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lightlycareless · 1 year ago

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First, it hurts— Chapter XXXIX

Naoya Zen’in x Fem!Reader

While arranged marriages are not uncommon in the jujutsu community, it was strange to receive a proposal from none other than the Zen’in’s, nonetheless your clan accepted and before you knew it, you were married off to Naoya.

Your new purpose was clear: to serve and submit, to be seen and not heard. To forget any sense of individuality in favor of obeying your husband.

Will this marriage ever flourish into something else? Will it change…for better or for worse?

Chapter warnings: there’s a lot of disdain from a particular someone, another person trying his best to do something, a bit of ooc I guess… and mentions of SA, abuse. AAAAND I think that’s about it. It get’s somewhat heavy in the end.

A/N: None heheheheh.

Now, without any further ado, happy reading! 🥰

Masterlist ➸ Chapter 40

Ao3 link.

It all started with a cough.

It happened whilst working with Haruko, trying to perfect your cooking skills. Soon after you sprayed some spices onto the dish you were preparing you started to wheeze.

The two laughed, especially when your face just kept getting red, subsequently doing a particularly funny scowl that had her howling at that point.

But outside of that, nothing—there was no suspicion of something else, so you left it at that.

The second time around, however, is when everyone around grew slightly concerned, when you began to feel a bit under the weather, evident by the way you struggled to complete your everyday activities, having to retire early for the day, and wanting nothing else to do but lay in bed and sleep.

By the third instance, the symptoms became all too obvious to ignore, uncloaking a shocking revelation:

You were sick.

Even with all the great care that you and your staff took, you still got sick.

You truly believed you’ve been careful enough to avoid that—however, after spending 7 days tending to a sick person, permitting him to get that close… it was only natural that you’d suffer some repercussions.

As if he hasn’t influenced your life enough, this also had to happen.

The only fortunate thing to come out of this, would have to be the lower degree of your sickness; you weren’t as… “delirious” as he’d been, certainly still in control of your behavior, which makes you wonder if Naoya’s softness was nothing but an act…

Well, whatever it was, there’s no denying you’re in a tight spot yet again, forced to quarantine inside you room and delay your responsibilities—something of a double-edged sword kind of thing, but only for Junko, because she didn’t take long to voice her opinion on your supposed carelessness.

“I thought I told you to be careful!” she’d scold “Now you’ve gone ahead and gotten sick, who else is going to be in the same predicament?!”

You hadn’t even considered it until she brought it up, immediately making you worried about their health. What if you accidentally made them sick as well? They couldn’t afford to not work!

Thankfully, the time it took the virus to settle in you, was the same for your ladies, so if they were to get sick they would’ve done so by now.

You don’t think you’d be able to live with yourself if that happened.

And even then, that was not to be your biggest worry yet.

What preoccupied you the most was the fact that Hitomi and Mariya had not been able to get along since the latter’s secret was revealed.

Haruko, even when taken aback by this revelation, was still able to show her support for the two and even try to mend things between the two, for in her own words, Mariya has done enough for the rest, she deserves something for herself.

Coincidentally it was the same thing Mariya’s parents told her when she revealed her new relationship to them. She’s never been one to get things for herself, always wanting to comply with what others wanted, or the greater good, a bit of a people pleaser if you must.

That only changed when Tatsuro introduced himself into her life—it took a while for her to accept him, as well as the risks this relationship entailed per their contract, but she eventually made up her mind and the rest is history.

Now… It was time to deal with Hitomi’s disapproval, which felt a bit more nerve wracking to Mariya than the time she had to tell her parents about Tatsuro!

You still didn’t understand why Hitomi had reacted so strongly to her predicament, but after much observation, you were able to place the pieces together:

Turns out that Mariya’s situation hit a bit too close to home for her. Apparently, Haruko, Hitomi and her mother grew to be very close after their father had abandoned them, with the seamstress being the most overprotective of the three, doing everything in her power to avoid a similar situation from happening.

She grew to believe that it would always be the 3 of them… until her mother decided to settle down with another man.

It was only natural that she’d move on when she felt the time was right, Haruko even encouraging for her sake. But when it came to Hitomi, well, she couldn’t help but perceive it as a betrayal of sorts, like her efforts had been all for naught, sentiments discarded to the side…

Hitomi couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that her mother had willingly put herself in a position that might compromise her yet again—Of course, those are things that no one knows with certainty when they’ll happen, if they ever do… but Hitomi was not one to wait and find out.

The similarities between Mariya and her mother, although subtle, were still there, but Haruko presumes there’s an ulterior reason behind her behavior…

“I don’t think she ever accepted him” Haruko disclosed the day it was her turn to tend to you. “She tolerated him the most when our baby sister was born, but even then… she always keeps her distance from him—maybe this is her way to show her discomfort… It’s a shame Mariya had to be caught in the middle of it”

In that sense, it was nothing but understandable… not justified, but it gave you a deeper insight of what was going inside Hitomi’s mind. However, when you supposed things would’ve cooled down by now, tension between the two seemed to be as lively as ever, and Mariya was not enjoying it at all .

“As soon as I��m near her she turns around and leaves” She’d confide in you in the middle of the night, the usual time for your reunions with her. “Whether she’s alone or with someone else, it doesn’t matter, she doesn’t want to speak to me. It’s like she barely even knows me…”

You press your lips—seeing your staff ruptured like this hurt you, more so because you believe you are responsible for such a thing. Had you been careful with your words, what you said and when you said it, Mariya would’ve never found herself in this situation.

Unfortunately, your guilt only grows when your condition binds you to your room. You literally feel both entrapped and useless in this small prison while Mariya and Haruko were out there, trying to mend this situation to the best of their capabilities. Maybe, if just maybe, you were able to talk to Hitomi more than just a few instances a day, get her to be a bit more empathetic to Mariya’s situation…

Oh, but who are you trying to fool? Haruko has more likely than not already tried that… failing miserably due to the results afterwards, given how they still struggle to keep communication between the two… besides, it’s not like you’re some kind of sait that could easily change someone’s outview in something. If you were, Naoya would be a completely different man.

…

Guess all you could do is wait and see what happens next.

“But don’t worry about that, Y/N. You should rest.” she says while giving you a tight smile. “A good night’s sleep can never do harm”

“…I guess so” you respond, sighing. Those things have historically always been easier said than done, but if there’s nothing else to converse about that, you suppose you could indulge in your curiosity for the outside world.

From a few days forward you’ve been hearing lots of commotion around the estate, so naturally, you had to ask.

“What’s going on out there? Seems like the estate is being turned inside out or something…”

“Oh! Right, the masters are getting ready to leave the estate. They always do around this time, the end of October”

“End of october…” you repeat, surprised it’s already October. Has it been that long…? “Where most sorcerers, if not all, are deployed.”

Except Naoya, who you assumed to be staying behind because of his suspension. Great.

“So I heard” Mariya responds “Do you know the deal behind it?”

“It’s just because of Halloween” you explain “People tend to be… some, not all, very irresponsible with the dead around this time. Doesn’t help that it’s also one of the days with the most spiritual energy, so sorcerers have to keep an eye out for anything.”

“Now that you mention it, people do tend to mock the afterlife quite a bit… seems tiring to act as babysitter to them—Did you ever get a chance to work this time?”

No. This was supposed to be your first year doing so, actually. Another experience down the drain thanks to your new life.

“No, but my siblings and parents did. And yeah, it’s exhausting. Sometimes I wouldn’t even get to see them for days! It tends to be very demanding…”

“Makes sense why the whole estate is emptied then, but it’s a nice change of pace for us the staff. Less work” The two chuckle.

“What about the rest?” you change topics. “How’s Mai and Maki? I haven’t seen them in a while…”

“They’re fine, doing what they always do, school, chores, make Junko-san crazy… that kind of stuff” Mariya shrugs, you giggle. “However… after hearing you were sick, the’ve insisted in seeing you”

“Really?” you ask, delighted that even though you haven’t seen them as much, they still have you in their thoughts.

“Yeah, although their mother won’t allow it, but she did allow them to give you this ” Mariya says, taking out an envelope from her obi and handing it to you. You then open it by carefully ripping the edges, taking out the letter and relishing in the lovely contents they made just for you.

A crayola painted sunflower garden can be seen across the white paper, in the middle, there's a smiling figure presumed to be you, given the name written on top of it, accompanied by two little girls (them of course) equally happy, standing on each side. Lastly, in the upper area, large scribbled letters read the following message:

Get well soon.

Your heart swoons at the gesture, already knowing this is something that will remain dear to you in years to come.

Even when in the estate, through all the things you’ve suffered… you still managed to find people that genuinely care for you—and once again, you can’t do much to repay their kindness outside of thanking them.

Had you only met them through different circumstances, you would’ve been able to enjoy their presence much more than you already did, making sure to return all of their affections the appropriate way.

But what attached you to this reality wouldn’t allow it just yet, a sour reminder that even with their efforts, your husband will still make you miserable.

And not only that, he’ll take whatever happiness you have and taint it, make a mockery of it, before completely destroying it.

You never asked for much in the past, but now, all you could ever hope for is his disappearance, the moment he’ll finally leave you alone for once in your life!

But you know that won’t happen, at least not soon, because of all things, persistent is what he’s mostly known for.

You probably already knew this, or presumed it at least, but Naoya remembers most, if not all, of that week he spent along with you while sick.

He remembers how you were there, every single day, just for his aid—There was no way he could forget, after all, your aura, your presence, and it’s hypnotizing effect was too hard to ignore; from the very moment he met you and up to now, it’s remained imprinted in his heart.

How you came rushing to him when his fever got worse, how you stayed throughout the whole night, how you fed him, clothed him, how you patiently explained what you were doing whilst working, and how warm you felt in his arms…

He remembers everything.

Yes, even the promise he made regarding your family.

…And how much he regretted telling you he didn’t.

He doesn’t know why he did it, why he suggested something he should’ve never done in the first place.

But he couldn’t stop himself, he couldn’t stop his heart from aching upon seeing the melancholic look on your face as you spoke about them. It pained him to see you like that, so… hopeless, lonely , that it evoked something in him and thus, spoke carelessly.

Yet, it was not meant to be—there was too much at stake to have made such a promise so foolishly; so many things to keep hidden from you.

Even if it greatly hurt him to see the hope diminishing from your eyes, and subsequently out of his sight the following days, he had to do it. It was safer that way.

But for who?

For you—or for him?

This, amongst other existential questions, have been plaguing him since the moment you openly denounced him. And unfortunately for him, he doesn’t have Ranta to ease these burdens from his mind, leaving him to reflect on his actions and come to conclusions by himself.

It wasn’t nice, to have to take a good look at himself and realize just how different this marriage turned out to be compared to what he initially envisioned.

He didn’t want to think about it at first, doing everything in his power to avoid dwelling on the thought for more than a second—but after that terrible nightmare, where the sight of you intertwined in his brother’s arms continued to haunt him even in his wake, he decided to dive into the extremes and leave the estate entirely, force himself to focus on something else, in one thing he considered himself to be the best in… at least, until he was proven otherwise.

Even when a sorcerer is suspended, either temporarily or definitely, there’s always a way to work around that—either through a small task, a quick elimination, or money under the table—HQ was open to those kind of opportunities, more so for someone as prestigious as the heir of the Zen’in clan, which Naoya decided to abuse.

Per his request, Naoya was given the task of collecting a cursed object in a rather dangerous, highly active, rural area, something usually reserved for grade ones; if done successfully, his ban would be lifted and all records of his incident permanently deleted.

Because Naoya thought himself more than capable, he took the mission without hesitation, careless to check if he was mentally prepared, and HQ couldn’t be any more detached.

As it would come to be, this would not only lead him to sabotage the mission, but expose himself to just a few moments away from death thanks to a simple miscalculation, barely rescued in time thanks to the sorcerer who was sent to oversee his progress noticing he had failed to set up a checkpoint when required.

Because Naoya had also managed to buy the proctor’s silence this small incident was kept under wraps from the rest of the community; however, the severity of his injuries meant that his family had to be informed nonetheless, unfolding everything else.

At that point, Naoya’s life could not have been more filled with mistakes, after mistakes, after mistakes, urging him to pursue a sense of satisfaction, instead of taking a breather to compose himself, only to fail once more.

Your husband believed to have hit rock bottom, spiraled into a hopeless pit where no one was to hear his cries for help… that is until you unexpectedly answered his call. Neither Naoya nor his staff expected it to be answered really, but it was, and it was sufficient to keep him alive .

Makes sense why he was over the moon when you came along, the only positive thing he’s gotten in his life for a while now.

But now that that is over, Naoya is back to the point where he has nothing— no one . Not even a semblance of hope to motivate him further, a paused career and a broken marriage.

Nothing.

He knows it’s stupid, perhaps even useless to think about it, but he wants something, a sign, an omen, a word, anything just to know there’s still something left for him to do, something… to not give up completely on everything—on you .

Because of all things he’s lost, you are the one that hurts the most. Not even his career, because that was something that was given to him by his blood, it was just a coincidence he ended up liking it.

You were the one person he has ever sought after through his own volition, the only one he’s ever cared about.

Even through these obstacles, Naoya does his best to move on with his day just like he’d done prior, roaming around the halls for a bit of air before heading back to… well, whatever it is that he could do at this point. Train? He doesn’t feel like it.

Certainly not socializing—his close ones are way for the moment, and he’s not blind to the way the staff go silent whenever he’s around, always been like that since he can remember, but nowadays he can’t help but feel like there’s a malicious intent behind it, as if they were trying to hide something from him.

Well, he wasn’t too far off with that assumption, because after a few more cautious attempts to ease this hunch, he would discover the truth.

“What? She’s— what?! ” he’d say, slightly, very infuriated from the fact that he was the last person to know about your condition, again! You’re his wife, for god’s sake, shouldn’t he be the first informed? “Since when is she sick?!”

“Since Monday” one of the staff members would dare say, hoping to calm the storm his master bore—but if anything, this just made Naoya more irritated. What did he expect? That just because he responded to one question he’d be satisfied? Of course not! He needs to know everything about his wife!

The man nervously obliges.

“She… uh, well, according to her staff, I mean, began to feel a bit ill the days prior, but it wasn’t Monday that she couldn’t even get out of bed.”

“She wouldn’t even be able to do certain tasks” other adds “Too… tired for that”

“And why was I the last one to know?” Naoya groans. The staff remains silent, certainly intimidated by his outburst, until a valiant one decides to step in.

“We… didn’t think it was appropriate to…” one quietly explains. “Since… you… you… you know—”

“What was that?” Naoya harasses. Oh, he’s going to remind them of how everything works around here. “Care to run through that again?”

“Because it’s no secret that whenever the two of you are together, hell breaks loose” another voice adds from behind, making the servants immediately bow, and shift Naoya’s attention— it was none other than his dreadful uncle, Ogi. Exactly what Naoya wanted to do first thing in the morning: deal with both the imprudence of his staff and family at the same time.

But he doesn’t respond, not when he’s clearly more preoccupied by your health and the staff’s seeming transgressions than whatever jab his uncle could make up on the spot.

Ogi takes note of his silence, which irks him a bit for he somewhat enjoyed indulging in this push-and-pull game with his nephew, it was so easy to provoke him after all. Well, it’s not what he’s there for anyways.

“Leave us” Ogi says, and the staff does as ordered soon after.

Naoya isn't keen on their dismissal, feeling there was more he still could’ve gotten out of them… so whatever his uncle wanted, it must be good. “Are you done moping in your bedroom? I’ve been searching everywhere for you."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Your husband frowns.

"You're just as rude as your wife… truly, a match made in heaven" Ogi scoffs under his breath, but Naoya still hears him. Oh, how he wishes he could hit him right now, how dare he mention you?! "Either way, I'm only here to tell you the news"

“What… news…?” Naoya’s previous thoughts are completely discarded once those words were uttered, simply because he had made Ogi in charge of his most… urgent, if not confidential, matters.

Like the grounds his marriage was made in. Meaning that if he had a reason to approach him, it was important , and after all that happened days prior, he could only think of the worst.

Did your sister finally find out the kind of agreement he’d made with your father? If so, how long ago did it happen? And how? He thought— he made sure to keep everything under wraps! Does he even have enough time to—

“That your ban is temporarily lifted so you can help you during the 31th of October”

Thankfully for him, that was not the case, which made some of the burdens on Naoya’s shoulders lift.

Nonetheless, he proceeds to be in shock.

“What?” Naoya breathes, still unable to believe his ears. “ Pardon? ”

"Extra hands are needed" Ogi explains, voice a bit tense for being irritated at Naoya's privilege. Had he been in his shoes, he knew he would never get the same opportunities. But oh well, he's got his revenge with you. “And, if your performance is good enough, they’re also willing to move past your small incident, lift your ban all together, and let you apply for a promotion sooner"

If Naoya needed evidence that the gods were listening to his prayers, this was it. The so-called sign he wanted to not give up and keep fighting, had arrived as expeditiously as ever.

Good news that would’ve made the old Naoya ecstatic, eagerly dropping everything on the spot to get back on the road and do what he did best, ensuring his career as a proficient sorcerer and getting that sought after promotion!

And yet, his mind was all but there, instead, he's at the estate, with you specifically, inside that small room as he presumes you to be having a horrible time, just like he did.

It didn't feel right to leave the house when you were sick, feeling both guilty for unwittingly passing on his sickness to you, and responsible, because as your husband, he should and wants to provide for you.

Besides, if the least he could do after the week you spent with him, return the favor.

"When’s the latest I can leave?"

" Latest? " Ogi raises an eyebrow, mildly surprised by Naoya's question. "What for?"

"There are some things I want to deal with before I leave." Naoya responds, he would’ve liked his uncle to remain quiet and avoid giving unnecessary explanations, but he if has to…

And of course a man of Ogi's years, quickly recognizes this is to be a simple, yet bad excuse, as it becomes crystal clear to him that he wants to stay back with you.

The vivid contrast of how he initially handled you. Back then, he didn't want anything to do with you, relegating others for your care, and getting unreasonably angry when it didn't go as planned.

But now… he wants to be there, in the front line, as if you were even worthy of that consideration

Ogi can't help but wonder what this means for their plans…

Well, if Naoya wanted to further ruin his life to be with a woman that wasn’t even that good per their standards, fine. He’ll let him be, it’s his funeral.

“A day before the meeting.” Ogi declares. “That’s all you have”

Naoya frowns.

This means… he’ll only have around 3 days to be with you—no, less than that considering he still needs to prepare everything for his departure. It’s half the time it took him to get back on his feet… will it be enough for you?

No. He doesn’t think so, but he'll take what he can get, any chances destiny has given him to earn his place next to your side, make it up to you, if only to see you happy once more.

“Thanks”

Ogi blinks, taken aback by his nephew’s sudden gratitude, but in the bigger picture he doesn’t really care, so he leaves without saying anything else.

With this newfound revelation Naoya knew exactly where he had to be, however, he was still ignorant of the gravity of your health since the staff hadn’t been disclosed of your status thanks to Mariya’s overzealous protection—did you have a fever like he did? If so, you need to rest, he hopes his aunt doesn’t push you to work through it.

What about pain? That’s even worse, he can vouch for that, and there’s no doubt in him that you’re bored beyond belief in that room…

But what can he do to help you…?

Suddenly, his favorite memory of the week he spent with you flashes across his mind.

Any other time Naoya would’ve just waltzed over to your chambers… ordered his staff to give you what you needed, and stayed away after that. But upon recognizing you’ve been actively avoiding him, he needed a good reason to approach you—and bringing you some entertainment was the perfect starting point.

He also had to admit, however, that he doesn’t know… much about you, well, kind of. He clearly remembers some things from the first time he met you, but those aren’t within his grasp at the moment, and doesn’t want to waste time going out to get them…

Instead, he opts to play safe by approaching you, hoping to get your preferences and avoid repeating Matsuo's mistake.

With haste, Naoya makes way to your room, rather uneventfully until he bumps into a staff member, who after a few seconds of walking behind him, as well as noticing the tray on his hands, carrying a bowl of neatly cut apple slices and a glass vase with a singular lily, concluded they’re heading to the same destination.

Your husband didn’t think much of it—well, he didn’t want to think much of it, outside of how odd it was for a servant completely to be doting on one of the masters seemingly unprovoked… until the giddy look on his face made it impossible for him to keep quiet.

It’s been proven countless times by now that Naoya isn’t particularly fond of sharing his belongings with anyone. And his wife, especially her, is no exception. So, when he sees this nonchalant man happily heading over to your bedroom, bound to find you in a vulnerable position , it does not sit well with him.

With boiling anger, your husband swiftly stomps over to his direction, standing in front of him and startling the poor man on the spot, almost making him drop the tray in his hands (fortunately that didn't happen) before demanding an explanation.

“Where do you think you’re going with that?” Naoya badgered, as if his presence wasn't enough to intimidate him, he had to double down with his tone.

“Nowhere!” He lies, ignoring the blatantly incriminating evidence on his hands.

“You’re off to see my wife, aren’t you?” Naoya persists. “What, hoping to get lucky?”

“Wh— what ?! No!” The man doesn’t know whether to feel offended or frightened by the insinuation, either way he denies it all. “Of course not!”

“ Give me that! ” Naoya says, swiftly pulling the tray away from his grasp. “I better not see you around my wife—there’s a reason why I designated only women to be part of her staff.”

At that point, the frightened man can't do much outside frantically nodding, giving one last apology for his grave mistake, before eventually turning around and disappearing into the halls.

Once out of his sight, Naoya sighs and looks down at the tray, feeling a bit foolish that he hadn’t thought of this before, however, there is one thing that catches his attention more than the rest, and that’s the flower—why was he giving you a lily, of all the flowers in the world? Were they your favorite?

He doesn’t recall anything of the sort, and surely hadn’t acknowledged there’s a whole garden of them in the estate, where you'd spend most of your time when relaxing.

But if they were… he figures he can get you more. Seems fitting that a beautiful girl like you would get flowers.

Either way, he’ll figure it out soon, but until then he can worry about your reaction to this offering of sorts. One that could work as an olive branch to mend the way his last conversation had ended with you… and maybe move past that promise he should’ve never done in the first place.

He thinks it’ll work, and after having a sample of your happiness, hopes it does .

But this sentiment briefly diminishes when arriving at your door, hand freezing just a few inches away from the edge after hearing your voice deep in conversations with someone else's.

A male voice, which unwittingly takes him back to his wretched nightmare.

As much as he tried to convince himself that this couldn’t be, that nothing really happened, even though he had no proof of the contrary… it still manages to rattle him.

His hands tremble at the prospect of opening the door and finding you with someone else, especially after hearing you laugh, clearly enjoying their company—that was enough for him to consider walking away all together…

But he persists, because in his mind it doesn’t make sense that something like that would happen right now. Not… when you’re sick anyways.

Besides, Naoaki is out of the estate, most of his relatives are, which far from offering the comfort he wanted, gave him more things to worry about. If the people he could directly link to you were outside working… Then who were you chatting with?

Perhaps another member of the staff? What the hell were they doing inside your room? He doesn’t like that, men around you that is. He barely tolerated the way Matsuo spoke to you simply because he got things done, and he already dealt with that accordingly.

So who…?

Who was with you?

Well, no one else than one of his brothers, of course, the one that usually stays below the radar, and away from the vicious claws of the Zen’in.

The one many considered a below average sorcerer, the reason why he was scrapped from consideration for Halloween night, staying behind at the estate to eventually hear of your sickness, which he decided to ease by preparing you something warm to eat, and keep you company while shyly relishing on the appreciation he rarely gets for his talent.

The youngest of his siblings— Naofumi .

Naoya no longer felt frightened when seeing him sitting by the edge of your futon… At least, not in that sense, for he continued to be intrigued, wanting to know just how close this relationship really was, enough for him to treat you so casually…

If only he had given attention to Ranta's words, he would've known this has been the case for a while, but as always, Naoya only focused on Naoaki.

Nonetheless, there's no doubt that he kept underestimating your reach when it came to his family, thinking that you were mostly attached to Naoaki, and nothing more…

But what perhaps stood out more from this situation was the divide between the two, and how much worse it was than he anticipated.

Had he really been… this detached?

“What are you doing here?” you're the first to speak upon his entrance, having long suspected someone was to come thanks to the sound of approaching footsteps just outside your room—wishing it was Mariya, hating it was Naoya. And you’re not about to hide that sentiment.

The look on your face could only be described as infuriated, a shocking difference from the cheerful countenance Naofumi saw you with.

Naturally, he had to turn around and see the root of your commotion… quickly regretting his actions when his gaze fell right on his younger brother.

All he can do at that point is quickly swirl his head back to you, hoping that Naoya would ignore his actions and pretend he wasn't there.

That, or that the earth would swallow him before Naoya was provoked to do something awful…

Or more like you wouldn't provoke him… just like he feared you would when proceeding.

“Do you mind? I’m with someone right now.”

Everything occurred a bit too fast for Naoya to react at the moment, but when he finally understood what transpired, his heart clenched in a way he could only describe as painful.

It's not the first time he’s experienced your rejection, but it somehow feels… colder now, like it was second nature to you.

Seems that one of the symptoms of this sickness was the boundless demonstration of emotions by weakening the patient to voice nothing but their inner thoughts.

If so… Naoya feels very, very hurt that this was your first reaction to him, compared to his feelings for you.

“I just wanted to—” he pauses, taking a deep breath to push down his emotions from showing in his voice. “I heard you were sick, so I brought you something to lighten your mood.”

And to mend my mistake .

Unfortunately for him, you were not in the mood to receive any sort of motivators —not when you already had the same in abundance, and most importantly, it wasn't even enough to be excused as a so called "apology", one that was intended for something that wasn't even his greatest misdeed anyways.

“No, thank you—I have enough of both.” you quickly respond, and suddenly, as if at the break of dawn, the sight of your overcrowded chamber reveals before his eyes.

Too focused on figuring out whose company you were enjoying and suffering from your subsequent indifference, your husband had failed to note the ocean of flowers surrounding your bed: from all kinds of colorful vases filled with bouquets of lilies, camellias, pansies and violets, you were not exaggerating when saying you had enough.

The vast amount of flowers emanated a sweet scent that quickly drowned his nostrils, dizzying him for a moment, before snapping out of it due to the fumble of his fingers, almost dropping the tray and jumping straight back to you.

You literally had a garden here, which only made your room far smaller than it already was, and his offering miniscule—not that it should’ve mattered, for his tribute wasn’t his in the first place, but still made him feel ridiculed.

A sentiment he has never liked to experience, cornering him to regain control of the situation by taking it out on the person he deemed the weakest of the three.

“What are you doing here?” He says at Naofumi, and he, knowing better than to just ignore him, slowly turns around, lips trembling as he prepares himself to speak up as clearly as he could.

“I just… wanted to give her something” he frets “I made her—soup, because I thought I’d make her feel bet—”

“ You don’t have to answer him! ” you shriek, briskly cutting through his words and unwittingly making him flinch, making you regret the way you stepped in, but it’s a thought that didn’t last long because you knew it was for the greater good. “And you don’t have to be in my room. Leave ”

It’s not a situation Naoya ever expected when coming here, not even remotely. Guess he should be grateful it isn’t like his nightmare where both his brother and you were ganging up on him… although your anger is more than sufficient for the two.

“I just wanted to see how you were doing.” Naoya responds. "Can't I—"

“I’m doing fine" you interject “No thanks to you, but it’s not like I’ll die—not like this anyways.”

Naoya swallows, unable to avoid the pain your direct jab granted him. Believe him, he’s not happy about that decision either, but there’s only so much an heir can do against their leader , and your unwillingness to work together…

“Have you rested—”

“What is this, an interrogation?” you scoffed. “I’m not interested in talking to you. Leave.”

“I just want to know, Y/N—”

“I’m eating. Leave”

“ Y/N ”

“Just how long are you going to torture me?!” you cry, and the room goes silent immediately after, tension in the air growing heavier.

Naofumi knew that your relationship with his brother was bad. Knew so thanks to Naohiko's incessant gossip, or whatever Naoaki confided in him.

He just never imagined it was to this extent, or that you would be the one berating him!

Poor Naofumi couldn’t do so—nope, he couldn’t even think about doing something of the like against the heir ; he was 100% sure that as soon as rumor sprouted he spoke ill of Naoya, hell would befall him.

Yet, here you are, chewing Naoya up as if he weren’t the future of the Zen’in! And the way you did it… it was almost natural! Did he misunderstand the dynamic of your relationship?

Not really, but he certainly underestimated what your anger could do, only ever being sweet and caring with him, one of the few to be with him, aside from fellow food-enthusiast, Haruko.

As much as Naoya deserved to be put in his place, Naofumi didn't like seeing nor being caught in the crossfires of it, so when he thought it appropriate, he spoke up.

"I—I should be going." he says, standing up from the floor. "I’m glad the soup was to your liking, Y/N, but now I gotta—"

"Don't tell me you're leaving because of Naoya" you say, and Naofumi, caught in his poorly spinned web of lies, could only stare at you like a deer in headlights—enough of a confirmation to make your anger boil ever further.

"No, I don't want you to leave." you retorted, much to Naofumi’s dismay. "If Naoya has an issue with you, then he can leave"

"I… It’s no bother” He insists. “I have other things to do anywa—"

"Yes!" Naoya interjects. “That’s wonderful , because I wish to speak to my wife alone”

"No!" You challenge. “He will not leave”

Naofumi whimpers.

"It was—it was only a quick visit, really” He nervously adds, wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible “Just to give you Naoaki's flowers and my—"

"Flowers?" Naoya breathed, as everything else that worried him faded into the background, Naofumi regretting he ever opened his mouth. "Naoaki brought you flowers??"

Does this mean that all of the flowers in your room… where his ?

How— how did he even have the time to do that?! Wasn’t he away for work and what not?

He sent them via the staff, then, and if Naofumi’s presence was worth anything, it also meant that he tasked his relatives to keep an eye on you!

No wonder both the man from earlier and his brother were startled when confronted, because how were they going to admit to his face that the reason they were there was because his wife’s lover sent gifts?!

But most importantly, even when away, he still manages to keep tabs on you…?

Naoaki’s commitment to you had to be commended, because no matter what he did, he always found himself right in the middle of this marriage. In both the most unsuspecting and obvious ways, he always has to snake his way between the two. As if he were your husband!

And this, far from infuriating Naoya…

Saddened him.

He might've as well lost you already.

"What? He can't wish me a quick recovery now?" Your words made him snap out of his thoughts, remembering why he was there in the first place, and regretting the way he led the conversation.

While your sickness appeared to be a lighter version of what struck him, you were still afflicted by it, given the exhausted look in your eyes, the fluster in your cheeks, and the most notorious of all, your bedridden status.

And he had the great idea of letting his emotions get the best of him, irk you and possibly get you more agitated, when he should've allowed you to rest.

One step at a time, he tells himself.

"... of course he can" Naoya eventually murmurs, obviously not genuine… but he doesn't want to fight with you anymore. "I was just startled. I didn't expect all of them to be from him."

"Does it make that big of a difference if they are or not?" You ask. And well, for him, it does—because his gesture and your acceptance feels like a stab, after stab, after stab on his poor broken heart.

But there's nothing that can be done about that anymore, guess the positive thing out of this is that he worries for you too, or so he alleges.

"I didn't mean to start of like—"

"Of course not.” you scoff, rolling your eyes. “You never mean anything, because everything’s a game to you, isn't it?"

Naofumi's breath hitches to his throat. Even he, who has greatly remained out of loop with the two, knows your words were nothing but a low blow, one that will for certain push Naoya into snapping.

But Naoya, after receiving such a strike, and endless more days prior, can’t find it in himself but to admit that perhaps it’s best if he leaves the room before he does something he’ll regret.

"I just wanted to bring you this—take care." he murmurs, placing the tray down on the floor, making his way out of the room and to… somewhere. Anywhere, really, just about any place that will allow him to be by himself and his overwhelming emotions.

That’s not true— none of your words were true. He doesn’t think that everything is a game, obviously , and just because he didn’t keep up with one thing doesn’t mean he didn’t consider everything else!

He clearly remembers you talking fondly of your mother, even brought you those discs so you wouldn’t miss her too much—and what did you do? Who knows! Naoya hasn’t been able to find them anywhere, nor get an answer from you. So much for missing your family!

And what about him coming to see you as soon as he heard about your sickness? That has to amount to something! Wasn’t the intention what counted anyways?

And also the—the commodities he's given you—that… that well, he was expected to give you anyways but he could still—

…

There he goes again, rambling off about things that didn’t matter, blaming everyone but himself for the consequences of his own actions…

Was it really that hard to realize that of all situations, he’s the common denominator?

It seems so, but at least this time, he stops his mind from spiraling even further by remembering he’s supposed to be taking care of you, not… blaming you.

Still, it was hard to proceed from this point without trying to indulge in his fiery anger; he didn’t like being both offended and humiliated with things he considered untrue , and in front of someone else.

Worse when he didn't have his usual backing, Ranta that is.

If only he were here, he… he would know what to tell him, guide him through the tumultuous ocean that is this marriage and do the right things, just like he's always done.

Yet, he isn't. He's away working, like a sorcerer his age would be, and it was perhaps best to leave him focused…

Or not.

He’s never been in the position to seek comfort like this… but he guesses it wouldn’t hurt to try.

So after he gets to his room, the first thing he does is get his phone and dial him—after a few seconds, the young man responds.

“Naoya?” He asks, slightly startled, for it was highly unusual that he'd take initiative when calling, leading him to assume the worst. “What happened? Is everything alright?”

“Yes—Well, no.” Naoya admits, Ranta gasps.

“What is it?!” the other frets, alarms adequately triggered after hearing his words. “Did you get sick again? Are you hurt? Where are you—”

“I’m fine… no need to get that energetic.” He responds, feeling a bit… Well, flattered really, at least someone cared that he went through a rough patch. The only one.

“Then… what’s wrong?”

“...I just… wanted to talk”

Now Ranta knows for sure that something is wrong—his best friend rarely, if ever, approached him for that. Always rejected him when suggesting so.

“I’m all ears”

But he won't deny the support when needed.

Naoya takes a deep breath.

“I just learned that Y/N is sick, and it's more than likely because she spent that week with me"

“Oh, that’s… awful.” Ranta admits. “How long has she been like that?”

“For a few days, I think—I still can’t believe I was the last to know” Naoya frowns “You’d think I’d be the first one, right? I know that would’ve been the case if you were around”

“I would try." Ranta says.

He was barely able to visit the estate when Naoya fell ill, with the poor kid becoming nothing but distraught once hearing how it occurred.

That was not to be the star of the moment, however, that would be your willingness to be by his side throughout this moment.

A shocking statement considering how distant you've been, nonetheless it helped ease his worries regarding his friend. The poor kid has been nothing but distraught upon hearing how it happened, frustrated that he couldn’t be there afterwards.

It gave him reassurance to see you there with him—hope for the future of the relationship.

Which didn’t happen, according to Naoya’s words.

“And you? How are you—”

“...I tried visiting her. Wanted to return the favor, you know? I knew she couldn’t be anything but bored while quarantining in her room… but to my surprise, she was well accompanied by Naofumi”

“Naofumi…?”

“And the flowers Naoaki brought her”

“Naoaki??” Ranta repeats, fearing that with the mention of his older brother he’d spiral into an antagonistic charade…

Only to be proven wrong.

“She wasn’t happy to see me, of course. Not even with the thing I was intending to give her… which I actually confiscated from a servant, can you believe he was going to her room?? I should’ve been far more stricter with who can approach her or not!

…

But that doesn’t matter right now, I have to worry about Y/N… and getting her back to health”

Ranta briefly freezes. Is this really the same Naoya he knew?

“Makes sense why I didn’t see her as frequently anymore, thought she was ignoring me… although is not that different from a regular day” he chuckles, and the sentiment that he’s being pranked grows bigger in the back of Ranta’s head. “But it’s worse this time, and all because I did something so, so stupid!”

“What… Did you do?”

“Can you believe I told her she could see her family? Her family , of all things?”

“You didn’t” Ranta breathes, knowing well the gravity of such a promise—Naoya was so… persistent in keeping everything a secret, so why…? “When—”

“I did. And now, she hates me” It’s more likely that you already hated him beforehand, Ranta wishes to say, but keeps quiet.

“... Why?” his friend eventually asks, curiosity getting the best of him. “Why did you do it?”

“Because I wanted to see her happy” He admits quite easily, much to Ranta’s surprise. “On the second time I got fever, Y/N was called yet again to tend to me. I don’t… remember quite well how we got to that point, but she started talking about her family and how much she missed them.

It hurt me to hear her so… desolate, so miserable —it was something I never wanted to see from her again, and so… I did it”

Ranta almost peeled his phone away to check if this was truly Naoya’s number, because the man on the other line was not the same one he knew weeks ago.

The one that was disappointed at the mere mention of your transgressions, painting you in a controversial light as he considered you to be actively working against him, alongside his brother whom Naoya believed had an extramarital relationship with you—dreaming for the day he’d put the two back in place…

But now, that was nothing but an echo of the past, now replaced by someone who showed regret for his actions, worried for your feelings, regardless of others intervention, while actively seeking a way to mend them.

Something most definitely happened these past few days, beginning with the root of his sickness, ending with the week he spent with you. But will Ranta ever know?

“I had to lie to her when confronted about it, told her I didn’t remember making such a promise so we could move past it, I even offered to eat her favorite food to cheer her up, but… it didn’t work”

Silence.

“I don’t know what to do” Naoya continues “No matter what I say or do, she doesn’t want anything to do with me, but I can’t leave her like that, you know? I don’t want to”

And for a moment, it almost sounds like he’s… pleading .

He’s seen Naoya in desperate moments before, but always with a bit of resistance, if not complete rejection for a change.

This time, however, he wants to improve. He wants to make a change .

Ranta now knows he needs to push him into the right direction. This might be the moment his marriage finally changes.

“Then don’t. Keep visiting her… you know what they say of a persistent man…”

“Even if she doesn’t want to see me?”

“Well, she’s still sick, isn’t she?” Naoya agrees with a hum. “You can still be around, check in on her from time to time. I’m sure she’ll come to appreciate the effort at least.”

Not really, because on his first attempt to approach you later that day, after Naoya managed to gather his thoughts a bit better, he would be reminded that your animosity was still pretty much alive—expanding to your staff.

The person accompanying you this time was the famed seamstress, Hitomi, and her piercing cold gaze.

He wasn’t usually intimidated by her, if only irritated by the snobby aura she always seems to carry, but now he can’t shake the feeling that his actions were being heavily scrutinized, to the point where even the slightest movement will land him a scolding—what an unexpected turn of events.

Either way, this doesn’t sway him from having an amicable conversation with this wife as he continues to approach the two.

Unfortunately, that will only end up as a desire, because as soon as he reached both and opened his mouth, you intervened.

“Hitomi, can you accompany me to the restroom?” you’d say, pushing yourself up from the bed, the seamstress following suit. “I’m feeling quite dizzy, I think I might—”

“Let me help you.” Naoya says, attempting to take hold of your arm and take you there himself, but Hitomi beats him to it.

“That won’t be necessary” she interjects, guiding you towards the door. “Besides, it’s getting late and she needs rest”

“It won’t take long, I just want to know if she’s—”

“Goodbye” Hitomi doesn’t let him talk, of course, brushing past his side and pulling you along, disappearing into the halls.

Naoya is left alone in your room with the idea that you’re going to find a way to delay your return as much as possible, so he opts to try again another time.

Wanting to make the best of his short stay at the estate, Naoya ends up coming later in what would be his second attempt, after presuming you were finally done (it had been 3 hours at that point, so he hoped you were), whilst bringing along some medicine he ordered his staff to find to help with your alleged nausea.

After knocking twice on your door, Naoya anxiously awaits for a response, which doesn’t take long to arrive soon after, hands fidgeting around the medicine box as the door begins to slide open and reveal the one keeping you company this time.

Perhaps his biggest nemesis right after Naoaki: Mariya .

“May I help you?” she indifferently asks, eyes as dull as they can be. Her usual demeanor when it comes to him, so at least he’s not unsettled by it—it’s the same old hindrance of everyday.

“I brought something for my wife, for her nausea” he continued, gesturing to the box. “I thought it might help better than—”

“She’s better now, thank you” Mariya doesn’t even look down at the medicine as she attempts to close the door; Naoya doesn’t allow your staff to outwit him again so he stops her before she can even do much as move it an inch

“Take it, she might need it later” He insists, giving her the box.

“I can’t give her medicine that hasn’t been prescribed by her doctor” she responds “We both know that”

Diplomacy in its excellence. But even if she was right, it doesn't mean Naoya was going to follow through with it.

“It’s just this time, no one will know if we kept it a secret”

Mariya’s face twists out of disgust.

“Do not get confused, Naoya. I’m not like one of your servants. ” she hisses. “Good night”

And then, she slams the door on his face.

Naoya silently stares at the thin paper wall separating you from him for a few seconds before wishing you a good night under his breath and retreating to his room.

His third attempt would come the next morning, after having woken up far earlier, quickly gotten ready and rushed towards the kitchen.

As painful as last night was, it was also enlightening, coming to the realization that if he wants your undivided attention, he had to compete with your staff for it, in other words, he needed to get to you first.

The solution that came to mind for this unusual predicament was preparing you breakfast… Or getting a servant to do so, since he lacked the skill, ordering whoever crossed his path first into making you something both nutritious for a speedy recovery, but tasty to lighten up your mood.

After obtaining such a meal, the servant places it on a tray and hands it over to Naoya, who insisted on taking it to you personally, before making his way to your room once more.

There, he knocks at your door a few times, eagerly waiting for your response as he ponders what kind of reaction you’ll have to his gesture—hopefully a positive one, since you’ll undoubtedly be hungry as soon as you wake up.

But as seconds pass and no one answers, Naoya grows a bit worried, knocking one last time before deciding it was best to make his way inside, soon finding out the reason for your lack of response.

As expected from the hour, you had failed to answer because you were nothing less than fast asleep, laying on your side as you calmly breathed into the warm covers: A sight that warmed Naoya’s heart, making him smile and realize it was better to just let you rest than wake you up to eat.

Thus, he carefully sets the tray beside you, wishing you a good rest before departing.

After a few hours Naoya concluded it was the right time to follow-up on your breakfast, hoping it had been as fulfilling as he intended, and who knows? Maybe even open the door for sharing dinner with him.

But he only underestimated the precautions of your staff once more, for the first person to see the tray of food was none other than Mariya, who quickly set off to inquire around the staff to find the one responsible, angered to find it had been Naoya all along.

It wouldn’t take long for him to figure out what happened afterwards: finding the tray on top of the kitchen counter when seeking to prepare your lunch, labeled to be disposed of.

Naoya was running out of time, and fast.

He didn’t like the idea of it, but it was his reality, and he was growing desperate because of it.

He thought that by now he would’ve gotten some improvement, a reaction from your part that didn’t entail disdain, but it hasn’t, and it only made him realize how limited his options were.

Medicine, whether “approved” by his relatives or not, was completely rejected by you and your entourage as soon as it was suggested.

Food isn’t any better, this one is straight up thrown to the garbage… at least he can still use the first for a different occasion—is what he’d tell himself to not feel as bad for your reproach.

A conversation? Unimaginable. He’d have better luck moving mountains.

It takes him to square one, back to the one thing he intended to do at the very beginning of your sickness, something… a bit more personal.

Naoya acknowledges he doesn’t have much of your preferences around the house, nor the time to get them, however, he does have plenty of his tastes, which are quite popular on their own, so… why not share them? Maybe you’ll end up liking them too.

Thus, after a quick trip to his office, grabbing a few tomes from his favorite series and placing them on a box, he waits for you to eat breakfast before approaching you once again.

As always, you were to be accompanied by someone of your staff, this time however, it was the one he considered a lesser threat, and if it’s worth anything, the one he would’ve for you to become closest to, instead of Mariya.

Haruko.

A decision mostly made by your concurrent happiness, for you always seemed to laugh the hardest with her. It made him slightly jealous, of course, but at the end of the day he was elated that even with your sickness, you were still able to have a good time.

When all he can do for you, however, is disappoint you, evident by the way your smile drops when seeing him yet again standing by your door frame, his daily reminder that he does not have a spot in your world.

But maybe, slowly but surely, he can win you over with this .

“Y/N… Naoya-sama is—” Haruko would be the first to notice him, or more like the first to actually care, as you continued to ignore him by diligently working on Hitomi’s new lessons.

“I know” You’d respond to Haruko’s fretted murmur. The poor girl is still afraid of him, might be for the rest of her life, so she naturally leans towards you for protection, which you attempt to oblige. “Just ignore him, he’ll go away soon enough”

Naoya didn’t like being referred to as some kind of stray dog, but he's used to it now. At least now he knows Haruko won’t give much resistance.

“How are you doing today?” he asks first, taking a step closer—you continue to ignore him. “It seems you’re better now”

“I don’t think I can do this right, Haruko. I don’t like stitching, certainly not crocheting…”

Haruko attempts to play along, but just like Naofumi, she can't ignore the elephant in the room.

“You could at least answer me.” Naoya says a bit disappointed. “I just want to know if there’s something you need—”

“I’m fine , thank you!” you respond with a deceivingly sweet tone, not lifting your eyes from your work. “Now, leave me alone . I'm busy”

“How long is this going to keep on going, Y/N?” He goes straight to the point, showing a bit of his growing frustration. “Is this still because of the conversation we had that day?”

“I can ask the same thing to you” you snap. “Don’t you have something to do, somewhere to be ?”

“I do, but I don’t think it’s right for me to leave when you’re sick”

“It’s not right… ha!” You scoff. “What would you know of what’s right or not… why do you even care anyways?”

Another low blow that has the unwilling third wheel fearing for their life, praying for either a divine power, or its equivalent in Mariya, to intervene…

Fortunately for all, Naoya has learned to somewhat traverse past these jabs and take them as what they were: words from a hurt, angry, but very sick person he cares a whole lot for.

Because in his delusional mind, this was still caused by one particular thing, not a whole.

“Enough to be where it matters.” Naoya says. “If my wife needs me, I’ll be there. Besides, I'm your husband, I should be the one—”

“That’s the thing— I don’t . So you either leave me alone, or leave me alone. Take your pick” you roll your eyes. "And stop the whole husband and wife talk, you sound like an old man…"

Naoya sighs.

“At least give these a chance” he says, gesturing to the box and placing them on the floor near you.

Haruko’s curiosity eventually gets the best of her, making her lean forward in such a way to get a better peak at its contents, frowning out of confusion when doing so.

“ Manga? ” She asks, unwittingly making you sharply turn over to the box and see for yourself. But even then, you still couldn't believe it.

Your husband… brought you manga?

“I have more at my office, but these are from my favorite series” He explains. “Thought you’d like to read them for a bit of distraction, it certainly helps me, after all, reading manga is one of my favorite things"

You never really imagined a man like Naoya would ever dive into the world of manga, for you always considered him to be… well, so high up his horse, that he’d undoubtedly think something like that was a bit… childish . Think the stereotype was there for a reason—just like how many thought about video games.

Yet, here he is, proving you wrong, and not only that, but letting you know it’s his favorite pastime .

…

Maybe if he hadn’t been such an asshole, you would’ve found yourself enthralled by it, curious to know more of this unexplored world with an accomplished guide…

But you don’t want to—because just like in many things, he's also undeserving of that .

“I’m not interested.” you say, going back to your previous activity as your mind searches for the best way to efficiently push him away from you… landing on a word that hurts Naoya’s inner child. “They’re kind of weird anyways, I don’t get them.”

He swallows.

Wouldn’t be the first time someone used to describe his affinity with that word, but it still irks him, it's an extension of him in a way, a part of his life… so how would he not feel hurt when you've just insulted it?

“They’re not weird.”

“Well, they are to me, so no thank you. You can take them back”

Of all of your jabs, this was the one that hit too close, having him leave your midsts without much insistence, picking up the box soon after after and dropping off at the office, careless to return them to their spot on the shelf for he couldn't even stand their sight— feeling nothing but humiliated by them now.

Haruko would tell you that perhaps you were a bit too blunt with your words, having felt the hit herself as well, and you somewhat agreed, but you kept moving forward, justifying that what you did wasn’t as painful as compared to his actions.

And that wasn't even your worst reaction yet.

He’d spend a lot of time thinking on what to do to convince you otherwise of your set disposition towards him, looking through his options over and over again to see which ones still fit in his time frame, and which ones to discard.

After much pondering, Naoya ultimately believes that instead of trying setting new, he should instead, try something that's already worked. Something simple, yet effective:

Flowers.

There must be a reason why Naoaki filled your room with them above anything else, and he plans to exploit that.

But of course, in true Naoya nature, just because he was going to do the same as the rest didn't mean he had to blend in.

He still wanted to let you know how much you meant to him, how you've never left his mind, even when you actively tried pushing him away—thus, he ordered one of his servants to fetch the biggest bouquet of red roses he could find and bring it to him as quickly as possible.

Naoya hoped this last chance would be the one to work, the one to crumble your walls and let him into your life…

And it seems that fate decided to support him, finally playing in his favor when he's able to intercept you alone for the first time.

It was one of the brief moments you were allowed to go out of your room, enjoy a bit of fresh air, and stretch your legs.

Naoya, ever the one to seize the opportunity when it presents itself, does not hesitate to approach you, in the most perfect timing for he had just gotten his gift a few moments ago, the poor errand man exhausted from having ran to the nearby village and back in record time.

It made him both giddy and nervous just thinking about the kind of reaction you’d have to his gesture, since this is something he has never done in the past and now you won't be able to ignore him so easily either.

With unparalleled enthusiasm and bouquet in hand, as he quickly makes his way towards your direction, approaching you from behind as he calls out your name.

“Y/N” he says, and as soon as you hear him, you stop walking. “Good morning”

You don’t respond, staying still in place.

“I got you something, again." He murmurs the last part, taking a step closer to you. "I know you have many already, but I noticed you didn't have these so I thought I'd get them for you"

You remained motionless for a few seconds more, as if debating what to do from that point forward before choosing to slowly turn around, eyes trailing from the floor, up his figure, and then… to the vast collection of red roses in his hands

A sight that inevitably makes you widen your eyes and remain speechless.

When noticing your expression to be one of surprise and not contempt, Naoya presses further.

"Here" he says, taking one more step closer to you and attempting to hand you the flowers. "They're still… fresh, I guess. All you need is somewhere to put them"

You don't take them, still unable to process what the hell is happening. Naoya notes your hesitation and it makes him lose a bit of conviction, feeling as if he failed again.

"Just… take them, Y/N. Please" he insists "why won't you accept them? Why won't you accept any of my gifts? Are they not of your liki—"

"Are you being serious right now?" You eventually speak.

"What?" He blinks, confused "Why would… I not be? That's all I've been trying to prove, that I'm serious about you!"

"Is this a joke to you, Naoya?" You repeat "Do you really think that just because you have me some flowers, everything will be alright?"

"I… of course not, I didn't intend to clear everything up but… I was hoping we could start somewhere" he explains.

"Start somewhere… What makes you think I even want to be near you?" You frown "I can't believe you're even real—this must be a prank!"

"... it's not"

"Then you must think I'm stupid"

"I don't, I would never think that!" he says "Why are you even saying this?"

"Wow!" You laugh "You really think I am stupid! Well, that was fast, didn't even take a second to contradict yourself!"

He never liked the mocking tone in your voice when you got like this. It made him feel small, angry, and most importantly, lonely .

But you don't seem to stop.

"Is this still about your family?" He asks, irritated. "how long are you going to keep on with that?"

"Of course you think that's the only thing" you scoff. "Because you'd never done anything wrong in your life! How could the great heir of the Zen'in dare?!"

"You don't have to talk to me like that, Y/N." Naoya frowns "if there's something else you're bothered about, you can just tell—"

"Shut up!" You cry "Shut up! Just— shut up!"

Naoya flinches, taken aback by your reaction.

"Why must you always say things you don't mean? Why do you have to keep torturing me like this??"

"Y/N— that's not… I would never—"

"There you go again! Spewing shit out of your mouth!'

"Then what do you want me to say?! What can I do to have a normal relationship with you?!"

"Leave me alone?! That would be nice!" You say "Oh, I know! How about you let me go? Ah, right. Can't do that either! Might as well accept the fact I'll never see my family again!"

"Why do you insist so much on that anyways? Don't you know it's customary for you to stay here either way??"

"Well, in case you hadn't fucking noticed, Naoya, I don't do well with tradition!"

"... don't talk like that" he murmurs.

"Ah, right, I apologize for my foul vocabulary, Naoya-sama. I should've never opened my mouth, just my legs and let you do whatever you wanted! Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about that, I'm useless there too! But thankfully that will be dealt with quickly, hm? It's only a matter of time before I'm gone and you'll be free to fuck whoever you want!"

“Don’t say things like that” Naoya frowns “I would never find someone else to do that, and you know if it were for me, you wouldn’t—”

“No, Naoya. I really don't—because if there’s one thing I learned about your family, it's that while everything’s a game to you, your father is very much serious in whatever he does!”

“I didn’t want him to intervene, ok?! You’re acting like I’m so happy he decided you were better off dead if you didn’t get pregnant!”

“Well, I didn’t see you doing anything about it either! Or anything at all that wasn’t tormenting me!”

He's had enough.

He's had enough of your baseless arguments and your incessant tirades. Of trying to approach you in amicable matters, only to be ridiculed every second of the day.

He tried, he really did, to be a good husband.

But if this is the only way you'd react, then he'll oblige too.

“How would you? You were too busy with my brother to even care about anything else! And to believe I was the one being accused of cheating!” he laughs, and this irks you more than you would've liked. "I at least had the decency to respect this marriage!"

“Naoaki treats me the way you could never” you declare, knowing well there's no point back after this. "He's more of a husband than you ever were"

And it works, because something inside Naoya snaps.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me” you continue. “There are even times where I wished he was the one I married instead, thinking how wonderful my life would’ve been if I had met him first!”

“What? M y brother?! That wolf in sheep’s clothing? The one you think so highly of, let him charm you with gifts and words, when in reality it’s just an act?! Because I know you’re not talking about him!” he mocks.

“I am! I am talking about him! I’m talking about Naoaki!” you yell. “No one else but him!”

“Why do you always have to bring him in?! He’s no one , he’s nothing!” Naoya responds. “We weren’t even talking about him!”

“Well, he’s everything to me!” you cry “I wish he was the one I got to call husband, instead of you! I wish he was the one who took care of me, held me, cherished me, treated me like I was the most important person in the world for him—instead—instead of the monster I got as a husband!”

With that, Naoya goes silent, permitting your hurtful words to settle deep into his already broken heart, shattering whatever was left and leaving behind a completely empty vessel, realizing he’s now lost everything. His motivation, his future… you . And there was nothing he could do about it.

Noting his hesitation, you take this as the best moment to make your leave, get away from him before anything else happens—but he’d prove you to have one last card under his sleeve by swiftly grabbing your arm as soon as you take a step away, and root you there.

“Leave—Leave me alone !” you’d squirm against his hold, try your best to free yourself from it, but he just holds you tighter. “Stop it!”

“Take back what you said” he begins to murmur. “Say that you didn't mean any of those words, that you don't—you don’t mean to be with Naoaki—”

“Sto—Stop it!” you whimper at the stinging sensation of his hand imprinting his fingers against your skin, all too careless to his rambles. “Let me go! You’re— you’re hurting me !”

“Not like you’ve hurt me!” he instinctively snaps. Naoya doesn't know when it began, only that his cheeks were soaked and his eyes warm at this point. “Why—why would you say that? Do I— Do I really make you that— that miserable? Do you really hate me?!”

"All you've ever done is hurt me!" You exclaim back "all you could ever do is hurt me!"

"J would never do that to—"

"THEN WHAT ABOUT ALL THE TIMES YOU’VE TAKEN ME AGAINST MY WILL? THE WAY YOU IGNORED MY PLEADS TO STOP, THE WAY YOU RIDICULED ME BEFORE EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT CROSSED YOUR PATH, REFERRED TO ME AS LESS THAN A PIECE OF MEAT AND THEN ALLOWED OTHERS TO DO THE SAME?! WHAT ABOUT THE TIME YOU PUNISHED ME JUST BECAUSE YOUR FATHER GOT ANGRY AT YOU ! YOU!!! BUT MADE ME EQUALLY RESPONSIBLE?!

WHAT ABOUT THE TIME YOU FORCED ME TO SPEAK ILL OF MY SISTER, FORCED ME TO PUT ON THE ACT THAT I WAS HAPPY HERE, PUSH HER AWAY, ONLY TO CUT ME OFF FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD ONLY BECAUSE I DIDN’T PROVE MY WORTH BEFORE YOUR RELATIVES?! AS IF BEING SENTENCED TO DEATH WASN’T ENOUGH!! WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE TIME YOU’VE HURT ME?! HUMILIATED ME, MADE ME THINK LESS OF MYSELF?! DO THEY STILL COMPARE TO WHAT I’VE DONE TO YOU? TO WHATEVER I COULD’VE DONE TO PROTECT MYSELF?! DO YOU STILL THINK THEY COMPARE TO ME NOT WANTING TO— ” you grab the bouquet from his hands “ACCEPT YOUR STUPID FLOWERS?!”

And then… throw them onto the floor.

The soft thud of the flowers hitting the wooden floor and the petals that fell off immediately after were a sight that would testify as the official rupture of this marriage—one that will remain imprinted in the back of Naoya’s mind for the rest of his life, perhaps, cementing there was nothing else to be done.

But even then, that would not compare to what he’d see once looking at your face, past the fog of his tears and the adrenaline of his pain.

It wasn’t hatred that he saw, what he believed to have heard in your words. No, not at all.

It was fear —inflicted by none other than himself, the person who swore to protect you—and it hurt more than any anger could do.

A sight that manages to snap him out of trance and realize the gravity of his actions, especially after noting a crowd gathering around the two once more.

Yet, his mind remains with the painful confession you’ve just made.

“Y/N” he whispers, slowly releasing you “Y/N, I—I didn’t—”

“Get the fuck away from me” you breathe, tears falling down your cheeks as you step away from him. “I don’t care what you have to say, get the fuck away from me— now ”

You didn't give him any chance to respond, having turned around, ran past the staff and headed deeper into the estate, perhaps to the company of your staff or your room, it didn’t matter where, because he was for sure now, that after this day, he’s lost you forever.

It was the dawn of his last day at the estate.

Naoya, too focused on trying to mend his relationship with you, had completely forgotten that he was bound to travel to Nagoya in a few hours if he were to attend the mandatory debrief, and even though it was a quick trip there, he still needed to do preparations for it.

Thankfully, his staff had foreseen his setback and prepared him a suitcase with the required items for an easy trip and equally successful missions, which made your husband realize that out of his two objectives, he’d only managed to complete one.

And further ruin the other.

The great day had come, and Naoya couldn’t help but feel completely uninterested, detached from this situation—but he had no other choice, nowhere to turn, but to accept this task and move forward.

But as much as he wanted to put everything else behind, he still felt the responsibility of one last thing—ironically, the one thing he’ll end up doing right.

So after checking that everything was set for his upcoming trip, and there were no other subjects to tend back in the estate, Naoya heads to your bedroom one last time.

It was safe to say that he was not welcomed, neither by your staff, nor by you, but it didn’t matter to him anymore, not after the big realization he came to moments prior.

"What are you doing here?” you caution, heart thundering as you wonder if he’s composed back to his usual self and was now intending to take it out on either you, or your staff…. Completely oblivious to the defeated look on Naoya's face.

A man who’s surrendered completely to his own fate.

"To tell you I'm leaving." he says, and you are very, very subtly, taken aback by this statement. "I'm leaving the house for a few days, for Halloween"

You swallow.

"Why are you—"

"Thought you should know, so you could be at ease knowing I'm not going to be around these next few days.” he adds. “I’ll let my staff inform you when I’m gone, and when I’m back. Take care”

Your face now reflects the shock his words give you, for it is a blatant difference to the last time he announced his departure.

Back then, it was through the intentions of cutting loose ends, dealing with things he thought unnecessary so he could calmingly come back home and enjoy the vicious “domestic” life he’d envisioned with you.

But now, it's for your peace of mind. For your sake, your tranquility, and no one else's.

Yet, as much as you wanted to know what caused this change of behavior from him, thinking it wasn’t of your doing, it would be the first time Naoya would take a page of your book, preventing you from interrogating him further.

Because before you were able to do as much as put in a word, Naoya turned around, exited the room and left the estate.

#naoya zenin #naoya zen'in #naoya x reader #naoya zenin x reader #naoya zenin x you #jjk naoya #naoya zen'in x reader #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jjk x you #series: first it hurts—

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dreamerwitches · 1 year ago

Text

Madoka Manga comparisons

I had spare time so I wanted to compile most of the big differences in the original Madoka manga to the Reprint manga. Now this excludes obvious ones like outfit/witch/scenery changes. The designs are much more akin to the anime overall.

The comparisons certainly lessen as I go on because it got a little boring to explain the most minute of details but I swear I found as the manga went along more pages were just exactly the same as the original... I mention a few panel/layout pages in the earlier chapters but that dwindles as I go... sorry if you wanted that, I just got bored of it... I always mention the addition of full pages however

Anyway, please enjoy!

Chapter 1

The beginning shows a silhouette of Walpurgisnacht whereas she was absent/hidden before

An extra panel shows Homura falling

New Homura is falling while old Homura was just standing and was seemingly closer to madoka (less desperate it seems)

Old Homura is noticeably bleeding while silently calling out to Madoka

The position of the alarm clock is flipped (I just found that funny)

Old shows a panel of Tomohisa cooking whereas new adds more pages to breakfast (probably negating this)

Junko and Madoka are now in pjs first when in the bathroom

New makes note of the colours of the ribbons in special text (in english in the japanese ver, huh)

Madoka eats breakfast at the table whereas before she went straight out without visibly eating

New has an extra page of Madoka and Junko leaving

Hitomi coughs instead of just staring when Sayaka gets handsy with Madoka, more like the anime

Kazuko now picks on Nakazawa (I don't think he's ever in the original now i think about it...)

Homura is shown in silhouette behind the door instead of a neck down shot

Sayaka sits in front of Madoka whereas before she was behind

Madoka is shown in the panel before Homura looks at her

Homura looks the other way when staring at Madoka, probably to match with the desk layout from the anime

The classmates are now visibly shown talking to Homura (with text)

Madoka is sitting down instead of Hitomi (maybe to match with anime desk arrangements)

A panel is adding showing the girls down the corridor

The layout of Madoka walking with Homura and beginning to talk is the first distinct panel rearrangement

Same with the next page. In new, Homura seems far more serious and Madoka is less flustered

Madoka no longer responds when Homura says her name. When Homura is talking to her about what is precious, only Homura is seen, not both of them

Madoka no longer says Homura's name as she leaves

Madoka and Sayaka now visibly have their bags while shopping

Homura is more visibly seen clearing the smoke of Sayaka's fire extinguisher. Old homura is more visibly frustrated at the labyrinth's arrival

Mami is less visible as the Anthony approach. Unlike in the anime, they never have their nightmarish faces. A panel is added where Mami's soul gem is shown as well as when Mami falls in. The Anthony also take note of the flowers dropping from Mami's appearance

Mami arrives in her school uniform and transforms in front of the girls

It seems like there's added pages for Mami's attack which is more like the anime than the cannon from original

Homura is shown watching as soon as Mami defeats the anthony in the original

Homura approaches like in the anime in new whereas she leaves without approaching in the original

Mami detransforms in chapter 1 of the original. It seems like the original has a few more pages of the four of them talking that are taken up instead with the attack pages and talking to Homura in new

Chapter 2

Kyubey is on Madoka's shelf instead of in the bed. Madoka's angle is changed to accompany this

Mami's soul gem is no longer on a necklace/string. It is also shown retransforming from her ring in new

The girls look more shocked when Kyubey says they can grant any wish

The panel showing Mami's class number no longer appears, instead its a zoomed out shot of her class

Homura seems to no longer say 'Do you have a minute' when approaching the girls on the roof

An extra panel shows Kyubey's face (live kyubey reaction) as the girls talk

Homura is more visibly distraught in old when Madoka asks what her wish was

Hitomi is more sad about being left out in new compared to old, like in the anime

An extra set of panels are added showing the classroom girls asking Homura if she'd go out with them after class like in the anime

Mami and Sayaka's laughter at Madoka's drawings seem a little more lighthearted instead of cruel in the old one

The office woman's shoes are shown in new. Mami now catches her with a visible ribbon net rather than the magical spiral of old

The witch kiss now makes a sound effect

Mami summons a musket before they enter in old

Homura now watches over them in her school uniform instead of her magical girl outfit

Sayaka no longer hits an Adelbert with her bat

An extra page is added before they reach Gertrud featuring more Adelbert fighting and the door to the boss room

More panels are added for action and Mami doesn't reply when Sayaka exclaims she's missing. The two girls are also more visibly far away like in the anime

A few panels are added showing Adelbert approaching Mami

Two pages are added showing Mami binding and defeating Gertrud

The panels showing the labyrinth disappearing are now after Madoka and Sayaka's reaction instead of before

Mami throws Homura the grief seed like in the anime and has it thrown back. Homura is also still in her uniform

Chapter 3

Kyosuke's arm is now in wrappings whereas it was shown with visible injuries in old

Mami is on top of the lamp post ala the anime after killing Ulla

The central panels of the vehicle accident seems to almost be a 1 to 1 replica or trace of old

The panel showing Madoka's drawings is replaced with a zoom out shot of her house before showing her in bed

New adds two pages of the scene where Homura and Mami meet that night

Mami uses her ring to open Charlotte’s labyrinth instead of her gem

Mami no longer crouches to trap homura, she is instead standing and her ring glows. Ribbon like structures in the backgrounds kinda subtlely hint at what's to come

Homura is suspended in the ribbons instead of kneeling on the floor, more like the anime

Polina are no longer shown in the background waa but more of the labyrinth is shown off. Madoka is no longer shown sitting alone at her desk when talking about herself being weak

Instead of Madoka's visions of Mami being of her first appearance and saving the woman, it's now a single shot of her tiro volley from ch1

Mami begins to cry sooner in new

Mami seems to mention the wish for a marvellous feast in new whereas it was omitted before

Pages are added to show Mami fighting Pyotr and she doesn't transform so quickly.

The overall pacing of Charlotte's fight is a bit longer.

Charlotte emerges from a present which is very cute.

Mami shooting Charlotte and her emerging is over two pages instead of one.

Homura now transforms before she runs off

Charlotte eating Mami now has a more cartoony style. Mami's body is seen falling in her uniform whereas before it was already on the ground and still in her magical girl costume. The girls also now seem less shocked.

The bikes outside the hospital are shown as the labyrinth fades

Sayaka is still holding Madoka in new as Homura finishes fighting Charlotte

Sayaka's expression is no longer shown when grabbing Homura

The two girls are shown more visibly crying but Sayaka no longer screams 'Dammit'

Chapter 4

New shows the Mami egg at breakfast

A page is adding showing the girls walking to school and being in class with no text

A page is added of the girls talking.

Sayaka hugs Madoka as she cries like the anime

Madoka now has her school bag when visiting Mami's apartment (and is seen taking her notepad out of her bag)

Mami's apartment is shown as Madoka and Homura are discussing her instead of her classroom seat. She is also shown in her uniform instead of her magical girl outfit

Homura's ring is shown instead of her gem when discussing magical girls

Homura seems less shocked when Madoka says she wont forget her.

She also seems more shaken when she says she couldn't possibly remember. However she appears less shaken up when walking away

A panel is added during Sayaka and Kyosuke's discussion

Kyosuke hurts his hand on the CD player instead of the stack of CDs (Kyosuke's face also looks kinda worse lol)

Kyosuke appears more in pain and less angry after what he did

Kyubey is no longer shown as Sayaka mentions miracles however his eye is, with them appearing in Sayaka's eye in the panel below.

The crowd of witch kissed victims are shown instead of Madoka's horrified face as they clap for Hitomi (I think original worked better imo)

Madoka appears more scared as she's already crying as she runs for the door

Daniyyel and Jennifer are shown before Elly appears more like the anime

A page is added before Sayaka appears where Elly masquerades as Mami

A page is added for more fighting

Homura is no longer seen running over and instead is watching from afar. A page is removed where she's running over

Its more visible that Kyosuke's hand is healed as he clenches it. He also appears more shocked

Chapter 5

The scene where Sayaka contracts is a lot more flowery (also, theres more flowers) but very pretty

Sayaka's ring is shown more focally as the girls are on the grass

Madoka used to look more upset as Sayaka monologued

Kyoko focuses more on Sayaka as she watches her through her binoculaurs. Kyubey no longer has a waffle of his own.

The begginning of madoka and homura's conversation about sayaka is no longer slightly comedic

Madoka no longer cries as Homura leaves

Sayaka's first transformation is fancier (more panels)

A page is added for action and to compensate for the longer transformation

Kyoko's spear repels sayaka's attack instead of a shield, like the anime

Anja is shown in an extra panel as the labyrinth disappears

Kyoko turns away after felling Sayaka for the first time whereas before she was still facing her

Kyoko now creates her barrier to block madoka out

A couple of pages are added for action

Homura's hand is now visible when she says 'that will not be necessary' as madoka begins to wish

There is now an explosion as Homura appears

Chapter 6

Homura doesn't seem as angry about telling madoka to not get involved and madoka appears less upset

Flashbacks of Kyoko and Mami are shown as Kyubey discusses magic

Sayaka appears more angry at homura for apparently letting mami die

A page is added for this conversation and Madoka is more upset as she begins to cry

A page is added for Madoka and Junko's conversation about Sayaka

Sayaka no longer looks bittersweetly happy as she turns away form Kyosuke's home with now a much sadder expression

Sayaka seemed more angry at Kyoko in old for suggesting hurting kyosuke

Sayaka holds out her soul gem instead of holding it up

A small panel is added as homura leaves to get sayaka's soul gem to show her 'teleporting' away

Kyoko is more noticeablely grabbing sayaka's neck

Madoka appears more distraught over sayaka

Kyoko is now visible in the panel where sayaka wakes up

Chapter 7

The tone of Sayaka and Kyubey's discussion about the truth about soul gems seems tonally more dire. Sayaka's face is overshadowed more and the room is darker

Kyoko's flashback is shown with a dark outline to show the different time

Kyoko looks far younger in the flashback and is no longer slapped by the apple salesman rather grabbed by her jacket hood

Gisela is added as kyoko describes making her contract

Sayaka's face is now hidden when Madoka asks if she can come with her on a witch hunt

When in Elsa Maria's labyrinth, Sayaka is at first being attacked by Mathieu instead of what look like vines from Elsa Maria

Sayaka slashes at Elsa Maria instead of stabbing her and there appears to be less blood

In new Sayaka appears more broken than manic when continuing to fight Elsa Maria/Sebastian

Chapter 8

Sayaka appears more blank when healing herself at the end where she seemed more out of breath before

Kyoko now appears more helpless against Sayaka instead of shocked/frustrated

Sayaka's text boxes when she's yelling at Madoka now have a special outline to them

The page of Sayaka witnessing hitomi confessing to kyosuke now goes straight into her fighting the Bartels

Sayaka now fights the Bartels instead of Uhrmann

Sayaka seems more deadpan when expressing to homura that she'd be okay with dying where before she looked more bittersweetly sad

Homura no longer smirks when saying 'You're... quite sharp...' when bringing out her soul gem. Her hand with her ring is also shown shaking instead of a full body shot of her

Homura's expression is more unreadable when attempting to kill sayaka whereas before she looked a bit more evil

The scene where Sayaka mocks the two men on the train is replaced from her with an evil look her a silhouetted version of her in a soul gem. She also no longer walks away with a bloody blade

After Homura grabs Madoka, a quick flashback of madoka's dream from the very beginning is shown

Homura now looks away as Kyubey eats their body/talks to her

Sayaka is holding her blackened Soul Gem when kyoko meets her at the station as opposed to the incorrect grief seed before

Kyoko appears more shocked than upset as Sayaka explains herself to her

Kyoko now reaches out as Sayaka transforms into Oktavia

Chapter 9

The clock imagery when Homura stops time is replaced with oktavia and her labyrinth

Kyubey is shown in an extra panel after kyoko asks if there's any way to get her soul gem back (probably to make it easier to understand who's speaking)

Kyoko now stops madoka before they reach the boss room (more like the anime iirc)

Holger are removed in Oktavia's room v-v sad...

Oktavia uses the wheels to attack more like the anime

Kyoko puts up her barrier to protect madoka more like the anime

Kyoko is now more visible as Oktavia stabs her (less silhouette and blood). The cross necklace is also replaced with her father's charm

Both Sayaka and Kyoko look more sad/melancholic in their extra scene

Chapter 10

Madoka and the class is shown after Kazuko explain's Homura's heart disease

Madoka is no longer shown being bashful after mami compliments her fighting

Walpurgisnacht is shown more clearly before madoka leaves to fight her

The ruined city is shown as Madoka bids homura farewell

Homura now puts on her glasses to see her soul gem

Mathieu are added to Patricia's labyrinth :) her ribbon paths are also used

It's more visible when Kyoko falls after mami shoots her soul gem now

When Homura heals her eyes they glow brightly instead of showing a reflection of her soul gem

Gotz are removed from Roberta's labyrinth v-v

Chapter 11

Flashbacks of Madoka's deaths are shown as Homura hugs Madoka, telling her how much she's watched her die like the anime

The picture of Madoka and Homura in the past and present are more apparent during Homura's monologue

The fight between Walpurgisnacht is more akin to the anime in general

An extra page is added where Walpurgis first explodes where Homura thinks she's won

The shadow magical girls are no longer Mami, Kyoko and Sayaka, now retaining their anime appearances

A page of fighting the shadow magical girls seems to be removed (probably moved to the walpurgis section instead)

Junko now grabs Madoka's hand instead of calling to her more like the anime

Chapter 12

Madoka is more visible as she first transforms into her magical girl form, her blooming bow being focused on in extra panels

The sailor suited magical girl is replaced with a girl with a cog theme. She is no longer holding her soul gem instead madoka heals the star shaped gem on her arm

The historical magical girls madoka sees are completely redrawn and presumably the cog magical girl's soul gem can be seen at the top of the page

Madoka and Homura are now in their anime-esque dresses when bidding farewell instead of madoka being nude and homura in her magical girl outfit

Madoka's hair is no longer down as she takes sayaka away, fits with the anime but makes more sense for her hair to be down since she just gave her ribbons away :P

Tatsuya now draws more of madoka's body instead of just her face, more akin to the anime but not a perfect match

Homura's ribbons now match the anime instead of bunches but she is still wearing a casual outfit (albeit a different one)

The scenes with Junko and Homura feel overall lighter with a less dark sky

The 'Don't forget' line is accompanied with Homura with her wings facing the wraiths more akin to the anime instead of the old ribbons and feathers

#puella magi madoka magica #pmmm #madoka magica #madoka magica manga #reprint manga

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