when he was in bed later that night that he realized he didn’t find out what Ryuji’s wish was. Given the way he said Akira’s name though, Akechi didn’t have to think too hard.

—

AG: The biggest gray area in this has to be with Niijima Makoto YS: wow. I didn’t think you’d be straight-forward with your relationship with her. thank you for your honesty. YS: you both must have a difficult history with one another :( AG: What are you talking about? AG: I’m saying I don’t know where to find her. YS: ah. i see. YS: haha how about we just pretend that never happened?

They checked Shujin Academy (closed for winter break), Aoyama Itchome (for good measure), and finally the bookstore in Central Street (the smell of books is so lovely) before Akechi began to lose his temper.

“It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if we just found her in the middle of Tokyo University impersonating a research assistant as some sad excuse to feel some adrenaline for the first time in her life,” he says as they walk down the escalator, prepared to hop on the train and try somewhere else.

Sumire frowns. “Being studious doesn’t make someone boring.”

“Of course it doesn’t. Kurusu is at the top of his class and a huge public nuisance. No, Niijima’s absolutely underneath the sole of academics and government propaganda from her father since day one.”

“You don’t like her?”

“I don’t like anyone,” he replies. “Especially not someone so tied with practicing law like she plans to.”

They round the corner. “You can talk to her about that yourself.”

Standing by the overpriced-looking smoothie bar is Niijima Makoto, accompanied by a beautiful older woman who looks like she can melt down a rusted car with a single glare.

“I would think that Sae-san would quite actually murder me if I were to bring that up.”

“You know the other woman?”

“It would be rude not to know my co-workers after all,” says Akechi. “That’s prosecutor Niijima Sae—Makoto’s sister as well as one of the Thieves’ targets from the past.”

Sumire ponders over the odds for a second. “Did she happen to have a casino as a Palace?”

He pauses. “Yes. As a matter of fact, she did.”

“Amazing! What luck!” she beams. “May I try and guess what their wish may be?”

“Is this nothing but a game to you?” he says immediately, before stopping himself. “…One guess.”

Brows scrunching together, she leans towards him, shoulders sagged as if she was carrying a secret so heavy that it physically weighed her down. Poker chips, alcohol bottles, and slot machines… “Did Makoto-senpai wish for Sae-san’s gambling addiction to go away?”

Akechi stares at her. “Who was it again that taught you how Palaces work?”

“Morgana-senpai.”

“If that’s the case, I’m simply over the moon that he didn’t join us on our mission.” They walk towards the Niijimas, who were still chatting amicably with one another. “Their father passed when they were young; it left their family jaded, it was traumatizing, et cetera, I’m sure you get the gist.”

“Wait, I really don’t—”

“Akechi? What a coincidence!”

The sisters greeted them with kind eyes and soft smiles, and Sumire has to accept that she’s out of her league for this one—the student council president may have been a common name around school, but it hardly ever came with more information other than how good her grades were, as well as the potential ‘narc’ comment. But despite what Akechi thinks, no Phantom Thief could possibly be on the side of the police; they’ve all had enough firsthand experience with that particular institution to see just how often the system has failed them.

Akechi nods. “It truly is,” he says, as if they hadn’t spent half the day walking around Tokyo scrounging for them. “This is Yoshizawa Sumire, Sae-san.”

“Pleasure to meet you!”

“Likewise,” Sae says.

“I have to admit, I’m quite surprised to see you here,” Akechi says. “Did we interrupt you both?”

“Not at all. We were just doing some grocery shopping for dinner tonight. Our father’s been having a craving for teriyaki,” she answers. “Why so surprised, Akechi?”

“Nothing in particular,” he says, and Sumire can feel his smugness radiating from where she’s standing. Well, he is a detective, so she’s not too shocked. “It’s simply refreshing to see you spending time with your family, despite being as busy as you are.” With a tilt of his head, he turns to Makoto. “I haven’t heard about your father for a long time.”

Makoto recoils a little, and winces. “My…father? No, wait, dad’s been gone for…It doesn’t make any sense…:

Sumire nearly startles when Makoto suddenly straightens up, gaze clouded. Akechi clicks his tongue.

“Sorry,” she says, a bit dizzily, already taking a step back. “Sae and I need to make it to the grocery store before it closes.”

Sumire waves half-heartedly and sighs when they’re gone. “Niijima-senpai perhaps had the most graceful escape so far,” she comments.

Pulling back his sleeve, Akechi peers at his watch. “It’s two pm. She could’ve done better,” he scoffs. “It’s a shame. I had high hopes for her to be the first one. She’s the only one in that circus who had more than one brain cell and isn’t named Kurusu.”

“…May I ask you something?”

“You’re already asking a question, just ask it.”

Sumire rocks back and forth on her heels. “Why do you call him that?”

“Because that’s his name?”

“Last name,” she corrects. “Why not call him by his first name?”

“What kind of question is that? Is this a test? A trial to prove that I’m willing to be honest?” Sumire stays silent. “Alright then, if it’ll help you sleep at night. I can’t possibly fathom how you still haven’t figured out that he and I aren’t as buddy-buddy as you think.”

“Well, yes, I know that but—”

“And you?”

Her heart rate skyrockets. “What about me?”

“You call him by his surname as well, even topped off with a ‘senpai’ at the end,” Akechi raises a brow. “Why not on a first name basis?”

“W-we aren’t that close!” she exclaims. “That’s reserved for people who’s close to him, like a good friend, or a girlf—boyfr—partner. We just… aren’t that.”

“Strange, isn’t it?” Akechi says. “We aren’t even on a first name basis with him, yet here we are; fresh from New Year’s, running around Tokyo for his friends who should be doing this instead.”

(Sumire very nearly says it, what’s been on her mind since Maruki’s Palace. But as it stands, she doesn’t want to ruin the foundation—very unstable, can most definitely blow away with a strong gust of wind, but a foundation nonetheless—that she and Akechi reluctantly built.)

“Yes, it really is strange.”

—

AG: Are you particularly close with Okumura? YS: unfortunately not, no. i’ve heard about what happened to her father, though. Perhaps her wish is related to his passing. AG: …Yes, I believe it is. I would think that the two of them would look at ways of expanding the Big Bang business. So basically, Tokyo Hotspots. YS: kichijoji? that place is always bustling YS: not to mention, i’d love for them to open up there. their milkshakes are incredible ( ◜‿◝ )♡ AG: Good call. We’ll try there first then. AG: At any rate, it will be a very quick confrontation with her.

“So I’ve been thinking—”

“A dangerous pastime, but go on.”

Sumire huffs without heat as they traverse Kichijoji—busy even in this time of year, though in no small part because of the shrine nearby. “We’ve been doing this…” What are they doing? “Saving our known reality business for nearly a week now. It hasn’t been going the best.”

Neither of them need a reminder that their victory ratio is currently at a strong zero to six. “So maybe we need to change it up a bit! I thought up a strategy last night that I think we should implement today,” she beams up at him.

Akechi’s gaze can wither flowers. “Do you need me to explain how idiotic that sounds?”

“Oh, come on Akechi! We need all the help we can get, especially since we only have two left. Plus, you haven’t even heard the strategy. Would you like to hear it?”

She doesn’t wait for his response before eagerly pushing through. “I understand and accept that you’re a bit ruthless, which is great! Well, great if that’s who you are. And since you called me a goody two shoes that one time, I figured we can go with that.” Sumire steps in front of Akechi and raises her hands to the sky, chin tilted upwards. “We can do the ‘good guy, bad guy’ strategy! That’s what we’ve been doing anyway. It can be like Zootopia.”

A silence stretches out—Sumire’s grin unfaltering and Akechi’s perfectly blank.

Then, “What the fuck is a Zootopia?

“Did you not watch that movie? It was pretty big.”

“Do I look like someone who’d watch a documentary on the animal kingdom?” His eyes zero in on something. “Lucky us, we found them.”

Okumura Haru stands with whom Sumire can only assume is her father. The speak amicably with each other, adoration radiating off of them as they point and gesture at the various businesses around the promenade.

“Don’t forget the strategy,” she whispers.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he responds sarcastically.

A feeling of optimism blossoms in Sumire’s chest as they approach the Okumuras. Maybe it’s the nice weather, or it’s another opportunity to finally achieve their goal of gaining one of Akira’s allies. Mostly though, she chalks it up as relief that even though it’s far from perfect, Akechi’s finally starting to let down the drawbridge, bit by bit.

And that’s when Haru decides to look in their direction.

Instead of the initial small talk, the breadcrumbs that hint towards their other reality, instead of gently edging them to the truth, Haru had completely bypassed all of that. A feeling of deja vu tugs strangely at Sumire as she takes in her expression—the usual confusion and pained tightening of the brows, but this time, a raw, unquestionable fury morphs onto her features.

It’s a near-perfect replica of Futaba’s expression.

After a few seconds, Haru says something to her father, and they leave, leaving Akechi and Sumire mid-stride in the middle of the promenade.

Another silence reigns over them, heavy and suffocating despite the bustle of Kichijoji.

“We didn’t even need to talk to her,” Akechi says. “An efficient failure.” The silence stretches on. “You have something to say..”

Sumire shoots him a dark look. “Alley,” she says, voice uncharacteristically low. “It might upset the families if we speak rudely in front of them.”

She leads them to the backstreets, where most stores are closed until the nightlife crowd rolls in. It was empty, and only the metal shutters and stray plastic bags strewn about the pavement were present to hear them.

“Of course I have something to say,” Sumire says, fists clenched tightly at her sides. “You promised back at Leblanc. You said that you won’t withhold information from me anymore, for the sake of the mission.”

She points behind her in the direction of where the Okumura’s left. “Despite what you may like to believe, I’m not an idiot who won’t notice something as obvious as Okumura-senpai running away the second she sees you. She didn’t even speak to us before she ran, which is considerably worse than Sakura-chan.” Sumire’s eyes narrow. “What are you still hiding from me?”

Throughout her speech, Akechi didn’t even blink. “Has it occurred to you that I simply lied when I made that pesky promise to you, or are you still the same person who fell right into Maruki’s waiting hands last spring?”

Sumire recoils as if she’d been hit. “Don’t bring that up, it has nothing to do with this—”

“Doesn’t it?” his voice is cold. “Isn’t the reason why you’re so desperate for me to be open with you is that you have some sort of trust issues?”

“That’s not it.”

“Finally we’re getting somewhere,” Akechi’s red eyes seem to be glowing despite the darkness in the shadowed alley. With a sickening feeling, she realizes he’s enjoying this. “Let me take a guess. You’re doing this out of the goodness of your heart, an overflowing kindness that you have to act on and spread across the globe. And, if you’re simply good and lucky enough, maybe, just maybe, your beloved ‘Kurusu-senpai’ will look away from his little group long enough to see how sweet and kind you are—”

“Shut up,” she cuts him off. Her voice is slow and deliberate. “You want to know what I’m doing this for? It’s because I’m sick and tired of these hellish lies.”

Akechi stays quiet as she continues, struggling to speak while her eyes blazed with fury. “I basically just found out that I’m not who I thought I was for the past ten months. Do you know what that feels like? It’s like if someone kidnapped me, shoved me in the back of a van, blindfolded. Maruki, bless his soul, forced me to believe whatever garbage he thought was best for me. It makes me sick to think that I fell for that reality, never once did I question it.”

She clenches her jaw. “You know what I want, Akechi? It’s not the philanthropy you’re so obsessed with, or senpai’s affection. What I want is my kidnapper to fail. I want him to regret what he did to me, to stop what he’s doing to everyone else. Even if his intentions were good, I am not going to let him get away with this,” Sumire looks directly into Akechi’s eyes. “And you are not going to be the one to slow me down.”

Chest heaving, she realizes she’s breathless. After a brief pause, Akechi speaks.

“Our motivations aren’t too far off from one another,” his voice is strangely cool, as if his fury and long since dissipated from the surface and had manifested into something sharp and dangerous. “You said you’re tired of the lies? Of being used like some kind of puppet, a test subject? Of having the rug pulled from you just because someone fucking felt like it? Good. But our similarities stop there.”

He leans back against the metal gate of a closed bar. “At the root of it, you want to stop Maruki so that he doesn’t push his beliefs to anyone else. Whether you like it or not, your motivation is accidental philanthropy. I could not give less of a shit about Maruki, or Tokyo, or even the rest of this damned world. I just want to be able to live in a reality where I get to choose what I want to do.”

“So let me help you!” she exclaims, frustrated. “Some detective, you are—keeping secrets isn’t going to help this situation.”

“You still don’t get it, do you? I tried to make this as easy to understand as possible, but I guess I just have to make it obvious.” Akechi straightens up and from the smirk resting on his mouth and the way his brow is lifted, condescension is simply dripping from him. Sumire refuses to recoil. “I don’t care if you want to help me. I am a selfish person who does what he wants. I’m willing to tear down anyone in my path, use anyone in my way, if it means that I get what I want.”

“Maybe you are!” Sumire says. “A selfish person, I mean.”

Akechi blinks, and throws his head back, loud laughter echoing through the alley. “‘Maybe I am?’” He laughs again, nearly doubling over. When he sobers up a bit, she has to force herself not to flinch. It’s as if something had unhinged in Akechi and she’s seeing the result of that—his eyes are twinkling as his smirk stretches even further over his face; an edged grin. “Do you need an example, Yoshizawa? Proof? Citation for what I’ve done just so you can understand? Look forward to it, since you’ll learn at long last why Sakura and Okumura took one look at me and fled.”

Bending over slightly so that he’s eye-level with Sumire, he announces: “I killed Sakura Futaba’s mother and Okumura Haru’s father. I am a murderer.”

“So am I.”

Akechi stops breathing, blinking as he processes what Sumire just said. She only looks back through narrowed eyes, daring him to say something.

When he doesn’t, she relaxes a bit. “Are you in the mood for darts? Since we finished with Okumura-senpai much earlier than expected, we have some time. And besides,” Sumire brushes her bangs out of her eyes. “There’s more to discuss, and I’m not really feeling this alley anymore.”

—

“It’s different. You must know that it’s different.”

Sumire waits until she gets their darts from behind the counter. “I know.”

Darts & Billiards was never particularly full, but it was never empty either. There were a few groups, pairs, and serious soloists that filled the entire room with indecipherable chatter and the loud clack of eight-balls colliding with one another. Anything that Akechi and Sumire might talk about thankfully gets shrouded by the white noise.

“Any preferences?” she says, waving around the dart in her hands.

“701,” he says immediately. “Anything lower is child’s play.”

Sumire nods as she inputs the settings. “Kurusu-senpai said something before he went with Dr. Maruki,” she began. “He said that he was doing this for his friends—the Thieves, myself,” she glances back. “And in his words, ‘especially you.’”

“And what of it?” Akechi asks.

“I believe that Kurusu-senpai knows of your past, knows your struggles and whatever you’ve gone through. I can only guess what you’ve had to endure, and how it led you to what you did to their parents.” Sumire offers him his set of darts. “May I go first?”

Akechi nods and she takes her stance—despite everything, she’s a little nervous playing darts with someone who actually plays to win.

Sumire throws it as best she can when Akechi speaks. “Does it justify it, then? If my life was difficult enough, would you give me a pass for killing innocent people?”

“No,” she casts another dart. “It doesn’t. Nothing really justifies that.” Pinching her last dart between her fingers, she fiddles as she thinks. “But I accidentally killed my sister over my incompetence in gymnastics.”

“But that’s the difference,” Akechi waves his hand. “It wasn’t an accident that they died by my hands. I had planned it, plotted it, and accomplished it. What you did wasn’t deliberate; it was a spur of the moment decision to run into traffic.”

Sumire hurls her final dart a little harder than usual. “I didn’t say that you should be forgiven, Akechi! I mean, I still don’t forgive myself. But even if it is different, I can at least understand your sentiments a fraction better than anyone else can. Do I think that it’s fine that two people who’re the same age as us lost their parents? Of course not. It makes me ill just thinking about it.”

She walks to the board and gingerly plucks off her darts. “But if I tried to pretend that I don’t understand what you’ve done—that isn’t right, either.”

He has a thoughtful expression on his face, his darts rolling between his fingers similar to how people fidget with loose change; Sumire hadn’t even known it was possible to do that. “Interesting.”

Stepping up to the mat, Akechi tilts his body sideways, obviously practiced in the game. His expression doesn’t change when it lands on a triple twenty.

“Do you regret it?”

His hand is steady as he throws—another triple twenty. “The murders? It depends.”

“On?”

“Do I regret being caught, used, and humiliated by losers who I thought were beneath me? Yes. Do I regret ending the lives of many?” casting his third dart, it lands so close to the others that they wobble in unison. “No. Not really.”

Sumire’s next round was a silent one, Akechi’s confession playing on repeat in her mind. He had simply said it with no hesitation; his tenor hadn’t changed, posture didn’t shift. The words that flowed out of him had no emotion whatsoever—they were clinical, like a doctor stating the facts to a terminal patient.

The ongoing background noise paid no mind to their silence, stuck in its blissful ignorance despite the pair’s topics. If there’s one guarantee in this world, it’s that it’s extremely likely that no one will listen just as the conversation is getting important.

Akechi’s on his second turn when he says, “You took well to the fact that I’ve killed in cold blood.”

“I knew that you were hiding something,” she says. “It’s because of how you act. You were a little cruel back in the Palace, and while it’s no excuse, people who have…” she scratches her head. “A hardened heart usually has a nasty past, and what Kurusu-senpai said only confirmed it.”

No matter how many times he does it, Sumire still gets impressed by his casual triple twenty.

Swapping places with him, she closes one eye as she ponders over her strategy. “But despite the fact that you’re a ruthless sort of person—” her dart sails forward and sticks to the board. “I’m willing to look past it if it means we can change reality.” Sumire cocks her head at him. “Can you?”

Akechi stays silent as Sumire launches another dart—one more and they can win it. “Selfish is what we call ourselves, right?” she says. “That we’re only in it for yourselves, regardless of what happens to everyone else. If we work together and it raises the odds of getting what we want, doesn’t that still play into the fact that we’re acting for our own benefit?”

She lines herself up for the last point, and takes a deep breath. “What did you call it? Accidental philanthropy?” she throws her dart and watches as it curves beautifully—only for it to miss her mark by quarter-inch. “Oh no!”

“Accidental philanthropy…” he muses, indifferent to their loss. “That doesn’t sound half-bad.”

Sumire raises her eyebrows, skeptical. “Really?”

“I know that my past actions may have dictated our failure to some extent. That was my fault,” Akechi crosses his arms. “I won’t let it happen again.”

Maybe she was too forgiving, or too trusting, or maybe it’s the closest she’ll get as an apology out of Akechi, but she finds herself nodding. “That’s all I wanted.”

He moves to put on his coat. “Was it to your satisfaction?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve wanted to talk even before we discovered Maruki’s schemes,” he shoves his arms through his coat sleeves. “Are you satisfied”

“Pretty much,” Sumire nods. “I understand you much better than before, at least.”

Collecting his darts, he heads to the register. “Why do you want to understand?”

“…Because I’m curious. You changed so abruptly, I didn’t even know who you were anymore—not that I did to begin with. Not to mention, the people Kurusu-senpai knows are always interesting, and you’re definitely not an exception.”

Akechi turns, and from the doubt on his features, he doesn’t take the bait.

“Fine. That wasn’t a lie, though. I just…” she hesitates, and decides to throw caution to the wind. “I want to get to know my teammate better.”

Anything could’ve happened in that beat of silence, much to the ignorance of the loitering patrons.

“See,” he replies. “Now that I can believe. And here I thought I was the only one who needed to practice honesty more.”

He walks back to register. “I’ll handle the bill. Call it a repaying of debts, in a way.”

“For what?”

“That’s what teammates do, don’t they?”

Sumire feels herself smile widely. It had only taken about six days, their entire reality shifting, and a busted game of darts, but it finally feels like she and Akechi are fighting the same battle.

—

AG: If it all goes to plan, we should’ve at least been able to convince one of them AG: As much as it truly pains me to say it, putting our faith in them is our best chance at success. AG: Worse comes to worst, there’s a reason why we’re making him the last one to convince. He’s our trump card. YS: you mean sakamoto-senpai? AG: Ugh, don’t make me say it.

According to Akechi’s knowledge of Ryuji’s whereabouts (as unhappy as he was to recite it), there are two places that he frequents—the arcade in Shibuya or loitering around Shujin.

The arcade was full of random teens and pre-teens, all deeply invested in games that Sumire had never taken up but Akechi was apparently knowledgeable in (“Good practice,” he had replied when she asked, and she opted not to pry any further).

The two had hopped back on the train to Aoyama-Itchome, forced to stand as life resumes back to normalcy post-holidays. Despite the tight fit of the car, Akechi had placed a good amount of space between them—whether it’s for his sake or hers, she can appreciate the gesture.

The morning was a strange one. Ever since their darts game and impromptu heart-to-heart, the atmosphere between them had shifted. It’s still a few miles off from being friendly, but it’s easier now; there’s an unspoken understanding between them, a common goal that drives them forward.

Still, it would’ve been nice if they had gotten their act together prior to meeting with their last Phantom Thief.

“By the way,” Akechi says, and Sumire’s eyes flicker up at him in interest. They had been silent since they stepped on the train. “In the acknowledgement of…team spirit,” his lips curled, unable to keep the mocking out of his words at such a ridiculous concept. “I should let you know that I’ve spoken to Sakamoto.”

“Oh.” She can’t seem to muster up any shock. “When? Did you plan it?”

“A few days ago, and no, it was by chance,” his eyes narrowed. “Did you speak to Sakamoto?”

“Not on purpose!” Sumire defends, shifting her sweaty grip on the plastic handle. “He just happened to be there.”

“He seems to have a knack for that,” Akechi says, and Sumire doesn’t comment on the strange quality of his voice—bitterness? “Well? Anything worth repeating?”

“Uh…” she racks her brain. Somehow, she doesn’t think that Ryuji’s blow by blow of the new shounen manga was what Akechi’s looking for. “Nothing in particular. Oh! He spoke quite a bit about Kurusu-senpai, but that’s not too surprising, considering his wish and all.” ‘Quite a bit’ might be a bit of an understatement.

He squints at her. “Whose wish?”

“Kurusu-senpai’s? Obviously Sakamoto-senpai would still be affected since he’s directly tied Kurusu-senpai’s wish.”

His stare doesn’t relent. “Why on earth would Kurusu’s wish still be affecting Sakamoto? He already broke free of the fake reality, meaning that Sakamoto isn’t affected by Kurusu’s wish,” says Akechi. “The idiot has his own wish. Did you not know?”

Sumire would describe herself as a person with a decent amount of pride, but an obvious fact like that has heat rushing to her cheeks. She ignores him and instead asks, “Did you figure out his real wish?”

“On a technicality, no. Though I have a rather strong hunch on what it is, based on my interaction with him,” he cringes a bit when the train rocks someone into him. “It’s likely that his wish may be the exact as Kurusu’s.”

“As in…” she blinks. “He wished to be with senpai?”

“It’s possible. Disgusting, how desperate they are to bring something to fruition that could easily be done without the Metaverse.” And he adds, “Your conclusion wasn’t too far off.”

“Wow,” as articulate as it was, it was really all she could say about his observation. It sounds like an impossibility; having two people wish for each other, like some cheesy rom-com but with way more monsters and magic. Yet it makes sense—the way Ryuji spoke of Akira like he put up the moon, with a feeling of undeniable admiration and respect sandwiched between friendly jabs at him. It sounds like an impossibility, she realizes, because it probably is one. It would take something as insane as the Metaverse to create something as equally improbable as their level of requited love.

The speaker overhead announces their station and they both exit with no small amount of polite shoving.

It’s a short walk from Aoyama to the school, a route familiar enough to Sumire that she can probably traverse it with her eyes closed.

“Do you know where in Shujin he might be?” Akechi asks, and belatedly she realizes she hasn’t given him any indication for where to go. Not that it was a problem—for someone who doesn’t go here, he seems to know the path just as well as she does. “Is the school even open?”

“It should be fine,” Sumire says. “The grounds, maybe? Actually, the track is probably our best shot, since he goes for a run pretty often.”

A beat passes.

“How often?” he asks slowly.

“Um—” she spots a familiar patch of bleached hair. “Look, there he is! It looks like he’s talking to…is that the track team?”

Akechi hums. “Is it, now?”

“Pipe down, dumbass!” Even half a block down, Ryuji’s voice rings loud and clear. “I’m only tryin’ my best so you guys don’t laugh me—oh, no effin’ way. Yoshizawa! Akechi! Sorry, gimme a sec,” he calls back to the others as he half-jogs towards them.

“I knew it,” Akechi mutters.

“Huh?” she asks.

“His leg. He isn’t limping.”

Sumire’s brow creases. She’s about to ask Akechi to clarify when it dawns on her:

Kamoshida had explained to her (in full, descriptive, unhesitating detail) about the delinquent students that roamed the walls of Shujin, there was one in particular he had a special hatred for—Sakamoto Ryuji. Rumors had done little to reveal the truth of his declaration, but a single conversation with Ryuji had cleared away any possibility that he was the type for unnecessary violence.

However, there is one truth that came from every lie that was spread about him; his leg has been damaged to the point where professional running is no longer a possibility.

Ryuji approaches them, smiling and limp-free.

Which means—

“What’s up?” he asks. Just like when Sumire saw him before, Ryuji is donned in the standard school P.E track pants (red and white and cuffed at the bottom). It didn’t mean much to her then. “Whatcha doin’ here, Akechi? You transferring schools, or something?”

In all of ten seconds, Ryuji had proved them wrong without even knowing it.

“I was here to pick up a few books from the library when I bumped into him,” she lies for the both of them. “And you, senpai?”

Ryuji takes a step back, shocked. “Damn! You’re makin’ the rest of us look bad. Nah, the track guys just forced me to hangout with them to celebrate.”

“Celebrate?”

“Yeah, uh,” sneakers scuffing the concrete, Ryuji turns a light shade of pink when he admits, “The school might’ve let slip that there’s some colleges that might be scouting after me after my last meet.”

Even Akechi looked a little impressed. “That’s no small feat.”

“That’s incredible, senpai!” Sumire cries, unable to hold herself back. “That’s—that’s huge! Bigger than huge, it’s being scouted! Do you know how cool that is? Of course you do, you’re the one who got scouted!”

She throws both her hands up to the sky and Ryuji slaps them, the pleasant echo resounds through the alley and leaves them both shaking out their palms.

“Thanks,” Ryuji grins. “But don’t get too excited. It ain’t confirmed or anything,” he tries to keep the elation out of his voice and fails miserably. “I’m just so dang happy cause that means things’ll be easier for my mom down the line, y’know?”

It’s like a slap to the face, a jolt that sends her crash landing back to reality. Because she isn’t here to congratulate Ryuji for his success—she’s here to take that away from him. Not for the first time, she wonders if they should be doing this.

Then she recalls the painful but relieving feeling of getting her own memories back. Yoshizawa Sumire back. She recalls the boy beside her who’d do quite literally anything to get rid of this reality. She recalls a busy street, blood pooling on the concrete.

Sumire focuses. If not for herself, or for Akechi, then she’d focus for Kasumi.

“I’m happy for you,” she says, meaning every word. “How did Kurusu-senpai react?”

“Oh, that guy? I haven’t told him yet, so let’s keep it between us, y’know what I’m sayin’?” Ryuji goes for a wink, though it’s definitely closer to a blink.

Akechi coughs. “Is there a reason you haven’t told him yet? You both are quite…close, after all.”

“He’s been tough to contact the past week,” Ryuji shrugs, and neither of them mention that working with a Palace ruler probably consumes a good chunk of one’s leisure time. “I really wanna surprise him, though! Considering that he supported me more than anyone when it comes to track.”

“That’s kind of him,” says Akechi.

“Well, yeah. Both of us had to deal with Kamoshida toge…ther…” he seemed to listen to what he was saying, and stops abruptly. Any excitement that was on his face is wiped clean. Finally.

“How did you deal with Kamoshida together?” Akechi asks slowly. They had to be careful—this is their last shot.

“It, uh,” he purses his lips. “It was an accident at first, I think. Didn’t mean to.” Eyes sliding shut, he mutters, mostly to himself. “It was raining, I remember that. So why can’t I…?”

The two of them lean forward unconsciously as they gauge Ryuji’s reaction.

“You’ve got this, Sakamoto-senpai,” Sumire prompts gently.

It isn’t too different from watching someone do a math problem and seeing them do one, tiny thing wrong; seeing that tiny mistake being overlooked, even though it’s so obvious to the observer. He is so close, one breath away from—

“Sakamoto!”

Ryuji jerks, eyes flinging open and her heart sinks, irritation blossoming towards this random athlete who unknowingly jeopardized their known reality.

“Uh, yeah!” he calls back, shaking his head as if ridding himself of a bad dream. “Be there in a sec!”

“If that pesky runner is in Mementos, I swear he’ll be dead by tomorrow,” Akechi mummers darkly, because he always takes things too far.

“Sorry, gotta bail,” Ryuji apologizes. He still looks slightly unsettled, a little unnerved. “It was good to see you. We should grab some food sometime!”

“Wait!” Sumire blurts out before he can leave. She scrambles for something to say, finding the thought of their failure unbearable. “If—if you change your mind (or start to remember), we’ll both be in Odaiba tomorrow! At the stadium, to be exact,” she tries for a reassuring smile. “You were there in the summer, remember?”

“If I change my mind…?” he repeats, blinking. “Nah, you guys are wild. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but thanks for the invite. Later!”

He throws double peace signs up before joining his track mates once more, laughing and shoving each other in a way only teenage boys can pull off.

“An outstanding zero to seven loss,” Akechi dictates with a dead voice. “What a team we make. I’m floored.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice!” Sumire exclaims, slapping her hand to her forehead. “I literally saw him running, and I didn’t put the pieces together.”

He shakes his head. “How are you focusing on his wish?” Akechi asks, leaning against the stone pillar near him. “It doesn’t matter what his wish is. The point is, we lost. We wasted this week, and we don’t have a choice other than to confront Kurusu alone.”

“You forgot about the whole point of our plan, Akechi. Just because his friends didn’t realize the truth right away, doesn’t mean they won’t.”

“They probably won’t.”

“We’ll just have to see, then. If Kurusu-senpai has one talent, it’s his natural…thing, with people. You get what I mean, right?”

“No.”

“Liar. And hey!” Sumire gives him a pointed look. “You aren’t doing this alone! We’re working together—like two peas in a pod.”

“Yes, I haven’t forgotten our oath of team spirit. But still, that doesn’t change the fact that with the combined powers of Maruki and Kurusu, we’re as good as dead,” he says, and pauses. “Unless Maruki isn’t there.”

Sumire frowns, “Even if we could, I don’t think we should kidnap a doctor.”

“I meant that he might willingly not be there. He’s quite democratic and trusting—I can see that he might leave this in Kurusu’s hands. Don’t be fooled, though. If Kurusu wanted us gone, we probably would be.”

“I can’t imagine that he would ever do something like that.” The idea of Akira using his powers in that way… she doesn’t even want to indulge in the thought.

“He won’t,” Akechi agrees. “He never shoots to kill when it comes to real people,” he sighs. “A weakness on his part.”

“But you’re still saying that we should fight senpai. Fight Kurusu Akira.”

“I’m saying we should beat some sense into him. Convince him like we tried to convince all of his little gremlins, except we succeed this time around,” his face pinches together, as if he had something sour. “It’s not as if we have a choice.”

She hesitates, despite knowing that Akechi’s right. He scoffs at her. “Worried about scratching up the pretty boy? Trust me—we couldn’t finish him off even if we tried.”

It’s a little worrying to see how sure he is that Akira is apparently very difficult to murder. “Fine,” Sumire relents. “But I’m still going to hope for the best with his friends.”

“Then I’ll prepare for the worst, as per usual.”

A water droplet hits Sumire’s cheek, startling her. She looks up to be greeted by dark clouds.

“It’s raining.”

“I suppose we should rest for today, considering what we’re up against.”

“Hold on,” Sumire says, feeling bold. “The Metaverse—I’m still a little unsure about all that but bear with me—is about the strength of the heart and cognition, right?”

“Yes?” he nods at her in a go on manner.

“So, hypothetically, if we got some…cognition strengthening breakfast food together—”

“No.”

“I think it would be beneficial to us!” she says. It really did seem like a good idea when she first thought it up, but she really should’ve expected the resistance that comes with it; Akechi seems to hate the notion of fun. “The way you looked at my plate from back then is still stuck in by brain on loop—”

“That look is called disgust—”

“It would be really fun! Or um, not fun, but advantageous to the strength of our—our Personas?”

She’s grasping at straws, but optimism is one of her better traits. Still, Akechi’s withering glare is proving to be a tough foe. Sumire’s not going to back down, though. Whether she wanted it to happen or not, she finds herself liking his company more and more despite his thorns (many, many thorns).

Sumire couldn’t help but break out into a grin when Akechi speaks, voice void of any emotion:

“I’m picking this time. IHOP is an abomination.”

—

She didn’t think that hole-in-the-wall breakfast cafes existed, and if she did, she most definitely never would’ve guessed that Akechi would be leading her to one.

Laughing out loud at the situation would grant her a death wish through Loki, but it’s impossible not to. The light pastel shades of the cafe are comically paradoxical to Akechi’s eternal conniving expression and tone, yet the employees seem to light up when he enters and even greet him by name.

He orders without even looking at the menu and she decides to get two of whatever he’s getting; partly because she has no idea what to get, mostly out of curiosity.

They seat themselves in one of the frilly booths and once the food arrives, she has to physically stop herself from drooling.The three tall stacks of pancakes were steaming, thick, fluffy, and perfectly golden brown. The neapolitan ice cream was placed precariously on top, slowly melting and all completely drizzled in chocolate and strawberry syrup. Akechi almost looks like he wants to tell her that it physically isn’t possible to fit both stacks inside of her, but she’s already halfway through her first stack by the time he eats a forkful.

Unable to hold back, Sumire brings up his comment from back when they all went to the Kichijoji cafe with Akira.

“Oh, that?” Akechi reaches over to grab the syrup bottle. “I said I didn’t like sweet bread. Sweets are, in and of itself,” he pours an alarming amount of strawberry syrup on his plate. “Not bad.”

The conversation is light—none of the darker topics that were present during their darts game. Sumire hesitatingly asks him what it’s like to work with the police as a detective. She wasn’t expecting a detailed point-by-point explanation about the cops being the most ‘incompetent people who have ever wielded any amount of power, and yes I’m counting Mona in his normal cat form.’

In turn, Akechi seems genuinely interested in Sumire’s athletic career, wondering if her skills help her fight in the Metaverse.

Eventually, they even start talking about more mundane topics; clubs that they might have been participating in (“Gymnastics, obviously” and “Detective work if that counts, but not so much anymore”), what Akechi’s high school is like (“Boring, but I get excused often enough that it makes it bearable”), if they’re on social media much (“Yes! But my smartphone can barely open up any apps” and “I have a phone number and an email—that should be enough”).

Despite Akechi’s ever-present clipped comments, Sumire has to admit that this was all a nice change of pace. She’s having fun, sitting here, eating pancakes and talking. And if his replies were getting less snippy and more talky, maybe he’s feeling the same way.

Even if it’s only for an afternoon, even if they have to fight their counselor who now apparently controls reality, even if they have to fight Kurusu Akira—

It’s nice to just act like two teenagers with a sweet tooth for a day.

—

It’s just as cold as it was a week ago.

They’ve already been transformed into their Metaverse customers, and it’s blessedly warmer near the elevator than it is on the outskirts. None of that matters though; not with them standing in front of Maruki’s Palace once again.

“It has a certain beauty,” Sumire comments. “The Palace.”

“It’s a safety hazard, is what it is. Realistically, these would all crumble like tissue paper without Maruki holding it all up.”

“Still,” the abnormal swirls and teetering light fixtures possess a charm that she finds lovely in it’s own way. “I can admire it for what it is.”

Akechi nods at the elevator, “Let’s get this over with.”

“Wait.”

He stops. “What?”

“Kurusu-senpai gave sort of a battle plan before we went in,” Sumire reminded him. “Do you have one?”

“Hit him harder than he hits you,” Akechi pulls out his serrated steel, reflecting the light of the entrance hall. “Other than that, don’t die, and don’t fall behind.”

All things considered, it isn’t the worst pep talk she’s ever heard.

They start off to the depths of the Palace. The journey to see Akira is different without him present, but it’s as if the shadows are purposefully less aggressive with them—whether it’s because Maruki wants them to get there safely or what, but it lets them traverse through the lab with a fair amount of ease.

An announcement rings through the grand halls. “VIP patients identified. We will now begin the grand tour—please head to the auditorium through the door on your left.”

Definitely Maruki, then.

“How kind of them to politely inform us of their location,” Akechi remarks, and they head further inward.

They pass by what looks like research centres—powerpoints plastered by pie charts and numbers, shadows giving lectures on cognition (which is a strange sight to see), brain scan posters and lab coats strewn about. Sumire imagines that this might be what a university would look like in amidst of organized chaos.

Turning the corner, a double-door awaits them.

“Alright,” Sumire steels herself, hand finding her rapier’s hilt. “I hope senpai’s ready for us.”

“Trust me,” he reaches out to grab the handle. “He will be.”

A hallway meets them when they pass through. A long, white staircase elegantly leads them down and into what looks like a small version of a football stadium—seats filled up with faceless shadows and unlit theatre lights are hung from the beams above. Maybe it’s because this area has an uncanny resemblance to her competition venues, but she feels a tingle run down her spine: the feeling of anticipation.

They walk to the centre of it with caution, footsteps slow yet it resounding out all the same. She glances forward, squinting slightly against the darkness; a set of stairs that lead atop a stage are laid out in front of them, carpeted and plush. Ready for a performance.

Suddenly, all the lights flash on, white fluorescence blaring down on them mercilessly. Sumire and Akechi cringe against the unrelenting assault on their corneas.

“Welcome back.”

On top of the steps stood Akira, cloaked in his black Phantom Thief garb and drenched in blinding lights.

“I’m glad you two seem to be doing good. Honestly, I was a little nervous at first,” he descends the staircase, unhurried, hands stuffed in his pockets. “Looks like I was worried for nothing.”

“Worried? About us?” Akechi levels him with an incredulous look. “We aren’t the ones who are actively advocating the side of brainwashing.”

“I’m advocating the side of my friends being happy again,” he corrects firmly, turning to make eye contact with Sumire. “I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that they weren’t happy, that they weren’t over the moon with euphoria. If you can tell me that, then I’ll join you in the fight against Maruki.”

Gazing into Akira’s eyes, Sumire opens her mouth, before looking away.

“That’s what I expected,” he shrugs, “It’s nice seeing them happy, right? But I’m not stupid—that won’t stop you two. You’re nearly as stubborn as I am.”

“Senpai,” she pleads. “I don’t want to fight you.”

“Neither do I. But you need to get Maruki to revert reality back to what it was,” Akira adjusts his gloves, and they both tense. “And to get to him, you have to get through me.”

“He’s really not backing down, isn’t he?” she mutters, her heart rate picking up rapidly.

Akechi snarls. “The tide sooner stop washing up before he quits being a fucking idiot.”

“You guys ready?” Akira calls. His tone is light, but there’s an undeniable glint to his eyes, similar to how the edge of a knife reflects light, and spreads his arms out. “Give it all you’ve got.”

Sumire meets Akechi’s eyes, and they nod.

They had a strategy, as loose as it was; there’s strength in numbers, and for once they have the advantage—pin him down, corner him, whatever they can manage, and incapacitate him until he listens to what they have to say. While this plan would certainly be more effective with more people, two should be enough to get the job done.

The air whistles around them as they dart forward, masks burning blue.

“Give him hell, Loki!”

The monochrome trickster bursts from the cinders with its eyes dead set on Akira. He raises a heavy hand and brings down his blade, slamming into the flooring as if it was warm butter, but Akira was already gone—he had hopped away just in time, giving them a cocky little smile.

Akechi snarled and swung again, only for Akira to bend backwards as if he’s in the most crucial game of limbo in recorded history, Laevatein missing him by an inch.

Before he can straighten himself again, Sumire shouts, “Dance, Cendrillon!”

As if the bells of midnight were calling her, a woman of glass and elegance manifests, white cloak blowing back from an unknown wind. A burst of light shoots from her crystal form but Akira had expected it, turning his bend into a backwards roll, not even trying to hide his grin. She’s starting to think that he was lying to her when he said he had no history with gymnastics. Maybe once this is all done, she could introduce him to her coach.

This back and forth continues, black and white and red all clashing together without anyone finding a target at all—that is, if Akira even had a target to begin with.

It’s as maddening as it is impressive to see him dodge and parry every attack; a hop here, a tilt there. It’s almost as if he knows what they were going to do before they even did it. It’s glaringly obvious why, yet it was another simple fact they overlooked—he was their leader, the person who made sure they had two, three, four possible strategies in their back pocket going into every fight. If not to ensure victory, then he does it to make sure that each and every one of them were capable enough to keep themselves safe.

But that just makes it all the more impossible to gain the upper hand.

By the time Akira had traversed nearly half the stadium in his evasion, not a hair out of place and unperturbed, Akechi and Sumire were breathing hard.

“He has,” Sumire gasps between breaths. “No intention of hitting us.”

“Dammit,” he hisses. “He’s turning this into a stamina battle.”

“Did you guys think I’d attack?” Akira frowns. Squinting at Sumire, he rummages through his pockets and tosses something to her. She catches it on instinct and peers down at the bottle of Arginade in her hand.

“It isn’t much, but I don’t want you hurting yourselves over this. I’d, uh, give one to Akechi too, but I think he’d throw it at my head or something.”

“Thank you,” Sumire sets the bottle down gingerly. “But I don’t think I should.”

“Suit yourself.”

“He’s wasting our time,” says Akechi. He points his steel at the corridor behind Akira. “Let’s just move past and find Maruki ourselves.”

She nods and they take a step forward before—

“Come, Black Frost.”

A flash of blue and a split second is all it took for the hallway’s entrance to be completely concealed in thick ice. “If you do that though, we’re gonna have a problem.”

“That wall won’t be enough to stop Cendrillon, senpai.”

“Probably not,” Akira agrees, gloved hand touching an invisible mask. “But a week was a lot of time to mix up some Personas.”

The implication makes Sumire swallow—Akechi wasn’t exaggerating.

“We have to stop him here,” she says quietly. “Even if we got lucky and ran, there’s no way we can reach Dr. Maruki with senpai trying to catch us.

Akechi clicks his tongue. “Unfortunately. We can’t win against him in a battle of stamina, but if we move fast and hit hard enough, we can catch him off guard.” His eyes flicker at Akira watching them speak, posture relaxed. “I’ve never had to reserve energy in a fight much, so this is the best plan with what we have.”

“Got it.”

“Don’t hold back,” Akechi huffs the same time Sumire says, “Don’t kill him.”

And then they sprint forward, rapidly closing in the distance to Akira.

Akechi meets her look before they split off wordlessly, approaching their target from either side.

“Hit him hard, Loki!”

“Aid me, Cendrillon!”

Curse and bless, dark and light come at Akira like a hand of judgement, narrowly escaping by flipping backwards with one hand and throwing out the other. “Let’s go, Yoshitsune.”

And like a scene from a classic Japanese period tale, a swordsman emerges from the embers, dual-wielding Katanas in either hand. WIth an air of divinity, he slices sideways, forcing the two to jerk away.

Perhaps it’s the effect of the Metaverse, its link to cognition, but the use of words became futile beyond the calling of their Personas—she can judge what Akechi had in mind without language just as he can support her in her strikes, where to stand so they don’t get caught in each other’s crossfire.

Sumire pulls out her rapier and swipes at Akira’s torso but it’s too slow; he shifts out of the way and again to dodge Akechi’s bullets like a true Phantom Thief—as elusive and hard to catch as mist.

“You’re pulling your punches, Yoshizawa!” Akechi shouts.

“I’m not trying to kill him!” Cendrillon moves her own weapon impossibly quick, glowing lines appearing midair like a child drawing on paper, and it all bursts in unison—slicing through everything indiscriminately, yet Akira remains untouched.

“Give me some credit,” he calls, coattail swishing stylishly. “I don’t think I’m doing too bad.” Yoshitsune dashes forward, armor glinting and steel sparking as lightning shoots from his katanas, several inches to Sumire’s right. It leaves her hair filled to the brim with static.

Exhausting as their back and forth was, Akira hadn’t once attacked them directly. Even when they roll or sidestep, every movement is accounted for and he adjusts his blows in turn—close enough for them to stagger back from him, but never enough for them to be touched. The message was clear: I’d never hurt you, but there’s no chance in hell I’m letting you win, either.

Still, Sumire wipes her glistening temple as Loki brings down his blade where Akira was and into the ground, the collision forceful enough to make the stage lights above rattle. It’s beginning to be clear that it would be near impossible to maintain Akira’s pin-point accuracy, given his lack of compromise on it. His rolls are getting lethargic, backflips half-assed; whether he knew it or not, he’s beginning to slow down.

And Akechi is starting to get desperate.

Precise swings from before are losing control, wild ones taking place instead.

Akira reaches up once more. “Lend me a hand, Metatron.”

What looks like an archangel crafted during the industrial revolution bursts forth where Yoshitsune once stood, eyes filled with divinity and judgement as he launches a small army of rainbow, psychokinetic spheres around Akechi’s vicinity, but fatigue causes a slight miscalculation—one of the pink orbs barely grazes his brown hair, causing him to flinch back from shock.

It didn’t hurt, it couldn’t have hurt, but it’s the first hit the Akira had landed all day, accidental or otherwise.

A beat passes as they both freeze, and Sumire slows when she sees the expression on Akira’s face, unobstructed by his mask; all the bravado, the cockiness and boldness is gone like it was never there. In its place, a gaunt, horrified look.

“I…” he breathes, unnaturally pale. “Shit, I’m sorry. Here, just…” he starts rummaging through his pockets, hands shaking. “I know I have a bead in here somewhere, just let me—” Akira’s voice cracks. “Dammit, of course I can’t find it when I actually—why can’t I—”

Akechi takes an uneasy step backwards, overexertion threatening to take over. As if it weighs a hundred pounds, he raises an arm, red eyes disturbingly bright and dead-set on Akira.

Sumire feels her breath catch in her throat; she’s in a clear position to see it happen. Akira is still frantically looking through his stuff, an overwhelming guilt seeming to cloud his senses. Akechi, in his state of mind and body, is refusing to see the facts in favor of following his instincts—because even now, he still truly believes that Akira will remain untouched, no matter what.

Because, to Akechi, he is Kurusu Akira.

“Come, Loki!”

“Goro, wait!” Sumire cries.

Time slows down as Loki raises his blade, serrated steel exuding a curse potent enough to bring down any archangel to its knees several times over. And Akira looks up, eyes wide and dilated, but it’s too late to do anything other than take a deep breath and tense himself for the devastating blow—

Footsteps resound behind them, light and fast, and before Sumire can even turn around, a familiar voice yells out:

“I don’t fucking think so.”

Sakamoto Ryuji sprints past her and as Loki brings down his sword, stands directly in front of Akira, arms wide and acting like a barricade between him and the rest of the world.

#goro akechi #sumire yoshizawa #kasumi yoshizawa #ryuji sakamoto #akira kurusu #pegoryu #akiryu #fanfic #writing #mine #p5 #persona 5 #p5r #persona 5 royal #this chapter gave me the will to live during quarantine #11k..... jesus......#blinding lights #fic tag

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ryuukia · 5 years

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[Translation] Tsukiuta. 2nd Anniversary Round-Table Discussion ~Seniors version~

I’m a bit late but, happy birthday Shun! I started to translate this on his birthday but due to this interview being long, I only ended up finishing on 25th. This is an interview published in the AGF version of Tsukiuta Monthly Publication, meaning it’s 6 years old by now.

I should have translated the 1st anniversary interview, but this one really left me in shock. I mean.... SHUN HAS A KINK?????? I’M JUST????? TSUKIPRO?????

Anyway, that’s all I’m going to say for now, I hope I made you curious. Many thanks to Ryota and Chrome for assisting me and helping with the proofreading. Please don’t reuse/retranslate/repost my work. I mean, seriously.

Haru: The 2nd anniversary round-table discussion of the Tsukiuta. series, seniors version is…… starting!

Shun: Wah (claps)♪

Haru: That being said, this year had a lot of chaotic things in store for us, but somehow we managed to reach the second anniversary without any problems. We’re grateful for that, aren’t we?

Hajime: That’s right. Thank you for always supporting us.

Kai: Thank you. We will never forget this feeling of gratitude.

Shun: Ah, I remember it was during last year’s round-table talk… Ever since AGF finished, there were a lot of opportunities to organize different plans and fairs. We managed to expand our merchandise too, didn’t we?

Haru: Well, speaking of big things, we also had a corner with things for our fans, and then Haru no Fan Matsuri1 too……?

Kai: Then Super Comics, the artbook, the summer comics, the collaboration with Karatez-san, then the Full Moon Fair & Full Moon Cafe, and now we’re back to AGF.

Hajime: We had a big event about every two months and in addition to that, our duet CDs were being released monthly. Somehow it feels like we’ve been busy all year round. Good grief.

Haru: Right? But monthly progress is something fitting for Tsukiuta (smiles bitterly). Good job for now.

Kai: Good job~

Hajime: Good work.

Shun: Good work. This round-table discussion gives us the chance to take it easy and look back over what happened this year. Ever since last year’s events it feels like our talk has become a routine.

Hajime: Okay. Then without further delays…. Haru, bring the tea.

Shun: Ye~s. I want some too.

Haru: Really? That’s how we’re starting? (laughs)

Question: “Tell us about a situation that occurred during the production of the duet CDs.”

Kai: ......Well, until our spoiled leaders get their tea, we have our first topic. “A situation that happened during the production of our duet CDs” it says.

Haru: Hmph, hmph.

Kai: Each of us had to prepare two duets at a time, right? The ones Shun and I got were “Kimi ni hana o, kimi ni hoshi o” and “Celestite”.

Haru: Otherwise known as “Hana Hoshi” and “Kuro Ouji2”, right?

Kai: Yeah. “Hana Hoshi” is based on my image, while “Kuro Ouji” is based on......

Shun: Behold☆ My image!

Hajime & Haru: …...Aah (both see the light)

Shun: By the way, since the composers and the listeners both have their own impressions on the songs, the prompter is telling us to talk about some stuff that happened during the photoshoots for the CD jackets.

Haru: Roger (smiles bitterly). So, about those photoshoots…...

Shun: The Hana Hoshi photoshoot was fun. It was done somewhere in the north, on a vast field.

Hajime: Based on that description alone, it must have been cold.

Kai: We actually went there during the summer, so the cold air was pleasant. Underneath a sky covered by stars, we were sitting on a flower bed with bouquets in our hands. It felt so nice…… for us it was very relaxing.

Shun: Fufufu. Because of the shade of my costume, at first glance it looked as if I had a ribbon on my bare chest. That created many confusions, you know?

Hajime: You sound glad about that.

Haru: Above your head was a complete starry sky, and you were holding flowers in your birthday suit (distant look)

Kai: …...You’ve just destroyed my precious memory…...

Hajime: Now that you mention it, I’ve observed since long ago that many of the Procella duets have the word ‘flower’ in their titles. Is there a reason why?

Shun: Fufufu. You have good eyes, Hajime. It's a coincidence I'd like to call ‘fate’!

Kai: That was so blunt (laughs)! But it really was just a ‘coincidence’. Although we all have different producers, these kind of things happen once in a while. I guess you could call it proof of our unity?

Haru: Wow, you’re forcing your own conclusion~ (laughs bitterly)

Hajime: …...Haru, do we have something similar to that?

Haru: Don’t force me to compete with that, leader (laughs). Also, if you think about it, Celestite is not a ‘flower’.

Kai: For that one, we went completely into Shun-sama’s world. Or should I call it the ‘Spirit World’?

Shun: Ahaha, Kai? Do you want a demonstration of my real powers? I’ll show you how hard I worked for the ‘Kuro Ouji’ concept.

Hajime: Indeed, it suited you. Both you, …...and Kai.

Kai: Me too?

Hajime: Yeah, it suited you…...I think. Kai, during TsukiRadio, you did something similar to a Demon Lord, right? The younger kids said you fit that image perfectly. I think so, too.

Shun: Kai’s physical build was perfect for this to begin with. Those black clothes brought a lot of impact to the surface. He was definitely cool-looking.

Kai: Eh, you think so? You two praising me makes me feel a bit embarrassed, but I’m happy. Thanks.

Hajime: On the other hand, we have ‘Koi wasuregusa’ and “Hajimari no haru”.

Haru: Yes.

Kai: I could feel Japanese vibes coming from both of you, and I’m talking about both the titles and the costumes.

Haru: Ahaha. Is it because of Hajime?

Hajime: ? What about me giving off that ‘traditional Japanese’ impression?

Shun: Your entire image is built that way, can’t you see, Hajime? Take your first stage outfit for example, it was heavily inspired by traditional elements.

Hajime: …...I see.

Shun: On the other hand, mine is inspired from the west.

Hajime: Even without you mentioning that, it can be seen that the duet costumes and many other costumes are made based on a western style.

Haru: Maybe the reason why Gravi’s and Procella’s own images are divided into ‘western’ and ‘traditional’ is exactly because of our leaders’ images.

Hajime: Our images...huh.

Kai: Though, the more you look at Koi Wasure, the more luxurious it looks. Are those costumes made from Nishijin silk fabrics3?

Shun: They look that way. I was watching them when the shoot happened, but the real thing looks even more impressive than in the photos. I think someone poured their soul into those outfits, and the final result is only proof of their skills.

Haru: Speaking of effort? On site, everyone was bursting with energy, but that shoot honestly made me all tensed up for the first time in a while. I rarely wear kimonos to begin with…… I mean I probably wore a kimono only for the Shichi-Go-San festival4 in the past and having to wear one again after so long felt like too much of a hurdle for me (smiles bitterly).

Hajime: Haru, has it really been that long since you've worn a kimono?

Haru: Ahaha, Hajime. Most people aren't even fated to wear a kimono in their entire lifetime. I’m one of them. I can’t get used to it, and if it wrinkles or looks dirty even the slightest bit, I become terrified. Not to mention they are also unbelievably expensive. ……Though, I think it might be difficult for Hajime here to understand that.

Kai: I know what you mean. I definitely do, Haru. That common sense is something I agree with on a spiritual level.

Hajime: Hmm……. So that’s how it is.

Shun: We’re quite familiar with household events, aren’t we?

Hajime: Yeah. At each turning point in life, our relatives would gather for events and wearing full formal dress was a custom.

Haru & Kai: (We’re witnessing a conversation between two real young masters)

Hajime: …...Though if you look at the results, I think it suited you well enough, Haru.

Haru: Ooh, my king is bestowing me with words of praise.

Hajime: C’mon, look at this shot, you look like a young playboy husband or like a beguiling king. (chuckles)

Haru: Correction, it wasn’t praise. They randomly started to call me beguiling recently and I keep wondering why, Kai.

Kai: Don’t mind it, Haru (laughs). Well, wasn’t the concept of that jacket cover the ‘bewitching, traditional Japanese rock style’? In that case, the beguiling king concept was a huge success in a way. Good job, Haru.

Haru: Oh, geez.

Kai: Finally, ‘Hajimari no Haru’. You had the same ‘traditional’ theme, but it was the complete opposite of the previous CD and felt more formal. The military uniforms gave a nice, cool feeling.

Haru: Correct. The costumes were made to represent military outfits. You can tell that just by looking (laughs).

Shun: Hajime! This includes Haru as well, but Hajime looked sooo good! It suited you so well, I end up wanting to crawl! I want to go down on all fours and be stepped on by you! I want to see you cast that cold glare onto me!

Kai: …...Shun, Hajime’s backing away slowly. Haru and I, too...

Question: “What event left a strong impression on you?”

Haru: Shall we answer at the same time?

Kai: Ooh, a curve ball was thrown. ‘Kay, let’s do it. I’ll bring the notebooks and markers then. Everyone, write~.

Hajime: I’m done.

Shun: Me too.

Kai: Then, three, two…... one!

Haru: ‘Haru no Fan Matsuri’

Hajime: ‘Haru no Fan Matsuri’

Shun: ‘Full Moon Fair’

Kai: ‘Full Moon Fair’

Haru: Ooh, we got half and half (laughs). My answer is without a doubt ‘Haru no Fan Matsuri’. It has my name in it too, but it’s also because I worked on every special benefit up until the smallest detail.

Hajime: Aah, indeed, like the little bunny plate that came as a bonus or the rubber strap that came with the DVD and stuff. I chose our first independent event because it left an impression. Unfortunately, my schedule didn’t match with it so I was only able to participate via video feed.

Kai: As expected, you went for ‘Haru’ (laughs)? On the other hand, I chose the Full Moon Fair which incidentally ended not long ago~. It was our first nationwide Animate fair, after all. And the Animate storefront even made it on the ‘Kyarabii5’ cover, right? The fact that they were given that important cover space made me so happy.

Haru: It was the first time in a while when all of us were featured in a photo.

Shun: We were so lively (chuckles). In one set we were wearing casual clothes, and in the other yukatas.

Haru: That one also ended up being the cover of the calendar this year.

Kai: The fans’ reaction was more than what we were all expecting, so the staff was left in awe at the power of the yukatas and some hair arrangements.

Haru: Hajime, you also let your hair down, right?

Hajime: You’re the one who messed with my hair. I wish I had done something about that back then.

Haru: Ahaha, that’s true. That was the result of me talking with the hair and make-up artists and how we agreed that not teasing your hair up was better since the yukata was so fitting on you.

Hajime: I admit they complimented my hair, young master.

Shun: Ah, yes, yes. Me too. They said I looked like the prodigal son of a rich family. Kakeru and I happened to be shot side-by-side, and they were saying from all directions that we looked like ‘the apprentice and the prodigal son’. Ahaha.

All of them: (Because that’s exactly how it looked like)

Hajime: Our first solo event, and our first national fair. This year we had a lot of ‘first times’ once again as a series.

Shun: That’s what we would call some of our many progresses. Thank you very much.

Question: “Tell us about other work situations if there are any.”

Shun: This year, a lot of new opportunities arose for me and to top it all off, I’m really, reaaaaally happy that I got to experience being paired in the leaders group. I think it was very fun. (softly)

Kai: The twelve of us look like some kind of family (lol). We barely had space for everyone to fit in at the same time, but even with the limited room by picking out the right camera exposure levels, the two leaders didn't look unnatural. Of course, there's the tiniest bit of post-production as well.

Haru: Wow, that’s a very vivid story you got there!

Shun: Geez, Kai~ I’m trying to be grateful here so please don’t bring up business here.

Kai: Ahaha, my bad, my bad.

Hajime: ……. I’ve been thinking about that too.

Shun: Yes?

Hajime: Your…... ‘that’ thing you do, Shun…...Being my fan I mean. I started to think about it only recently, but half of that thing is a joke, isn’t it? I’m not wrong about that, am I?

Shun: ーーー!?

Kai: Ah, his shock is easy to understand for once.

Haru: It really is. …...I can’t ignore how pitiful Shun looks now so I’ll back him up. Listen Hajime, anyone can tell that Shun's very serious about ‘that thing’, you know?

Hajime: …...Really?

Kai: Yeah. And what I’m about to add might sound strange…… but I can confirm he’s been seriously devoting himself to his fan activities and supporting you since the beginning and until now. From the start he rarely, er, sometimes, no, always was noisy about it, but well, he can be pretty entertaining if you feel like listening to him.

Haru: He never changed (laughs)

Hajime: Is that so……? …...I see. I’m sorry, Shun. Thank you for always supporting me.

Haru: Ah, here’s the heartfelt fan interaction. (laughs)

Shun: ーー!! That "I see" just now! That gives me legal authority to accompany you from now on, right!? In that case there’s no problem! I don’t mind it! It just means I didn’t put my heart enough into it. From now on I'll work hard on my fervor for Hajime so that my love will be conveyed! L O V E Hajime LOVE!! WASSHOI! (grabs Hajime and clings to him)

Hajime: ……

Shun: Hajime~, Hajime~♪ Fufufu no fu (snuggles)

Hajime: ……

Kai: (whispering) Hajime’s definitely trying his best not to send Shun flying across the room.

Haru: (whispering) He’s really putting up with him (laughs). Let’s not forget that apology from earlier. It’s a good thing our leaders are on good terms with each other. A really good thing.

Kai: Right~? The leaders’ work kept increasing, but on the other hand, we are still considered…… uhh, ‘advisers’? We also received more and more jobs in pairs like this one and they’re always fun.

Haru: Ahaha, you’re right.

Hajime: ……

Haru: …...Anyway, I think that’s enough, Shun (laughs bitterly). Our king is a cat after all. You can hug him however much you want, but he won’t get used to it. He’s already turning into stone, so can you release him?

Hajime: Who are you calling a cat, Haru? (sigh)

Kai: You say that but it's so easy to tell that you're relieved (laughs). Good work, Hajime.

Question: “Leave a message for your fans.”

Hajime: It’s been exactly one year since the last AGF. Due to everyone’s support, it feels as if we were able to go a few levels up. Thanks. This is more or less all I wanted to say.

Shun: Fufufu, indeed. The things I want to say as Procella’s leader and the things I want to convey myself, too, are exactly the same as the ones Gravi’s leader, Hajime, just said. …...Thank you, everyone.

Haru: You switched from fan mode to leader mode (laughs).

Kai: I’m always amazed when he does that switch (laughs).

Haru: I think now’s the time for the advisers to show their gratitude too. And we'd be happy to receive your support for more of the merchandise promotions we do together in the future.

Kai: And don’t forget about the youngers either! Their growth is remarkable even from our point of view, so don’t miss out any of that.

Shun: You pulled that off perfectly. As expected from our reliable partners.

Hajime: …...Right? I trust both of them too.

Kai: Ahaha, thanks. Among our unit members, the senior group aspire to be the ‘most steady’. Let’s continue doing things in our comfortable rhythm and without pushing ourselves.

Haru: The younger ones will be able to walk ahead without worries if we build them a solid foundation, won’t they?

Shun: Even more than that, we are both their foundation and their guides. The two of us should pave the path for them, don’t you think so, Hajime? A path everyone would stroll on happily as they head for joyful days.

Hajime: Yeah. …...Indeed. As the ones who walk ahead of everyone, you and me have that role.

Haru: If you two get tired, don’t hesitate to tell us, okay?

Kai: I don’t mind if I’m being relied on even without them being tired.

Hajime: Then I want a second helping.

Kai: Of tea? …..Well, I'll guess I'll pour it for you then (chuckle).

Shun: Me too, me too~.

Haru: I want some too!

Kai: Everyone's taking advantage of me (laughs).......Fine, I get it. I’ll be taking your requests~. Do you want Japanese tea? Black tea? Or coffee?

(And so the end transitioned into a leisurely tea party.)

T/N:

Haru no Fan Matsuri (translated 'The spring fan festival') was an event held back in 2014. The guests were Masuda Toshiki (Kisaragi Koi), Aoi Shota (Minaduki Rui), Kanemoto Hisako (Hijiri Kurisu), Uesaka Sumire (Tendouin Tsubaki), Mamiya Yasuhiro (Kurotsuki Dai) and Yamanaka Masahiro (Tsukishiro Kanade). You can buy the DVD here

Kuro Ouji means 'Black Prince'. Shun reveals in his duet SS that according to the song concept, he's the black (imperial) prince. I'll get to it more when I translate that SS.

The Nishijin silk fabrics are high quality silk fabrics originating from Kyoto.

The Shichi-Go-San Festival (translated 'Seven-Five-Three Festival) is an event held on 15th of November for girls who are 3 or 7 years old and for boys who are 5 years old. On that day they celebrate the growth and well-being of young children.

Kyarabii is a magazine from Japan.

If you like my work and you want to support me, you can now buy me a coffee by clicking right [here]. I also started taking commissions, more details are right [here]. Thank you~

#tsukiuta #2nd anniversary round table discussion #seniors version #mutsuki hajime #shimotsuki shun #yayoi haru #fuduki kai #english translation #tsukiuta monthly publication #interview #agf 2014 #IM STILL SCREAMING #THIS INTREVIEW IS A ROLLER COASTER

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luna--reading · 5 years

Text

[PICK A CARD] - SINGLES LOVE: How to find love

Hello lovelies~ ♡

This is a pick a card reading for “How to find love” – mainly targeted at singles. I picked a total of 5 cards (might have more for some pile) for this reading and some oracle cards.

Do take what resonates because this is after all a general reading so it can’t possibly resonate with everyone. If you’d like a more personalised reading, do DM me as I’m currently doing free reading (as I’m still in the process of learning).

So take a few minutes to mediate on these 4 piles:

Six of wands

Three of pentacles

Page of pentacles

Nine of swords

Once you’re ready, just scroll below to find the reading that you have chosen!

You can always leave a comment or simply like the post if it resonates with you, thank you so much~ ♡♡♡

Pile 1:

Currently, you are represented as the King of Cups – so you are in control of your emotions. You are very emotionally balanced and at the same time, you have so much love to give. However, this also came with the Queen of Swords which meant that your situation or even the people around can be very critical of you. Despite having this much love to give, you find it hard to do so, because you are currently in a situation whereby others seem very dominating over you and that you are surrounded by negativity or toxicity. For others, it could be that there is someone who is very cold-hearted around you and is undermining your emotions which lead you to keep all of these emotions to yourself. So, the behavioural patterns that are affecting your love life could be the fact that you might be immature at times when it comes to love and that you might be seen as irresponsible with the Page of Pentacles (reversed). Now, the Page of Swords (reversed) is here to tell you that you need to improve on your communication skills in order for you to find love. And that maybe, you have to let go of certain boundaries that you are putting up because it could mean that you are withholding a lot of information to yourself which is not helping you in finding love. So, let go of your defences and improve on your communication skills. Now, one thing you have to change is probably your mindset – you are currently stuck in the thought that you are probably going to stay single for life and that you are not going to find any love partner and this is affecting your energy in general. Three of Pentacles (reversed) talks about your lack of growth and motivation in this journey of finding love and that it is hindering you. Lastly, free yourself from the obsession of trying to plan for your future. It’s not a bad thing to plan for your future because it shows that you are mature enough to take on a relationship, but you might be too fixated on it, that you are ignoring so many other factors out there. The Two of Wands shows that you are constantly stuck in the state of having to make choices after choices that love never comes up as one of your choices at the end of the day.

Messages from the universe:

Thank you, Universe for helping me see beyond the limits of fear. Thank you for expanding my perceptions so I can see what is of the highest good. The moment I realign with love, clear direction is presented to me. When I’m in alignment with the love of the universe, peace cannot be disrupted. Understand that it is alright to plan for your future, but trust that there are bigger things out there that the universe has in plan for you and trust in the universe as you start on your journey in seeking love. Once you align yourself with the plans that the universe has for you, that’s when everything will slowly start to fall in place.

Messages from the fairies

WINTER and GET SOME EXERCISE – Your wish will be granted during the winter season (probably in December) and that while you wait and manifest this love, do some work out and put yourself in a great shape as you feel stronger in all ways (physically, mentally, emotionally)

Pile 2:

You are represented as The Fool (reversed) which means that you are currently stuck in this situation that you are unwilling to take a step forward or that there is this new beginning offer that you are unwilling to take. You might have went through a heartache and it affected you so badly that you decide to shun yourself off from relationships and I see that there might be an offer that is given to you but you are very hesitant to take that leap of faith, in fear that history might repeat itself. Now, you are a very independent person as shown by the Nine of Pentacles but your independence might come off as too strong which might scare off potential partners. Your independence is running high, that you are so used to being in your “single” energy that you are just telling potential partners that “I don’t need a partner, I’m fine being all by myself” which I can totally understand, seeing how you are represented as The Fool (reversed). Now, the King of Pentacles (reversed) is here to remind you that you have to work hard for the stability and security that you seek in a relationship. You tend to get jealous very easily which affects your relationship with your partner and it creates this distance between the two of you and that is something you have to improve on. Eight of Cups (reversed) is reminding you that if you are feeling very unhappy in a relationship, don’t be afraid to speak out your thoughts and if things aren’t working out, don’t hesitate to put your own happiness first, instead of your partner. Now, I see you as someone who devotes all your time, effort, love into your partner that when problems arise, you tend to put it all onto yourself and not speaking up, which is clearly stated as the King of Pentacles (reversed) – that you might get jealous easily but you don’t voice out, suppressing the emotions and even when those emotions are build up and is waiting to explode, you don’t seem to put yourself first and you just want your partner to be happy. Relationships take two to work together, so it’s not just a matter of you putting in the effort which could have resulted in your heartache the last time. Understand that there are some things that you just have to let go, and change the ways that you deal with such situation. Now, liberate yourself from all of these stress and anxiety. Take a break, release yourself from any heartache and just start healing yourself. The past is the past and you are still hung up in that energy which is inevitable but understand that there are some things you’ve got to let go, in order to bring in new energy.

Messages from the universe:

I witness the darkness and call on the light with my prayer. Thank you, Universe, for guiding me to perceive this fear through the eyes of the teacher of love. Attack, pain, fear, judgement, and any form of separation are merely calls for help. Oneness is my true nature.

Understand that there are some pain you have to go through as part of your life lessons but with love, you are able to overcome any obstacles. Believe that you are able to get yourself together and be one with your spiritual mind.

Messages from the fairies:

VEGETARIAN and ADMIT YOUR TRUE FEELINGS TO YOURSELF – As you detoxify yourself from past negativity, look within yourself and listen to your own intuition. Trust that the universe has plans for you as you let go of any toxic situations and that this time, you can trust your own feelings that everything will turn out to be alright.

Pile 3:

You are represented as the Knight of Cups (reversed) which meant that you are feeling this loss of not being able to make that offer to someone that means a lot to you, as represented as The Star. It could also mean that you are procrastinating or avoiding to make that decision as you are feeling hopeful about a situation that you are in currently. The Ten of Wands (reversed) could mean that you tend to give up very easily which results in you unable to gain that harmony and love that you want in relationship, as seen from the Two of Cups (reversed). This is further clarified by the Five of Cups as you tend to only see the negative/loss in a particular relationship or potential relationship that you don’t focus on the good side. Now, there are a lot of unhealthy obsessions/thoughts that might be plaguing you right now, and the Shadow Side/Devil is advising you to improve on it. These thoughts are not good for this relationship and is hindering your journey in finding love. The Shadow Side (in this deck) shows that you are willing to face the devil and look towards the light, the bright side which is something you can further improve and work on as you embark on this journey of love. Now, the Queen of Pentacles is here to tell you that you should always take things slow, you tend to dive into things too quickly and it messes things up. Because the Queen of Pentacles is a very grounded, stable energy that it is calling for you to be slow and steady. The Hermit (reversed) is suggesting that you’ve been feeling lonely for a very long time and it is time to liberate yourself and trust that it is time for you to accept the love that is coming in your way. This is clarified by the Six of Pentacles (reversed) which shows me that you might have been taken advantaged of in the past because of your generosity when it comes to love and you are afraid of being take advantaged of this time. I pulled the King of Cups as the clarifier and indeed, you are so filled with deep emotions that you are so loving, people tend to take this loving energy for granted and simply make use of you in that sense.

Messages from the Universe:

I am the dreamer of my dream. In every moment, the Universe is conspiring to bring me toward right-minded thinking and the energy of love. When I lean toward love, I am led. When I focus on my inner light, I see the world through the lens of love.

Indeed, when you trust the Universe is working in your favours, you are able to see that love is able to overcome anything. Don’t be afraid to love and trust that as you focus on yourself, the Universe is here to bring love into your life and you will be able to manifest your dreams in the end.

Messages from the fairies:

YOU’VE GOT THE POWER and WHOM DO YOU NEED TO FORGIVE? – There are still certain resentments to be let go of or healing to be done, but I see you in the process of healing already and trust that you have the abilities to manifest all of your dreams and wishes after you let go of certain resentments as well as heal yourself. Have faith in yourself that you are able to get through this journey and gain the love of your life.

Pile 4:

You are represented as the Five of Swords (reversed) which meant that you are currently or have already ended a relationship (which is quite recent). Now, the Tower (reversed) might show that sometimes, even when cracks in the relationship are obvious, you tend to avoid and ignore it. The Tower (reversed) means that you are resisting this change and that you just don’t want to see it because you are afraid of letting go of certain relationships but understand that the Tower moment is inevitable and it will eventually crumble because the foundation itself is weak. However, with this crumble, it will only mean a start of a more stable foundation as you build on new relationships (or even past relationships). Now, things to improve on in your love life is to build on your emotions and compassion. You might tend to keep emotions to yourself and this is holding you back in your love life as your partner might not feel the love from you. Understand that with the Ace of Cups as something you need to change, it just means that you have to show your abundance of emotions you have for your partner. The cup is overflowing with love but you are not showing it to your partner which could have played a huge role in the end of your past relationships. Ace of Pentacles is here to ask you to liberate yourself from the constant thought of wanting to have a new beginning in terms of your career or financial wise. You are hoping to make this offer of have this offer that you are not seeing any other things other than materialistic items. Free yourself from having this obsessive thought of needing to build on a stable career before you can find love – it’s not saying you can’t build on your career first, but you are so fixated on this constant new beginning that you are totally putting off other things.

Messages from the Universe:

The universe works fast when I’m having fun. My vibes speak louder than my words. I surrender to a power greater than me.

Understand that there are certain warning signs/red flags that you have to take note of in relationships and that relationships should not make you feel drained and tired all the time. In fact, in the opposite manner, you should always have fun in your relationships.

Messages from the fairies:

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, YOUR DESIRE IS WITHIN YOUR REACH and TRAVEL – You might find new love when you travel or you might clear your thoughts after you come back from your trip, such as knowing that there are certain things that you should let go of control of. It’s not easy to let go of things as we say, and it takes constant practice, but just know that as long as you smooth out certain rough edges in your love life now, have faith and everything will work in your favour.

#pickacard #Pick A Card #tarotreading #Tarot #tarot reading #tarot reading love #Free Tarot #Free Reading Love #Love

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kldubois · 4 years

Text

Lessons in Looking 4/?

Title: A Stupid Thing to do

Words: 1074

A/N: This one takes place a few years in the past and we meet a new character.

TW: Blood

For the first several moments she doesn’t even know it had happened. She thinks she’d just been punched by them in the skuffle before they ran off, but then, when she starts walking, moving away from the alley, there is a sharp pain in her side. She puts a hand over it, holding the area to quell the pain and it’s wet. Her hand comes back red and suddenly her knees don’t support her anymore.

A kid makes sure that she doesn’t crack her head open as she tumbles to the ground. He’s not really a kid but she’s at that age where anyone five years younger is a kid. He looks worried as he talks to someone on the phone. She doesn’t hear the conversation, the pain overwhelming her senses.

“Hey, lady… ma’am. They said you have to stay awake,” he says, voice urgent. He removes his flannel shirt to put on the wound, trying to ignore the cry of pain she makes when he presses down. They said to do this as did common sense and he had to ignore the discomfort from her and himself because this was important to stem some of the blood flow.

“St…stop,” she moans.

“No. They said it’d be about ten minutes until the ambulance got here and I gotta keep you awake and alive.”

“Def… definitely alive,” she says quietly, gasping; speaking fucking hurts.

“Yeah…” They fall into an awkward silence feeling the depths of being strangers. “You know that was kind of stupid, jumping in the middle of them attacking me,” he says after a moment.

“Yeah, probably.” She can’t really find a way to disagree with him now that it’s all over. Marla is going to kill her for this.

“You some a police officer or something?”

“No.” She gasps at a spike of pain.

“Army, navy?”

“No. I’m a writer.”

“Like an investigative journalist?”

“No, f… fiction.” She cries out as he pushes down more on the flannel shirt pressed against her side. It’s necessary she knows but she’d like him to ease up because it’s not helping the pain. In the back of her mind, she scans through what she’s written, wondering how accurate she’s gotten knife wounds. There’s some new data coming in to improve the writing.

“You’re a fiction writer?” He gives her a puzzled look.

“Yeah… e… even got one published.” She breathes carefully against the pain.

“Well… um, congrats. You got a death wish or something?”

“My best friend thinks so,” she says. “And the nurses and doctors. And the insurance company.”

“You get into some trouble regularly?”

“Don’t mean to. It just happens.” She tries to shrug her shoulders, but the slightest move ratchets up the pain a few levels and she sees stars.

“Like today?”

“Yeah.” It doesn’t matter how brief her words, the pain won’t lessen.

“Well, it was stupid. I had it all under control.”

She raises an eyebrow at him as best as she can, wincing at the pain.

“Okay, maybe not, but letting them get away with my wallet and phone was better than this.”

“Probably, but I… I’ve been told I… don’t think.” She’s feeling strange now, lightheaded, fuzzy, and weak. The pain is still there and any movement, even the careful breathing causes it to spike. Her eyes drift closed against the pain and growing weakness.

“Hey, hey. They said no sleeping and considering you save me from getting robbed, you have to listen to me.”

“How… how the hell… does it work out that way?” She fixes him with a slightly incredulous look.

“I… I don’t know, but you can’t die because I was stupid and took a shortcut down an alley just to get to class quickly.” His worry and panic take over his voice as he speaks quickly and stumbles over his words.

“Not dying.”

“You’re bleeding pretty badly, ma’am. I’d say you are.”

“Ev… Evalyne,” she says, shaking her head slightly.

“Huh?”

“My name.”

“Oh. I’m Nate. I’m a student at the university.”

“Nice to me… meet you, Nate. What… what’re you st… studying?” She tries hard to keep her eyes open. He’s quite a brave young man to stick around with her and she doesn’t want to cause him any more worry or concern. It wouldn’t do for him to panic that she was dying even though a part of her realizes that this is about as serious a situation as she’s been in.

“Linguistics and history.”

“Am… bitious.”

“That’s what everyone says.” He smiles slightly.

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah. It’s so much fun.” His face lights up despite the situation.

“Then don’… don’t worry about others.”

“That’s what my mom says.”

“She’s… right.”

Nate pulls the cloth away, bunching it up in a different way to find a dry spot. When he presses it back on the wound, Evalyne cries out, her body twisting away from him. Where’s that ambulance, he thinks.

“You’re staying with me, right,” he asks when her eyes start closing again. She’s paler, more than before, and her breathing is shallowed and ragged. He shakes her with his free hand, hoping to keep her awake. For a brief second her eyes open with some awareness, a sort of understanding he thinks and a peacefulness, before they close again and she goes limp.

“Damnit,” he says lowly and redoubles his pressure on the wound. It’s probably a futile effort, but all he can think is that she can’t lose any more blood. If only she’d be okay, he thinks, he’d never take a shortcut again. He’ll be late to class every day, taking the penalty to his grade. His professors didn’t know that he worked as a barista, he couldn’t tell them. She can’t die because of his shame and guilt. That’d be so much worse. His professors and classmates, they’d all find out and they’d pity him and shun him. He’d never find his place there.

As he’s swirling in his thoughts, he doesn’t hear the ambulance arrive, realizing their arrival only when two paramedics push him aside and start questioning him. He answers as fully as he can. He thinks they’ll leave him there. He’s fine, after all. But they take him too. They wrap a blanket around him and, after loading Evalyne up, they guide him into the back, too, and once everything’s set, they speed away to the ER where maybe, hopefully, they’ll save Evalyne.

#writing #creative writing #writblr #lessons in looking #hurt/comfort #tw: blood

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jess-the-vampire · 5 years

Note

So! Been seeing you post a lot, so I figured I'd offer a lengthy neutral take (I don't ship, as a rule). From my perspective, the core problem with Tom and Star’s relationship is that, to put it extremely bluntly, Star likes Marco more. That's not to say she doesn't like, or even love, Tom! But it means that so long as they’re together, there will be a part of her that’s unhappy things worked out this way. (1/6)

As to why Star prefers Marco to Tom, I think it’s pretty straightforward: Tom is one of many, MANY people who put pressure on her, and Marco is one of the very, very few that doesn’t. I think the most recent episodes demonstrate this pretty well—Take Tom’s plan for a trip. (2/6)

It was well meaning! It was sweet! But for Star, whose life has been an increasingly stressful and dramatic trainwreck ever since Ludo stole the spellbook, it’s another lump of pressure that Tom has inadvertently dumped on her—especially since he leaves the planning to her (Another well-meaning gesture), at a time when she’s incredibly burned out from making decisions and plans for everyone else (Up to and including a royal coronation with thousands of guests). (3/6)

Contrast this to Marco—the second Star arrives at the door, she’s welcomed with open arms, and is allowed to spend the entire next episode as a limp lump of flesh. And that’s really how Star and Marco have functioned throughout most of the series—On Mewni, Star is beset by responsibilities and expectations from her parents, Eclipsa, the people, the monsters, the Magical High Commission, etc. (And as well-meaning as Tom is, he’s a part of that largely due to his own insecurities). (4/6)

But with Marco, Star has someone who doesn’t judge her, doesn’t ask anything of her, and will always have her back in a fight, without exception (And the one time he is a burden, by returning unannounced in Lint Catcher, he recognizes what he’s done, apologizes, and offers to go back to Earth before Star decides to make him her squire). He’s a rock in the storm, as opposed to Tom who occasionally is the storm. And for someone in Star’s position, it’s easy to see why that’s so desirable. (5/6)

I genuinely like Tom, and I think he’s made an incredible number of strides since his first appearance. And I think that no matter how the series ends up, he and Star will remain friends. But there’s a reason why their relationship is troubled, and it’s not all on Star. But, that’s just my take. (6/6)

Well, i have to disagree with about everything you said i’m afraid.

Tom putting pressure on her is the complete OPPOSITE of who his character has become as of recently, because putting pressure on her, and making her do things was something he abandoned all the way back in s2.

That was what Mr Candle Cares was about, Tom respecting Star’s choices and for him to stop trying to make them for her.

Marco had this conversation with him directly, to let Star make her own choices, and he needs to consider what SHE wants, and from that point on tom ends up always letting star make her choices.

In Club Snubbed, he literally outright is not trying to pressure her at all, his intent was to never come off as though he was coming onto star, and he wanted her to make all approaches towards him.

Tom even mentions in THIS episode, he does not want to ever pressure star into doing anything she doesn’t want to do.

Something people seem to completely forget about their dynamic is tom lets star do what she wants, at the end of the day, star is the character who ends up winning their side of the argument.

Whether it’s Monster Bash, Is Another Mystery, even technically Blood Moon Ball counts. Because Tom’s efforts for that ball were all to please Star and do what would make Star happy.

While in those situations Tom was being selfish to a degree, at the end of the day, Star ended not being pressured into anything, she got her way and Tom usually had to apologize for it.

Tom never really gets to do things, he wants to do, because Star and her stuff always ends up coming first for him, whether he wants it to or not.

Like, is tom letting star pick what she wants out of a fun trip something really to shun him for? Tom didn’t sit there and force star to pick anything, he gave her a book and suggested she find some places she wanted to go because she wanted to go on the trip with him.

That’s not pressuring her, pressuring her would well...be him almost demanding her to do so, but he doesn’t. He’s upset she didn’t choose anything but he doesn’t make her do it, he suggest to help her out and be supportive since she said she was having a hard time.

Like, why is tom now a bad boyfriend, for letting star have a say in a trip they agreed to go on together?

Tom’s not really doing anything wrong here, the entire conflict is due to star’s own internal issues and an identity crisis. Not to Tom wanting her to help plan their trip.

Star doesn’t pick anything because she doesn’t know what to do with her life and she doesn’t even know what to do now that she’s free. Something she mentioned herself.

I mean, this is the only example you give me of tom pressuring her, and it’s just him letting her pick places for them to go? That’s....not a problem, Tom’s doing what he tends to do, let Star have a say in everything.

And blaming Tom for being part of a society that’s not his own fault? Tom was born into royalty, you shouldn’t say Tom’s now suddenly a really bad boyfriend, because of something that can’t be helped about his character.

Heck, marco is a PRINCESS, and you left that out of this conversation, marco has his own ties to mewni and ignoring those as being issues because the person associated with them isn't tom isn't cool. Marco is also a part of that, and that can’t be ignored.

Tom and Star have their own chill moments, they were friends before they even dated, you’ll find them hanging out in star’s room, playing board games with tom’s family, surfing, ect.

Tom admires Star, he wishes he could be, someone like Star. Star is the person who inspired him to be a better person, to care about conflicts he was never involved in, to grow and change and become a better boyfriend to her then the first time around. And when duty calls, he’s here to help her out with whatever she needs of him, no questions asked. When Star went to face meteora alone, Tom went after her, because he wanted to help, because he has her back and won’t let her go through this all alone.

When Tom screws up, he apologies, he doesn’t fight it, he accepts when he messed up and he doesn’t try and worm his way out of it. Tom matches Star’s chaos half the time, them both being wild ones, but tom also manages to be more mature then Star.

They both can be reckless, but Tom helps give her hope when she thinks she’s lost it all, he is always there to be supportive, and when she screws up he doesn’t flip out on her, he acts reasonably.

Tom didn’t need a blood moon in the sky to repair his relationship with Star, he worked his but off and earned her trust and friendship again, and Star returned his feelings.

Tom puts so much effort into his relationships, Marco is terrible at romantic relationships, time and time again he is shown he just can’t handle them the same way he handles his friendships.While Tom works to do better, Marco just...doesn’t try, he seems more comfortable without dating the person because he seems to have a serious issue with commitment.

While Marco and Star have remained the same these days, Tom and Star boost each other up to do better, even when things are rough they grow and they learn to do better together.

Marco and Star stay where they’ve always been, but tom and star always keep growing and so does their characters because of their relationship specifically.

Tom is not lesser, and it is not ok nor fair to treat him as a lesser being then Marco in star’s life.

Marco is her best friend.

But that makes Tom no less important to her growth and who she is.

You can say Star is somehow unhappy to be with Tom, but if that was the case she would’ve left him long ago.

Even under blood moon influence, she and tom still stuck together, a magical moon curse couldn’t even break them apart.

That should mean something.

Saying Tom is lesser to Star makes Star seem cruel and it overlooks the entirety of their set up relationship.

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veneataur · 6 years

Text

Whumpmas day 4

Fandom: Original Fiction

Prompt: Losing a significant amount of blood

Title: A Stupid Thing to Do

A/N: I’m not particularly happy with this one but it’s done and I might come back later to work on it. We see the introduction of new character in here. Please enjoy.

“St…stop,” she moans.

“No. They said it’d be about ten minutes until the ambulance got here and I gotta keep you awake and alive.”

“Def… definitely alive,” she says quietly.

“Yeah…” They fall into an awkward silence feeling the depths of being strangers. “You know that was kind of stupid, jumping in the middle of them attacking me,” he says after a moment.

“Yeah, probably.” She can’t really find a way to disagree with him now that it’s all over. Marla is going to kill her for this.

“You some a police officer or something?”

“No.” She gasps at a spike of pain.

“Army, navy?”

“No. I’m a writer.”

“Like an investigative journalist?”

“You’re a fiction writer?” He gives her a puzzled look.

“Yeah… e… even got one published.” She breathes carefully against the pain.

“Well… um, congrats. You got a death wish or something?”

“My best friend thinks so,” she says. “And the nurses and doctors. And the insurance company.”

“You get into some trouble regularly?”

“Don’t mean to. It just happens.” She tries to shrug her shoulders, but the slightest move ratchets up the pain a few levels and she sees stars.

“Like today?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it was stupid. I had it all under control.”

She raises an eyebrow at him as best as she can, wincing at the pain.

“Okay, maybe not, but letting them get away with my wallet and phone was better than this.”

“Hey, hey. They said no sleeping and considering you save me from getting robbed, you have to listen to me.”

“How… how the hell… does it work out that way?” She fixes him with a slightly incredulous look.

“Not dying.”

“You’re bleeding pretty badly, ma’am. I’d say you are.”

“Ev… Evalyne,” she says, shaking her head slightly.

“Huh?”

“My name.”

“Oh. I’m Nate. I’m a student at the university.”

“Linguistics and history.”

“Am… bitious.”

“That’s what everyone says.” He smiles slightly.

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah. It’s so much fun.” His face lights up despite the situation.

“Then don’… don’t worry about others.”

“That’s what my mom says.”

“She’s… right.”

#Whumpmas #original fiction #original character #evalyne #nate #whump #ladywhump

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nageki-yuki-blog · 7 years

Text

TsukiPara Drama - Chapter 11 Translation

[This chapter is about how Procellarum is preparing for the joint live. Read on under the cut~]

11章 – Chapter 11

合同へ！～プロセラ編～

Towards the joint live! ~Procella Version~

1話 – Part 1

素敵なタイミングで素敵な人から電話だ

With lovely timing, I received a call from a lovely person.

Camera Man: Shun-san, this time please look over this way.

Shun: …… Is this good?

Camera Man: That’s great~. That’s such a mysterious smile!

Camera Man: …… Yes, that’s perfect! That will be it for today. Good work today!

Shun: Good work ♪

Shun: Hmm? Oh my, with lovely timing, I received a call from a lovely person.

Shun: Hey, Hajime. I am deeply moved that I would receive a call from you. Right now? Of course it’s fine…… Oh, it’s about the joint live!

Shun: …… Oh really, a game live broadcasting. That’s a great idea.

Shun: Doesn’t it seem like a showdown between Six Gravity and Procellarum would also be exciting?

Shun: Yes, Understood. As soon as I return home, I’ll talk to everyone in Procella. Then, I’ll talk to you later.

Shun: So he said “How about we do a live game broadcast and showdown during the joint live?” but, what do you guys think about it?

Kai: Wouldn’t that be interesting? I’m in favor of that~ ♪

Yoru: I’m in favor too. Plus it would be easy to understand that the game is the basis for the event too, wouldn’t it?

Yoru: I think all of the fans would be really happy about it.

You: Heh heh heh~. This is my chance to appeal to them that no matter what’s happening, I’m always perfect and cool!

Kai: …… If you really are “perfect no matter what’s happening”. You, do you have any confidence in your game skills?

You: Of course! …… See, take a look at this score.

Shun: Oh. What do we have here.

Kai: That certainly is good. By the way, my score is currently around here.

Yoru: Wow, You and Kai are both amazing! You already have such high scores!

Kai: I’ve played a lot of various games in the past, so getting the hang of games is my specialty.

Kai: Yoru, what is your score like?

Yoru: Mine is…...like this.

You: Oh! Somehow or other, Yoru has done fairly well!

Yoru: Ahaha. I was happy that our songs have become a game like this. Since I wanted to get better at it, I practiced.

Yoru: I thought, I want to at least be able to play my and Procella’s songs to a certain degree~.

Shun: Hehehe…… From my point of view, it seems just like the sincere Yoru.

Kai: If that’s the case, then if we continue practicing like this, then I don’t have any concerns about Yoru. …...Shun, how about you? Aren’t you bad with machines?

Shun: Oh, me? Let’s see…… Right now, I guess my score is like this?

(To be Continued)

2話 – Part 2

電脳世界とは相性がいいんだよ♪

I have good compatibility with the computer world ♪

Yoru: Wow! Amazing! Yours is the best out of all of us!

Kai: What…...the heck!?

Shun: My compatibility with machines is bad but, I have good compatibility with the computer world ♪

Shun: You see, magic…… actually I meant to say, charms and computer language are similar things to produce aren’t they?

You: Even if you say it like it’s obvious, I have no idea.

Kai: …… For the time being, I guess there’s no problem if you can understand how to play it.

Yoru: I-I guess so…...

Kai: Alright! Then Shun is OK! …… All that’s left is.

Iku: Rui, good luck! Stars are coming down from the right side now!

Rui: O-Okay. H-Huh!? O-Oh no…...

Iku: Oh…...

Kai: …… Rui, how are you doing?

Rui: …… It’s no use. I’m still getting C ranks. Even though Ikkun is trying to teach me.

You: …… Even on easy mode?

Rui: …… Yeah. I just can’t follow the stars with my eyes……. I always get flustered…...

Shun: …… In Rui’s case, he can follow a song’s rhythm perfectly though.

Kai: Yeah…… By the way, Iku, what’s your score?

Iku: Mine……is like this.

You: Iku’s score is so-so.

Iku: Since I’ve only been playing it in between club activities, I still haven’t gotten that good.

Iku: …… During the live, I want to be able to show everyone my cool side, so I am definitely going to work harder so I will get better than I am now!

Shun: Hehehe…… If it’s hard-working Ikkun, then he will definitely get better.

Kai: Yeah. So that means the problem is…...

(To be Continued)

3話 – Part 3

俺たちも涙が上手くなるように応援するよ

Let’s also support Rui so he gets better.

Rui: …… I’m sorry. Even thought everyone is so good……. I’m holding everyone back…...

Iku: That’s not true! Rui!

Yoru: Everyone has their own skills and weaknesses.

Rui: …… Thank you. But, there isn’t that much time, until the live. I also have to practice dancing and singing too…...

You: Yeah…… Well, it’s certainly true, that we may be in trouble at this rate…...

Kai: There will be a showdown against Gravi’s scores. Rui also has some war potential! You’ve gotta work hard for us.

Rui: Y-Yeah.

Yoru: It’s okay. We’ll also help support you to get better.

You: Yeah! We will properly train you!

Shun: Let me see…… For now, I’m going to find a spell that will give you better reflexes…...

Everyone: We reject that idea.

Shun: Huh-…...

Kai: No “Huh-”! Instead of relying of something so ominous, we’re going to help him gain real strength from honest effort. We want a fair and square battle right?

Iku: That’s right. …… Rui, which song should we start practicing with first?

Rui: U-Umm…… I’ll start with this one.

You: Oh-………...

Kai: …… He’s not really getting much better.

Iku: Yeah…...

Rui: …… I’m sorry, everyone.

Yoru: I-It’s okay! Rui. Your score has risen just a little bit from before hasn’t it!

Rui: But…… I’m still holding everyone back. …… I’m so pathetic.

Iku: Rui…...

Shun: So I guess I should use my special spell after all…...

You: We already said no!

Rui: Yeah. …… It may be selfish but, I want to use my real strength.

Shun: I thought so. Hehehe, everyone, he’s such a good boy.

Kai: …… Alright! There’s no point in worrying about it! How about we change things up a bit.

Shun: I think that would be good? Doing anything while burdened with the aura of losing, will never lead to anything good happening.

Kai: No that we’ve decided that…… Let’s go for a walk.

(To be Continued)

4話 – Part 4

散歩つってもさどこに向かうの？

Even if you say let’s go for a walk, where should we go?

Yoru: We’re…...going for a walk?

Kai: Up until now, we’ve been secluding ourselves in this room right? I think it would be better to go outside for a little while, breath some fresh air, and move around a little bit.

Iku: That’s true! I feel the same way!

You: We’re all off today too, and it’s not bad to have a leisurely walk once in a while.

Rui: Thank you…...everyone.

Kai: Now that that’s decided, let’s depart!

You: …… Even if you say let’s go for a walk, where should we go? Are we going with no plan?

Kai: …… Actually I thought we would just go with no plan.

Iku: Oh! Then do you want to try lightly running around my jogging course?

Iku: On the course, there are beautiful flowers blooming, and the scenery is pretty too.

Yoru: Really…… I guess it would be good to try running since I haven’t been doing any exercise other than dancing recently.

Kai: Hehehe…… I’ll show you my swift running!

You: Huh-. Please don’t make me do those kinds of things that make me smell of sweat.

Shun: Me too, for a devil king character like me, an elegant walk would be better…...

Kai: You’re too late! …… Ready! Start!

Yoru: Wo-Woah! Kai-san is fast!

Iku: We won’t lose! …… Let’s go! Rui!

Rui: Y-Yeah!

Kai: Hah…...hah…… This whole time I’ve been in first place but finally, I have some competition~

Iku: Hah…...hah…… I’m in the track and field club after all! I can’t lose that easily!

Shun: Hehehe. But Kai and Ikkun, this is a good competition. Nice fight.

Yoru: …...You say that while you’re laughing……, without losing your breath…… and without losing…… a drop of sweat…… Hah…… hah…...

You: A-Are you serious…… What the heck is that…… Is it your underworld powers…...

Rui: Hah…...hah…...

Iku: Rui, are you okay?

Rui: Y-Yeah…… Jogging is…… a little difficult but…… since I haven’t run in a while, I feel a little refreshed.

Kai: Oh! That’s good to hear.

Rui: Yeah…… While I’m running, my head feels like it goes blank.

Shun: Being able to clear your mind, is a good thing.

You: Even if you say that, we don’t need to do this kind of fast jogging! I really don’t want to move anymore!

Yoru: You’re right…… I want to rest for a little bit.

Shun: It surely is almost afternoon tea time.

Kai: You wanna go into some shop around here?

You: If we’re in this area, I’m pretty sure there’s a cafe with delicious desserts and black tea nearby.

(To be Continued)

5話 – Part 5

フフフ……もう安心だね？

Hehehe...... Are you relieved now?

Iku: Huh? You, do you know a lot about this area? I don’t know of any shop like that around here.

You: It’s not like I know a lot about this area.

You: It’s just that, it’s natural that I should memorize the good restaurants so I can escort girls whenever and wherever I go, right?

Yoru: You…...

You: See? Rui, this is what it means to be a gentleman.

Rui: Uh-huh.

Iku: Wait a sec, You! Stop telling Rui such weird things!

You: It’s not weird. Rather, it’s required knowledge for life!

Kai: Okay okay, that’s enough. …… In any case, let’s just try going to that cafe.

Shun: Well then, You. I’m relying on you to guide us.

You: Alright-. If I’m not mistaken…… It’s over this way.

Shun: Hmm. This smell of fragrant tea leaves, is from products of the highest quality. …… This shop certainly is good.

Rui: …… The pudding is delicious too.

Yoru: This cheesecake is also super delicious. So much so that I want to know the recipe!

Rui: …… It’s all thanks to You.

You: Hehehe…… If you’d like, I could teach you more of a gentleman’s knowledge?

Yoru: Don’t get so full of yourself. …… But, I might actually want you to teach me about more delicious restaurants.

Iku: Oh! Me too!

Rui: Are there other shops, where they have delicious pudding?

You: Okay! Leave it to me. Umm…… If you are looking for pudding then...

Shun: Hehehe...... Are you relieved now? Kai.

Kai: Yeah. It seems like Rui has also had a break with this change of pace.

Kai: …… Plus, recently, we’ve all been swamped with work, so leisurely spending our off time all together like this is good.

Shun: Yeah. I enjoy having all of us together, laughing and talking to each other while drinking black tea. This is a time of supreme bliss that I wouldn’t exchange for anything.

Kai: It is!

Rui: …… Everyone.

Kai: Hmm? What’s wrong?

Rui: Thank you for today…… And for worrying about me.

Iku: That’s natural, since we are your comrades!

Rui: Yeah…… Even still, thank you. I’ll practice hard with the app. If you guys are with me, I feel like I’ll be able to get better.

You: Its not that you “feel that you’ll get better”, you’ll definitely get better!

Yoru: We’ll work hard together with you.

Rui: Yeah!

Shun: I believed that this type of development would happen so this is lovely.

Kai: …… Well, there’s a time limit before the performance. It’s not just Rui, we all have to do our best as well.

Iku: Yes!

Shun: Kai and Ikkun, have completely gone into serious mode. Please be mild* ♪

[*meaning don’t get too serious or crazy about it]

~END~

[My poor Rui baby~ I just want to yell out, you can do it!! XD]

[Next chapter is the final Tsukiuta main drama that has been released~]

#Tsukipara #Tsukipro #Tsukiuta #My translation

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gastricpierrot · 7 years

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Title: When Stars Align

Series: Daiya no Ace

Pairing: KuraRyou

Rating: T

Summary: Nothing good ever comes out of an intimate relationship between a human and a youkai, Ryousuke knows. He’s heard more than enough stories on betrayal, on disasters, on families being shunned. And being an onmyouji, he knows better than anyone else.

And yet, he lets himself fall.

Warning: i probably undermined the confrontation scene a bit but i?? tried??? _(:D

Also on AO3

[Ch.1][Ch.2][Ch.3][Ch. 4]

[Ch.5]

It’s like plunging face first into a pool of hot water.

Ryousuke fights to breathe past the instant realization that she knows, she knows, she knows. Because even if she does if he can resist it won’t matter. He digs his fingernails into his palms, letting the sting keep him grounded. He can do this. There’s no other choice but to do this.

They kneel and bow before the minister present in place of the Emperor, going through some processes of formality before proceeding with their preparations. Ryousuke takes his position at the circle of onmyouji, resisting the earnest urge to punch himself in the chest to slow the beating of his heart and dislodge the lump in his throat. He mustn’t be this anxious, mustn’t let himself slip.

He keeps his gaze trained towards the floor as Tamamo no Mae is led to the centre of their circle, not wanting to risk any further contact with her because just being there is extremely risky as it is. He mentally blocks out the sound of her silky voice, the scent of her perfume, the weight of her currently suppressed aura that only he can perceive. It’s fine; confrontation isn’t the main purpose of this ceremony, even if it’s best if they’re able to somehow get rid of her in the process. Mostly everyone involved who’s from the Bureau are already certain that she’s the Nine-tailed Fox; the only thing they have to do now is to expose her true nature to the royal court that remains in denial. For now, all Ryousuke has to do is keep his calm and not mess up.

There’s a moment of tense silence once everyone’s ready, broken only by the knock of Abe no Yasunari’s tools to signify the beginning of the spell. Ryousuke clasps his hands together, pressing hard at where his fingertips meet as he recites the chant he’s long memorized but never found the need to use until then. He feels his stomach churn, and he takes a deep, careful breath. It’ll just take thirty minutes if it’s successful; he just has to pull through the next half hour.

“Boy.”

And there it is—the fox seeking her kind. Ryousuke decides to ignore her despite knowing he’s leaving his mind vulnerable; he can’t spare the focus to drive her out at the moment. She can dig up whatever fears or memories or even try waking it that’s already stirring to her presence, but Ryousuke can’t falter or else everyone else’s efforts will be for naught. He came all the way here fully prepared to be singled out; she won’t catch him off guard so easily.

“No need to be shy, I know you can hear me,” the fox continues, an icy undertone to her voice despite her friendly words. “Why don’t we have a quick chat? It’d be a moment before this whole thing is over and I’m getting rather bored.”

Ryousuke wills his thoughts to remain blank, only keeping the visualisation of the spell’s words clear. He senses her trying to interfere, trying to force him to acknowledge her.

“Ah, poor thing,” she speaks after a foreboding minute of silence, tone dripping with sympathy that sounded almost genuine, “Your parents left you as well, didn’t they? I understand, it was the same for me, too. I suppose it’s simply the fate of foxes born to humans to be abandoned—but worry not, I can assure you that the rest of our kind are much more accepting. So what do you say? Help me escape and I can make your life much easier. You won’t have to try so hard to hide your true nature anymore, and there’ll no longer be the need to work yourself to the bone every day. Oh, and you can bring your precious little brother along, if you wish!”

To tell the truth, Ryousuke stopped registering her words after she mentioned helping her escape. So she’s worried about the position she’s in despite her calm exterior—as she should because really, it’s her alone against a group of the best onmyouji in the country. Even if she’s to fight, she would no doubt sustain some degree of injury before she’d be able to make an escape. Just this purifying ritual would weaken her significantly if successful.

But honestly, does she really think she can sway him with those pathetic suggestions? Either the records are wrong, or she’s really underestimating him.

“Ryousuke, don’t you think it’s rude to ignore the person talking to you face to face?”

Ryousuke nearly bites his tongue. That cursed kitsune—using his mother’s voice like that. He feels her smugness in successfully finding the chink in his mental armour, feels her digging even deeper faster than he can consider how to react.

“I do wonder why you’re still willing to put up with everything up until now,” Tamamo no Mae speaks in the perfect imitation of Ryousuke’s mother. He’s sure that if he opens his eyes right then, he would see her sitting there before him in the flesh; her hair tucked behind her ear on one side, her smile almost a mirror of his own. The lady who gave birth to him, the lady whom his father took away along with Haruichi once after he almost harmed them due to his own incompetence. “Mother’s so, so sorry for what we did—you must be so tired after working so hard, dear. I promise we’ll make things return to how they were again, so why don’t you come with me?”

I don’t need you.

It’s a reflex thought, one he’s so deeply ingrained into himself that he doesn’t even realize his slip until it’s too late. Ryousuke inhales sharply, nearly missing a word and falling behind the incantation. He can’t decide who he wants to punch more; the wretched Fox, or himself for still being unconsciously hung up over something he’s so damned sure he’s gotten over long ago.

“Of course you do, silly. Every child needs their mother.”

And I need you to shut up and let me concentrate.

Might as well tell her to shove off now; Ryousuke figures he has nothing left to lose. He would’ve appreciated it if she could respect his wishes like a decent person, though, which she of course, insists on not being.

“You’ve always been like that, haven’t you? Putting on a strong front to hide how you really feel,” Tamamo no Mae coos sympathetically. Ryousuke could almost feel her hand caressing his cheek, touch devoid of any warmth. “Isn’t it exhausting to keep so many secrets at once? Don’t you think it’ll be much easier if you could just disappear?”

It’d be much easier for me if you’re the one who disappears, to be frank.

“I can show them too, you know.” The fox’s tone takes a sudden malicious change, seemingly growing steadily annoyed by Ryousuke’s retorts. She’s running out of time and she knows it. “You may be able to expose me with this ritual, but I can also show them what you really are, boy. Do you really want to be seen as a monster fit to be hunted down again?”

Ryousuke doesn’t answer to that, physically falling silent along with the others and leaving only Abe no Yasunari’s voice ring clear throughout the hall. Even with his eyes kept closed, he could perceive the harsh light coming from the centre of their circle. They’ve completed the first portion of the spell, that is inviting the gods to join them. The rest would be up to Abe no Yasunari; he’ll be the only one who can hear their voices and complete the ritual. The role of the other onmyouji now is to control and maintain the spiritual wavelength in the room so no one accidentally gets vaporized by the gods’ aura.

Ryousuke senses two—no, three divine entities present with them. His scalp tingles from the cluster of power radiating before him, but there’s also a certain calmness in the air that came with their arrival. The burn in Ryousuke’s gut slowly subsides, almost as if it’s intimidated back into submission.

He nearly breathes a sigh of relief. As much as he hates to admit, a tremor’s beginning to manifest in his hands from the strain of enduring so many sensations at once. He isn’t sure how much longer he would’ve been able to keep up his composure had the gods not indirectly given him that subtle boost.

“If you may, Tamamo no Mae-sama.”

The rustling of clothes follows Abe no Yasunari’s directive, as well as a blast of hostility so concentrated towards Ryousuke that it almost feels like he just got impaled through his temples.

“Traitor,” the fox hisses into his mind as if he ever saw her as kin in the first place, every word she says piercing into his consciousness like stakes. “You think you’re doing yourself any favours by going against me? You think you can suppress a fox’s power forever? You’re nothing but a fool.”

Ryousuke bites his lip; just a little more, just a little more. Just a little more until the moment of truth.

“And you think I’d let you off so easily after all I did to be nice? Mark my words, foolish onmyouji, that from now on you’ll—“

Her threat is cut off by a growl—her own when the spell reacts to her malevolence and, Ryousuke hopes, rebounds as some sort of damage on her being. Ryousuke simultaneously feels heat against his face, the gods vanish; and hears panic erupting from all around him. When he finally opens his eyes, Tamamo no Mae is no longer the beautiful young lady he saw earlier, in her place a fox as tall as an average adult human with golden fur and nine tails unfurling behind her back. Her teeth bared in a bloodthirsty snarl, her breathing slightly laboured.

Ryousuke isn’t spared from being awestruck by the Fox’s true form; time seems to in fact slow for a short moment after the revelation. The Nine-tailed Fox is almost on par with a god in her own right, and her regal appearance and aura only serves to bolster that. If she hadn’t been an enemy, Ryousuke couldn’t help thinking he might’ve one day come to admire her.

Then just as the moment passes and the onmyouji move to face her, she lets out a single ear-splitting yowl, and strikes out with her tails, catching everyone off guard with the sheer force of it. And in that few seconds of distraction, she lunges towards Ryousuke’s direction.

Ryousuke tenses for a second too long, his spell right at the point of release when she passes right through him and flees out the window behind him.

In that brief moment of contact, deep in the recesses of his mind, Ryousuke hears the sound of a nail being hammered down.

“Ryousuke!”

And the last thing he hears before the world goes black was the order to hunt down the Fox.

xXx

For a second, Youichi’s vision goes blank.

It’s the sensations that led up to it that worries him more, though. The thin thread of a link between Ryousuke’s mind and his own seemed to have strengthened dramatically at one point, so much so that it almost feels as if they’ve formed a literal emotional bond. Ryousuke’s stress and tension flooded to him full force without warning; pride was pretty much the only thing that kept Youichi from curling into a ball and do nothing but try to breathe until it’s all over.

And then there’s fear, annoyance, and something quite different that Youichi can’t pinpoint. It wasn’t as much of an emotion than it is a sort of…presence. It wasn’t the Fox, Youichi could tell that much due to the faintness of it. It was more like there’s something else inside Ryousuke’s mind, something right on the brink of waking from a deep slumber.

Youichi starts at the sudden realization. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s not impossible so what if...? It would explain his inhumanly powerful spiritual energy, to the very least. No pure-blooded human has ever been born with that sort of power for a long time; their bodies and souls have eventually became unable to produce that level of energy as the bond between humans and nature weakened over time. Youichi doesn’t know—and doesn’t think he’ll ever know, for that matter—how it came about, but Ryousuke must be, in some way, part youkai.

…Whoa.

Youichi has to sit back for a moment to let it sink in. Even though there’s never a short of conspiracy theories surrounding Ryousuke from the guys in the mountain, it’s still pretty wild. Youichi wonders if that’s partly the reason why he’s so unnerved about facing the kitsune. Maybe there’s something about her that gives her a sort of upper hand over him? He doesn’t know. It’s probably also not his place to know.

If anything, he should be concerned over Ryousuke’s current wellbeing rather than the truth of what he is. That sudden blackout was frankly bad news; it meant Ryousuke’s fallen unconscious for some reason. There are only so many possibilities since he’s supposed to be in the middle of work, and Youichi doesn’t like even one of them. Is he getting help from the other side? Can he… can he even still be helped?

“Ryou-san...?” Youichi reluctantly taps into the link that’s surprisingly still there. He half expects silence, half expects Ryousuke’s voice to pop up out of nowhere and casually toss him a snarky remark because he thinks he’s definitely capable of surprising him like that. “Ryou-san, hey, you there?”

Only this time it’s silence; an uneasy silence that does nothing but make Youichi’s unease worse as it stretches on by the second.

As much as Haruichi would want him to, as much as he himself genuinely thinks that maybe he should go check up on him or something, Youichi can’t leave. He can’t risk leaving the place defenceless because who knows what the heck happened in the Capital city? For all he knows, hordes of youkai might already be starting to run rampant across the country and he’d soon be so busy that he’d barely have the chance to catch his breath. Besides, Ryousuke entrusted the task of protecting his hometown to him; he’d definitely want him to prioritize that over his own safety. Youichi’s concern wouldn’t be appreciated where Ryousuke is.

He knows Ryousuke’s alive, at the very least. As long as he can still access their link, he’ll know that he’s alive. He repeats it to himself, clings on to it as his one reason to stay.

Yet it’s strange how less and less comfort that gradually brings him.

xXx

Haruichi knew something isn’t right when Ryousuke doesn’t return within the usual timespan.

The letter is painfully vague, disclosing nothing but the fact that the kitsune might’ve done something to his brother during her escape and that the Bureau is keeping him in the Capital for supervision a little longer. Haruichi could only imagine the worst. What if that’s just a pretence and they’re actually holding him there because the truth’s been revealed and they just haven’t decided what to do with him? What if facing the Fox had permanently damaged Ryousuke in some way or another? Haruichi watched his only family leave fearing the worst, and now that he’s staring right at it he feels a whole new sense of uselessness weigh down on his shoulders. Why can’t he ever do anything at times like this?

Haruichi takes a deep breath, balling his fists. This isn’t the time to wallow in self-hate. Think; there must be something even he’s capable of while he waits. If only he could figure out what’s going on in Ryousuke’s side now—he could perhaps prepare something that could be of help to him when he returns, something that perhaps he as one of the only few people who are fully aware of his circumstances can do.

There’s an old couple praying at Youichi’s shrine when Haruichi seeks him out. Not wanting to disturb them, he keeps himself out of sight and waits for them to leave, only emerging from his spot once their footsteps have faded into the distance. As he approaches, he offers a slight wave to Youichi, who, looks to have been expecting him.

“Good afternoon, Youichi-sama,” Haruichi greets, stopping a respectable distance from the tengu. Youichi nods, his efforts to keep the troubled look off his face not quite paying off because Haruichi could see his tension just fine. He’s heard from Eijun about Youichi’s link to Ryousuke. Haruichi really doesn’t fancy the idea of constantly bothering the local guardian with personal affairs, but since Youichi has practically gotten himself ankle-deep in said affairs anyway, he figures there’s little left for him to lose.

“Hey.” Youichi seems to hold his breath for a second before continuing. “I’ve got some news about Ryou-san that I think you should know.”

Straight to the point, huh. It’s funny, how the hundreds of worst case scenarios that occurred to him earlier have now simply blended into one blank thought. Haruichi swallows, and nods.

“I actually heard this from someone else but uh—“ Youichi moistens his lips and averts his gaze, searching the air for the right words— “I think he might’ve been cursed by the Nine-tailed Fox.”

“But he’s with the best onmyouji around; they should be able to do something, right?” Haruichi asks, mostly for his own sake because it’s that easy for a few words to send his mind reeling. If it’s something even they can’t do anything about then…then…

The hesitance doesn’t leave Youichi’s demeanour, his eyes refusing to meet his. “I’m…not too sure about that.”

Haruichi’s afraid to ask. And yet.

“What do you mean?”

A moment more of reluctance, then a resolute breath. And finally, Youichi looks at him.

“I don’t think they know about it.”

“Is that even possible?” They’re onmyouji; detecting and dispelling curses are supposed to be one of their specialities. It’s highly unlikely that they wouldn’t notice anything even if Ryousuke denies it (which, let’s face the fact—he probably would if he thinks it’s something he can deal with himself). Maybe Youichi’s misunderstanding something? Then again, nine-tailed foxes are borderline legendary creatures, so the odds aren’t completely improbable. If there's a type of youkai that can outsmart even the best onmyouji in the country, it'd be them.

Sometimes, Haruichi hates his own rationale.

“Curses aren’t exactly my thing, but that’s kinda what it feels like,” Youichi says, rubbing the back of his neck in thought. “His consciousness is pretty much back to normal as far as I can tell. As unreliable as it is, it’s just a bad feeling I’m still getting despite everything.”

“Then…then what’s there we could do?” Haruichi asks, the question directed more to himself than Youichi. If even full-fledged onmyouji are unable to take any action, what more can a self-learned fledgling and a youkai deity who specializes in combat do? Is there really nothing they can do apart from watching the curse take its effect and torment his brother until possibly the end of his days?

“I don’t know.” Youichi runs his fingers through his hair, exhaling in what seems to be exasperation. And for the first time since their conversation started, Haruichi notices the concern on the tengu’s face. Because despite what Youichi says and how he acts, Haruichi knows how he’s come to see Ryousuke as some sort of friend. He figures there should at least be a sort of special status granted to the ones you work with to protect something, after all.

And quite suddenly, Haruichi feels much less alone. He’s no longer the only one who has to fret himself restless over Ryousuke’s wellbeing. He hasn't been alone for a while now, much to his shameful realization. Some part of him has always been subconsciously blinded by the past, by the rejection Ryousuke unfairly faced all those years ago that left a huge impact on him at very impressionable age. It’s different now. There are more people who care now.

It’s at that moment that his long period of uncertainty comes to an abrupt end. He finally knows what he wants to do, even if it’d end with crushing expectations on his shoulders, even if he’s going to put his life at risk. Even if he’s going to have to train until he pukes blood like Ryousuke did because it’s the only way he can help directly, it’s always been the only way he knows that would make some sort of difference even if he’s been too cowardly to face it all this while.

“You have any ideas?”

Haruichi wonders if it’s really that obvious; all it took was one look at him from Youichi for him to ask. He allows himself just a second more of hesitance before nodding, resolute.

“If it ever comes to it, I’ll help him remove the curse.” He clenches his fists at his sides. “I’ll do whatever it takes to gain the skills to do that.”

And if Youichi thinks he’s being overambitious, he doesn’t show it. In fact, he seems impressed, to an extent. Pleased, even. If their situation hadn't been this solemn, Haruichi would've wondered with amusement how things have progressed to the point where he's become someone a local deity can feel proud of.

“Well, good luck with that, kid." Haruichi lurches a step forward when Youichi pats his back in encouragement. "You're definitely gonna need it."

xXx

Unlike a good majority of the onmyouji around him, Ryousuke’s decided to stop trying to figure out if the kitsune’s done anything to him.

It’s five days before he’s allowed to leave. Five. Days. He’ll find out sooner or later anyway, so he really doesn’t see the point in him keeping him quarantined for so long. He just wants to go home, is that really such a difficult request? Really, it’s not like he was dying on the spot or anything. He’s sure he’ll figure something out if it’s going to be a prolonged curse—which, is turning out to be a rather likely possibility given the lack of immediate signs at the moment. Though, that’d only be true if the Fox truly had managed to make her move in time before she was forced to flee. With all these uncertainties, it’s difficult to decide what’s exactly going on.

Of course, as though being singled out by the Fox and being the subject of scrutiny for days aren’t bad enough, Kazuya’s assigned to accompany him back “just to be safe, for Ryousuke-dono’s sake”. To say neither of them were too keen on the arrangement might be quite an understatement, though Ryousuke has to admit appreciating the extra hand when it becomes apparent what the Fox’s escape has triggered among the youkai along the way. It isn’t exactly easy to keep swarms of unusually malicious youkai at bay while still recovering from the miasma of the city, not even for Ryousuke.

But Kazuya doesn’t need to know that, of course. Ryousuke decides his ego’s huge enough as it is.

“Heh, it’s been a while.”

Ryousuke says nothing as Kazuya marvels at the sight of his hometown once they're there, his usually cocky expression softened to something marginally resembling fondness. He used to drop by often back in the day, mostly to torment Eijun periodically and have surprisingly solemn chats with Tetsu about stuff Ryousuke never took an interest in finding out. Ryousuke’s never really expected him to be the sentimental type, so he’s careful to keep this observation in his memory for future blackmailing purposes.

“You’re free to go back now, you know.”

“Wow, not even an offer to stay for a meal?” Kazuya feigns a look of severe hurt at him. Ryousuke merely shrugs, nonchalant.

“Unlike you, I’m quite the busy person. I suppose you wouldn’t want to be waiting for me to get all my things sorted out before you get to eat?”

“...Point taken,” Kazuya admits after a second of thought, familiar enough with Ryousuke’s workaholic tendencies to believe his half-lie. Though, it’s not like anything’s going to be different even if he doesn’t, really. “Well. Guess I’ll be on my way, then.”

He flicks his wrist in a backhanded wave before walking off, heading towards the direction of marketplace with more purpose than Ryousuke's ever seen him have while at work. Ryousuke goes the opposite direction, soon strolling through the familiar streets, past familiar buildings. And Ryousuke-sama’s back, whispers are exchanged among the tiny street youkai who spot him, word of his return slowly spreading like a wave across the area. Ryousuke’s back.

And as he enters his own home, Ryousuke wonders if Haruichi’s prepared enough food for his share as well this time.

#kuraryou #kominato ryousuke #kuramochi youichi #diamond no ace #daiya no ace #fanfiction #PHEW THATS ONE MORE CHAPtER DOWN #HONESTLY KUDOS TO YOU GUYS WHO PUT UP WITH MY EXTREMELY SLOW UPDATES ILYALL

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duqstudents4fairtrade · 7 years

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Fittest Late Night Talk Show Hosts 2017

Late night talk show hosts can crack a joke and carry a skit, but can they run a few miles without getting out of breath? The nightly format of most of these shows means that these hosts are in our living rooms and on our Twitter feeds every day. They should use their large platform and extensive followings to rally people around healthy lifestyle.

At the HFR institue, we’ve emphasized the connection between entertainment and fitness since 2013. Our innovative lists of fittest celebrities hit all categories of entertainers, from comedians to rock stars. This is our third annual fittest talk show host list, with previous research ranking the fittest late night talk show hosts and daytime hosts. We used Samir Becic’s knowledge of over 33 years in athletics coupled with his experience as 4 times Number 1 Fitness Trainer in the World to scour all available information on the late night hosts to find the fittest of the bunch.

Samir Becic, author of ReSYNC Your Life, says of these late night mavens “Late night talk show hosts have a specific role in American society because of the tens of millions of viewers and followers on social media. They can be among the most influential trendsetters and can inspire millions of Americans to embrace a healthier lifestyle.”

We used a combination of internet research and interviews to create this list:

Andy Cohen – Watch What Happens Live

A post shared by Andy Cohen (@bravoandy) on Oct 27, 2014 at 11:39am PDT

Scuba dives.

Enjoys fly-fishing.

Rides horses- can even be seen herding cattle in Montana on his Instagram page.

Has said his rescue dog Wacha, has made him more of a morning person, and he regularly walks him.

Works out daily with a trainer for an hour.

Although he is up late for his live late night talk show, he always makes time in the morning to workout, something he enjoys.

Cohen eats a healthy diet and is big on healthy eating. He often eats toast and tea for breakfast, quinoa for lunch, and religiously eats the same meal every night of grilled chicken fajita meat when working.

Trevor Noah – The Daily Show

A photo posted by Trevor Noah (@trevornoah) on Mar 31, 2014 at 11:05am PDT

He’s well-aware of the prevalence of heart disease so Noah likes to stay moving when he’s at the office. He does so by spontaneously completing a set of moves with a colleague throughout the day. This can include 10 reps of lunges or squats per person.

Noah finds no excuse to be physically inactive and discourages chronic sitting. He’ll squeeze in some pull-ups, squats, etc. when he’s preparing for The Daily Show.

He believes jumping is a wonderful and easy way to spruce up your monotonous daily actions.

Was runner-up in a reality dance TV Show in South Africa called Strictly Come Dancing, where he trained 14-16 hours daily.

For Noah, it’s not just about being active, it’s also about being proactive in finding ways to include some sort of mini-workout despite your busy schedule.

He is a conscious eater when it comes to processed foods. In a GQ interview, Noah comments that American food “has too much added to it” compared what he ate in his native country, South Africa. To accommodate for these differences, Noah omits excess sugar from his diet and sometimes he’ll even avoid refined carbs for multiple weeks.

Stephen Colbert – The Late Show

A video posted by Late Show with Stephen Colbert (@colbertlateshow) on Nov 20, 2015 at 11:04am PST

A NASA treadmill for astronauts, Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT), was named in honor of Stephen Colbert.

NASA named the space station treadmill after him- Jokes that his daily routine involves:

a protein shake thrown in the face of a jaguar

Crab walks for 25 miles and stabs a mountain

Finishes up with self flagellation and some catapult work

Attended the 2014 Shape & Men’s Fitness Super Bowl Party

In the 2010 Winter Olympics, the “Colbert Report” financially supported the US Speedskating unit as they competed in Vancouver

He used his power as TV show host to promote a fundraiser for the US Speedskating team after their sponsor collapsed during the financial meltdown. His efforts totaled to $300,000 that were used to cheer on the team on the less popular Winter Olympic Games.

He is a yogi in training.

In 2009, Colbert and Matthew McConaughey were ranked the same position for the sexiest Yoga Dork’s male celebrity yogi

Carson Daly – Last Call

A photo posted by Carson Daly (@carsondaly) on Sep 15, 2015 at 6:15am PDT

In 2015, his goal was to lose weight, Daly shed off 30 pounds through dedication and hard work and he continues to maintain his healthier weight.

Upon approaching his 30s, he reveals his growing desire to “eat healthy and be healthy”

Changing his dietary and fitness habits helps him concentrate on the important things of life and work.

Daly credits the blissful California weather for encouraging him to workout.

He’s been recognized as a Health Hero by WebMD in 2014 for his efforts to promote sustainable fresh foods by building gardens for children in Brooklyn.

He enjoys SoulCycle- a high-intensity spinning class

Daly enjoys going on bike rides to explore Santa Monica.

Jimmy Fallon – The Tonight Show

A photo posted by Jimmy Fallon (@jimmyfallon) on Feb 1, 2015 at 10:18am PST

He once had a fitness face-off with First aLdy, Michelle Obama, on his show and lost.

Jimmy is motivated to live a healthy lifestyle so he can stay ahead of his busy schedule.

His green juices contain spinach, parsley, and “God knows what else is in it,” Jimmy joked.

He likes a hearty bowl of salad and getting his omega fats from fish oil supplements.

Jimmy likes golfing.

He often hits the gym with a trainer.

After being the host of the Tonight’s show, he perceives his responsibilities like a boxer on a streak and going on multiple rounds.

Jimmy had to adjust his lifestyle to keep up with the demands of his show. Nowadays, he prioritizes self-care by swapping his night outs for more rest time.

Chris Hardwick – Midnight

A photo posted by Chris Hardwick (@hardwick) on Sep 2, 2016 at 2:11am PDT

He continues to practice abstinence ever since he stopped drinking in 2013.

Hardwick has shed an incredible 40 lbs since his commitment to giving up alcohol.

Being physically active and improving his diet has helped reset his mindset after going through a bump in his life. He no longer tries to make excuses for not being active.

“I humbly place my low point at your feet and tell you that if you’re thinking about making improvements in your life, TODAY IS THE DAY TO START. Quitting drinking, starting exercising, eating better, pursuing your passion, hugging more puppies–whatever it is. Don’t think about it. Just do it. Over-thinking the “hows” and “why comes” will put you in a neverending loop of inactivity. You have the power and ability to change the future with a simple “pro-you” decision” he has said.

Jimmy Kimmel – Jimmy Kimmel Live!

A photo posted by Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) on Apr 9, 2016 at 11:44am PDT

Enjoys sport fishing

He multitasks by utilizing his treadmill desk at work ever since 2012.

His decision to get a treadmill desk came after he “read somewhere that sitting all day can cut 15 or 20 years off your life… [which is] worse than smoking.” He believes that “we weren’t meant to sit this much” so he decided to change this by upgrading his office.

Kimmel commonly critiques fad diets and workouts. He doesn’t take them seriously and promotes more sustainable approaches that place a priority on being healthy rather than solely losing weight.

Conan O’Brien – Conan

A photo posted by CONAN (@teamcoco) on Sep 29, 2016 at 7:34pm PDT

In a humorous segment, he did a workout session with fellow actor Kevin Hart and trainer Jen Widerstrom this year. Although he was not as fit as Hart, O’Brien demonstrated his impressive stamina at 53 years old.

He has a love for bikes and biking. In fact, O’Brien supported The Challenged Athlete Foundation and The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation by participating in an online bike auction. These organizations were both cherished by O’Brien’s late friend, Robin Williams, who also gifted him a Colnago bike worth at least $2,000.

Good music keeps him going. You can find his workout playlist is available on the Rdio app.

Seth Meyers – Late Night: Seth Meyers

A photo posted by @sethmeyers on Aug 8, 2015 at 9:59am PDT

He sticks to a consistent routine of running an average of 4 days a week.

Meyers sets aside 3 days each week to weight train.

He likes to start his day with a refreshing glass/bottle of juice.

Instead of restrictive dieting, Meyers prefers to manage his weight and health by eating once every 4 hours.

Meyers participated in the 2012 Cycle For Survival to raise funds supporting rare cancer research.

He is a firm believer of hopeful perseverance after meeting many inspiring cancer survivors.

John Oliver – Last Week Tonight

A photo posted by Last Week Tonight (@lastweektonight) on Aug 15, 2016 at 6:43am PDT

Oliver has a soft spot for soccer and admits in a Rolling Stone interview that he still dreams of being a soccer player.

Oliver shuns the sugar industry and its unsustainable tactics that are detrimental to health.

In 2016, he bought and forgave $15 million of medical debt.

Despite the limited information currently available on his personal health regime, Oliver has a pivotal role in putting the spotlight on health. He has spoken on nutritional topics such as the chicken industry standards, Dr. Oz’s show, etc.

[Read More ...] http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/fittest-late-night-talk-show-hosts-2017/

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lasemillaschoolgardens · 7 years

Text

Fittest Late Night Talk Show Hosts 2017

http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

We used a combination of internet research and interviews to create this list:

Andy Cohen – Watch What Happens Live

A post shared by Andy Cohen (@bravoandy) on Oct 27, 2014 at 11:39am PDT

Scuba dives.

Enjoys fly-fishing.

Rides horses- can even be seen herding cattle in Montana on his Instagram page.

Has said his rescue dog Wacha, has made him more of a morning person, and he regularly walks him.

Works out daily with a trainer for an hour.

Although he is up late for his live late night talk show, he always makes time in the morning to workout, something he enjoys.

Trevor Noah – The Daily Show

A photo posted by Trevor Noah (@trevornoah) on Mar 31, 2014 at 11:05am PDT

Noah finds no excuse to be physically inactive and discourages chronic sitting. He’ll squeeze in some pull-ups, squats, etc. when he’s preparing for The Daily Show.

He believes jumping is a wonderful and easy way to spruce up your monotonous daily actions.

Was runner-up in a reality dance TV Show in South Africa called Strictly Come Dancing, where he trained 14-16 hours daily.

For Noah, it’s not just about being active, it’s also about being proactive in finding ways to include some sort of mini-workout despite your busy schedule.

Stephen Colbert – The Late Show

A video posted by Late Show with Stephen Colbert (@colbertlateshow) on Nov 20, 2015 at 11:04am PST

A NASA treadmill for astronauts, Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT), was named in honor of Stephen Colbert.

NASA named the space station treadmill after him- Jokes that his daily routine involves:

a protein shake thrown in the face of a jaguar

Crab walks for 25 miles and stabs a mountain

Finishes up with self flagellation and some catapult work

Attended the 2014 Shape & Men’s Fitness Super Bowl Party

In the 2010 Winter Olympics, the “Colbert Report” financially supported the US Speedskating unit as they competed in Vancouver

He is a yogi in training.

In 2009, Colbert and Matthew McConaughey were ranked the same position for the sexiest Yoga Dork’s male celebrity yogi

Carson Daly – Last Call

A photo posted by Carson Daly (@carsondaly) on Sep 15, 2015 at 6:15am PDT

In 2015, his goal was to lose weight, Daly shed off 30 pounds through dedication and hard work and he continues to maintain his healthier weight.

Upon approaching his 30s, he reveals his growing desire to “eat healthy and be healthy”

Changing his dietary and fitness habits helps him concentrate on the important things of life and work.

Daly credits the blissful California weather for encouraging him to workout.

He’s been recognized as a Health Hero by WebMD in 2014 for his efforts to promote sustainable fresh foods by building gardens for children in Brooklyn.

He enjoys SoulCycle- a high-intensity spinning class

Daly enjoys going on bike rides to explore Santa Monica.

Jimmy Fallon – The Tonight Show

A photo posted by Jimmy Fallon (@jimmyfallon) on Feb 1, 2015 at 10:18am PST

He once had a fitness face-off with First aLdy, Michelle Obama, on his show and lost.

Jimmy is motivated to live a healthy lifestyle so he can stay ahead of his busy schedule.

His green juices contain spinach, parsley, and “God knows what else is in it,” Jimmy joked.

He likes a hearty bowl of salad and getting his omega fats from fish oil supplements.

Jimmy likes golfing.

He often hits the gym with a trainer.

After being the host of the Tonight’s show, he perceives his responsibilities like a boxer on a streak and going on multiple rounds.

Jimmy had to adjust his lifestyle to keep up with the demands of his show. Nowadays, he prioritizes self-care by swapping his night outs for more rest time.

Chris Hardwick – Midnight

A photo posted by Chris Hardwick (@hardwick) on Sep 2, 2016 at 2:11am PDT

He continues to practice abstinence ever since he stopped drinking in 2013.

Hardwick has shed an incredible 40 lbs since his commitment to giving up alcohol.

Being physically active and improving his diet has helped reset his mindset after going through a bump in his life. He no longer tries to make excuses for not being active.

Jimmy Kimmel – Jimmy Kimmel Live!

A photo posted by Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) on Apr 9, 2016 at 11:44am PDT

Enjoys sport fishing

He multitasks by utilizing his treadmill desk at work ever since 2012.

Kimmel commonly critiques fad diets and workouts. He doesn’t take them seriously and promotes more sustainable approaches that place a priority on being healthy rather than solely losing weight.

Conan O’Brien – Conan

A photo posted by CONAN (@teamcoco) on Sep 29, 2016 at 7:34pm PDT

Good music keeps him going. You can find his workout playlist is available on the Rdio app.

Seth Meyers – Late Night: Seth Meyers

A photo posted by @sethmeyers on Aug 8, 2015 at 9:59am PDT

He sticks to a consistent routine of running an average of 4 days a week.

Meyers sets aside 3 days each week to weight train.

He likes to start his day with a refreshing glass/bottle of juice.

Instead of restrictive dieting, Meyers prefers to manage his weight and health by eating once every 4 hours.

Meyers participated in the 2012 Cycle For Survival to raise funds supporting rare cancer research.

He is a firm believer of hopeful perseverance after meeting many inspiring cancer survivors.

John Oliver – Last Week Tonight

A photo posted by Last Week Tonight (@lastweektonight) on Aug 15, 2016 at 6:43am PDT

Oliver has a soft spot for soccer and admits in a Rolling Stone interview that he still dreams of being a soccer player.

Oliver shuns the sugar industry and its unsustainable tactics that are detrimental to health.

In 2016, he bought and forgave $15 million of medical debt.

[Read More ...] http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/fittest-late-night-talk-show-hosts-2017/

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nosakkayuuma · 7 years

Text

Year-End Fic Round-Up and Meme

2017 Fanfiction Round-Up (Template adapted from https://trey.dreamwidth.org/584.html!) My AO3 page! Total Year-Long Wordcount: AO3 tells me 18,160. Actually about 4200 of those were written last year but at this point I will take what I can get, so, Genghis Khan, you belong to 2017 now. Also, I wrote a whole ton of words in draft form, but it doesn’t count until it gets published, so I guess this year’s work will bolster next year’s (fingers crossed) word count!!

This year I wrote and posted: 6 whole new shiny fics!!! (OK, 5, because Genghis Khan was actually written by 23 December 2016 or so... but it’s near enough to 2017 that I’ll count it.) They’re all oneshots varying from 1.5k-4k in length, and fall in either the Inazuma Eleven or Saint Seiya fandoms. More under the cut~

Overall Thoughts Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted? I wrote a heck of a lot less than I thought. Should probably figure out how to write faster next year. I have been thinking of taking 1 day out of the 5-day workweek off for writing, but ultimately I think it’s either anime/manga/video games or writing which is not a fun thing to consider. This year, I have played a lot more video games, which I think is a great thing, but maybe not if it affects my writing (not saying that it does... correlation does not equal causation x)) What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January? Saint Seiya fits the closest, because even though I had started watching it by then it firmly fell (and still falls) in the category of fandoms where I don’t feel like there’s anything I can contribute. What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest? It has to be What draws me to you. No contest. I feel like I just about put myself into a depressive funk for 2 weeks just writing it and it was really worth it. And, for once, the title came to me and I didn’t have to do silly Google tricks or listen to a million songs to come up with a title. Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? This year was so tame, I guess the biggest risk I took was in [redacted] (it is still not posted under my account due to being judged in a writing contest... but it is up, go look for it please) where I played around with nonlinear narratives... KIND OF. I guess I should take more risks next year, which I was already planning to do anyway but am definitely gonna do now! OKAY I went back to this because while I have mentally blocked out all the effort of working on [redacted] from my mind because it’s taking like four months to judge a contest and I’m a little frustrated... umm... I mean, anyway. I definitely thought long and hard about meta for once when writing it, and tried my hardest to make it so that readers had to put the pieces together to figure out what I was trying to do. One can say I was too subtle; honestly I’m not sure because there has not been a lot of feedback. Still, while it was a gruelling experience writing it, it was fun in the end, and the end result is pretty nice too. From my past year of writing, what was.... My best story of this year: What draws me to you My most popular story of this year: It was First Time according to hits, but that’s to be expected since the Saint Seiya fandom is a lot larger than the Inazuma Eleven fandom. Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: What draws me to you What draws me to you What draws me to you also [redacted] Most fun story to write: Okay to be honest, it was Peripeties, mostly because it was so fun to revisit the world of Renegade (my Fudou longfic about him between Shin Teikoku and Inazuma Japan) again and also think about what my convenience store gang OCs would be like a few years on. Antagonistic Fudou flowed so easily as well. Also I really enjoy thinking about Teikoku high school :^) Story with the single sexiest moment: I guess I’ll have to say [redacted], since there’s like, an established relationship in it which is probably the closest thing to sexy. I mean in Genghis Khan Someoka and Fubuki share a Look and in What draws me to you Fudou and Sakuma fucking hold hands. What more do you want from me!!! A kiss?! Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story: I guess that’s on my to-do list for next year. Actually, one of my WIPs (the one I wrote 20k words of notes/first draft during NaNoWriMo for but haven’t got around to refining) will have elements of that... Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: Definitely A Request, because I never write Gouenji or Kidou so I learned quite a bit about them while writing it. Which is probably a hint that I should challenge myself next year lol. Hardest story to write: I don’t remember any of them being particularly difficult to write, which is weird because when I eat my own cooking I remember how much effort I had to put in to make it (although the fact that there’s a much shorter wait between cooking and eating probably explains that). Probably What draws me to you. I obsessed over every word, I did so much research (but it was interesting reading), I focused so hard on the vague images in my mind and tried to translate them faithfully into text... Biggest Disappointment: I am not entirely satisfied with [redacted] which is probably a good thing. I don’t think it’s quite exactly what I wanted to write, but only minutely different. Biggest Surprise: I guess I didn’t realise how big (or HyoShun-starved?) the Saint Seiya fandom was until I posted First Time and watched the hits grow day by day. Most Unintentionally Telling Story: I already did all of that in Renegade so I guess being its sequel, Peripeties is probably it. Favorite Opening Line(s): When Raimon had been told that they would all be sent to various schools around Japan to serve on their reinforcement committee, Someoka had been over the moon. Finally, some real responsibility. Then they had told him that he was assigned to the boondocks. From Genghis Khan Favorite Closing Line(s): I mean I could pick any of my emotional punchlines or whatever but who am I kidding, it has to be from First Time. "Nii-san," Shun finally said. He took the potent cocktail from the counter and drank, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Whoever said we weren't?" Favorite 5 Line(s) from Anywhere: His heartbeat quickened, and he was about to drop Fudou's hands, only to freeze as Fudou started to tug his fingers closer in with his own and intertwine them together. Their palms touched, and Sakuma felt the calloused skin where Fudou's fingers met his palm. He couldn't help but close his fingers around Fudou's cool hands and give them just one light, hesitant squeeze. The answering pressure sent Sakuma's heart madly aflutter, and Fudou flushed, complexion growing darker even as he stubbornly maintained eye contact. The two of them stared at each other for the shortest eternity, or was it the longest moment? To be honest, there were multiple contenders for this just from What draws me to you alone, but after a close fight this won. Top 5 Scenes from Anywhere You Would Choose to Have Illustrated: 1. What draws me to you, New Year’s festival at the temple, Sakuma in a suit, Miyabino next to him, both staring at a rogueish corn vendor Fudou in a dark blue kimono who’s fanning the coals with a rolled up sheet of newspaper, to the orange backdrop of the setting sun. I WANT THIS SO BAD I CAN’T EVEN 2. The final punchline of First Time. Shun’s sly grin!!! 3. What draws me to you, Fudou and Sakuma holding hands and all around them is the flowy, fluffy white of sakura petals 4. The chicken nugget confrontation in Peripeties! 5. Sakuma being a badass in [redacted]. Shouldn’t be more specific than that but I don’t think there are many scenes of Sakuma being a badass in that fic anyway... Also I have to say that my friend Ro illustrated the shooting stars scene in Peripeties and it’s soooooooo. Good!! <3 Fic-writing goals for 2018: 1. Finish Real Illusions, my Souda- and Sonia-centric post-SDR2 [Super Danganronpa 2] fic. OHHHHHH MY GOD. I THOUGHT THIS YEAR WOULD BE THE YEAR SINCE DR3 /AND/ NDRV3 WERE BOTH RELEASED. APPARENTLY NOT. 2. Finish part 1 of Blind Sin AU, and also think of a title for it instead of constantly calling it Blind Sin AU all the time, I guess. 3. Finish Redemption? To be honest I want to focus equally on original next year so I’m not exactly going to write 20 fics or anything like that. 4. Oh, yes. Try to push myself by writing characters, situations, styles, structures etc. I’m not familiar with.

#writing #my stuff #writing meme

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roblooney4263-blog · 7 years

Text

Life Diet Of Adonis Hill, The Fitness instructor Who Obtained 70 Pounds In order to help His Client.

Dedication is defined as the state of being devoted to somebody, a ceremony for the beginning of something such as the birth of a child, or something created, claimed or revealed in honor or memory of somebody. Put in different terms, the Word is the super-sharp cutting instrument through which God trims us (see Hebrews 4:12). Orders typically get here in 3-6 days within the USA yet can use up to 4 weeks internationally. The United States buck quantities on this web page integrate the pre- as well as post-acquisition outcomes of CWC while the rebased profits and also OCF development prices are for the post-acquisition duration.

And the Moorside starlet's hard work and also dedication has actually now been identified as she's been nominated for Ideal Starlet in a Music at the distinguished Olivier Awards. The picture above was published on Could 10, 1942-- Mother's Day-- on the front page of the Los Angeles Times regional news section. Saina Nehwal had announced the contribution of Rs 6 lakh to the martyrs on her birthday celebration on March 17. Treat rather the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and attend to their needs, due to the fact that they helped me when I needed to flee from your brother Absalom" (1 Kings 2:7). To cement their dedication to WePay, they purchased that will certainly bind them with each other for years to find: A pet named Randy. Because any type of effort to impose egalitarian standards on specific economic choices would certainly be unavoidably controversial as well as socially dissentious, the just society shuns the attempt, on principle (Scheffler 2010, phase 5). Under paragraphs 5( 1)( a) and 5( 2)( a) of the PM (NOC) Rules, the second person may, with respect to each patent on the License Register in respect of the very first person's medicine, approve that an NOC will not issue up until the license ends. To understand that Casey told me that I can have 16.5 ″ arms on my 5' 10" and also 6.5 wrist body is something I'm very happy with, those size arms with a 6.5 ″ wrist will certainly look superb, because of the visual fallacy that smaller sized muscular tissues look larger on people with smaller wrists (or joints). A commitment could be made under Common Regulation or pursuant to the needs of law. If 15.3, F.A.S.T Graphs states the current PE ratio is 14 as well as the 5-year standard. If you have any questions with regards to the place and how to use county-strength.info, you can get in touch with us at our own page. By this measurement, shares are greater than 9% undervalued. As this holds true with God, so it additionally comes to be true in our fellowship with one another (2 Cor. Hume additionally declares that in forming these judgments we position ourselves in a basic and consistent viewpoint", which protects against partiality and also variant in our situations from prejudicing or misshaping our moral analyses (T, 3.3.1.15-18/ 581-3). August 6: Non-Mormons try to stop church members from ballot, resulting in a bloody melee. For further assistance on the manufacture of BPIs, please refer to the Annex 3 to the Current Version of the Great Manufacturing Practices Guidelines - Schedule C Drugs (GUI-0026) as well as Annex 2 to the Present Version of the Great Production Practices Guidelines Schedule D Drugs (Organic Medicines) (GUI-0027). At the Lincoln Memorial devotion ceremony, Dr. Moton supplied the keynote address, advertising equal rights among the races, also as he talked with a mainly set apart audience. Most Galapagos cruise ships are 4 to 8 days long and several vacationers are entrusted to added time on their trip that they could explore the wonders of landmass Ecuador. Our Lord was not sanctified by splitting up, but by dedication and obedience to the will as well as the work of the Papa. Since both publications were originally one, 1 and 2 Kings share the very same theme and also goal. Consider the adhering to 4 habits, which are obviously not the only things you should be carrying out in order to be profitable, however a good start to put you on the course to success. Service in the reason for tranquility is a calling that needs both individual commitment and also sacrifice however it likewise uses real opportunities to assist nations as well as individuals recuperate from conflict, restore their societies, and delight in the benefits of tranquility. Bogucki had an outbreak project in 2016, posting a 5-5 record with a 2.86 AGE over 50.1 innings of job, striking out 53 in 28 appearances. Koffee With Karan Period 5: Karan Johar welcomed siblings Salman Khan, Sohail Khan and Arbaaz Khan for the show's 100th episode. Baahubali 2 is also readied to beat the life time collection of Bollywood super star Aamir Khan's Dangal, makinged $12.4 million (Rs 82+ crore) at the US box office. Pursuant to subsection 6( 3) of the PM (NOC) Rules, if such an application is made, the Priest should be offered with proof thereof within the same 45-day period. The majority of these 292 miles are discovered in west central as well as southerly Wisconsin regions as well as are open for the very early catch-and-release season, which runs until midnight, Could 5.

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 7 years

Text

Kado 12 (FINAL)

Shunina in 2D looks creepy as all get out…

I believe what zaShunina wants to get at is that we have reasoning and intelligence…which is half of what some people have feared about this show all along. The “humans are special” preach.

Gonno finally has a point of purpose, which is great.

I’m laughing. It really is Yandere zaShunina, LOL!

Funny thing zaShunina uses the words “way of living”. The characters that make up Shindo’s surname (真道) mean “true way”.

I have the feeling zaShunina can’t actually cry, and he’s faking it.

“…I’ve been meaning to punch you myself.” – In short, Kado really is just a shonen battle series in disguise.

zaShunina’s face makes me wanna cry. That’s the second time this season’s climaxes have attempted to bring me to tears…

Oh well, at least I got my broman-Huh? Shindo’s heart got torn out?! ewfefl/…

Hey, look. Origami bird in the anisotropic. I still want to know how to make one, dangit!

*wants to cry again* Shun-kun? You mean…Hanamori? This 16 year old is another Saraka?

*howling with laughter, but still at the brink of tears* Please, please stop making me ship Saraka and Shindo, since I never shipped them anyway. However, the biggest laugh this season was zaShunina’s many many expressions of rage, that probably beat out even that woman from the Emperor’s New Groove, LOL (Yzma).

Seeing old Hanamori – every single darned shot of him – makes me wanna cry. Plus, Yukika as a baby had a Takoyaki Cat bundle, haha.

*White Parasite spoilers!* A-Ah! So “White Parasite” really was an omen for where this show would go! zaShunina got defeated by his own power, just like La Luna, but zaShunina basically gained the range of expressions of a human, unlike Luna, who was killed off early. Ah…that’s sad. I predicted exactly where this would go without having even seen the show. *end spoilers*

*as the titlecard appears* I-I don’t get it…but wait, there’s more. Keep watching, people.

Chotto ittekimasu means “Out for a little bit”, which isn’t quite the same as “back later”, but I’ll take it.

W-Wah? It’s over…? Well, suffice to say, I was amazed beyond my imagining, so that’s great on an entertainment level (plus I laughed way too hard at Kado). However, the fact I ended up predicting a show I hadn’t even seen yet means it will have to get marked down appropriately.

Katsugeki Touken Ranbu 1

Finally, we’ve gotten to one of the big attractions of the season – I’m a fan of Touken Ranbu, so while seeing my boys animated in Hanamaru was a treat, fall 2016 was a bottleneck in the commentaries. Katsugeki needs to go above and beyond to take one of the 4 slots open to normal-form shows (BnHA’s already taken one slot).

It may be bleak (it’s kinda murky, colours-wise), but it’s…beautiful!!! (My precious Kane-san has properly come to life!) The star effect with the blood is a nice touch.

My memory’s a lil’ rusty because I haven’t played TR for a few months, but the things in the box are koban.

This thing’s like Kado in that it would make a great movie. I envy the people who get to see this in the highest possible res on a big screen…(“My anime club should seriously screen this!” is what I’m saying.)

Interestingly, they’ve chosen Kane-san, so this doesn’t accurately depict a player’s normal route through the game. Either that or this saniwa doesn’t want to sacrifice their starter on this mission. I know how precious my first Kashuu was to me, but I broke him because I was being too reckless…

The saniwa in this is a girl, so the subber who called the saniwa “he” hasn’t looked into the promo material much.

TR’s party limit is six, so this saniwa’s a real noob. (Not that I can say anything – I haven’t passed the Kiwame map yet!)

So Konnosuke can function as Google, LOL. That’s new, I never thought of that pesky fox in that way.

I bet because the Saniwa knew these were swords under the same master, she saw the shipping potential, LOL. Or maybe it’s because the two work well as a pair…

This looks a lot like the starting movie that DMM put in about one year after I started on TR. I bet that’s specifically what they were aiming for, so that’s perfect.

Ooh! What a controversial choice, to put a representation of the saniwa into the show! I wonder why they did such a thing, though?

Judging by this lineup, I’d say Mutsu was this saniwa’s starter. (I’d really like to analyse this saniwa’s choices and drops, as a fellow TR player.) Then again, if I knew the name of the era, then I’d get a better sense of this player’s capability (and judge whether I can really call them a noob or not, LOL).

Dangit, Saniwa! You have Tsuru and Mikazuki (two swords I currently don’t have)! I’m jealous of you!

That’s real cute and nostalgic, to put the preview like a recollection. A fine choice indeed, ufotable.

Kunihiro says specifically he has to try his hardest to not fail, which is slightly different to what the subs say.

Interesting. The words Kane-san uses for “tense” are “[Kunihiro] puts too much energy into his shoulders”.

Well, it’s pretty safe to say this is a keeper between hype and an almost-perfect performance for what I’d expect from a TR adaption. I’m just wondering, if all my hype shows go to commentary…what will my final one be? I planned to watch 14 shows from this season, Amazon axed a few and I added a few more based on ANN so the fight for the final spot may easily be the hardest one in the history of this commentary.

Battle Girl High School 1

Yet another anime I have come to not because I genuinely am hyped for it, but because it’s the satisfaction of seeing “how the bad fall”, if you get what I mean. Also, it’s a magical girl show – it’s basically Hina Logi all over again.

Every magical girl show does that “prophetic dream” stuff, I swear. It’s why I avoid that trope like the plague as a beginning.

Notice the title’s ganbari is in katakana…which isn’t how it’s normally done, mind you.

I’m so darned confused already…so. Girls. Battles. High School. *<-shamelessly ripped from ads I saw around my streaming service) Suddenly, idols…then Irous…? The idols know the high school girls? Wah?

There are only adult dudes here, which means this is probably for adult or teenage dudes…no wonder I feel so desensitised to this, haha.

That…may have been the most uninspired magical girl transformation I have ever seen! Grah! If you’re going to do an anime on magical girls, at least bother with the transformations! Both the CGI and the idol performance are lackluster, too, but maybe that’s because I muted this show (to not have to deal with my normal gripes for anime girl voices).

The video’s panning so fast over these girls I can only barely make out each one’s face! I have very good eyesight, thank you very much!

I swear there’s at least one battle the staff of this show haven’t shown us, which would really inform us about the rest of the show if we did see it. Proper storytelling is a must in any show or any entertainment medium!

Bad CGI doesn’t look like “real danger” to me, lady.

By the by, Fortissimo (ff) means “loud”. Therefore if I mute the show, ff loses all purpose, so to speak.

Okay. Girls, battles, high school, idols, magical girls and now yuri subtext. This show can’t pick one thing and deal with it appropriately, and in the genre of “magical girl” where even the weakest effort is more balanced than some other genre shows, not balancing smaller aspects of the genre to achieve the right payoff is just sad.

A training scene would have probably eased us in better than what the show actually did…just sayin’. It’s boring, but getting the groundwork correct is necessary if you want to have people pay attention to your story. Plus, girls, please…don’t do the derpy run with arms stuck on the side of your chest. No real girl runs like that.

*checks up the show* Oh, it’s based on a smartphone game! That should explain the large cast!

Whoa! These eyecatches are a little TMI. BWH measurements are for the dudes who watch for PLOT, but dream job? Yeah, for a card game, TMI.

Lemme guess…these PC/shogi gals will recruit Subaru, Miki and Haruka. As much as I’d say I’d like to side with the PC and shogi girls though, I can’t feel a reason to like ‘em at all. They’re not characterised enough for me to care about them.

What’s up with the red on that replanting girl’s hair?

That cut between Ms President in Chinese library and the magical girl battle really confused me for a second there.

I don’t get how Urara’s microphone/staff works…

When I checked up this show earlier, it said Sugitan was the teacher in glasses here. It disappoints me that his name is saddled on to something so confusing.

Now that I squint at the eye designs, these guys are trying to be Love Live. Knowing how popular that is just makes this pale in comprison all the more, even though I actively dislike Love Live.

It’s an unsaid rule of battling that whoever strikes first loses. Just sayin’.

There’s no precedent for how well these girls performed in the past, so a flashback would’ve done well this ep.

I knew hooded person was a girl (there are no boys in this show), but I didn’t know what her intentions were. Even knowing what they were made it really obvious this show was subpar, because she has little to no intentions at all at the moment.

They introduce another girl to fill up an already full cast? Yeah, nah.

…Yeah, that’s a clean drop. The magical girl outfits are the only good looking things about this.

Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun 1

This is an odd choice for me, but I’m just waiting for shows (other than Katsugeki) to come on to the scene…Then again, I played soccer (because I was forced to do a sport at one point, and Detective Conan has a soccer aspect to it). I’m not up to snuff on soccer rules, but…*shrugs*

I think they’re trying to get a Sakamoto vibe going here. So far, it isn’t working…

LOL. “Team Aoyama”, indeed.

The chibi face thing is reminiscent of Royal Tutor. Royal Tutor’s style is more jarring, but it works in that show’s favour more.

So what glasses man is saying is that if Aoyama were Lady Macbeth, he’d hate himself too much…ouch.

The butt guy is weird…

The soccer ball “…” worked well. Yhe artstyle for this one is clean and fairly attractive too, which works in its favour. (However, unless you like dudes in soccer uniforms or that one guy in the OP with the abs, then…yeah, this ain’t hottie territory.)

“Richie Rich”? I’m not sure that was in the Japanese, but okay.

Miwa’s great, man. Best coach I think I’ll ever see in a show like this, and that’s ‘cos I haven’t seen many of these sports shows.

Wowee, keppeki has some nasty-looking kanji! Fun facts: The zai in Kaoru’s surname is the same as in zaibatsu, and bocchan is “young master” (as used by, say, a butler to a distinguished family’s child – it’s used to Suguro in Blue Exorcist, as he’s part of a high ranking religious family).

Umm…what’s the name of the guy who got rejected by his girlfriend Anya in YOI? Georgi! This rich kid who wants to steal away Aoyama looks like Georgi!

I…don’t think I’ve ever heard a person being called a “scrub” prior to this. Apparently, it’s old fashioned slang, which is why the word suits Takechi.

Zaizen = Kamina (Gurren Lagann)??? They certainly have the “hot blooded” bit down pat.

Yeah…Takechi. I’m with Aoyama on this one. I like abs, but not yours.

The CGI is bad, but more well integrated than, say, Battle Girl’s Irous...es? Irous? (I dunno about the plural on that.)

As I said before, I’m not up to scratch on soccer terms. So a nutmeg was a “through the legs” kick (apparently known in Japanese as “crotch punching”, LOL!) and a rabona is the crossing leg thing Aoyama did.

One touch. (Chorus in back: ONE PUNCH!)

Uh, I think the ab brandish and “treasure” emphasis was a Japanese pun, but I have the volume off so I can’t tell.

Marking.

That sky shot was be-a-u-ti-ful! That is, before the soccer cleat got in the way of it…

I have the feeling Aoyama came for the white uniform?...I dunno why, though. White is hard to keep clean.

D-Does the number 10 have any special significance? *checks it up* Yeah, it does.

Oh man, Takechi talks to his abs (as well as to his friends)? This guy is becoming the death knell for this show. I know it’s meant to be funny, but it’s even weirder than the butt guy, and that says something.

The…toilet? That was one joke that was absolutely not worth the payoff.

I don’t get this Hajime no Ippo style…or maybe, because this is a comedy manga, they’re making a homage to the Hajime no Ippo style as a parody. Ahh, that makes sense now!

I’m gonna drop this. Not because it’s bad, mind you – it’s because I get confused between soccer and football (I’m from a place where “soccer” and “football” are different things), plus I don’t get soccer injokes.

Youkai Apato 1

I call this “Youkai Apato” because its full name is too long to remember…haha. This is here because of Morose Mononokean, which didn’t do too badly last year. I thought Yushi was butt ugly, but hopefully something’ll make my stay worth it.

I’m not a person who wants to become a businessman, but hey, if you can sell me the businessman life (or the youkai life) with this show, I’ll be all set!

Who dis (dude with the long hair in OP that looks like Hase)? I want him, even though I mistook him for Hase at first.

The –sou in Kotobuki-sou means “villa” or something like that. That’s why the word for “summer house” isn’t “summer house” in katakana, but rather two kanji that represent a “separate villa”…I guess…?

Scratch the Morose Mononokean references, this is more Kamisama Kiss.

I’ve noticed Maeda Realty’s second last and third last kanji are kanji for “movement” and “not” respectively…so I find the Japanese name for it, however it’s pronounced, really ironic (because Yushi wants to move, so to speak, but moving house as a verb would be hikkosu in Japanese).

Reimei Isshiki seems to be an exclusive to this show, so hopefully this show will use its author character well (knew he’d be a speaking character judging from how he needed voice credits). By the by, based on how Yushi describes Isshiki, it seems this author’s a lot like the one for Goat’s Egg (Tokyo Ghoul).

*screams incoherently* Can’t I have my fantasy of Yushi not being a darned harem protag? The way he acts around Akine, I ain’t getting it, even though my fantasy is the truth!

What an adorable dango. It’s got a rice grain texture on it (normally dango don’t have that, as you can see here).

These round blue birds I keep seeing in this show are so cute!

I applaud whoever made the backgrounds for this show. Dang, they are good.

A bath in the basement doesn’t sound too good for ventilation purposes, but that’s just speaking out of practicality. This is anime, we can get people having baths in jacuzzis on rooftops for all we care…

The landlord kinda looks like the creatures from ep 1 of Flip Flappers! Yipes!

These birds are too gosh darn adorable! *fangirl screams*

The zombie really wasn’t much of a threat…

Ooh, there’s a guy I like (redhead in ED)! I want him, too! B-But long-haired Hase…I want…

Well, it seems like long-haired Hase’ll be here next ep, so I’ll keep the show for now. If it gets a lil’ too much with the stating the obvious, then it’ll go on the drop pile.

Isekai Shokudou 1

I just ate, so…I’m not gonna be drooling here, am I? Just by the name it sure seems I will be. Well, why am I here? It seems Re:Creators is not the only reverse isekai happening this season, and because Amazon, I have to settle with this instead.

The font around the titlecard seems to be katakana, just flipped/reflected for some characters.

Seishu is apparently another name for sake.

I love how they don’t need names - they just call each other the names of the food they’re eating.

Wait, if these guys come from fantasy worlds, then they have to pay with fantasy currency, right? That’s problematic…as anyone who’s stuck overseas with their home country’s money will tell you.

Oh gosh…the boob jiggle was completely unnecessary…

I presume the contents of the pot was more beef stew, but I can’t be sure until I’ve been shown it. Why do I always feel like there will be something more suspenseful or action-like in this? Because of the fight about what suits white rice best?...Yeah, that’s probably it.

What is “knight’s sauce”???

I thought Aletta was a centaur, like Himeno (of this season’s A Centaur’s Worries). Turns out she’s a demon…

I may not be an expert on food (I watch Masterchef for the drama, LOL), so I’ll need Google to find out what corn potage is…There’s a great description of corn potage here, if you’re not familiar with it.

If I could understand more about the chef, then maybe I’d be behind this show a bit more. There’s always the backstory of the chef involved in these shows, since cooking, like anime, is a personal experience.

What’s that on the right of the tomatoes?

The breakfast special is called “morning” in katakana, which…I’ve never heard of until now. I thought “baiking = buffet” was the weirdest Japanese food concept I’d ever come across, prior to this…

I think they’re trying to go the moe route with Aletta. Moe never worked on me, people. Remember that.

14 hours on one day? I guess that’s not so demanding for a full time job, but I was a bit alarmed by it for a second since I’ve only ever dealt with part time jobs, haha. Well, it’s like the chef said – it must be pretty rough for Aletta if she’s not used to it.

Gratuitous shower scene irks me a little. A show like this should focus on what it does best and not something more or something less. I mean, this time it makes sense in context, but fanservice ruined Izetta and Matoi for me previously…so this is a bad sign.

LOL, men’s body wash…or shampoo…or something. Couldn’t really read it.

Where did this outfit come from? Is there an existing staff member that’s the same size as Aletta?

I feel like they shouldn’t have cut out Aletta’s training day. That way, there would’ve been more love for Aletta – which is what the staff seem to want. Sure, it would’ve shoved some other things out of the way, but Aletta seems like a main character, so…

My instinct says this is a dish best binged and devoured with actual food, so let’s go with that. I’m quite open to dropping it though, because it has somewhat skewed priorities in a few places.

#simulcast commentary #seikaisuru kado #battle girl high school #katsugeki touken ranbu #keppeki danshi! aoyama-kun #isekai shokudou #youkai apato no yuuga na nichijou #Chesarka watches Kado #Chesarka watches Katsugeki

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nageki-yuki-blog · 7 years

Text

TsukiPara Drama - Chapter 9 Translation

[This chapter is about Procella and Gravi deciding what to do for their joint live. Read more under the cut~]

9章 – Chapter 9

合同LIVE決定です！

A joint live has been decided!

1話 – Part 1

月城さんから大事な話があると言われたんたが

Tsukishiro-san said that there’s something important we need to talk about but.

Hajime: …...Tsukishiro-san said that there’s something important we need to talk about but.

Haru: I wonder what it is?

Aoi: …...Oh!

Kai: Hey! Good work you guys!

Shun: Yo, Hajime. And everyone in Six Gravity.

Kakeru: It’s the appearance of team Procella.

Hajime: …...Which means, you’re gathering here because Kurotsuki-san told you he needed to talk about “something important” too?

Shun: That’s right ♪ It seems that something will be happening with the combination of Procella and Gravi, right?

Kai: I wonder what it is~. First of all, this has certainly made things more lively.

Haru: There is no doubt about that.

Yoru: If it involves the union of us, it must be something like a large-scale plan or an event. Hmm, I wonder what…...

You: I don’t really understand what’s going on but, for the time being we can’t lose to Gravi.

Yoru: It’s as expected that even in unknown circumstances, you still hate losing.

Yoru: In the first place, we don’t even know if it will be a contest you know?

Koi: We won’t lose either~!? …...I don’t know what will happen though.

Haru: Yeah yeah, it’s great that you are feeling motivated.

Kai: That’s for sure~

Rui: …...In the end, the managers are in charge.

Iku: That’s right! I wonder what it is. It’s exciting isn’t it, Rui.

Rui: Yeah.

Kurotsuki: Hey! You guys are all properly gathered here!

Kakeru: Kurotsuki-san! Tsukishiro-san!

Tsukishiro: Everyone, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to gather here.

You: That’s completely fine with us. So? So? Kanade-chan, Dai-chan. What is the “important matter”?

You: If you don’t tell us quickly, Yoru will start spinning in circles from thinking about bad stuff again.

Yoru: Wa-Wait a sec! You! To go that far…...well I might actually do that but.

Koi: So you’re going to do that.

Kurotsuki: Hahaha! He’s in trouble! Well, you don’t have to worry. I didn’t come here to deliver any bad news.

Arata: So it’s not bad news……. That means, it’s good news? Tsukishiro-san.

Tsukishiro: That’s right. The truth is…...

Aoi: The truth is……?

(To be Continued)

2話 – Part 2

確かにそれはグッドニュース

That is certainly good news.

Tsukishiro: This time, a joint live with Six Gravity and Procellarum has been decided.

Haru: So it’s a joint live!

Arata: Oh, that is certainly good news. Yay-. I love lives~ ♪

Rui: I love them too. There are so many songs, it’s wonderful. Ikkun, let’s do our best?

Iku: Yeah, let’s do our best!

Tsukishiro: Furthermore, the venue is the “Tsukino Super Arena”.

Kakeru: Tsukino Super Arena!? Wow! That’s awesome!

Koi: That’s a really big stage isn’t it~!

Shun: This is certainly our “big moment”. And it will be starring both Procella and Gravi. Hehehe, I am thrilled.

Hajime: That’s right. But, why did they decide to do it now? We don’t even have any time to produce a new record.

Kai: Oh, I guess you’re right.

Tsukishiro: Hehehe, we are talking about an app. Everyone, have you been playing “Tsukino Paradise”?

Kai: Ye-s. We all downloaded it together, and have been playing it.

Iku: I’ve also been playing it, even though it has just been in the free time I have between work and school!

Rui: I’ve also been silently* playing it.

[*meaning without talking]

Iku: I think it’s something that you normally play silently, you know?

Koi: Music games, are really fun~. I got really into it as a normal user ♪ See!

Aoi: Woah! Koi, you’re already getting those kinds of scores? You’ve really been playing it…...

Hajime: Koi…… Getting into it is fine but, if you skip studying for your tests this time…...

Koi: Ahahahahaha, that wouldn’t be good, Hajime-san, it’s fine. It’s completely fine!

You: I sense that it’s not going to be fine.

Yoru: Yeah, I sense that.

Haru: It would be great if Koi could use his ability to concentrate and skill that he has when he is playing games for his studying too though?

Koi: I personally, believe that is true from the bottom of my heart.

Iku: So you think so too!

Kurotsuki: Hahaha! Well, everyone. Let’s leave it at that. Since it seems like Koi isn’t the only one that has gotten absorbed in the game.

Haru: …...And, who would that be?

Tsukishiro: It is a great privilege to say this but, it seems that “Tsukipara” has a lot of users who enjoy it.

Tsukishiro: Of course our fans from the beginning would enjoy it, but there are also fans who are hearing Tsukipro’s music for the first time in this game.

Tsukishiro: The voices of the fans who have fun playing the game have reached the company office.

Kai: Oh! We did it! Whatever way the fans tell us, as long as people are interested in us, then I’m happy.

Yoru: Yes, that’s right!

Tsukishiro: By the way, these kinds of voices are being delivered to us…… Take a look.

(To be Continued)

3話 – Part 3

ツキパラLIVEフェスティバル！！

Tsukipara Live Festival!!

Arata: Oooh~. There are various kinds of messages. Let me see what we have here? Arata-kun, you are cool. Arata-kun, I love you. This is embarrassing~

Aoi: That’s not written. That’s not written anywhere.

Rui: I’m glad that people are having fun with the game.

Yoru: Hehehe…… Definitely.

Kurotsuki: That is why, this joint live, will not be just an ordinary live.

Kurotsuki: We want to do this event for the fans of Procella and Gravi as usual, but also for the fans of “Tsukipara”.

Tsukishiro: It’s a plan that the Tsukino company president thought of. We are calling it...

Kurotsuki & Tsukishiro: Tsukipara Live Festival!!

Kakeru & Koi: Tsukipara Live Festival…!

Iku: Oh~!

Aoi: Sounds like fun.

Arata: The name is a little difficult to say.

You: Yeah it is.

Yoru: Come on you guys.

Shun: Hehehe, they are excited. However……, Dai?

Shun: Since we’re going through the effort of presenting this to the “Tsukipara” fans…… That must mean that, this isn’t going to be just a normal live right?

Kurotsuki: Well, that’s right!

Rui: What do you mean?

Kurotsuki: The president says he wants to organize it to be coordinated with “Tsukipara”.

Hajime: I see… So we’ll organize it to be coordinated along with the game, huh.

Kai: Both a game and a live huh~. This sounds really interesting!

Arata: I guess it’s okay if we try to do something different from the usual lives?

Kakeru: I wonder what will happen~!

Tsukishiro: By the way, a definite plan is still not certain so we’re in the middle of coming up with good ideas.

(To be Continued)

4話 – Part 4

「三人寄れば文殊の知恵」って言うだろう？

Isn’t the saying “two heads are better than one”?

Rui: …...Are you sure it’s okay if we decide what happens?

Tsukishiro: Whether we use it or not depends on what the idea is though.

Tsukishiro: I think we should borrow everyone’s wisdom, so we can create a new form of live.

Aoi: I see…… So that’s why, you had us all gather here together like this.

Kurotsuki: Yeah. Isn’t the saying “two heads are better than one”? With 12 people gathered, I was thinking we should have quadruple the amount of ideas!

You: Dai-chan, don’t put it so simply~

Yoru: Although, thinking of new ideas together sounds like fun. Let’s do our best and try to think of some?

You: Okay, understo-od.

Shun: Well then…… Does anyone have any ideas?

Koi: Hmm~, since we’re going through all the trouble to do a collaboration with the game, I want it to be fun and have a really flashy feel!

Hajime: To come up with an idea, is very abstract.

Haru: I can understand the feeling though?

Arata: Something like trying to act like we are in the game when we appear?

Koi: Yeah yeah, something like that!

Kakeru: Ah, if that’s the case, why don’t we make the entire arena appear as if it’s in the game?

Rui: Hmm-mmm. So when we are on stage, we will also be inside the game?

Kakeru: Yeah! And then…...

Shun: Hmm, that sounds good, Kai. Seeing the image of us becoming harmonious with our beloved children, would be very calming don’t you think?

Kai: Yeah yeah. I agree that it would be calming but, you guys should try to think of something too.

Shun: Okay.

Haru: Making the entire venue, look like the inside of the game……. Hehehe, that certainly sounds interesting.

Hajime: Other than singing, dancing, and the talk parts, I want to add something else.

Yoru: That’s true……. By the way, what are we going to sing in the live? Is the music already decided?

Tsukishiro: If at all possible, I think we should include what you guys want in the music setlist.

Koi: Oh! Okay oka-y! Then I want to do, “Datte Mada Mada Avant Title”!

Kakeru: That song is really exciting isn’t it~

You: Hey Yoru, if Koi and him are doing a duet song we should do something too?

Yoru: That’s true. If you want something exciting, I guess we should sing “DA✩KAI”?

You: Instead of just being exciting, we could also show our adult charm with “Awai Hana”.

Haru: Rather than that, how about we sing all of the duet songs in a medley?

(To be Continued)

5話 – Part 5

歌もダンスも気合を入れて練習していくぞ

Let’s give it our all for our songs and dances.

Kai: Oh, that would be great! That somehow seems like it would be a huge bargain.

Hajime: If we’re going to heat up the venue with the various duet songs, then I want to do “GRAVITIC-LOVE”.

Aoi: With the unit songs, our charm will increase just as much as the amount of people there right?

Arata: Dancing all together feels good too, and it also looks cool. Alright, Aoi, let’s work hard at our practice~

Aoi: Okay!

Tsukishiro: Understood. So we will be doing a duet song medley and… we will add “GRAVITIC-LOVE” to the setlist.

Shun: Then Procella will charm the venue with “LOLV -Lots of Love-”.

Kai: Oh yeah! That’s great-, we’ll be able to show our true worth!

Rui: I love that song because it has a lot of impact, and it is cool.

Kurotsuki: Alright! Let’s give a great performance of “LOLV -Lots of Love-”!

You: You can leave it to us, Dai-chan ♪

Hajime: Since our goal for the live has been decided, let’s give it our all for our songs and dances.

Iku: Yes! I will work even harder than I usually do!

Rui: …...Yeah! Me too!

Shun: Hehehe……. Seeing Ikkun and Rui do their best, gives me such a pleasant feeling.

Koi: After that, if we can make it look like we are linked to the game, it would be an even better plan!

Kakeru: I wonder what would be good~?

Everyone: ………...

Rui: This is quite…...difficult.

Shun: Well then, I have an idea- ✩

Hajime: Shun, have you thought of something?

Shun: Yes. Although it is something quite simple~?

Kai: Oh?

Shun: First, I will display a magic square on the screen!

Everyone: Rejected.

Shun: I haven’t even said everything yet, you rejected it so fast-.

Kai: We don’t have to listen to the whole thing! As soon as you said the words magic square it was rejected! Rejected!

Shun: Huh. Even though, I could do something amazing, if I tried?

You: We don’t need anything else appearing! We already have enough crazy things in the dorm!

Rui: Like the mysterious living box Diablo, who makes the world explode* if opened.

[*I’m not sure about this translation. Rui says the world will go “pa-n” but I can’t figure out exactly what the sound means.]

Kurotsuki: I didn’t hear anything-. I didn’t hear anything-.

Haru: A-Ahahaha. …… It’s just like Shun to come up with that idea though?

Tsukishiro: It’s okay. There’s no need to get so seriously worried.

Kurotsuki: That’s right. It’s certainly true that the most important thing at a live is for the audience to enjoy themselves but…...

Kurotsuki: To the same extent, it is also important that you guys enjoy yourselves!

Tsukishiro: What Kurotsuki says is right. If you guys are having fun, then that feeling will definitely be passed onto everyone else.

Tsukishiro: It’s not that we want you to decide anything immediately right here right now. There is still time, so take your time and think of some more ideas.

Kurotsuki: Me and Tsukishiro, we’ll help with anything we can! Feel free to ask us for anything.

Hajime: Yes. We will.

Haru: Well then, why don’t we split up for now, and then discuss this again another day?

Kakeru: Oka-y!

Iku: Understood!

Shun: …...Well, if we just can’t decide on anything, it will be best if we used my fantastic, unrivaled idea ✩

Kai: Okay, everyone, really! Seriously! Let’s think of something-!

Everyone: Okay-!!!

~END~

[I now have more time for translating again since Halloween is over~ I had to sew Halloween costumes for myself and someone else so my free time had been used up by that for a while. XD]

[I still have to catch up on a lot of schoolwork but I’m going to try to rush and get some more chapters done. I hope to at least finish all the Tsukiuta dramas and start working on the other unit dramas while Proani is still airing.]

#Tsukipara #Tsukipro #Tsukiuta #My translation

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