#Megumi Chisaka

[angstigone]

coming in to ask sofa, morning sun and.... shooting star and film!

(alrightie, thank you sweetie)

(also small disclaimer, I do use ocs, but they are all self-inserts, basically of me with different wings and contact lenses, my brain just works better in ocs matter).

aki hayakawa x naoko chisaka:

sofa ⭑ when did you move in together?

they have been living together for a year since the anime start; naoko moved in when she was twenty-three with aki and it wasn't anything fancy truly, just as it'd be her last year of university and she had enough of living on campus, aki suggested for her to move in.

morning sun ⭑ how are the chores split in your household?

they both have very busy schedules, although naoko does spend more time at home due to having finished her lessons and just having to give a few exams + thesis and studying.

generally, they stick to what they are good at: naoko enjoys ordering and hence she's often the one folding laundry, cleaning dishes and doing groceries. aki, instead, enjoying cooking is the one in charge for meals.

they both usually do all the other stuff together based on their own schedules.

(in general chores aren't a sore spot with neither as they are also pretty tidy people).

shooting star ⭑ what does a date with the two of you look like?

alrightie, naoko enjoys going out. nothing fancy as she's an introvert at art but she definitely enjoys discovering new holes-in-the-wall restaurants and do some experiences (things such as pottery classes or dish making classes are definitely on the list). it's an excuse to dress fancy and look cute.

aki on the other side, I feel like enjoys the normalcy of the whole date as in he isn't this scrawny devil hunter with an haunted past, but just a guy out on a date with his lovely partner.

film ⭑ what’s your favorite movie? what’s theirs?

naoko's is «dirty dancing» (she has an uneahtlhy obsession with it and definitely showed it to denji to explain to him the peak of romance to which denji went 'should I tell mrs. makima that nobody puts her in a corner?' and naoko feared for her life).

«my neighbor totoro» for aki, although I think he discovered it rather recently and he did shed a few tears at the whole family storyline although he won't admit except to specific people (naoko, who was there and cradled him in her arms).

gojo satorou x yoshino haibara:

sofa ⭑ when did you move in together?

they do not technically live together, per se. as their marriage is one of convenience, yoshino lives more often with tsumiki and megumi than with gojo although he does have specific chambers for them.

I do feel like she'd move more stably there after the loss of tsumiki as she felt like she didn't want to overcome megumi with her own grief and in general enjoyed the support of gojo (this would happen I think when she's around 26 and gojo 28).

morning sun ⭑ how are the chores split in your household?

chores? what chores?

ngl gojo doesn't do many chores in his own household and although he'd drop to see the fushiguro siblings, he is more likely to send over stuff which is needed at yoshino's request.

although I headcanon yoshino as being completely autonomous in daily tasks, as she's a busy woman she's often not taking care of the household, especially upon moving with gojo.

shooting star ⭑ what does a date with the two of you look like?

this would often entail a good and natural shittalking session about the elders; they are both busy people - again - and the few time spent together is usually either at home or jujutsu high, talking calmly with one another.

an insane amount of snacks might be also brought in the mix just on gojo's bad influence.

although I do think that the closest to a romantic date, it's when yoshino drives gojo around with her bike and stop by to some place for breakfast. he doesn't agree often as he doesn't enjoy riding but it's honestly much funnier than he is willing to admit.

(also feels like yoshino is safer because of infinity, when they are riding together).

film ⭑ what’s your favorite movie? what’s theirs?

yoshino is a sucker for a good regency period romance; she grew with them a bit too much and as somebody who has trouble hearing (she's partially deaf), the focus on details and body language to her is very interesting and insightful. definitely the type to whip out «pride and prejudice» (2005) at any minor inconvenience.

this is totally silly but «stand with me» for gojo; it feels like a 'feel-good' movie somehow and he does relate a whole lot to the message of the movie. I think he watched it while on TV when he stayed over at the fushiguro household and he did have to excuse himself to the bathroom at the end of it.

jean havoc x merryn carabine:

sofa ⭑ when did you move in together?

after the end of the anime, doctor carabine stayed in xing for three years on a study retreat; as of right now I am unsure about whether they were together or not at this time, but I think that once merryn does come back they'd definitely move in quite quickly, like at the start of their 30s.

morning sun ⭑ how are the chores split in your household?

jean is about to become an househusband because I say so.

but aside the jokes, merryn is a doctor so her schedule is oftentimes all over the place although she isn't in the military anymore; this means that she often tries to pick up the slack through her free time either on her days off or the time she comes back from the hospital.

jean, in all truth, knows how to be autonomous as a soldier, so he's alright with keeping himself tidy and clear and with time I do believe that he'd learn to pick up merryn's slack (which he doesn't mind), in a secret deal mong them.

shooting star ⭑ what does a date with the two of you look like?

oftentimes they involve mostly catch up with the rest of the squad, either going out drinking or dining together (especially with roy, thirdwheeling the two).

definitely the types to do 'unprompted' library dates as in merryn needed some stuff for her researches and jean tagged along to bother her and complain, albeit she wouldn't change him for the whole world.

any selfship questions?

[atoyboxfullofdrafts]

“They want to try and bait me out for a convo… hm.”

He already knew their intentions. That day, he had followed Hachirou when he went out looking for Airi, after all. He left Ryo taking care of Megumi, and tailed after that failure of a brother.

So, he heard everything.

He wasn’t convinced. …Taking Megumi out into the world, where she could be hurt and taken away, even when she was guaranteed to stay mostly safe… wasn’t it better to just keep her as she was?

But there she was. …Chisaka Airi, in the cold, waiting for him to show up in his favorite place to hide alone. He had to give it to her, she was persistent at least.

[169pd]

Megumi got the disco fever.

[thetwoultimates]

In full bloom.

With materials in hands, she worked hard on her gift for her lover, eyes never leaving her project. Once the dolls were done, she moved to the place where they would live in, quickly becoming big enough to cover most of the room’s floor; she had already planned how it was supposed to be taken apart without destroying any of the individual parts, however, so she didn’t care much about the size and how it could be moved around. It was way past her bedtime when she finished, but what was a bit of sleep compared to the smile that Ichi would give her when seeing that gift? Now all that was left was to do what she did best—pretend she did nothing at all—and hide it until the day came. So she rose from her chair, stretching her arms above her head, with a satisfied grin.

It was a remarkably stunning evening. The moon was showering the world with its neverending glory, the stars sparkled and graced the world with their beauty, and she was sure that the garden, filled with cherry blossoms in full bloom, would be even more beautiful under the moonlight than it would otherwise. So she walked towards the window, opening it to receive the gentle nightly breeze she would often get in her small doll-making room, and glanced outside.

That was when she saw it.

The first thing that came to her were tears, hot and persistent in their efforts to spill, and the lump in her throat that refused to let her call out to that person. She would have recognized that silhouette no matter the time, but the moon shone upon them so unmistakeably that her heart jumped instantly. And then, instead of thinking or planning or carefully considering her options, her mind went blank, and her feet moved as swiftly as they could.

It was uncommon for anyone to see Airi in such a frantic state, running through the hallways with no regards to her usual poised appearance—servants were left speechless, and her siblings, slowly hearing of their sister’s actions despite her orders to rest and let her body heal, were soon trying to locate her. Yet none of them could stop her, and she had soon reached the doors to the garden.

In the front garden, under cherries in full bloom, her eyes fell upon the three people who had entered without being noticed by the security. A man with dark hair, holding onto a small, blond boy, followed by the one who made her heart be filled with hope. The three of them were terribly hurt, the older ones far more hurt than the little boy, but they still seemed to keep his sides protected with their own presence, tense, ready to attack if he was threatened.

The woman looked up, Airi’s steps took her attention.

Their eyes met. Even with face smeared with dried tears and blood, even with the injuries that covered her body, even with the way she stumbled forward, legs almost giving in to the pressure of resisting gravity, she was still the same person Airi had trusted for so many years now. A sparkle of recognition, slightly wide eyes, and tears mirroring her own.

Airi dashed forward, embracing the redhead with all she had, a scream leaving her lips before she could stop herself.

“Megumi…!”

Her former upperclasswoman didn’t respond, not with words at least. Quietly, as injured as she was, she wrapped her arms around her long-time friend, holding her close.

It didn’t take long for Shota to arrive, followed shortly by the other siblings, and even the Hamasaki twins. But in those eternal seconds, under the petals that reminded them of the fragility of that moment, friends—sisters from different parents—were reunited.

[seamstress-girl]

How's Airi doing now then? Do you guys still keep up often?

“I live here.”

“She does.”

[seamstress-girl]

“…going to see my girlfriend, maybe? What are you doing here? Whenever Ichi is in trouble, you’re somehow involved. It’s, honestly, more suspicious than you might believe it to be.”

Airi crossed her arms, looking down at the entertainer. Her eyes were cold, and she frowned as he stopped in front of her. What did he think he was doing? She had to check up on Ichi. While she could see Megumi had wounded herself, hands clearly hurt and the bloody handprints in her face indicated where they came from, she wasn’t sure she could trust that she hadn’t been capable of hurting Ichi. …No, it would be almost unbelievable if she had the strength to hold back.

Airi sighed. For a second, she seemed to show the conflicting feelings in her face, only to return to a cold stare. She couldn’t allow herself to feel doubts at this moment. She should assess the situation, and resolve it. If not as a friend and a lover, as the heir to the Chisaka family.

“If you’re worried about my involvement with Megumi-senpai,” She looked down, her troubled thoughts murking what she thought was an empty expression, “believe me, I know what she’s capable of. If she did harm Ichi, she won’t go scot-free. She knows… no, I believe she was hoping for that. She hasn’t been the same since Ichi killed…”

She stopped. Airi glanced away.

“…since she abandoned Jiro,” she completed.

Megumi laughed behind her. Hachirou had to hold her, as her laugh turned into loud sobs again.

“That doesn’t mean she’s free to terrorize my girlfriend, however. Now, can you please cease with the unnecessary suspicion?”

Knock knock. Who's there? Megumi! There's a redheaded seamstress on Ichi's front door. She doesn't seem angry or upset, more like she's lost there. There's some written instructions on her hand, almost like someone had to spell out where Ichi's house was. — @megumi-honda

Raising her head from the assortment of papers she had, she stared at the door with a puzzled expression. Nobody was suppose to be here yet. Getting up from her chair, she peeked out a window. Expecting to be greeted with her usual two friends, her eyes widened in surprised when she noticed that familiar shade of red.

Ichi’s heart stopped. Wasn’t Megumi suppose to be dead? Or at the very least, a completely different person? Moreover, what did she want from her? The seamstresses look of indifference made Ichi more nervous. Was she unaware of everything that happened?

Taking a breath to calm herself, she quickly made her way downstairs. Despite the thousands of questions she had, Ichi tried to keep herself focused on the unexpected guest at her door.

Opening the door slightly, Ichi’s yellow eyes peeked through from the other side.

“Megumi?”

@seamstress-girl

[atoyboxfullofdrafts]

What did you do with the rest of her family?

The rest of her family.

Did they see him as part of her family, then? …That was precious. He always thought he was seen as less than dirt, at least by the anons.

At this point in time… they would probably be wondering why they couldn’t find Megumi. If he had to guess, he would imagine her sorry excuse of a brother was trying to hack every camera in Tokyo to see if he could find a trace of her.

He didn’t protect her when she needed him most. And, if he knew she remembered, he would have happily led her into the danger zone.

That Chisaka girl was right. He was too emotional to deal with these situations. That was why he had to step in—none of them would do what was needed.

[atoyboxfullofdrafts]

Weren't those the paintings that Kosei put up?

“Yeah, there’s paintings of his friends, of him and Megumi, Budou, Chisaka… pretty much everyone he knows. There’s also landscapes and stuff. He might be a brat, but he’s pretty good at what he does.”

[atoyboxfullofdrafts]

“Are you still mad at me?”

He’d wagered it would be easier to get Megumi to forgive him. Usually, making a regretful face and shedding a few tears would be enough to make her heart soften—and he usually meant it, with the tears and the sad pout. He truly regretted every time he made her upset, and she was always more than willing to hear him out. Sometimes he didn’t really mind the things he did, but rather their results.

This time, he regretted everything. After all, she didn’t even want to look at him.

Megumi was in bed. Her hair cascaded over her pillow, spread over it like fire. She had her back to him, her arms wrapped around a large pillow. She couldn’t sleep unless she was holding something, from what he’d seen—though someone would also work. …When they talked, she always looked at him. It felt odd, to not be able to see her face, to not be able to tell exactly what she was thinking. It made his heart twinge inside his chest.

If this was before they were close, he wouldn’t have cared this much. He would have thought she was being emotional, that she was being illogical. But now? Now, it didn’t matter to him. All he wanted was to hear her say he was forgiven, to absolve him of his (perceived) wrongdoings. He knelt down next to her bed, hand resting on her shoulder, and then she immediately moved away from his touch.

It hurt more than if she had told him off.

“…Red…”

“Don’t call me that,” She mumbled. Her voice was bitter, in a way that was brand new to him. That, too, hurt him. When he tried to reach out to her, she curled up. “Go away. I don’t want to talk right now.”

“…Cher,” He sighed, sitting down next to her. She had moved enough to give him some space. She didn’t kick him out of the bed, so that must have counted for something; still, she also had no other reaction. “Tesoro…? Amor. Darling. …Amada.”

Megumi groaned. She pulled the blanket over her shoulders, covering herself up further. “I’m still disappointed in you. Stop that.”

So she was upset, and upset enough to admit that she was disappointed (that word felt more like a stab than if she simply said she was furious with him). She hadn’t been this upset when he had decided to take her down into the underground lake again. She hadn’t been this upset when he had invaded the Chisaka family’s vacation home, or when he tried to convince her to join Zero the first time. Why was she upset now? He hadn’t done anything nearly that bad this time.

Still, this wasn’t about how big or small his mistake had been. He was aware that, to others, things had different… weights, different meanings than what he had been taught. So he softened his voice, not wanting to aggravate her.

“Megumi. …Can you give me your hand?”

Rei hoped she would comply. When she spent several seconds without responding, he almost felt disheartened; and then she offered her hand to him. He was glad she couldn’t see him smiling. It would probably just make her angrier. He brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles very, very gently. “I’m sorry. …Can you hear me out?”

“…That doesn’t fix the problem, just so you know.” She didn’t tell him to leave this time, at least. So, he took that as confirmation that he could speak more.

He cleared his throat. Then, he squeezed her hand, before speaking. “I lied to you. …And you have every right to be upset at me. I made you hide with me for days from a threat that wasn’t even real, and I kept you away from your family during that time, and I made you worry about something that wouldn’t even happen—and I thought that was fine, because there was something else that was worrying me. And I know it hurt you. I know you don’t like it, when I hide things from you or lie to you. So I’m sorry.”

Megumi didn’t console him. When he hurt her superficially, she told him it wasn’t that serious. This time, she didn’t. He was right, then. …He really had hurt her profoundly. No, maybe it had been an accumulation of all his mistakes so far. Maybe she had been upset for a long time, and now he had finally done enough for her to be truly, irreversibly angry. That thought filled him with dread.

Would she tell him to leave for good?

“What were you worried about? …Why did you lie?”

That was somehow worse. And right after he said he lied to her and regretted it, too… he couldn’t tell her what happened. He couldn’t. It was an impossibility to him.

“I’ll… tell you once I’m sure,” Was what he managed to get out. His tone was unsure, apologetic. He wanted her to know he wasn’t kidding. “I don’t know if it’s an actual problem yet, and… it might be the kind that gets worse once you know about it. But I’ll tell you once I am. Alright? I will. It’s a promise.”

Megumi said nothing in return. Still, she squeezed his hand tight. They said nothing after that, but the silence between them felt much more tolerable now.

[seamstress-girl]

The files were concise, to the point it almost felt like a machine had written it rather than a human. Considering the contents, she wasn’t surprised with the inhumane coldness it was treated with; it was admirable enough that they wrote a small report on the student’s fate, rather than covering it up like so many other times.

“And you’re sure she was with him?” She lowered the two pages, glancing at Airi.

“Mhm,” The dollmaker avoided her eyes, a deep frown on her face. “I wondered if it was related to what was written in your diary, but… I’d never think it would be like that. No wonder you asked me to get my hands into the Hope’s Peak archive.”

Megumi chuckled, bitterly, folding the papers and putting them on her pocket. “They’d never let a Remnant get close to those. And I mean, I’m supposed to be dead. Your influence as a Chisaka and a former Ultimate is just enough to convince them to get these.”

Airi somberly nodded. Perhaps it was because of the research the government did on Ultimates even after their graduation, or perhaps because of the Tragedy turning Ultimates into dangerous individuals to the public, but there was a heavy amount of reports on many Ultimates. Some of them, however, much like Megumi herself, stopped being mentioned after graduation. That was how she pinpointed which of the many female students with that name was the one they were looking for. The results were baffling, when looking at the classmates as well.

She still refused to meet Megumi’s gaze. The seamstress smiled, before placing her hand on her head.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure we can handle this.”

[thetwoultimates]

Finality.

It had been many years since she last took the time to visit the Chisaka manor. Ever since then, things had… changed, significantly so.

She had grown. At first, the prospect of growth was not one she was very fond of: abandoning the person she was to become someone else, in a way, felt like a betrayal to those she had lost. The promise to stay steadfast to who she was at the end of her killing game felt like a lie, when she thought of becoming someone else, learning, changing. As she matured, however… it seemed like the best way to honor those who passed, besides being something completely natural.

Megumi and her had taken to producing dolls together, in a joint effort. It wasn’t at the same scale she was used to when growing up, and… it was refreshing. It felt more intimate, cozy, like making a gift to a friend rather than making a prototype to be replicated into an assembly line. She had to teach herself how to adjust to more relaxed guidelines, to not adhere to nigh impossible standards and deadlines. …She was healthier, both in mind and body. She truly understood how much her early years of working herself to the bone wore her down, now that she could look back at it from a different perspective.

She hadn’t talked to many people in years. Many of the people that she had considered friends, at least in passing, ended up losing contact with her over time. Even close confidants were not safe from that; she could count on her fingers the people she still spoke to in a regular basis. Some were people she expected, like her former classmates and Megumi, while others were unexpected surprises. She still had her cat, growing comfortably into old age, having to be fed a little paste instead of the usual cat food at this point in time. Hachirou joked that the cat was immortal; she sure hoped that was the case, but she would be happy all the same. What mattered were the memories she had made along the way, she reasoned. Even if the people involved wouldn’t last forever, those memories would.

She did find herself still struggling with her health to some degree—chronic illness isn’t something one can just brush off, after all. Still, she wasn’t that bothered by it anymore. It didn’t make her any less competent than others, and it didn’t make her weak. In fact, she had never felt stronger. She had people she could rely on, she had escaped the shadows of her family, and she could confidently stand on her own two feet, doing what made her happy. What else could she ask for?

…right.

When she was younger, she did have… a dream of sorts. She never had a great mother, and her experience with mother figures never lasted. But all the same… she did desire motherhood.

She held a tiny, soft hand in hers. When she looked down, she was met with round, curious brown eyes and a toothy grin. …She couldn’t have a biological child, as much as that would have made her happy. Still, she couldn’t imagine herself happier than she was with little Alexander. This would be his first time visiting his grandfather and the triplets, who had been running the Chisaka Corporation ever since she left. They had decided managing everything as a team would be more beneficial, and well, she couldn’t deny the effects.

On the other side of Alexander’s… well, was her partner. It had taken a long time, but it felt right all the same to have stayed this long with them. Alexander was more than happy with both his parents, and she thought herself quite lucky to have this close family.

…

Family.

The word felt warm, comforting, instead of cool and detached. It felt like home. …She smiled, messing her son’s hair one last time before reaching for the doorbell at the gates.

After a long time, Airi Chisaka was happy.

[seamstress-girl]

Change.

She didn't want to open her eyes. It was safe and familiar where she was, cloaked in the dark, where no one could find her. She understood everything inside that place, and she had no need to feel hurt or to cry over things she had no control over. It was like the inside of an egg, where she could have all of the nutrients she needed, and no one would take her away from the warm comfort of her little house. …but like any eggs, she knew she couldn't stay there forever, as much as she wanted to. Why? Why did she have to listen to that voice, talking to her, calling out to her?

But that voice didn't listen to her silent, wordless complaints. No, it kept calling.

Megumi-senpai.

Megugu.

Gumi.

Megumi-chan.

Megu-nee.

Aneki.

She… recalled how warm those nicknames felt. Those were nice days, where she could have fun and play around as much as she wanted to. Sure, there was many things that were bad about those times, and those hurt her for many years, but… those were also fun times. She was hugged and picked up by her best friend. She would work day in and day out with her kouhai. She would write things on her notebooks that had nothing to do with classes, and she would laugh when she was caught doodling instead of paying attention. It was so, so much fun…

So she did it. …it was a little bit scary, a little bit different, but it was okay. Because that voice calling her, right now, was one that she knew came from someone who could only want to see her open her eyes to see if she was fine. …So she opened them, slowly, but she did it.

And what looked back at her were green eyes, just like hers. She remembered how much people would compare the two of them, with how similar they looked, but she always noticed it. His were a little larger, yet a little sharper; she could see how the light shifted in them, giving way from worry to relief, and how that same relief spread through his face in the shape of a smile. The hand that held hers was big and warm, just like she remembered it. His hair was too messy, to the point she would have normally reached out to comb it with her fingers. She didn't do it, not this time.

"You gave us a scare!" Hachirou sighed, before shaking his head. His smile didn't vanish. …It felt like she was waking up from a long, long dream… "I mean, you relapsed while all of that was happening with Airi, so we were so worried! Are you alright?"

All of… that…? What happened…?

Her puzzled look must have given her away. Hachirou shook his head yet again, but this time at her confusion.

"You don't have to think about that now. With changing houses and all, of course you'd be confused. I, uh… just take your time remembering, alright?" And the color seemed to come back to his face. Why did he look so pale when she woke up? She must have slept for so long… "I'm happy to have you back, senpai."

She looked around. Surely, this… wasn't the infirmary. This was a bedroom, the type she wouldn't have minded if she didn't think she was in the Chisaka manor. It was small, with little furniture, and the single bed only allowed her to stay inside. There were no signs of Kosei or Rei, so she grew restless, but the hand that squeezed hers was still there. So her mind cleared, little by little.

"It'll be back soon, Hamasaki-san's making calf steak for lunch! I'll make sure to bring you some, and maybe I can clear some things up if you don't remember it by then!"

She closed her eyes again. …She didn't have any intention to going back to sleep this time, only smiling at the thought. This change of scenery… mhm, it wasn't bad at all, was it?

[thetwoultimates]

Aiko was at a loss.

She had spent most of her recent years pretending to be someone she wasn't. From the moment her sister asked her to enter the killing game — to act as her pawn, just as she did in the most recent attempt at a killing game, she had impersonated Akiko.

As a child, she had no agility. She was small, weak, slow.

Megumi couldn't teach her anything she didn't know, though she pretended to not understand so she would have a friend. Someone who would patiently sit by her side and help her with the things that, as a child, she was already quite good at. Mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, various languages, arts, literature you could list it, Aiko excelled. From music to algebra, she was able to process, create and reproduce it with ease.

Her talent was, when she entered Hope's Peak, the Ultimate Genius. The only person who could ever compete with her was the Ultimate Intellectual Prodigy, which was far more pragmatic and focused solely on the rational, cold part of the intellect.

When Hayato died, her sister, the Ultimate Acrobat, taught her what she knew. Briefly, they entered a circus, being called the Hamasaki Sisters at the time; to conceal her true talent, Akiko was known as the Ultimate Juggler, something she could do just as well as her acrobatics.

They had committed many atrocities.

They had caused the death of many, many people. They had destroyed so many things. They even associated with Junko Enoshima, despite her own hatred for the woman, for some time.

She expected to be thrown into prison as soon as she stepped on the Chisaka Manor, but instead, she was sitting in the living room of the third floor, quietly watching the others.

[seamstress-girl]

Kosei didn’t like what he was seeing.

It had been some time since Jay left the house. Of course, as a child who didn’t enjoy wasting time on sleeping, he woke up early and went to school. He decided to not ditch classes at the moment, as he would do if he got bored when he was with his mother, and diligently got through his school day. He even got to talk to Hitomi-chan, who thanked him profusely despite his numerous protests.

But… now that he was at home, Megumi-san — or, as he would call her by himself, aneki, — told him that she would have to leave quickly to “go out with Jay”. Not only was that impossible, thanks to Jay’s lack of time, but it was an unusual lie for Megumi, who valued telling him the truth most of the time. She was oddly dressed, too, with a “gored skirt” (he remembered Megumi making the distinction between that type and another weirdly named type of skirt while working) and a white blouse. Normally, when at home, she would just wear pajamas or old clothing…

So, who was this someone she was going to meet, who wasn’t Jay, that she had to lie about? Kosei didn’t like the thought of it. Even then, he followed Megumi with all the precautions possible as to not be seen.

Now… he was sitting down at the coffee shop she had entered, hiding himself from her sight on the table behind the one she had sat on. Megumi, on the other hand, had left the coffee shop while mumbling about “buying a cupcake for him,” a sentence that only made Kosei even more suspicious. He knew Jay didn’t favor sweets, so who could it be? She didn’t have many friends who lived nearby, either! If it was Chisaka-san, she would say “for her,” Budou-san barely left the house, and both of the twins and their cousin disliked overly sweet food! Kosei thought again and again, but he couldn’t brush the sensation that whoever it was, it couldn’t be good.

He watched customers get inside. A busy-looking businesswoman; a rugby coach with an injured hand… the woman couldn’t be the one she would meet, he already established it could only be a man, even if she said she was there to meet someone and sat in the tables rather than the bar. The man, on the other hand, didn’t even look around and sat straight on the barstools! Neither of them could be right.

A man entered. He seemed to be on his early twenties, not so much younger than Megumi. Now, his next moves where important: he refused the barstool offered by one of the waitresses, saying he was “waiting for a girl”! And he sat on the table in front of Kosei, taking his phone out. The girl shouldn’t be on the coffee shop, for him to be behaving like that.

…Kosei didn’t feel proud of that, but he read what the man was writing from over his shoulder.

«She’s so naive~ Remember her? It's the chick I met when she was buying some fabrics from you! With girls like that, I’ll just do whatever I want~»

…he had to censor part of the message from his own brain, refusing to read on the disgusting language the older man used. Kosei didn’t feel guilty anymore. On the contrary, he wanted to punch the guy. It could only be him, but even if he wasn’t meeting with Megumi, he felt the girl he was after didn’t deserve this kind of treatment.

The bell on the door rang.

“Ah, no, we’re waiting for someone. It seems like she isn’t here yet, though…”

Kosei turned his head slightly.

Two men. One seemed to be on his twenties, perhaps 25; one more, one less. He had jet-black hair, which was messily tucked inside of a hat whose back was cut off. He wore a white coat with a black dress shirt under it, his pants also white. Kosei noted that they seemed pretty darn expensive, even excruciatingly so. That was someone who cared about their looks very much… but he had stone cold eyes, as cold as the icy blue color they had. For someone who was “pretty” (to Kosei, at least) and who cared about their appearance, he didn’t seem much worried about how aloof he looked.

The other one was wearing a simple brown sweater under a dark green coat, a white button-up shirt visible under those. His shoes were simple, and his jeans only reinforced the contrast between the man and the one be accompanied. His purple hair was tied near his neck, probably going to his waist if he let it down. His expression was kind and gentle, eyes a weird mix of blue and pink. They both sat on the table right behind Kosei, where Megumi had been earlier!

…the second one seemed to be on his late twenties or early thirties. A doctor, Kosei guessed, by the way he acted and spoke. It somewhat resembled most doctors he had met during his childhood, and the ones who would visit his mother. The other… it was hard to tell, but he would say that he seemed like an intellectual man. Listening to their conversation, he was writing a dissertation… a man finishing his doctorate, Kosei decided.

If they were the ones going to meet Megumi… why? Why did she lie? And why were they meeting up? What did a seamstress have to do with a doctoral student and what seemed like a doctor? And was the other man who met a girl buying fabrics just a coincidence?

[seamstress-girl]

Lady Talk

"So that's the case... I see. It does make sense once you think it over."

Megumi hummed, drinking the tea that was offered to her by Airi gratefully. They had been enjoying each other's company since the beginning of the day, when she appeared. Airi had explained everything to her, from what happened in the time she was without memories to the most recent events. The thing Airi had explained, however, that was the freshest in her mind was...

"So this Ichi lady... She was with that girl, Amai, isn't it?"

Airi seemed to flinch at the comment, but slowly nods. She mutters a little "yes, that's right" to her veteran, but stops there.

The young Chisaka heir had always been like this. With a sigh, Megumi placed her teacup in the coffee table, looking at her worriedly. She had been, herself, a sisterly figure to Airi since they met. With that in mind, she held the white-haired girl's hands.

"Airi-chan... I can't know what you think unless you tell me."

"...I know." She sighed, and held Megumi's hand back. She looked into the redhead's eyes, looking as distraught as she had ever looked since the end of the Sharomuzu Killing Game. "I just... I'm afraid."

Unspoken words. Blinking eyes, blushing cheeks, teary voice. She could understand what Airi meant, just by those slightly visible signs.

"You're afraid to be a replacement, aren't you...? You're afraid of being just a way to get over that other girl."

Airi only nodded, going back to her own teacup, that she had abandoned in the coffee table.

"You poor thing..."

[thetwoultimates]

All of the ask blogs? (Am scared?)

(Okay, besides this one:

@askbungoudetective my main

@awkward-mizuki

@awkward-ryuzaki

@awkward-ayatsuji

@the-ultimate-detective-freak

@the-ultimate-hopeful-blogger

@megumi-honda

@ask-p5-detective

@chisaka-girls

am scared too)