#wow kousei

[dailytodorokiraichi]

I would like to remind everyone that Amahisa Kousei is actually in love with Todoroki Raichi and Sawamura Eijun making AmaSawaRai the closest thing to a canon ot3 we have in Daiya no A

[yumeyumeappleo]

i dont like casey jr. mostly cause my little brother likes him

[lorillee]

i want . to rewatch your lie in april

[ipsen]

Blank Canvas 20

THE FINAL CHAPTER!!!! VERY EXCITED AND THANKS ALL FOR READING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Read on AO3. content warning: sexual content Summary: The world keeps changing. Word Count: 6536 Chapter 19 Master Post

“After nearly a decade of victims, the Torso— revealed to be longtime taxi driver Karao Saeki— is dead. His body was found in a river in the 17th ward, stabbed to death by an unknown assailant with his eyes pried out of his skull. The Washuu Task Force is unable to determine anything else at the time of reporting.

“In addition, tapes of Saeki communicating with Kousei Kaiko, CEO of Kaiko Industries, have surfaced from a raid of his home. The details will have to wait, however, as sorting out the relevant tapes will take some time, or so claims Koutarou Amon, a lawyer and one of the survivors of the Priest’s orphanage.

“In other news, Sen Takatsuki is holding a press conference today to announce her new work: a graphic novel in collaboration with an unknown artist…”

———

“Listen, Sauce,” Hide stared at Haise from the living room, “I think the suit is more than enough.”

“I-I know!” Haise was still in the bathroom, his hands full of gel and his gaze boring a hole into their mirror. “I just— I should make an effort for this! It’s a press conference for the book— er, comic— no, I mean—!” He sighed. “You know what I mean; it’s important!”

“If you say so!” Hide put up his hands in defense. “Frankly, you look ridiculous, but that’s just me.”

“Hina did this for me for Red Tongues! I-It works!”

“Cool! Still ridiculous.”

Touka’s laugh rang from the pantry.

“T-Touka!”

A month had passed since the incident with the Torso, making it December. After another week’s worth of recovery, Haise was discharged from Taiwa, and he and Sen finally finished their work: The Folly of the Hierophants. Sen asked him multiple times if it was too on the nose, but he reminded her that people don’t know about V like she did.

To kick things off, Shiono and Shoeisha arranged a press conference for the day. It would be Haise and Sen’s first public appearance together, so they had to make it count. At least, that’s what Haise thought of the whole thing.

Not only that, but the news of Kaiko Industries’ possible connection to the Torso was being spread like wildfire; once the story hit the shelves, it was going to fan those flames.

“That’s the idea, at least,” Sen had told him. “But you know the public; a little too stupid for their own good. There’s a brilliant mind among them every now and then, sure, but plucking them out from the masses is always troublesome.” He remembered her looking him up and down then. “Sometimes, though, it’s worth it.”

The memory made him shiver, but it also reinforced his resolve. He had to make sure he was presentable for her sake.

After ten more minutes, he shut the bathroom door, making some minor adjustments to his hair, which he had slicked back. To accompany it, he was wearing a simple black suit and matching tie— the only ‘fancy’ thing in his possession. Hopefully, it would be enough.

Touka peeked out from the kitchen, a peeled banana in her hand. “Wow,” she whistled. “Not bad.”

“Meh,” Hide said. “I still think the hair’s too much. None of that signature Sauce floof, y’know?”

She smacked him lightly on the head. “I think the effort will be appreciated.”

“Thank you, Touka,” Haise said, nodding at her in approval. “I think so, too.”

“Gasp! Is our boy being sassy with me?” Hide’s mouth hung open, a hand on his chest. “You hang out with that Sen girl too much, young man! Respect your roommate!”

Haise laughed. “Sorry, sorry… Maybe it’s the nerves.”

“Oh, yeah; this thing’s gonna be on TV, huh?” Hide fetched the remote. “When was it, again?”

“This afternoon, but you don’t have to watch it; Chie must have something for you to do, especially with the other news that’s been going on.”

The two of them, as its collectors, were also overseeing its distribution with Tatara and the rest of Chì Shé, which was apparently more than a theater company.

Hide waved him off. “She wants a bit of a challenge, at least for today.”

It was weird to Haise that Hide was part of an underground effort to collect information on V. Though, given Chie’s ‘job’, it wasn't exactly weird, but the fact that Hide had worked in close contact with Sen right under Haise’s nose was baffling. He had discovered a side of his best friend that he would have never found out about thanks to— wait a second.

“Hide, did you know about Sen’s connection to…” he gestured vaguely— “everything when you signed me up for my job?”

His roommate looked over, confused. “What?”

Touka rolled her eyes. “C’mon, don’t be stupid. If you two were working together on V stuff, then wouldn’t that mean you knew each other?”

“Oh, that? No, we were working anonymously through Chie,” he explained. “Very sensitive information, y’know, and remember the part where I travel the world? Don’t want people knowing my face or name, right? We actually only figured each other out because I signed you up!”

Touka snickered. “So it was sheer dumb luck?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Hide shook his head. “I’m never gonna live this down, am I?”

“That’s right.” She ruffled his hair with a smirk. “Looks like Mr. Nagachika’s finally cracked, Sasaki.”

Hide opened his mouth to retort, but stopped when he saw Haise smiling. “Don’t do me like this, man.”

“Sorry, sorry…” Haise waved his hand about in a poor attempt at stifling laughter. “It’s just nice to know that even you’re human, Hide.”

“Uh, duh? I am extremely human! I have the proper circuit boards and everything!”

Haise laughed again, then headed for the door. “I gotta go now before I’m late. See you later!”

“I’m still right about the hair, by the way!” Hide called just before the door shut.

—

After a few ID check-ins with some vaguely familiar guards, Haise found his way into the back room of the building the conference was held at. Sen was waiting for him there, and she was beautiful. She wore a black turtleneck shirt, a blue flared skirt with gold patterning near the hem below her knees, and a cardigan faintly patterned with tiger lilies. Her hair was bound in a single ponytail gathered on one of her shoulders.

“Well, well, well; someone’s dressed up,” she commented upon seeing him arrive.

Haise rubbed his neck. “I-It is a conference, right?” He showed himself off a bit, albeit hesitantly. “Do you… like it?”

“Hm…”

She came up to him and studied him. Her eyes roamed his body, and at some points, he wondered if she was mentally undressing him. He didn’t mind the idea, and was rather used to it now, but he still swallowed while she adjusted his tie and brushed his shoulder. She smelled good, he idly noted, but that was always true.

“And lastly—” she reached up and roughly messed with his hair, ruining a half-hour’s worth of work — “there! Perfect.”

“H-Hey, I worked hard on that…!” he protested, even though he was laughing.

“You don’t have the face for it, sadly.” Sen shrugged and smiled. “I prefer you like this: all wild and messy.”

His spiteful side wanted to punch Hide the next time he saw him.

“Well, in that case—” Haise took her hair tie, making her breath hitch, and gently pulled it off— “that makes two of us.”

Her hair spilled over her shoulders, and she instantly turned scarlet. Recovering quickly, though, she pushed him with a chuckle.

Just then, Shiono appeared from the front. “Oh, Sasaki! Great timing; they just finished getting ready. You can come up whenever you’re ready.”

She fanned out her freshly loosened hair. “Oh, joy… Ready, Haise?”

He felt his stomach churn at the reminder of reality. “Not really, no…”

“Oh, hush— you’ll be fine.” She linked their arms together to reassure him. It worked… sort of. “Smile at the cameras, speak only when spoken to, and try to look straight ahead as much as you can, ‘kay?”

He nodded stiffly. “O-Okay…”

Even with those instructions, the flash of a camera as soon as they stepped out nearly blindsided him. Meanwhile, Sen smiled with familiar grace and practiced ease at the small crowd. He tried to copy her by waving himself, even though he was mostly squinting at the lights that were already beginning to hurt his eyes. He wished his glasses offered protection; this was gonna get bad fast.

There was nowhere to sit, which he expected, but Haise’s stomach sank to the floor when he thought of how long this might take. Combined with the sheer amount of people here, he was cruelly reminded that he was, in fact, dating a celebrity.

Sen took her spot at half of the mics on the table, while he positioned himself next to her at the other half, hands clasped behind his back. Hopefully, he didn’t look ridiculous, though the mere thought of that probably made it true. It was also kinda hot in here; was anyone else hot?

“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting so many of you,” Sen said once it was silent, chuckling fakely. It snapped him back to attention. “The last time I saw nearly as many was for the announcement of The Black Goat’s Egg!”

Haise actually recalled the event. He had skipped class that day to watch it on TV, since it was in the middle of the day, once Hide assured him a hundred times that he’d get Haise the required notes and papers. Sen had dressed up far more fancily for that than this one, and now that he actually knew her (in more ways than one), he felt that she’d done herself a disservice.

A few more pictures were snapped, and he swore most of them were of him. It made sense, in a way; he was a novelty, or maybe an anomaly, in Sen’s otherwise lone wolf career.

That said, neither her clothes from that day nor the cameras were his main concern. His main concern was, still, the length of the previous presentation. As an avid reader, he hadn’t minded and wanted to pick her mind apart until it was laid out before him in all its glory, but now that he was standing with her as her equal, he found himself dreading the next two hours of his life. And that wasn’t even factoring in the fact this was televised.

“Well, before we get into questions—” Sen’s voice brought Haise back down to earth, as always— “I’d like to say a few words about the creation of this book.

“Firstly, I apologize to anyone willing to read my scribbles for the wait. Once The Hanged Man’s MacGuffin released, I found that my next idea simply wasn’t taking the form I wanted it to. All of the ideas were there, but the moment they left my mind, it turned into garbage, even by my standards!”

A smile and even a few laughs rumbled through the crowd. She was so good at this, Haise thought while playing with the cuff of his jacket. Maybe he wouldn’t have to do anything but stand here, but that also made him feel bad. It also sounded a little tedious.

“A week became a month and a month became a year, yet the page was still blank. And so, my editor, Shiono, suggested I try to turn it into a graphic novel. He said the new format might be inspiring. And so, after much searching, I chose this one: Haise Sasaki!”

At his name, he visibly coughed and tried his best to smile and bow. “H-Hello! I’m… I’m Haise Sasaki, and it’s… it’s such an honor to work with S— Ms. Takatsuki on her first graphic novel!”

It was probably best that he left out the fact that this was also his first graphic novel, and his first officially published work.

Sen, however, had other plans. “I wanted someone with as little experience as me with this sort of thing, but I also wanted someone who was very familiar with the style of my written works. I was very lucky that Haise here—” he flinched when she aggressively pronounced his first name, to the point that he had to adjust his glasses— “checked both boxes and more! He was able to color the canvas where I couldn’t, and the result will be released with the new year.”

She smiled at him, and he caught the familiar glint of affection in her eyes. He returned it with his own, like it was their little secret.

“Now, let’s get to questions.”

The first question was for Sen, and it was probably the most obvious one. “Ms. Takatsuki, what was your source of inspiration for this story?”

“Oh, the usual,” she replied with a knowing smile. “I’ll just say that it’s surprising what you find when you go where people don’t want you to go. I encourage you all to do the same. Experience life and adventure, then maybe you might find what you’re looking for.”

The second one was also for Sen. “Ms. Takatsuki, what were some of the unique challenges presented to you with the graphic novel format?”

The third one? “Ms. Takatsuki—” Yep. Sen.

“Ms. Takatsuki…”

“Ms. Takatsuki!”

For the next hour or so, Sen was pestered over and over by interviewers who were more content with treading familiar ground than taking a chance with a picturesque newbie. Though Haise was partially relieved that there wasn’t much attention on himself, there was a rare instance of irritation welling within him for Sen’s sake, and the way her fake smile widened with each new, more boring question told him she felt the same way. They were supposed to be partners— equals— yet no one was treating them as such.

And then— “Mr. Sasaki?”

He nearly jumped out of his skin. “Y-Yeah?! Er, sorry!” He cleared his throat, suffering some laughs. “Yes?”

This interviewer was younger, and looked a bit more timid than the others. Still, they were the first to take a chance on him. “Could you… Could you tell us what it’s like working with Ms. Takatsuki?”

The silence weighed heavy while the world waited for his answer. “W-Well…”

Sen was looking at him too, with that glimmering, curious gaze of hers. He felt his mouth go dry at the sight.

“Ms. Takatsuki is…”

What could he say that wouldn’t embarrass her? Public opinion wasn’t anything like talking to Hide or Touka; he couldn’t exactly be honest about the whole thing without raising some brows. Then again, this work was going to help connect the families of V to the likes of Donato and Saeki, so really, what was he even worried about?

“She’s amazing,” he said with full sincerity. “And I think you’ll enjoy what we’ve created together.”

Some time was taken for everyone to jot down his answer, and he wondered if he had been too brief. He also felt Sen’s eyes on him, but from the corner of his gaze, he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. He did, however, manage to catch her eye twitch when the next person stood, and begged for her attention. She must have thought her reprieve would last longer.

“Yes?” There was a slight sharpness to her voice.

“What are your thoughts on the ongoing investigation of Kaiko Industries and the Torso?”

A new type of silence settled in: anticipation. What did Sen Takatsuki think about the whole thing? Considering the messages and discussions around her work, it was just the type of thing she wrote and advocated for. Would she continue the pattern?

Some of the audience, particularly the older individuals, looked perturbed by the question. Perhaps they were people who disliked attaching real life events and politics to Sen’s works, who disliked the very idea of entwining the horrors of reality with the reliefs provided by fiction. Haise couldn’t understand that perspective. Art was influenced by real life, was it not? Stories about crime and punishment, corruption and exposure— were those not inherently political? It was like those people wished to drain the story of all life by ignoring its very real connotations.

He looked at her now, and saw she was smiling knowingly. 

“They’ll get what they deserve,” she said simply.

—

“Agh, I wish I could’ve said more!!” Sen, sitting in the passenger’s seat of Shiono’s car, complained.

The conference concluded without a hitch. After questions, Haise and Sen were asked for extra photos, and they revealed the title of the book as well. Shiono was driving them out now, helping them keep a low profile.

Haise, seated at the back of the car, tilted his head. “Why didn’t you?”

“I like writing, that’s all.” He heard the smile in her voice. “It’d be a waste to face an inconvenience with ‘controversy’.”

“You’re such a sap, Sen,” Shiono commented, chuckling.

“Oh, can it.” But she laughed anyway. “Maybe I am, so what?”

“Well, I think it’s charming. Right, Sasaki?”

She shot Haise a playful glare. “Don’t you start.”

He shrugged. “I thought you preferred the truth, Sen.”

Puffing up her cheeks, she reached over the seat to poke him, and he prepared to defend himself, laughing all the while. However, she couldn’t reach, so she just sank back into her seat and huffed.

“You two are unbelievable,” she muttered.

Shiono cackled. “We just get you, kiddo, and you hate it!”

Haise smiled. They did, didn’t they? Not only that, she believed them too. Shiono was understandable; he was her father, and he’d had nothing but a positive impact on her life. Haise was a bit more surprising, looking back. Seven short months, and now Sen Takatsuki trusted him completely? It felt like a dream.

Then again, he recognized himself in her words, and she recognized herself in his art. They were mirrors, two sides of the same coin; it would be weirder if they didn’t understand each other. Maybe it was that fact that pushed her to hire him in the first place.

Shiono and Sen had begun a new conversation, steered more toward the intricacies of marketing. Haise noted that he would be drawing a few extra pieces of promotional work to assist, but before he could formulate an idea, Shiono changed the subject.

“Do you two have plans for dinner?” he asked

“Uh…” Haise wracked his brain. “I-I don’t—”

“I’ve got a few ideas.” Sen turned over to him, smiling. “Remember? You were gonna cook something at my place.”

Haise was confused at first, but swallowed his question. His chin itched wildly as he responded: “Y-Yeah, I remember…”

It must not have been a very good performance, because she playfully rolled her eyes and faced forward.

Shiono whistled as he turned a corner leading to the 6th ward. “You really snagged a good one, kiddo. A cook? Absolutely crazy.”

She smirked. “I know.”

———

Haise didn’t even get the chance to admire Sen’s apartment before she locked the door, leapt into his arms, and crashed their lips together.

He gasped at the sudden contact as it stoked a flame inside of him. He scooped one hand beneath Sen to hold her steady, while the other groped at her ass. When he found a wall to pin her to, she grunted in approval.

“Is this okay…?” she breathed, tilting his head back and kissing his neck.

They hadn’t done this since he woke up in the hospital, and it only now dawned on Haise that that meant it had been a whole month. “Yes…” he gasped desperately, making a sound between a hiss and a moan when he felt her teeth pinch his skin. “Yes, yes…”

Perhaps that month— a bit more, if they were counting the days before he was kidnapped— had been why this felt a little clumsy. The way Sen was mindlessly biting his neck more than kissing it, the way when she found his mouth again, their teeth accidentally clacked, making them laugh— it was like the resort all over again.

Her tongue briefly swiped across his palate, then she bit gently on his bottom lip and tugged far harder. He let out a throaty sigh, leaning with the force, but he made sure to cradle her head so she didn’t hit the wall. Meanwhile, his hands hiked up either side of her skirt, pressing against her tights in  a vain attempt to feel the skin beneath.

Sen broke their kiss to catch her breath. “Tear them,” she said, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his jacket.

Haise helped himself out of the clothing. “What?”

“I mean it—” she let out a sigh when his tongue found the inside of her cheek, chasing the sensation— “Tear them, pry them apart.”

His head was too fuzzy to protest, so instead, after setting her down, he yanked down her skirt, letting it pool on the floor around her feet. Then, he got on his knees and quickly pulled down her tights.

“Haise—!” she began, even as she kicked them off. “I told you to—”

He planted his face into her exposed bush. The effect was immediate as she threw her head back and nearly collapsed on him.

“Fuck—!” she gasped.

He stopped immediately. “You okay?”

He didn’t need to see her glare. “Keep going.”

No complaints there. He followed the pitch and volume of her cries, flicking her clit and teasing her entrance with his tongue. Offhandedly, he remembered some awkward videos Hide had sent him once upon a time, and was almost ashamed at how much he was relying on them now. He was also upset they were working.

She tasted wonderful, though— a cross between sour, sweet, and satisfying. Or maybe those were the hormones talking. Either way, he needed more of her, even if that meant blocking the majority of his airways. He also took one of his fingers and spread her lower lips, massaging them as he sucked her entrance.

Her hands enthusiastically carded his hair, tangling themselves in the black locks, as he lapped up everything that came out of her, wasting nothing. In the meantime, his pants tightened more and more with each lick, cry, and squeeze.

“Bedroom…” Sen managed, half-delirious. “Bedroom, now…”

Haise obeyed her command, removing his face from between her legs and gathering her up in his arms.

“Holy shit…” She clung to him as he carried her over toward the door that he assumed was her bedroom. She planted a few lazy kisses on his cheek and spread open his unbuttoned shirt to access his shoulder. “Wow…”

He nearly tripped on the way there, and she squealed with laughter. “Sorry, sorry,” he said, laughing too.

“It’s fine…” She kissed him, loved him. “Careful, though; don’t get hurt…”

“I won’t.” He relished the feeling of her lips. “Promise…”

He finally identified the bed— a fittingly red color, he vaguely noted— in the dim light of evening, and let Sen fall against the mattress. She grunted at the impact, but the feverish grin on her face told him everything he needed to know. He shed his shirt, tossing it carelessly on the ground, and made to climb on top of her and continue.

“Ah, ah, ah.”

He found his path impeded by her bare foot against his abdomen. It barely hovered over the tent in his pants, teasing it with the ghost of touch. She sat up, more composed now, and far more controlling.

“The pants too.”

He glanced down past it, then took a few steps back. His hands fiddled with the belt, eager to continue—

“Slowly, Haise.”

She crossed one leg over, making a show of it. The display only made him harder, and the way that she teased him by barely lifting a finger— beautiful torture. And she knew it, too. She knew by the sultry sound of her voice, traveling across the room to caress his ears. She knew by the thin string weaving itself into his skin, gently pulling him every which way and encouraging him to obey. A siren’s tapestry, in other words, and one he succumbed to gladly.

She mirrored his actions with her shirt and bra, and there was a flush to her face that told him there was a touch of regret to her orders. She stared hard at his erection the entire time, not looking away for a second. He wasn’t any better; his eyes hungrily roamed her hair, her face, her hips, her stomach, and her breasts, each area with its own, equally tantalizing aspects.

Once Haise stepped out of the pool made of his pants, Sen’s impatience broke out to save them both. In a surprising show of strength, she seized him by the waist and dragged him on top of her, pinning herself between his body and the mattress and trapping him between her legs. Haise propped himself up on an elbow to not completely crush her, but he liked the heat of their chests pressed flush together, and indulged himself as much as he could.

While their tongues danced their familiar dance, Sen’s hand ran up and down his length through his boxers, and he grinded helplessly against the motion until it slipped in to feel the real deal. The other massaged the back of his head, making him shudder.

Meanwhile, his hand found her ass, squeezing as hard as he could without hurting her. She liked the pain, to a degree; at first, he’d been hesitant to comply with her demands, even after her demonstrations at the resort. However, after everything that had happened lately, he disregarded those doubts and gave it his all, and the cry she gave into his mouth was worth it.

She stopped stroking him and tugged on his waistband. Haise didn’t think twice and helped her expose him to open air. He came up for air from her mouth and reached for the nearby drawer, intent on finding the condoms.

However, Sen’s hand clamped around his wrist, cutting him short. He looked back in confusion. “Sen—” even as the request formed itself on his lips, he wanted to stop himself— “we shouldn’t—”

“I want to,” she interrupted, and her grip tightened. “I’m on the pill, you know. The condoms were always more of a precaution.”

He swallowed. Tantalizing curiosity prickled his neck and made him twitch. “But…”

“I want to feel you, Haise.” There was a shine to her eyes that was desperate, pleading. “Please…”

It was so tempting; more than once, it had crossed his mind to ask if she wanted to try this. But he didn’t know anything about her situation regarding birth control, and then to risk something that would only really cause her pain was enough to still his tongue. In hindsight, he should have just asked.

He nodded slightly, then nodded again. “Okay… You’re sure?”

“I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t.” She gave an encouraging smile.

Yeah, that was pretty stupid. Still— “If you change your mind, I’ll stop.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know.”

He stroked himself a few times to make sure he was ready, staring into her eyes the entire time. The resolve in her jade irises didn’t diminish in any way. When he moved to position himself, she spread her legs.

“Go on.” She shuddered as his head teased her entrance, which was soaked with her juices. It was more than enough.

Haise easily pressed into her, then saw stars.

It felt completely different from using a condom. Skin against skin, with nothing in between. A fire, no longer restrained, finally allowed to roar and consume everything it could get its hands on. It was such an incredible feeling that Haise nearly came on the spot. Sen seemed to feel it too, moaning and squirming like never before.

“Hah… Sen…”

“Haise… Haise…!”

For all that they read and learned from books, their vocabulary was reduced to unintelligible sounds and the other’s name as Haise moved inside her. It was an addicting sensation; he had a feeling he wouldn’t want to go back to condoms.

Sen seemed to be thinking the same. Her mouth hung open slightly, and her eyes were lidded with pleasure, vaguely focused in his direction. Even the slightest movement made her shiver beneath him. She was ethereal to him, his perfect imperfect person. The many images he had of Sen Takatsuki, the author, paled in comparison to Sen Takatsuki, the person; she got mad, she had moments of sorrow, she grinned and cackled when she was happy, and she was sometimes a bit too arrogant for her own good.

She was so unbelievably human.

He loved it.

He loved her.

Haise captured her lips again, trying to get as close to melting into her as he could. She eagerly reciprocated by wrapping her arms around his neck. He drank her like someone dying of thirst, and she opened herself to him, letting herself be drained.

The tenderness was short-lived. His pace sped up, and their voices grew in volume. Eventually, there was nothing left but Sen’s cries, his gasps, the slapping of their hips, and the feeling that he was going to cum soon. He tried to slow down, hoping to prolong the ecstasy for even a second longer, and busied himself by dragging his mouth over one of her nipples. She arched her back in approval and pulled him closer with her arms.

It wasn’t enough, not by a longshot.

“S-Sen…” he panted, shivering and twitching prematurely. “I’m gonna—”

“Inside me,” she whispered, begged. “Please…!”

It was that plea that gave him the push he needed. He slammed their hips together, burying himself as deep as he could, and spilled into her without a second thought. The rush from filling her up instead of a condom made him desperately sink his teeth into her shoulder. She cried out, a mix of pain and pleasure, tightening her legs around his waist and pushing him further into the area. He filled her for what felt like hours— a perfect, euphoric moment frozen in time, filled with their mixing sweat and breath.

Sen’s lips found the shell of his ear. “I love you,” she whispered, kissing it— a gentle gesture, helping him relax in the blissful tension.

He kissed the bruise he’d made in return. “I love you too.” He did so again, harder. “So much…”

It didn’t end there, though.

After catching their breath, she pulled him into the bathroom. Their first bath with each other took three times as long as a bath without. Haise memorized the image of Sen’s body slick with water and soap.

When she reached for the kettle in the kitchen to prepare tea, he grabbed it for her with one hand, while the other found her breast and squeezed a gasp out of her. The kettle was never put on heat, let alone filled. A sweaty imprint of her torso found itself on her counter, though.

Again and again and again, it seemed neither of them could be satisfied, but when the sun finally dipped below the horizon, they collapsed onto Sen’s bed, finally spent.

Sen was the first to break the pattern of noises: “Holy fuck…”

Haise, who felt like he was going to faint any second, could only say, “Uh huh.”

She struggled to her feet, her skin glistening in with sweat under the few hints of light in the room. “Tea? For… whew… for real, this time.”

He agreed with that sentiment. “I… I’d like that…”

Still, the way her bare hips swayed as she left the room, a trail of what he knew was a mixture of their fluids slowly trickling down her leg, made him think she wanted more. He was too out of it to take her up on it, unfortunately, so he just followed her.

Now that he wasn’t fucking her senseless, Haise finally had the opportunity to actually look at her apartment. The first thing he noticed wasn’t the patio overlooking the ward, the small couch and television, or the shiny metal fridge and kitchen.

No, the first thing he saw were the books.

Tons of them, crammed into shelves that lined the walls, and when there wasn’t enough space on those, they were piled on or around them in differing piles. After a while, though, the shelves stopped, and there were just piles shoved out of the way.

“Wow…” he said, drifting toward the nearest shelf-pile. “You have so many!”

Sen looked over from the kitchen. He tried not to ogle her bare chest. “It’s my actual collection. You like it?”

It really was nothing compared to their office. “‘Like it’? I-I love it!” Despite that, he stopped himself before he touched anything. “Er, may I?”

She gestured freely, smiling. “What’s mine is yours. I just hope there’s something here that lovely little brain of yours hasn’t devoured yet.”

He flushed. “We’ll have to see.”

While she got the kettle out, he examined her shelf— one of them, at least— with more interest. It was an expansion of the ones from their office, no longer restrained by a single space, and like their office, the books were vaguely organized by themes. The morals of war, bullshit politics, complications in criminal investigation, the horror of existence itself…

“What did you think of the conference, by the way?” Sen asked, coming up next to him. “Your first one, right?”

“Yeah…” Haise, far too engrossed in her collection, had to pause and think. “I guess… it was a little dull.”

She laughed. “They usually are.” She found a book and haphazardly paged through it. “Especially if you’re the one doing most of the talking.”

“I’m sorry; I—”

“No unnecessary apologies, remember?” Sen put the book away in a completely different spot and kept searching.

Haise pushed back this time and looked at her. “I meant that I’m sorry for you. You shouldn’t have to go through that and get your time wasted, even if it’s important to spread word.”

She found another book and met his gaze. “Thank you, but… It wasn’t all bad.”

His brow raised. “You sure? You were being bombarded by questions, and you looked—”

“Tired, yes.” She dropped the book without even opening it, and it toppled over a nearby stack. “And irritated, and bored, and a bit disgusted, too. But you were there, so that counted for something.”

It brought a smile to his face. “Sen, I—”

She cut him off. “You called me amazing. Did you mean that?”

He looked away, as if they weren’t completely naked in front of each other and covered in red marks courtesy of the other. “Y-You already know the answer, so—”

“I want to hear you say it.” Her other hand cupped his cheek, making him face her. “Tell me, go on.”

He was immediately sucked into her gaze. “Yeah…”

“Yeah, what?”

His hand settled on her waist. “Yeah, I… I think you’re amazing.”

She stood on her tippy toes and kissed him. “Good. I’m glad. Not so bad, right?”

Still humiliating. “Right…”

She glanced at the shelf again. “Did you find something, by the way?”

He followed her eyes, then spotted something familiar. He took out the book and showed it to her with a smile: Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. “Maybe.”

Sen shook her head, smiling. “Wouldn’t you rather read something new?”

“I-It’s a good story!” he defended. “Besides, it’s a, um, nice reminder of everything… How far we’ve come since we first read it, for instance.”

He was no longer a protagonist of a novel, dancing on the strings designed by the authors of his fate. No, he was the author now, drawing his own path to the future. Him and Sen both; they would chart their own course, speak their own words.

“You’re so sentimental,” she said, right as the kettle let out a hissing noise.

Haise decided to put the book on the counter for later. Sen handed him his cup of tea after a while, and they raised their cups together in a small toast. The silence in the air— and the smell of sex too— was enjoyed for a few minutes. The two of them, every so often, stole a glance at the other.

“What?” an amused Sen asked when she caught him.

Haise tried to hide behind his cup. “N-Nothing…”

“Tell me!”

His face turned a dark red. “Just admiring you…”

She rolled her eyes, but she wasn’t faring much better. “Charmer.”

More silence, more time to think, reflect. So much had changed since the coffee shop. Kazuichi Public Park, the White Blades, Cochlea, the resort, and then…

“What do you think will happen to V?” Haise asked, the thought occurring. “Torso’s dead, but he wasn’t the source of the problem…”

Sen shrugged. “Who knows? We’re attacking a very tightly wound organization. They’ve worked their way into nearly every aspect of everyday life, and many people have lived and died under their control without even knowing. The first leak won’t change anything overnight, so we have to keep fighting.”

His brow furrowed. “You have more information?”

“Of course we do!” She took a smug sip of her tea. “You don’t release information as you obtain it, otherwise your adversaries figure out your strategy and kill you. Better to hoard things and trickle it through a funnel, then watch the foundations collapse.”

He chuckled. “I didn’t think about that. That’s smart.”

“It was Hide’s idea.” She waved him off. “Thank him when you see him.”

“You helped him, didn’t you? You and Chie; don’t count yourself out like that.”

“I guess so.”

“Sen.”

“Alright, alright!” She put up a hand in defense. “Thank you, Haise, for acknowledging my contribution.”

They both laugh at that, hearty and full and bare. It was nice, and Haise treasured the sound.

“We kinda did this backwards, didn’t we?” Sen said suddenly, circling the rim of her cup.

“‘Backwards’?” he repeated.

“Usually you spend some time together with someone before having sex at their apartment.” She shrugged. “That’s all.”

“Oh…” He chuckled. “I guess so.”

She tilted her head, amused. “Just a guess?”

“Well… Who decides what’s ‘forwards’ and ‘backwards’ with this kind of thing?” He took a sip of his tea. “We decide our own paths. We’re, ultimately, the authors of our own story, right?”

Though the interview at the shop had sort of fallen into his lap, Haise had chosen to draw in the first place. He had chosen to go to that coffee shop, chosen to accept that job, and chosen to go to that resort.

Perhaps there were obstacles in the way. His mother, his aunt, the complications of his career choice, Rize, and the Torso were some of them, but his choices had granted him weapons to defeat them. Sen, Hide, Touka, and everyone else that he had befriended over the years came to his aid. In choosing them, they had chosen him in return. And that was life, at the end of the day:

Choose and be chosen. Over and over until the end.

Sen’s smile was as soft as velvet. “How inspiring.”

———

The End

THANKS FOR STICKING WITH ME TO THE END

[jade-lop]

One was a reincarnated soul.

One was a zombie.

One was created out of a wish.

Keiwa appeared to be the most normal… unless you counted his inner demon who somehow terrified Kagerou. Though I doubted it would have any relevant.

If you counted his parents’ death, he was not the only one losing loved ones to DGP.

For some reason, Keiwa and Ukiyo’s interaction gave me emotional comfort.

Since the heroine was also a Rider, the role of damsel in distress was given to Keiwa. He seemed to also fill the role of Main Rider’s Emotional Support, which usually given to the main heroine.

Buffa actually changed his shirt. Wow.

Kousei looked like he was making a deal with the devil.

Is Kousei think his love for Neon not genuine?

Why he worded his wish that way anyway?

Why he gave her a different name if Neon supposed to be resurrected Akari?

Even Wiseman named Homunculus Koyomi, Koyomi.

Though Sumire’s father called her replacement Seine.

I guessed this was just Taka-sen.

Keiwa’s sister was also Neon’s fan.

It was cathartic to see Ukiyo venting his anger.

Buffa finally realised that Beroba have no bottom line?

Neon wished for genuine love. I think she already got it.

Ukiyo, Keiwa and even (maybe) Buffa cared about her. Outside of them, there was Kyuun, her two bodyguards and Keiwa’s sister. There was also Lopo.

Those fans who insulted Neon. Were they from the Future? If that was the case, no wonder they were so heartless. Emotionally stunted seemed to be a trait of theirs.

[tsuki-sennin]

Entry. Set. Armed Musical Chairs. Ready, Fight!

So uhhhh, yeah, we're still doing our musical chairs game. It comes down to Punkjack and Geats! I uh... wonder who's gonna win, in this show entitled Kamen Rider Geats? Soooo...

Grab a seat! If there's one for you...

Spoilers, I guess...

-Soooo, I'm confused, if you lose at this is it a perma-ban? Is it just for this particular server or is Ace's account going to be terminated along with all his DGP V-Bucks and all his wish-granted swag?

-Or if Punkjack loses, does he lose his DGP job and have to go back to street performing full-time?

-I see you're still doing Keiwa's vlogs, Tsumuri-san :)

-Girori, that is your son, has all the dinner you enjoyed with him mean nothing? :(

-Fuck you Hareruya <3

-Oh yeah, Keiwa's got that badass new buckle! Yeah, you keep that son, Ace'll be fine.

-Hell yeah, you go Na-Go!

-Go for it, Keiwa-kun!

-Great! Ready, Fight!

-Damn. Taking yourself out too?

-Wow, holy shoot.

-OH?

-MEMORIES?

-T

-TAIRA-SAN???

-HELLO???

-SIR?

-Oh hey kid, whaddup?

-Ah.

-Oh shit, two of them.

-Yeah, you show 'em the strength of your friendly fire Michinaga!

-Oh hello, Arche.

-Roooook!

-I believe this is our first "Rook" level Jyamato. Don't quote me on that though.

-Ohhhhh, Hareruya's fully aware of Ace's goal, huh? ...I do believe there's a chance that this might pay off into a gag, but...

-A chance to kill the fox man. That's everything you've ever wanted today, Michinaga!

-Neooooon, you've been kicking ass!

-Oh?

-Awwwwwwww, Ben and John :)

-Tom and Michael (their respective actors) are really big Rider fans, I can't possibly imagine how happy they are to be this prevalent.

-Oh shit, Punkjack

-He's not Punkjack originally, huh?

-Oh shit, this seems bad.

-Damn, Hareruya'sgot pretty sorry form outta battle.

-Well, guess we're runnin'!

-I'm sorry, the sub I'm currently using (Izu I think) said "You pissed the Game Master" and that like

-Immediately took me out jhlk

-Ace needs your memories as much as you do, Win.

-God, imagine if she were in charge.

-Mitsume? That's uh... a little bit at odds with that Classical architecture, but okay.

-He really wants his mom back home, huh :(

-Papa Kousei's playing a dangerous game here.

-Favoritism?

-ID CORES

-OHHHHHHH SHIIIIIT

-THEY'RE RIDERS

-THE BOYS WERE RIDERS, LET'S GOOOOO

-SPONSORED

-Grandpa?

-So, Hareruya's just a lackey, huh?

-Well, at least we're piecing together a lot more info than we did before.

-Oh shit, Mitsume?

-NAVIGATOR

-Damn, Tsumuri's literally filling in for Ace's mother in more ways than one.

-Tricky fox~!

-Chicanery~!

-A man knows when he's beat, huh Hareruya?

-You want a happy ending too, huh? :)

-LET'S GO AZUMA, KICK THEY ASS

-Fight for yourself this time, Neon!

-God-damn does that mask look good as Tycoon.

-Game's not over yet, bitch!

-Good for you, man!

-Daaaaamn, nice kill!

-Beat Strike!

-Yosh!

-Full Charge! Twin Set!

-Take Off Complete! Jet and Cannon! Ready, Fight!

-LET'S GO KEIWA-KUN

-TYCOON SWEEP

-Two Driver!

-Ohhhhhhhhh, there he is

-The Game Master.

-He's going to haxxor you.

-Ah, so

-Ace just figured that out too, eh?

-VISION DRIVER

-HAAAAAX HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAX

-Ohhhhhh, that's a sick-ass Driver

-Glare Log-in!

-Install!

-Dominate System! Glare!

-Ohhhhhhhh, god, that's such a good goddamn suit.

-Man's a straight up robot.

-Nooooo, don't pwn Hallelujah Ween you 1337 haxxor man!

-Hacking On! Crack Start!

-OH MY GOD, HE TOOK OVER HIS MIND

-Punkjack!

-Mission Complete!

-Geats-y lost.

-Oh

-Oh wow

-HE FUCKING CHEATEEEEEED

-Well... it seems our final boss is next episode. And uh... it'd also seem that Christmas is coming soon. I wonder what world we're seeing formed?

[animemangasoul]

[anderhummelsbuk]

Wレッド  Navi Vol.81 (from) 

[incorrectmidc]

TMW your fandom overlaps. Shungo Takasaki, who was Xeno Gerald/Byron Wagner in the Ikemen live, will be playing as Keiji Akaashi in the next Gekidan Haikyuu!! Spring of 2018, Hajimari no Kyojin, replacing Yuuki Kousei. ( ๑≧ꇴ≦)ゞｱﾃﾞｭｰ

[back-to-the-frontier]

Hey mika. I know this is random of me to ask late at night, but mi d sharing headcannons for kouchi, our favorite cat?

HI YES SORRY the burnout is real

But certainly!

For starters- there’s the obvious “hey, wow, I have a crush on Takuya oh god gay panic what do I d o”

Kouichi is a soft bean, but he does have a limit to how much Actual Bullshit™ that he can tolerate. If you pass that threshold, you better be prepared to RUN.

His patience is still much higher than Kouji’s.

I don’t think he’d outright punch someone, though. I think that he’d cut into you with his words instead.

Which ties into my HC that he’s a writer. :3

He plays DnD, and his favorite class to play? The bard.

I think the squad goes to him for help on their essays once in a while, when they’re really stuck. They don’t wanna bother him.

When really, he’s more than happy to help any time they ask!

He doesn’t like red pen, instead he’ll write critiques/etc in green pen. Red pen hurts his eyes.

While his brother is all about that Norse mythology, Kouichi is super interested in Egyptian mythology. He’s like a walking encyclopedia for ancient Egypt.

Yes this ties into his love for cats a little bit.

I think he’s come up with multiple ways to confess to Takuya prior to love letters. One of those included writing a song and having Kouji sing it.

Kouji said Hell No.

Ironically, he’s scared of the dark.

Kouichi calls emojis emotes.

He’s a lot more forgiving of his mother than he is of his father for the lie. He still has a difficult time trusting her for some time, but he’s a lot more understanding because he knows that she had to keep up the lie.

He does have a nice long talk with her though, advising how he feels knowing that he was lied to for such a long time.

Seeing as he barely knows Kousei, though, he’s a lot more reluctant to pursue a relationship with him knowing what he knows now.

Eventually he does try, though.

On gloomy days, he will write poems for Kouji to translate into music. Those are his best poetry days.

He prefers elevators and escalators, for Obvious Reasons.

In fact, for the longest time he’s very reluctant to use stairs after almost dying.

Sometimes he writes fanfiction. Look. Sometimes things are written poorly, or the ending to a book is Bullshit™, and sometimes fans can write things better. Sue him.

He doesn’t tell anyone though. Until someone finds his fanfiction.net account.

While red pen hurts his eyes, red is one of his favorite colors.

He can make a mean hamburger if he wants to. This makes Kouji jealous. IYKYK.

And I think that’s it.

Enjoy!

[platypus-why]

Amahisa Kousei, rating players’ attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10 while pitching in an official game: Booh, minus 2 points for every Seidou player because Zono and Kuramochi are so ugly

The general public: Wow, Amahisa is so focused and intense, he looks like a pro already! 

[ocs-specified]

Also 🌾 ☀️ ☁️ feed me

wahoo !!! here we go ! 

🌾- How does this oc get along with people they just met?

☀️- Does this oc make good or bad first impressions?

(Combining the two bc i can’t shut up)

Akimi is very much forgettable to people she just meets in general, especially if introduced in a group. If she's remembered it's just as "the quiet one" since she's too shy to make a big impression. Within the killing game everyone kind of brushes over her as everyone else is so... weird. is a nice way of putting it.

Kinoko doesn't get along with anyone she meets very well. She's stand-offish and other times will flat out ignore them till they go away. Some people (Akimi) will try to be encouraging or carry on despite her ignoring them, but will ultimately give up and leave her alone.

Mitsuyo tends to get along with people well, but they assume she's pretty air-headed or not very smart. When people in the killing game first interact with her they see her as pretty sweet and kind, but probably not worth any intelligent conversation. You'll have a surface level conversation with her and then immediately forget it.

Ren leaves a similar impression to Kinoko, but most people just assume she's awkward and give her an extra moment. After a few moments most people tend to realise she's just being flat out rude when she sighs after you ask her anything and leave.

Takemi has women swooning as soon as they see her. she is so very sexy. aside from that though as soon as people start talking to her she’ll probably say smth controversial in the first five minutes and have them standing there like. huh. what. Akimi’s first meeting with her can be divided into parts. 1. Swooning. 2. ??? 3. ok im going now

Tamae is energetic as hell as soo nas she meets everyone. just immediately all of her energy in ur face. some people are immediately put off by this, some people play along for a bit, but almot nobody can consistently keep up with her. Akimi tries to keep up with her for a bit but eventually leaves mentally and physically exhausted. 

Rinne uh. I need to develop her more but it’s kind of like seeing a puppy for the first time. Gets scared. hides. runs back to u. gets scared again. hides. runs back to u. etc etc. Everyone kind of gets hypnotized as they do with a puppy and plays along with it happy. 

Kohina is very uh... touchy with people she just meets. mainly cus most people meet her and are like holy shit... pretty.... beautiful... please marry me. And she hates that. But within the killing game with her mask on theres kind of like. a moment of her waiting to see what u say but from there she will be perfectly polite and kind to u. Even without seeing her face u get the vibe that she’s elegant

Kousei gets along very well w like everyone he meets! like the guy u meet that makes u say “wow i rlly suck at social interaction this guy has it down” just seems like a normal nice guy 

Youshirou gets along well enough but he WILL bring up religion or something up and people end up just like... slowly backing away. not even bringing up religion like “you should join my religion” but in the way of like “hey did you know Isis used to be Horus’ mother, then became his wife, and then went back to being his mother?” n ur like. no. unrelated i will be going. Akimi is just like “uh huh” nervous nodding.

Souma will ignore people like Kinoko but is less likely to flat out insult u to make u go away. Cus of his mask you dont even know if he’s awake or not which makes most people not approach him at all n others are just like “uhm....” n he pretends to be asleep. If you manage to actually get him to speak to you he’s just slow and is very clear that he doesn’t care. Doesn’t rlly leave a nice impression

Hibiko probably gets along with new people the worst. Immediately like “Haha ur pretty ugly huh” like damn. just a general bastard immediately and either starts a fight or makes people leave. 

Sekitarou psycho analyzes u in the first conversation and immediately intimidates people. some peopld get scared and leave while some become kinda stand-offish. despite their differing levels of maturity he honestly gets along with people at first quite like Hibiko. 

Konoha will immediately make it known he doesn’t think you’re worth his time and that you’re lower than him. So basically you’re gonna talk to him for all of 1 minute before huffing and leaving. Akimi tries her best but honestly by the end of the conversation is trying very hard not to cry.

Kei is like. People see the bag and how he’s probably covered in dirt and go oh look here’s a serial killer. but he’s a ray of sunshine and i think most people are ready to fight and kill for him and are already filling out adoption forms

Kotsu is terrifying why are you even approaching him

☁️- What is this oc's clothing style like?

Akimi is like... those pinterest outfits that look AMAZING but as soon as u look at it its like. so much stuff. your brain gets overload. She’s good at wearing basically pyjamas and making it hard to tell. Also very good with mixing colours. just general like. kawaaiiiii :3 style 

Kinoko wears whatever the fuck she has to she does not care abt looking good or wearing what’s fashionable she just wears what she needs to in order to mess w fungi and whatever is comfortable. Her outfit in the killing game is the most rpesentable she’ll ever look

Mitsuyo will literally wear her bee suit literally everywhere she doesn’t care. who knows when she will have to interact with bees. Also she doesn’t like people seeing her appearance for.... reasons. 

Ren doesn’t care much abt what she wears, similar to Kinoko. Wears what she has to for the day whether thats work clothes or something casual, and won’t change her outfit even if she has to go out or go somewhere more fancy. 

Takemi wears those pinterest outfits with way too many belts and you honestly don’t know how they get it on but it looks so sexy so you don’t really care. 

Tamae wears whatever looks fun! She doesn’t care about matching colours or wearing something that would be considered normal, she’ll just wear whatever she thinks will bring herself or other people the most joy. She has left the house in a monkey suit before. 

Rinne doesn’t leave the house too much but she tends to wear very minimalistic black and white clothes that are actually pretty fancy looking. they look complicated but they’re relatively simple.

Kohina wears old fancy victorian-esque clothing. or other old time periods don’t fucking @ me i don’t know anything other than Victorian era. Anyway yeah she looks like she’s just walked out of an old castle museum at all times.

Kousei dresses like a kids show presenter. just puts on shit with as many polka dots, bows, etc as possible. he isn’t here to entertain u it’s not for u dont even look at him

Youshirou dresses like the villain from a manga i dont know. he just wears the most ominous elaborate shit possible I don’t even know where he gets it from. just goes through the bin outside of theatres after they’ve stopped performing the phantom of the opera i dont know

Souma wears exclusively thick warm clothes. just all the clothes you’d see in the shops at winter but after christmas. Honestly don’t know how he survives any other time of year

Hibiko just. throws shit on. if he thinks it has a cool design or is the colour he likes or even if he thinks it makes him look like a character from  amovie he’ll just throw it on regardless of whether they go with each other or not. Just typical teenage boy

Sekitarou wears only like... fancy suits. ones youd see men wearing at red carpets n stuff yk. hoenstly too much but whatever he’s kind of sexy

Konoha just wears the mos tomcplicated outfits but only to be pretentious. needs to flex on you poor people how far above you he is. Honestly fuck him. 

Kei just wears whatever’s comfortable or practical for his chickens... it’s gonna get dirty anyway so he’s not picky. whatever he does wear you can tell it’s well worn and just . comfortable in the perfect way. Not too worn but not too stiff and new

You will never see Kotsu out of his weird lab coat professor looking outfit. I don’t know i think he’s a cryptid. 

[thatsapphicsoprano]

i just started watching your lie in april (and to all of those who might be wondering, no, i have never seen it before. disgraceful as a classical musician and anime fan, i know) heres my commentary so far!! maybe i’ll make anime commentary a regular thing. i enjoy it 😄

HEADS UP: i only just finished episode 5! i know that the ending is sad, but thats all i know in terms of spoilers! please dont spoil, thank you very much! (thats my nice way of saying “spoil me and i will throttle you”) ❤️

kaori is such a beautiful presence, shes so full of light and I love her!! ive even written down some of her quotes in my notes because she inspires me so much, as a person and as a fellow musician

I love tsubaki and wataru! best supportive jock friends! 😁

theyre all so small wow wow wow theyre 14? 14?! middle school babies i just want them to be safe and happy please —

kousei needs to go tf to therapy oh my god

like seriously

i dont know the full picture yet but what his mother did to him... that is beyond just tiger mom. it was abusive

and its terrifying because he doesnt even see it. he continues to side with his mother and grieve her no matter how much she haunts him

my dear. please seek help

anyway back to kaori!

im so enamoured by how she perceived life and music. i said this above too, but the way she views music as freedom is so inspiring to me, especially as a classical musician who (as much as i love the music) have felt the kind of pressure and hopelessness that kousei feels from being seen as a talent

i feel like i relate to him an awful lot

i would definitely like to adapt some of her views. i think it would be good for me

Also: the opening intro is awesome! its already on my anime playlist but i feel like watching the show has added to its charm :^))

i think thats all for now! im probably gonna have more to say when i continue it. i look forward to it!

[dreamwatchpro-wrestling]

Dreamwatch: REMember (Match 2)

Dreamblood Championship Match: Beast (c) vs Kousei Kanai (Click here to watch!)

Our first title match of the evening and this was going to be an exciting one! For this match the lottery chose someone very familiar with Dreamwatch fans: Kousei Kanai! Kousei Kanai was slated to be in the Blood Crown tournament that would give the winner the shot at this belt, but now he gets to skip to the front of the line and try to prove himself against the champion! How will Beast (with a nice fresh coat of face paint) do in this first defense holding the most unique belt in Dreamwatch?!

This match may have been a surprise to some. It definitely was a surprise for me! For a significant portion of the match, Kousei Kanai managed to corner Beast and keep him there with efficient, relentles offense. Between his devastating kicks and the implementation of a standing sleeper hold, Beast had a difficult time getting off the ground. Beast, however, is true to his namesake and was eventually able to brawl his way out of the corner and get himself into the match with some of his now infamously brutal throws! trying to make his way back into the match would prove to be difficult, though, as Kanai showed why he has been on everyone's radar, keeping the pressure on Beast even as he himself took punishment. Its clear that Kanai was training for the tournament, as he was able to bust out moves that we had never seen before. Near the end beast managed to get a grounded choke on that could have taken Kanai out, but his body was too battered to keep the hold on. After breaking free of the hold, Kanai got on his feet, got behind beast, and completely rocked him with a kick from behind that Beast didn't see coming. Beast tried to get back to his feet, but was too staggered from the blow and was unable to make the ten count. Just like that, we have a new champion! Kousei Kanai has the Dreamblood title!

-POST MATCH COMMENTS-

Kousei Kanai: Wow... I was actually victorious tonight. If I'm being honest I'm at a loss for words a little bit. I was skeptical about participating in matches with this unique ruleset but I knew I had to put on my best showing. I trained and focused on my kicks, I wanted McLaren and I to look good in that tournament that was announced before the hiatus and now... Now I have this belt. I won't lie and say its something I personally have dreamed of, but I'll hold it and represent this division regardless. Boys, we've got our first belt!

Yuhi Sengoku: Easy money, baby! We were out relaxing and drinking during the hiatus and we come back and we're still the best in the business! You can't stop... Whatever name we're gonna call ourselves! We haven't come up with one yet but you already know these faces!

Johnny McLaren: Oh also we need to wear a different color, this orange isn't gonna work anymore. I'll wrestle naked if I have to.

Kousei Kanai: We'll deal with- excuse me? Anyway, we'll deal with our presentation soon. Beast, you were defeated on your first defense. You're already exceptionally powerful, but you should continue to improve yourself and come back, I'll gladly accept your challenge. You're a unique and painful foe, so we're not that different, you and I. in fact, since I'm the champion I'm assuming I won't be needed for the Blood Crown tournament anymore. Beast, if you so desire, I welcome you to take my spot to prove yourself. For now, its time for me to represent. *Kanai bows with the belt before giving it to McLaren to put it on him* How do I look, gentlemen? Strong? Elegant?

Johnny McLaren: Like a champion!

Yuhi Sengoku: Like an asskicker, boy!

*the three pose together*

Kousei Kanai: Well, you heard them. Your "Champion Asskicker Boy" must depart. Bye-Bye!

--

Beast: ...I don't really want to speak to media right now but I will. My career has been a rocky one, to say the very least. I had trouble doing much of note before I started participating in these shoot style matches. I managed to shock the world on the indies and win the old version of what we call the Dreamblood Championship now... And after I won it I did nothing with it. No one challenged for it, and it felt like the belt lost relevancy simply because I was the one holding it. Even after I got into Dreamwatch, not much went well for me until the new version of the belt was made. Maybe I was expected to lose back then against Nick Coleman, but I, again, shocked the world, before losing all of my momentum again. Not much of a beast right now, am I?

Scott Douglas: Ay man easy, easy. You'll be good. If you can shock the world twice you can do it again. If you can beat one man you can beat em all. That's MUSCLEPOWERJUSTICE, remember?

Beast: Yeah. Yeah, my bad. Anyway, Kanai is very good, I think everyone knows that especially now. I wanna fight him again. Gonna need to build myself up again. Start from scratch.

Scott Douglas: Time to lick your wounds for a bit. Let's work and get our strength back, cmon.

*The two depart*

[whorenita]

ylia day 4 & 5 (i didn’t have time yesterday to watch day four oops):

okay so let’s start with episode four because frankly, it’s one of the most iconic episodes within the show. i think today will focus more on episode five but the biggest thing i’d like to point out is something from their performance. and we all notice it, but this is my review and my emotional rambling so you get to deal with it.

okay so we all see kousei struggling and having zero faith within his ability to play the piano; he fails to see any quality within him that’s worth being there for kaori. so because of this, he stops mid performance under the idea of helping her because he can’t do it himself. and then we see her stop soon after. she knows she can’t play without him, she knows that he is strong and that something within him is waiting to come back from death (see ep.3 post here). she looks back to kousei and urges him. he takes this. he struggles, he has problems getting out of the dark place he’s been sent to. but he’s there, he’s fighting and when he finally gets back into his groove, and wow it took an essay to get to my point but, kaori feels it. and without any prompting they make eye contact. from there it’s not just trust and an understanding that they can’t play without pushing one another, but it’s also the two of their first loves (music) coming together to finally produce the moment that is unforgettable. that’s all kaori wants and she believed the whole time that this was possible.

this kind of leads me into my day five. there’s a few things from this episode i want to mention but i think the biggest one is how after thinking and speaking with kaori, kousei knows that because kaori had faith him, someone out there believes he is strong enough and good enough, he can have faith in himself. and even if that faith in himself isn’t enough yet, knowing that he can put faith in kaori because she put faith in him, is enough to make the performance from the previous episode so powerful, and what made it so rememberable. reachable.

the next thing is, and goddamn @ratboyray and i lost our minds over this today, was on the bridge, kaori begins talking about stage fright. she says that everyone gets it, and kousei isn’t alone in this. she says that even she fakes it, and that it tells “the most beautiful lie”. being brave, faking it until you makes it, is something that everyone does but some people do it better. here is the mega sad connection we see in the final episode. i genuinely cannot do this today. it’s so obvious when you rewatch it bur still, knowing the meaning behind it, you can still see the impact it has in the moment for kousei and the watchers, not knowing the future. you can tell that, even if you don’t know what will happen in the future, you have to have faith in your ability to keep moving. i really love this quote even outside of its sadness, and i’ve applied it to my life in order to actually make it.

and the last thing from the fifth episode i want to mention is something super small (yet i’m a rambling crying mess so it might end up not short). when kousei runs home in the rain while thinking about how he can’t forget about the performance, and really digesting the experience that was left with him, he slams open the door to his piano room. and the first glimpse we get of the piano is where it’s entirely in the shade except for where he would sit, and where his hands would press the keys. the sun highlights this as he realizes he cannot forget about the performance, that he cannot live without the piano. he’s starting to uncover his need to play in order to live. and only that part of the piano being in the light, with the rest still in the dark, is just such a good visualization to seeing how this is still so so painful for him, but that his journey “has just begun.”

anyway that was long cause it covers two days but 😽thanks for listening to me wax poetic over basic symbolism😽

[jumukus]

A3! Event: +3Ghosts Episode 10 Translation

It’s showtime! Just in case, a heads up on the names of the characters! Misumi: Kousei, Kumon: Sora, Muku: Minato, Kazunari: Aoi, Tenma: Sousuke, Yuki: Susukida (note that the names may change once I fully know how they are pronounced, except Misumi’s, thanks to the play song ww!)

Sousuke: "Are you going to the hospital today, Kousei?"

Kousei: "I'm not."

Sousuke: "How about our club activities, then? We're gonna pick the members for the dance competition, y'know."

Kousei: "I don't even know if I can participate, anyway. I'm goin' home."

Sousuke: "But your injury is already healed, isn't it? They say you only need to attend therapy."

"If you stay like this, our club advisor will tell you to take a--Hey, Kousei!"

Kousei: "Fine. I'll just take a break from the club. And you really think I'm healed already? Look at this, I can barely move."

Student A: "Ghost photo? Dude, there's no way something like that exists. You just photoshopped it, didn't you?"

Student B: "'Sides, things like a spiritualist are downright uninteresting."

Susukida: "I-I said, you've got it wrong! I'm not lying--!"

Student A: "Lies."

Kousei: "So noisy…"

-

Madoka: (Nii-san truly looks like a different person on the stage. It's as if he has been possessed by his character.)

-

Mother: "Make sure to attend your therapy today, all right!? And go home by yourself once you're done!"

Kousei: "Yeah, yeah, I said I got it."

Kousei: "Like hell I'm gonna attend that therapy. *sighs*...Let's go kill some time somewhere."

"'Sides, the therapy does nothing for me. I can't move my leg at all. It's pointless."

"Just when I got so pumped up thinking I'd get chosen for this year's competition… Shit!"

Sora: "1, 2, 3, 4--!"

Kousei: "...What is that guy doin'? Suckass."

"His steps are so weird."

Sora: "Huh!?"

Kousei: "...Yikes, he heard me."

Sora: "Hey, hold on, hold on! Did you say something to me just now?"

Kousei: "...Just ignore him. Getting myself involved would be such a pain."

Sora: "There's no way he'd talk to me."

"No one will see someone like me. I'm invisible. They can't even hear my voice. My existence is unkn…"

Kousei: "So gloomy! I mean, anyone will see if you dance in a place like this."

Sora: "What!? Me!? Really!?"

Kousei: "Now I've gone and done it."

Sora: "Just now, you said my steps were weird--."

Kousei: "Like I said--You're supposed to move like this. I have an injury right now so I can only move slowly, but--."

Sora: "Wow, awesome! You're great, man!"

Kousei: "What a weirdo… Bye, then."

Sora: "Ah, hold on, hold on! S-Say, can you teach me dancing!?"

Kousei: "Why me… Do you not have any dance clubs in your school?"

Sora: "I can't go to school right now. Besides, I can only practice from evening to night. That's why…"

Kousei: "...I have physical therapy tomorrow."

Sora: "I see…"

Kousei: "But I can come since I have quite free time."

Sora: "For real!? Say, can I bring my friends too!? I'm sure they'll be happy! They've also been practicing dancing, after all."

Kousei: "Sure."

Sora: "My name is Sora Natsukawa!"

Kousei: "I'm Kousei Kizu. Just call me Kousei."

Sora: "Nice to meet you, Kousei!"

Izumi: (Misumi-kun is in his top form ever since he regains himself. Kumon-kun is also able to play Sora in his own way.)

Sora: "He's Minato Mizushima, and he's Aoi Mochizuki!"

Aoi: "Say, are we really going to be fine?"

Minato: "U-Umm, can you hear us?"

Kousei: "Are you makin' fun of me?"

Minato: "N-No!"

Aoi: "Oh, wow! So we're really going to be fine!"

Kousei: "What on Earth are you sayin'..."

Sora: "It's nothing! Let's start practicing right away!"

Kousei: "Wait, wait, wait! Aoi, what? Huh? What's happenin'?"

Aoi: "What is it? Huh? Huh?"

Kousei: "No, no, no! That should be my line, dude! How are your steps so light!?"

Aoi: "Huh!? No way!? Is it that light!?"

Kousei: "For real, man. Rather, you're floating in the air right now."

Aoi: "Whoops, my bad! I kind of forgot about the gravitation!"

Kousei: "Is that something you can forget about!?"

"1, 2, 3… Hey, Minato, is it just me or are you becoming invisible right now?"

Minato: "Huh!? Really!? It's just your imagination! Just your imagination!"

Kousei: "I can't see your feet."

Minato: "Maybe because it's already dark here."

Kousei: "Oh, hey, hang on, I can see through your body!"

Minato: "Huh? Maybe my presence is getting weaker~. Alright, I'll do my best to make my presence known!"

Kousei: "You think everything will be OK just by doing that!?"

Kousei: "You're doing pretty good now. Have you been dancing up until now?"

Sora: "Ah, yes. We all come from different schools, but we're in the same dance club."

Aoi: "It might be thanks to Kousei that my intuition came back."

Minato: "And you can finally move your injured leg, right, Kousei?"

Kousei: "Well, matching my pace with you all turns out good for my physical therapy."

Sora: "You've also been attending your therapy these days, right?"

Kousei: "Sort of, yeah. If I'm going to go to the hospital anyway, I might as well do it."

Aoi: "You're doing great~."

Sousuke: "Hey, Kousei, it's about time you show up to practice again. Your leg is already fine, isn't it?"

Kousei: "Well, yeah…"

Sousuke: "We still haven't completely decided on the members who will participate in the competition, so you still have time before the application deadline."

Kousei: "...I'll think about it."

Sousuke: "Dude, do you even have motivation for this?"

Kousei: "Why aren't y'all goin' back to your dance club?"

Minato: "We do want to return if we can…"

Sora: "We can't even go to school."

Kousei: "Why? Are y'all being hospitalized or what?"

Sora: "Well, I suppose you can see it that way."

Aoi: "Are you in a dance club, Kousei?"

Kousei: "Sort of. I took a break due to my injury, though."

Aoi: "How nice~. Are you gonna participate in the national dance competition?"

Kousei: "No idea. I don't know if I'll be chosen."

Sora: "I wanted to participate too."

Minato: "But Kousei still can make it. I'm sure you'll be chosen since you're working hard!"

Kousei: "...You see, dance clubs are not the only ones allowed to participate in the competition. You can join if four people form a team."

Sora: "Four people…"

Minato: "Are you talking about us?"

Aoi: "Seriously!?"

Kousei: "Who else, then?"

Sousuke: "Kousei! Today you'll come to--."

Kousei: "I've joined a different team for the competition."

Sousuke: "Haaah!?"

Kousei: "I'm gonna be busy practicin' with 'em, so I'm gonna take a longer break from club."

Sousouke: "Stop messing around! Do you know how long we all have been waiting for your return!? On that condition--."

Kousei: "My bad."

Sousuke: "Hey! You're being too selfish here!"

Kousei: "If we're gonna join the contest, I needa think about the choreography…"

Man: "Dance practice?"

Kousei: "Huh? Y-Yeah."

Man: "My son also liked dancing, you see. Do you mind if I see you practice?"

Kousei: "That's fine with me."

-

Man: "It sure brings back memories… My son used to practice until night too. Is it like t-this?"

Kousei: "You've got it all wrong."

Man: "Haha. I should have had him teach me how to dance."

Kousei: "Did your son quit dancing?"

Man: "Yeah… It's been years."

Kousei: "Let's take a lil break."

Aoi: "Huh? Already?"

Sora: "It's been two hours, after all."

Kousei: "Y'all sure have so much energy."

Minato: "You think so?"

Aoi: "I guess we all have infinite energy since the concept of body no longer works on us~?"

Kousei: "The heck is that? That aside, you'll be discharged before the competition, right?"

Sora: "Y-Yeah, of course!"

Minato: "I'll use any means to join the competition!"

Aoi: "Me too!"

Kousei: "Great to know that, then. It must have been a letdown to get holed up in the hospital during summer break."

Minato: "I wanted to go to school…"

Kousei: "School? Why?"

Minato: "Because I couldn't go there at all…"

Kousei: "Wanna sneak out?"

Minato: "Huh?"

Kousei: "If you can sneak out for practice everyday, I'm sure you can go there, right?"

Minato: "For real!?"

Aoi: "Can we really go, though?"

Sora: "I think we can if we're with Kousei!"

Kousei: "A'ight, it's settled, then."

Minato: "Sneaking into school at night sure makes you nervous, huh."

Kousei: "Well, it sure feels different from going to school in the morning. Ghosts may even come out."

Sora: "Huh!? G-G-G-GHOOOSSST???"

Kousei: "You're freakin' out too much."

Minato: "This makes me so happy. I've always wanted to go to school."

Kousei: "You're exaggeratin'. Once you get out of hospital, you'll have to go to school even if you hate it."

Minato: "You see, the truth is, I started missing school since junior high."

"I've come to enjoy dancing after entering a dance club during high school. It made me think that I could attend school."

"I worked hard at practice and aimed for the contest. But--."

Kousei: "I'm sure you'll be discharged soon."

Minato: "...Yeah. Thanks, Kousei."

Kousei: "Like I said, you're exaggerating. You can go to school soon."

Sora: "It might seem that way to you, Kousei."

Aoi: "Ah, in that case, I wanna see fireworks!"

Kousei: "Let's do it next week. You're in?"

Aoi: "Seriously!?"

Izumi: (Muku-kun said he understood Minato's feelings, and it really showed in his performance.)

Kousei: "This place sure is packed. I feel like we'll keep bumping into peeps."

Aoi: "You're right."

Minato: "What a crowd."

Kousei: "But hey, hold on, how can you guys walk that easily!? It's like you're slipping through them! How do you do that!?"

Sora: "We're, we're not!"

Kousei: "No, no matter how man--."

Susukida: "Eeek!!"

Kousei: "What's with that guy?"

Aoi: "Do you know him?"

Kousei: "He's my classmate. We've never talked before, though."

Sora: "He looked surprised when he saw us."

Kousei: "What a weird guy."

Aoi: "Ah, it's the fireworks!"

Kousei: "But we can't see them behind these trees!"

Sora: "Haha. We could only hear the sound."

Kousei: "Let's move."

Aoi: "No, it's fine."

Kousei: "But you wanted to see fireworks, didn't you?"

Aoi: "This is already fun enough."

"I didn't have any friends before, you see. Ever since I got ignored by the guys I was close with at junior high, I was afraid to make friends. I'd always been alone at the dance club."

"That's why dancing and watching fireworks with my friends like this made me so happy."

Kousei: "I see… Good for you."

Izumi: (Kazunari-kun doesn't call himself the fireworks leader of Summer Troupe for nothing. He's really having fun, as if he's watching big fireworks for real.)

Kousei: "Next is Sora."

Sora: "Huh?"

Minato: "You must have something you want to do, right, Sora?"

Sora: "I… No, it's fine."

Kousei: "Why?"

Sora: "I want to make it come true, but at the same time, I don't want to."

Kousei: "The heck is that?"

Aoi: "It doesn't hurt to say it."

Minato: "It's definitely better to say it. If you don't, we…"

Sora: "I… I wanna meet my family."

Kousei: "You can't meet them?"

Sora: "Due to some circumstances… I can't meet them face to face. But I want to see them at the very least, even if it's just a glance."

Kousei: "I'll do something about it, then."

Izumi: (Despite planning a lot of things for Sora's sake, Kousei gets mistaken as a suspicious person…)

Sora's Father: "What is it that you want? Please cut this out!"

Kousei: "Ah, wait a minu--. Inviting him without mentioning Sora's name at all is too difficult. *sighs*."

Sora's Father: "I'm going to call the police if you do this again."

Kousei: "Please hear me out. I'm not a suspicious person. My name is Kousei Kizu--I'm a friend of Sora Natsukawa--."

Sora's Father: "Sora's…?"

Kousei: "Sora said he wanted to meet you. Can you come with me?"

Sora's Father: "Sora… No way…"

"Can I really meet Sora?"

Kousei: "Huh? Where are you--Oh well, whatever! Please come with me!"

Izumi: (Promising to let him meet Sora, Kousei brings Sora's father to a nearby riverside…)

Kousei: "Like I said, he wanted to meet you too. Just meet him face to face."

Sora: "I can't…"

Kousei: "Why!?"

Sora: "I just can't…"

Minato: "Kousei, Sora himself really wants to meet his father."

Kousei: "Then why--."

Sora's Father: "So where's Sora?"

Kousei: "Ah, uh, umm…"

Aoi: "Ah, fireflies!"

Minato: "Wow, it's so pretty…"

Sora: "This takes me back. I used to come here to see fireflies with my family…"

Sora's Father: "I see… So you're home, huh, Sora. Kousei-kun, thank you for helping me meet Sora."

Kousei: "Huh? I don't really get it, but I guess he kinda accepted it~?"

Sora: "Thanks, Kousei. My dream came true because of you."

Kousei: "Huh, yeah. But is this really okay? You didn't meet him face to face."

Sora: "Yep. It's enough for me."

Kousei: "Now we've only gotta wait until you're discharged from the hospital and join the competition."

Sora: "...Yeah. I'll have no regrets left once we join the contest."

Kousei: "Well, since we're joining the contest anyway, I also want to win something."

Kousei: "There's no point in going to school. I should have skipped."

Student A: "Like I said, you probably edited it, right?"

Student B: "Just admit it already."

Susukida: "I'm not lying! Give me back my phone!"

Kousei: "So noisy…"

"..."

Student A: "H-Hey!"

Kousei: "Leave him the fuck alone, man. Here you go."

Susukida: "Tha, Thanks…"

Student A: "Tch, fucking boring."

Susukida: "Umm, Kizu-kun, you came to the fireworks festival, didn't you?"

Kousei: "Haaah? Yea."

Susukida: "You're being possessed, Kizu-kun."

Kousei: "Huh? By who?"

Susukida: "Spirits of the dead."

Kousei: "Haaah!? The fuck are you sayin'? Bullshit."

Sora's Father: "We met here before, right? I remember coming here."

Kousei: "Ah, Sora's…"

Sora's Father: "If you don't mind, can you keep these for me?"

Kousei: "What are those?"

Sora's Father: "Dance videos that Sora collected to study and videos of his performances. I suppose it might be helpful to you."

Kousei: "In that case, you can just return it to Sora…"

Sora's Father: "I do want to do it. But I ended up feeling reluctant and kept them as a memento."

Kousei: "Memento…?"

Sora: "You've heard from my dad, right, Kousei?"

"Five years ago, we were riding the same bus to go to a dance contest. But our bus flipped over midway and we couldn't be saved."

Kousei: "You're lying."

Minato: "It's the truth. Do you know why we can float in the air or how we have weak presences? It's because we are ghosts."

Aoi: "See? We look like ghosts, don't we? No, I mean, we are indeed ghosts."

Kousei: "Are you for real, dude!? I see!?"

Sora: "I've actually wondered why you didn't notice it all this time."

Kousei: "One usually would not notice such a thing, y'know!"

Minato: "No, I think it's the exact opposite."

Kousei: "Hey, how about the dance contest, then!? Can ghosts even join!?"

Sora: "Sorry… In the first place, there's barely anyone who can see us…"

Minato: "It's impossible."

Aoi: "I think people who have sixth sense can see us, though."

Kousei: "I don't have such a thing, though."

Sora: "Maybe it's because we share the same feelings that you can see us, Kousei. We all want to join the dance contest.”

Minato: "I wanted to join the contest…"

Sora: "But Kousei's the only one who can see us… Besides, you need at least two people to join the contest."

Aoi: "Sorry, Kousei…"

Kousei: "What are you apologizing for!? Y'all want to join the contest, don't you!? You'll definitely join!"

Sora: "Kousei…"

Izumi: (Thus, in order to make up the number, Kousei asks Sousuke from the dance club to help him…)

Kousei: "I'm begging you, Sousuke. I want to look for someone from the dance club who can join my team."

Sousuke: "You really are asking too much. Besides, you're the one who chose them over the dance club."

Kousei: "I know. But I have to participate in this contest no matter what."

Sousuke: "I'll join your team."

Kousei: "Huh?"

Sousuke: "The contest is in three days. Do you really think there's anyone who would be willing to join your team so suddenly like that?"

Kousei: "Then why are you…? To begin with, you've been chosen to represent the dance club."

Sousuke: "The dance club has a lot of substitutes. We have prepared so that anyone can take over anytime."

Kousei: "But--."

Sousuke: "I want to take part in the competition with you. I've told you I'd wait, right?"

Kousei: "Sorry, and thanks."

Izumi: (Tenma-kun has already said this, but he really is perfect for the role.)

(No matter what he says, in the end Sousuke is very helpful and compassionate, and Tenma-kun shows that side of him well.)

Kousei: "Say, Susukida! You can see ghosts, can't you!?"

Susukida: "Huh?"

Kousei: "You said you saw ghosts at the fireworks festival."

Susukida: "Y-Yeah."

Kousei: "Do you know a way to make other people able to see ghosts?"

Susukida: "Maybe with… psychic photography."

Kousei: "Psychic photography… That's it!!"

Sousuke: "I thought you were lying when you said they're ghosts, but you were not."

Sora: "Never would have I thought you'd come with an idea of having us dance on the screen."

Sousuke: "Hey, are they all here?"

Susukida: "Y-Yeah."

Minato: "Susukida-kun can't hear our voice too."

Aoi: "To think that we'd be able to join the competition…"

Sora: "Thanks so much, Kousei."

Izumi: (Yuki-kun did a good job expressing Susukida's delicate feelings and how happy he was when the others used his ability.)

Izumi: (Then, on the day of the competition…)

(They all look like they're having fun.)

(Especially Misumi-kun… I can tell he's really having fun when he dances on stage with the others.)

(I can tell they're fully enjoying this moment in this summer… That feeling of theirs is overflowing…)

-

Kusumi: …

(Misumi's performance reminded me of Father's plays… That's right… I, too, wanted to create that kind of play.)

MC: "The winner of this contest is… Sakai High's dance club!"

*applause*

Kousei: "I thought we'd at least win a prize, but it didn't turn out like that."

Sora: "I'm happy enough to be able to stand on the stage."

MC: "The Special Recognition Award goes to… +3Ghosts!"

Kousei: "Huh…"

Sousuke: "Seriously!?"

Kousei: "Special Award…"

Sousuke: "We won that! Come on, Kousei, go get that throphy! Ah no, I mean, Kousei and you three!"

Sora: "--Special Award? Us?"

Minato: "I can't believe it…"

Aoi: "Isn't that awesome!? Yaaay!!"

MC: "Your creativity was wonderful. Not only that, but your performance was also highly-praised due to the fact that we could sense the characteristics of the people on the screen. Congrats."

Kousei: "Thank you…!"

"Hey, you three, come on, hold the tro--ah, right, you can't."

Aoi: "Hahaha. Let's just pretend we're touching the trophy~."

Sora: "Wow! I still can't believe it! We won a prize!"

Minato: "I'm really happy."

Susukida: "Let's take a pic! Look here, guys!"

Kousei: "--."

Sora: "Thanks, Kousei, Sousuke-kun, Susukida-kun."

Aoi: "We have no regrets left."

Minato: "It's sad, but I'm glad I wasn't alone."

Kousei: "Huh?"

Sora: "I'm glad I could meet Kousei."

Aoi: "See you!"

Minato: "I hope we can dance together again one day."

Kousei: "Wait a minute, hey!"

Sousuke: "Kousei?"

Susukida: "They disappeared…"

Kousei: "Why!? They should have said that kind of thing sooner! I could have prepared myself mentally."

Susukida: "Take a look at this, Kizu-kun."

Sousuke: "They all held the trophy."

Kousei: "Haha. Their presences are as weak as ever."

Izumi: (A nice smile filled with sorrow… As if marking the end of a summer, the curtain closes…)

Misumi: Thanks~!

Kumon: --*sobs*!

Misumi: There, there, Kumon. Huggies~!

Kazunari: Me too!

Muku: Good for you, Kyu-chan!

Yuki: You're crying too much.

Tenma: Hey, come on, introduce yourself. Good grief.

-

Hiro: …

There's no mistaking it… Friends are the best treasure in one's lifetime.

Kumon: Sorry for intruding.

Madoka: Welcome.

Kazunari: Hakkaku-san's mansion is super elegant!

Muku: It does feel like this place belongs to Hakkaku-san.

Izumi: Is it really okay for us to come here?

Madoka: I think my grandfather will be happy if lively people come here.

Misumi: I'm so happy I could come here with you all~!

Izumi: (Well, Misumi-kun is happy. That's good enough.)

Kazunari: So this is where Hakkaku-san usually wrote…

Tenma: This is truly a great place; it's close to the mountain and the sea.

Yuki: And it's quiet here.

Kusumi: ...Ah, found it.

This is what you're looking for, right?

Izumi: Ah, thank you!

Tenma: "White Beard Pirates"....

Misumi: I watched this with Grandpa!

Tenma: Looks like we got the right one.

Kusumi: Let's visit the grave before it gets dark.

Madoka: Yes.

Misumi: …

Madoka: …

Misumi: Thank you for bringing me here.

Kusumi: --.

--No, I should have brought you here sooner. Sorry.

Madoka: I'm sorry, Nii-san.

Misumi: It's all right. I'm glad I could come here today.

Madoka: …

Misumi: Let's make paper airplanes, Madoka!

Tenma: You're gonna fly them here!?

Yuki: That's disrespectful, you know.

Misumi: I'm gonna give Grandpa the paper airplane that flies the farthest!

Izumi: Le-Let's look for a wider area to do it.

Madoka: I have this. I wasn't the one who made it, though.

Misumi: It… looks similar to my paper airplanes…

Madoka: When Nii-san took on the lead role for the first time, It flew from the window.

Misumi: So you've been keeping it…!

Let's play more and more and make paper airplanes!

Izumi: How about the papers, though?

Misumi: Ah…

Madoka: I think we can use the papers in the mansion.

Kusumi: Please use these.

Misumi: ?

Madoka: Father, these are--.

(They're manuscripts. They're filled with words…)

Kusumi: It's garbage. I'm bringing them here because I want to burn it.

Madoka: (This is Father's handwriting… He kept writing and erasing his words… There's a trace of his struggle.)

Izumi: Is it really okay to throw them away?

Kusumi: ...I had always felt like I submerged into a dark mire, you see. But now I could finally get rid of that feeling.

It's all thanks to you, Misumi, Madoka.

Misumi: Father…

Madoka: (There's a lot of unfinished stories that disappear without seeing the light of the day like this.)

(At the very least, I shall remember those stories. Then, one day--.)

Tenma: Okay, I'm sure this time I'll--.

Kumon: I'm done!

Kazunari: It's all set!

Misumi: Alright, let's go! Three, two, one!

Muku: --Wow, it's flying!

Kumon: Awesome! Mine flies that far!

Tenma: Not again! Mine fell down right away!

Kazunari: Go, go~!

Yuki: Just as I thought, Triangle Alien's flies the farthest.

Madoka: You're amazing, Nii-san.

Misumi: Ehehe~!

Izumi: The white paper airplanes are dancing in the blue sky… This, too, is a summer-like thing.

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