#Munakata would enjoy that view | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

itsuki-minamy · 2 years ago

Text

K - ONE YEAR LATER

CHAPTER 12: THE WORLD OF THE FUTURE (BY RAIRAKU REI)

* List of Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

A year has passed since then.

Shiro, the man who is Isana Yashiro, and Adolf K. Weismann remembered the landscape of that day's sunrise many times.

The dawn of that day, when the old friend of his who had been carrying out the dream he had started passed away.

(Weismann... what a beautiful new world!)

On the bridge of the "Schattenreich", Daikaku Kokujoji said that with a trembling throat. Outside the window, the sun appeared from beyond the sea of clouds, trying to illuminate the world.

(Someday I dreamed of a view like this.)

Having lived as the greatest "King", he was looking at the dawn light at the moment when his life ran out.

(It's a shame to close my eyes...)

Those were his last words.

The airship "Schattenreich", the place where Kokujoji passed away, is now moored on the rooftop of Mihashira Tower.

On the bridge of the "Schattenreich", Shiro was reflecting on the sunrise sight that he had witnessed with Kokujoji.

"Silver King."

An old "rabbit" quietly appeared and said to Shiro.

"Munakata Reisi came to see you."

"Yes."

As Shiro nodded, the "Rabbit" quietly withdrew, and Munakata in a blue uniform appeared with the sound of his shoes echoing.

Shiro smiled brightly.

"Hello, Munakata-san, it's been a while. How was your trip?"

Shiro was informed in advance that Munakata would be traveling for a while, and he consulted and took countermeasures for any inconvenience that might arise in his absence.

A short time ago, he received the news of his return and a request to meet him. He felt somewhat ominous from the fact that it was the day he had just finished maintenance on the "Schattenreich".

"It was very significant. What are you doing with this airship? Do you want to go on a journey with me?"

"No way."

Shiro laughed and said that.

"I will no longer leave the ground."

Shiro narrowed his eyes as he looked inside the airship, which had the same structure as the "Himmelreich" where he had spent almost 70 years.

"This airship was unreasonably torn to shreds during the decisive battle with "Jungle" a year ago, and I left it as it was, but I was finally able to repair it. I have no intention of flying anywhere anymore, but the Lieutenant took care of it for a long time, so I want to restore it to its beautiful appearance before I put it to sleep."

"I see."

Munakata agreed with a slight smile on his lips.

"Munakata-san, have you finished your journey?"

"Yes. I have found the answer and the many encounters I have had along the way have given me a new idea of what to do."

"I see. I want to hear about the world you've seen, Munakata-san."

"I decided that I should talk to you, so I came here."

Just when he thought this was going to be a long story, several young "rabbits" arrived with chairs, a small table, and tea utensils. He couldn't help but smile bitterly at those who were too smart.

Grateful, he sat on the chair that had been prepared for him and listened to the story of Munakata's journey while he drank tea.

Munakata's story was like an adventure tale that children would enjoy, like a presentation of research results at an academic conference, or like a philosophical murmuring.

Shiro listened carefully to Munakata's story, interspersing questions from time to time.

How people around the world live, think and act. It was a time to experience the situation of people living, through Munakata, which cannot be covered by the news.

"Even if it's not as strong as in Japan where the "Slate" was, the effects of the release of the "Slate" are still being felt all over the world."

"Because there aren't as many people with persistent supernatural powers as in Japan, the situation is even more difficult for people with supernatural powers around the world than in Japan."

Shiro put his hand on his chin and thought. Munakata looked directly at Shiro through the back of his glasses.

"You could say that humanity has taken a new step forward. Aren't you responsible for that, Weismann?"

Instead of an accusing tone, Munakata spoke in a calm and determined voice.

In the depths of Shiro's eyes, the dawn of that day shone again.

The night is over. A new world has begun. The scene that dreamed with Claudia and Kokujoji in the past may be a little different now, but when morning comes, they have to get up and start walking.

"Of course."

Shiro nodded.

"I am responsible. I had a dream about the "Slate" and I was responsible for moving it. I was responsible for giving Nagare Hisui's dream that effect. So I will do my best. I can no longer be a person who only dreams and prays. I listen to people's prayers and I will do my best to bring them closer to a world where those prayers come true. I think that's my job."

"Very good."

Munakata nodded in satisfaction and stood up.

"I will do my best as well. As a leader who walks in front of the people, even though I am no longer the "King" determined by the "Slate". As the head of "Scepter 4". As a person named Reisi Munakata. There is no no cloud in our cause."

Munakata turned around and left the "Schattenreich".

Shiro stared at the space where Munakata had left for a while, pondered what he should do, and slowly sat up.

The "rabbits" appeared and waited by Shiro's side as if they were waiting for their lives.

"Please take care about this airship."

"Ok."

"And... thanks for coming back once again."

A year ago, Shiro relieved the "rabbits" of their responsibilities. According to Kokujoji's will, they were to help Shiro until he returned to the surface. After that, they disappeared into the shadows, just trying to maintain the system established by Kokujoji.

However, they went back to work for Shiro. There were many things that he could not have done without the "rabbits".

The old "rabbit" bowed deeply.

"You are his successor in will. It is our deepest desire to serve you."

"Thank you.", Shiro said again.

Under the transparent floor there was nothing anymore, where the "Slate" was before, Shiro said goodbye to the "Schattenreich".

++++++++++

He woke up to the smell of grilling fish.

He widened his eyes a little. A warm steam billowed from the kitchen. He could hear the sound of rice being cooked and the sound of something being chopped on the cutting board. Kuro was making breakfast.

Shiro let out a yawn and straightened up. Then he noticed that there was a weight on his feet. Neko, in her uniform, slept curled up on Shiro's futon. She doesn't look like a kitten anymore, but she still looks like an animal cat in places like that.

"Good morning, Neko."

After lightly shaking her, Neko rubbed her eyes sleepily and got up. It was good that she was dressed, but he guessed that she fell asleep again because she saw Shiro still sleeping.

Looking at Shiro, a smile spread across Neko's face who had woken up.

"Shiro, good morning!"

"Breakfast is ready. Wash your face."

A voice came from the kitchen, and Shiro answered "Yes." and he went to the bathroom.

He washed his face with cold water, changed his clothes and straighten his bed hair.

When he returned feeling refreshed, breakfast was already prepared on the dining table.

Salt-roasted horse mackerel, dashimaki egg, miso soup with tofu and komatsu-na (Japanese mustard spinach), and freshly cooked white rice. It was a standard menu that everyone loved.

"Itadakimasu!"

He clasped his hands and took his chopsticks. He drank miso soup with a strong dashi broth, grabbed the horse mackerel meat and put it in his mouth, bit into the fluffy egg and filled his mouth with rice. He dove into a delicious breakfast that would energize him for the day.

"Today will be the meeting for the opening ceremony after going through "Scepter 4"."

As he nodded to Kuro, who was confirming his schedule, Neko let out a dissatisfied voice, "Eh!"

"Shiro, aren't you going to school today?"

"Sorry. I'm in a bit of a rush today."

"Neko. Shiro is doing important work right now."

"Boo... I know..."

"Now that I think about it, I got a call from Kukuri."

Hearing Kuro's words, Neko was in a good mood and she let out a happy voice, "Kukuri!" A smile naturally appeared on Shiro.

"Kukuri, how is she doing? Is her university life going well?"

"Ah. It seems they are busy preparing for the school festival. She told me to go visit her that day."

"Come on! Come on!"

"The high school festival turned out to be ridiculous, so I really want it to be a success this time."

As soon as he finished eating and stood up, Kuro handed him a bag neatly filled with the necessary documents.

Kuro looked at Shiro's figure from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, and slightly adjusted Tai's position to make minor adjustments. He nodded once and pressed the voice recorder button with a straight face.

"Correct your outfit and jump into the world."

It was the deep voice of Miwa reciting a poem. Kuro smirked.

"That's how it is."

He was still the same Kuro as always. Laughing, Shiro said, "I'm leaving.", and left the room with Neko.

As he was walking down the hall while greeting the dormitory students who were about to go to school, he ran into Toru Hieda. Shiro still felt strange when he met him. Shiro's soul had been in his body for over a year until the "Slate" was destroyed.

Shiro felt an indescribable shame towards him, as if he was closer to him than Kuro, Neko or his biological sister Claudia, who shared her blood with him.

"Oh! It's Toru!"

Neko said that happily and hugged Hieda like a jumping kitten.

Hieda smiled wryly and said, "Good morning, Neko-san.", as he gently held Neko's body so as not to touch her carelessly.

A year ago, every time Neko hugged him, his eyes turned black and white, but he seems to have gotten used to it. Hieda was a very reserved guy who wasn't very good at interpersonal relationships, but surprisingly he adapted.

"Good morning. Shiro... Um, Weismann sensei."

Hieda greeted Shiro with a smile. At Shiro's request, Hieda usually calls him "Shiro-san", but at school he calls him "Weismann sensei" as a teacher-student relationship. After considering which is the most appropriate for now, it seems that he settled on the latter.

"Today is "Shiro-san". Weismann sensei is free today."

"Then it's work for those who aren't in school. You seem busy."

"Yes. Shiro is busy."

Neko, who started to walk next to Hieda, thinned her lips, but it soon turned into a smile.

"Wagahai and others are also doing their best. So keep up the good work, Shiro."

Hieda nodded in agreement with Neko's words.

Buoyed by their genuine support, Shiro said goodbye to the two outside the dormitory and started walking towards the station.

The monorail station connecting the mainland and the school island was packed with commuter students. Among the students full of laughter and youthful chatter, he met a friend of Neko's.

"Ah, German sensei."

Harumi Nakayama, Neko's classmate, relaxed her expression when she saw Shiro.

Due to her dyed blonde hair and her sharp eyes, the other teachers often see her as a delinquent, but she is a kind and good girl. Neko, who used to be reluctant to wear clothes, now tries to dress like a high school girl thanks to this friend. Like Shiro, he was happy to have a friend who could influence Neko from the same perspective, and he was very worried about Nakayama herself as a teacher.

In particular, she has had a lingering supernatural power for a year, and there was a time when she was deeply depressed by it.

Shiro tried his best to make her live with a smile. Kuro also followed her, and Neko also snuggled up to her like a friend.

Thanks to that, Nakayama can now go to school in good physical and mental health, but there are still people in the same situation all over the country, no, all over the world.

"Are you going to work outside of school?"

Contrary to her delinquent appearance, Nakayama asked in a polite manner.

"Yes. I'm sure I'll make the world easier for you."

His words weren't enough to explain it, but Nakayama looked at Shiro's face and bowed, "Thank you.", without asking anything.

"So, today's physics class will be self-study, I'm sorry. But the self-study printout is a masterpiece, so I'd love it if you could do it."

Shiro parted ways with Nakayama and entered the station.

The students were friendly and asked, "Huh? Are you going out, German sensei?" Shiro answered each question with a smile as he rode the monorail from Gakuenjima to the mainland.

++++++++++

"I read the article you posted on the internet about the emergence of the Strains and their social impact. It was a very interesting consideration."

Shiro met a Strain named Tamaki Genjo at the detention center for supernatural criminals in the basement of "Scepter 4". He was a man who served as a staff member for a group of supernatural criminals led by a Strain, who called himself the "Black Iron King".

Tamaki aimed his large black eyes directly at Shiro from behind his round glasses.

"I've also read the draft of the new supernatural-related bill you sent me. It's certainly reasonable to think of it as a realistic starting point, but just with this, some people will fall from the hands of salvation."

"Yes. I would like to hear your honest opinion."

At Shiro's words, Tamaki began to speak as if a dam had broken. For many years, there must be something that has been treasured inside, something that has matured. Fushimi Saruhiko, standing at the entrance of the room as a witness, let out a sigh.

After two hours of discussion, Shiro got up and stood up.

"Dr. Weismann. Will you save all the outcasts?"

As Shiro was leaving, Tamaki threw that question at him.

Shiro recalled the information that Tamaki was an old friend of Iwafune Tenkei, no, Seigo Otori.

The "Grey King" Seigo Otori, who tried to create a paradise to save and protect all the weak.

The "Green King" Nagare Hisui, who tried to transform the world into a world where everyone had power.

Iwafune Tenkei, who cared for and saved Nagare.

Thinking of them, Shiro lowered his eyes for a moment, then raised his head with a smile and said.

"I want to protect the place where everyone can eat with their loved ones in peace. I will continue to do what I can to get closer to a world where that can be done."

Shiro bowed to Tamaki and left the room.

"The long discussion with the criminals in prison is the same with our boss, but you are also crazy."

Fushimi, walking a little behind Shiro, said that in an exasperated voice.

"Moreover, he even showed us the bill before the deliberation..."

Shiro laughed out loud.

"It's a bill to save people like him and his colleagues. The opinions of the parties are important, and Mr. Tamaki is an expert who used to do research at the university. In fact, his story was very useful."

"You've even met Kamimori, but his story won't help you in any way. He's just an idiot."

Kamimori is a man who used to be the leader of a supernatural criminal group calling itself the "Dark Iron King". The other day, he was arrested by Munakata for his violent act of attacking the "Scepter 4" garrison. Before Tamaki, Shiro met and talked with Kamimori.

"He's not stupid either. He doesn't have a rich vocabulary and isn't good at logical thinking, but he has the power to understand people's feelings and has what can be called an "instant anger power" that directs the right anger when it's about things you should be angry about. Without it, you'd either build up your anger and make it worse, or raise your fist in the wrong direction. It was helpful to hear why he was angry at the world at the time."

"Haa..."

Fushimi let out a breath of wonder or admiration.

"More importantly, is Munakata-san here now?"

After going up from the basement to the entrance hall, Shiro looked up to the upper floor where Munakata's office was. Fushimi shook his head.

"He's out now."

"Oh, sorry. There is a document that I wanted him to seal."

"Ah, then you should go to the deputy chief's office. Her acting boss role is over, but deputy chief Awashima still has decision-making authority."

Fushimi said and turned his feet towards the grand staircase. Shiro followed behind.

"Well, I'm saved. But why?"

"I don't know why the Chief brought them in from all over the world. He gave them roles, created a place where they belong, and started doing all sorts of odd jobs. That's partly why I'm busy, and unexpectedly, deputy chief Awashima is better at making realistic decisions like "Scepter 4"."

"I see."

When Fushimi called Awashima's office, there was an immediate response.

"Hello."

When Shiro showed his face, Awashima greeted him with a reluctant "Ah.". During Munakata's absence, Shiro frequently interacted with Awashima as a representative of "Scepter 4", so they had become somewhat familiar with each other.

"Shiro-san. How was your day?"

"I want to obtain the consent of "Scepter 4" for this document."

As Shiro handed over the document, Awashima quickly read it over and sealed it.

"Thank you. Even though Munakata-san is back, Awashima-san, you seem to be busy as usual."

"Yes. However, just by having the Chief, who is the pillar of "Scepter 4", even if we have the same duties, our sense of security is quite different."

Indeed, Awashima's mood was more stable and relaxed than before Munakata's return.

"Shiro-san, you seem to be busy. The opening ceremony is today, right?"

"Yes. From now on, we will have a meeting for that purpose, uh."

Shiro's PDA rang. Awashima urged him to leave without worrying about it, and Shiro lowered his head slightly and took out his PDA.

"Ah, it's Kusanagi-san."

Seeing the name displayed on the PDA screen, Shiro tilted his head. Awashima and Fushimi also looked at Shiro with a captivated expression on their faces.

"Hello. Yes. Yes. Huh? Ah, hahaha... I see. I'll go there from now on."

As Shiro ended the call with a wry smile, Awashima and Fushimi's questioning eyes turned.

"The meeting partner after this seems to be in the HOMRA bar for a while... I'll go find him."

++++++++++

A "CLOSED" sign hung on the door of the HOMRA bar. Today, that sign meant "rented."

A black sedan was parked in front of the bar, and two strong men like SP were standing next to it.

Shiro gave them a slight bow and opened the door to the bar.

"Ok. Kanichi, you can do it. There's no need to worry so much."

A man in his fifties in a suit, former Prime Minister Kanichi Samukawa, was sitting at a bar table, receiving encouragement from Anna Kushina, a high school student sitting across from him.

Misaki Yata and Rikio Kamamoto, sitting on a chair at the counter a little further away, watched the show with their arms crossed, frustration on their faces. Behind the counter, Izumo Kusanagi was polishing his glass with a wry smile.

Shiro deviated and moved closer to the counter so as not to disturb Samukawa and Anna.

"Samukawa-san, he asked Anna to tell him the fortune again."

When Shiro whispered, Kusanagi lowered his eyebrows and shrugged in embarrassment.

"He wants her to predict the future of Japan. Actually, it's almost like advice, huh."

"At this stage, I'm still boiling, that old man."

"It's pathetic that you have to get a girl to push you around. Even if you're a former prime minister."

Yata and Kamamoto said that sharply. Shiro sat on the chair at the counter next to Yata as he calmed him down, "Ok.".

"Originally, Samukawa-san seems to have relied heavily on fortune telling. Anna, who has great sensitivity, is much more accurate than other fortune tellers, so I understand the feeling of wanting to see her... But this time it's more like a ritual to make a decision than as a divination."

Kusanagi served Shiro an iced tea. As he luckily wet his throat, he looked at Samukawa's profile.

"Tomorrow, the 'Supernatural Powers Agency' will be officially launched. As its director, former Prime Minister Samukawa must become a banner-man to create a world where psychics and non-psychics can live together in peace."

A year ago, as a result of what Nagare did, the existence of supernatural powers became known to people all over the world. It was no longer possible to deal with the problems behind the scenes with "Tokijikuin" and "Scepter 4". Specialized departments will be established within the administrative bodies to solve various problems in front of the public.

Samukawa is a former prime minister and possessor of permanent supernatural power. While he acts as a spokesman for the minority of people with supernatural powers, he is well-suited as a leader to create a society where the majority of people who do not have supernatural powers do not feel uncomfortable.

"Even if it's the day before the opening ceremony, it won't work. Taking over as director is a matter of decision."

Kusanagi also showed a slightly exasperated smile.

Yata said that.

"I don't trust that old man!"

"You! Hide your backbiting properly!"

Yata's voice was strong, though he should have been speaking softly so as not to get in the way. Samukawa, who was talking to Anna, turned his body and pointed at Yata.

"I'm not talking behind your back! I think you're unreliable, so I just said that!"

Alongside Yata, who is defiant, Kamamoto, who usually tends to hold back, but jumped on the bandwagon and said, "That's right!"

"For the most part, are you really able to properly control your clairvoyant ability?! You're not looking under Anna's clothes, right?"

"Stop."

Samukawa said with a punch.

"Aggressive behavior wielding such blind suspicion turns into prejudice and discrimination against psykers. If you're one of the geniuses, you'll understand."

"Oh, sorry. That's right."

Kamamoto sincerely apologized. Yata also looked at Samukawa with a slightly reconsidered face.

However, Samukawa himself immediately lost his dignity and fell on the table.

"But... That's right. Mind you, I have my doubts about it, and I'm sure it will continue to be said. Depending on the type of supernatural ability, just having it makes me a half-criminal. If I bear the worst part, the stone thrown by the psychic will hit me first..."

"Kanichi."

Anna read the former prime minister in a transparent voice.

"The more stones you receive, the more people behind them will be protected. One day you will be a hero."

Samukawa's eyes widened slightly.

Shiro got down from the chair at the counter and walked over to Samukawa's table.

"Also, I will protect you as much as possible. With the weapon of knowledge and the shield of technology."

Samukawa now wears glasses that he didn't wear before. It is an item that suppresses his clairvoyance ability and was developed with technology from Shiro and "Tokijikuin". Until that unfolded, Samukawa was under house arrest, unable to appear in public places with women.

In the future, he plans to develop tools together with "Tokijikuin" so that all psychics can live their daily lives without problems.

"Yes."

Yata seemed to have received a message and looked at the wristwatch-shaped PDA.

"Shiro, before you came here, did you see the blue clothes?"

Yata said that as he looked at his PDA. Shiro nodded.

"Yes. I met Fushimi-kun and Awashima-san, and told them that I would come to pick up Samukawa-san."

"Then, Saruhiko said, "How's it going over there?" Samukawa-san, even the blue ones are worried about you."

Samukawa took a deep breath and stood up. The frustrated look from just now was gone and had turned into a calm adult face.

"It's certainly time for the meeting. Shall we go?"

Samukawa looked at Anna and smiled.

"You have taken care of me, Kushina-kun."

"Your eyes are different from mine, but they are eyes that can see through. I'm sure you can see the future we should move into."

"You are strong even though you have great abilities."

Anna softened her expression and placed both hands on her chest.

"Because I have them all."

Surely, it included not only Kusanagi, Yata, and Kamamoto, but also important people who have disappeared.

Mikoto Suoh. Totsuka Tatara. Shiro, who was deeply involved in their death, gently lowered his eyes and thought of them living inside of Anna.

After leaving the bar with Samukawa and riding with him in the car, Shiro came up with an idea.

"I don't know if I can reach the level of "everyone" supporting Anna, but Samukawa-san, you have me."

Shiro smiled at him, and Samukawa grimaced as if the poison had been removed.

"You have changed."

"Is that so?"

Samukawa looked out the window and muttered.

"The "King", I thought was something that went way over my head."

++++++++++

While making natto for breakfast, the TV started showing the news from the "Agency of Supernatural Powers".

Samukawa, who was shown on TV, made a directorial comment with dignified behavior that made the previous day's laziness a lie. Originally, he was a frank person who was good at giving speeches. He calmly answered even unpleasant questions from journalists.

"Shiro's work finally came true in this way."

Kuro took a deep look at the TV screen showing yesterday's opening ceremony, put down the bowl and chopsticks he was holding in his hand, and straightened his posture.

"Shiro. Thank you for your hard work."

Shiro's eyes flickered to Kuro, who bowed his head slightly and thanked him politely. Following Kuro's lead, Neko joyfully raised both hands and said, "Shiro, Otsukare-sama!"

Shiro laughed and scratched his cheek.

"Oh, no. I'm just standing at the starting line. Everything is from now on."

"That's true, but, checking the signs and taking a break with the joy of accomplishment when you've reached that point are important during a long journey."

Shiro was embarrassed and said "Thank you." for Kuro's sincere effort and encouragement.

"So, it's been a long time since I've had a day off and I'd like to go somewhere for a while, so I wonder, Kuro and Neko, will you come with me?"

Kuro and Neko nodded without hesitation, though they seemed puzzled.

He stopped by a flower shop on the way out and they made him a bouquet of calm colors.

The place they headed to with him was the place of the decisive battle a year ago.

The "Slate" was released by the "Green King" Hisui Nagare, the place where the pillar of light was located, and the place where Shiro and his friends plunged into the base of "Jungle" with the "Schattenreich".

Here, Shiro dropped his Sword of Damocles of his own free will and destroyed the "Slate".

The big hole that Anna and "Homura" had entered underground was blocked, the door was completely blocked, and now it's just a big crossroads.

He offered flowers at the edge of the intersection.

Kuro said nothing and lowered his eyes as if he was silently praying.

Maybe Neko felt helpless and sad, and she clung tightly to Shiro.

Shiro was looking at the place that had become a normal road surface.

Shiro.

Kuro suddenly yelled in a suppressed voice.

Kuro was not looking at Shiro, but was looking across the intersection diagonally with serious eyes. Shiro turned his eyes to follow Kuro's line of sight.

He found a familiar silhouette on the other side of the traffic.

A tall and slender person with a large parrot on his shoulder and a small boy who is still growing, were standing side by side looking at them. They were Mishakuji Yukari and Gojo Sukuna, who were the executives of the Green Clan.

It is an intersection where thick roads intersect. At this distance, his expression was vague, but Mishakuji seemed to have the same faint smile as always, and Sukuna seemed to be watching them with a rigid face.

For them, that place was a deeply connected place filled with various feelings.

As he watched them, Shiro remembered the day when Mishakuji suddenly visited Shiro's room.

(I feel like this question isn't very "beautiful" anymore. Asking a question when you already have an answer would be very unrefined.)

Although he went as far as to proudly enter the former enemy's residence, Mishakuji didn't say what he would have liked to ask and left.

To Neko who asked what happened, Shiro said.

(Well, I'm sure she meant something along the lines of: "Could you really beat the guy named Hisui Nagare?")

It was not a matter of winning or losing, but he believed that Hisui Nagare's ambitions could have been half achieved.

The world has changed. What had been kept secret until now was revealed by Hisui Nagare, and everyone had the power.

Most people have lost their power, but there are still people who have power. They are not members of any clan of any kind, but lone "Kings" who were suddenly released into the wild.

Even most people who have lost their power can't go back to when they knew nothing.

"However, I will continue to fight. In a world where psykers and non-psykers coexist, I want everyone to be able to protect their own chabudai."

He didn't even know if he was trying to answer Mishakuji, or if he was addressing the late Nagare. However, Shiro muttered a small vow for his thoughts to come out of his mouth.

A truck turned the corner and slowly crossed in front of Shiro and the others. The view of was blocked by the large body of the vehicle, and Mishakuji and Sukuna were no longer visible.

After the truck drove off, the two were gone.

He assumed the signs had disappeared. Kuro took a deep breath to ease his tension.

In this world changed by Hisui Nagare, Mishakuji Yukari will live freely in search of beautiful things and Gojo Sukuna will grow as he searches for his own way of life.

Shiro looked towards the center of the intersection once more.

The "Slate" was no longer underground. Not even in the tower near heaven.

Shiro believes that the "Slate" itself is not the source of power, but rather the key to accessing great power, though the "Slate" itself has yet to be fully elucidated.

If so, even if the "Slate" is gone, there is still a great power somewhere. In the future, there's no guarantee that a new path leading to that power won't appear as an access key replacing the "Slate".

At that moment, the ridiculous world that Nagare dreamed of could come true.

"Shiro, what's wrong? You look strange."

Neko looked at Shiro's face and said that.

"Yes. It's a strange sensation that is terrifying and a bit exciting."

"What's that?" Neko turned her head and Kuro raised his eyebrows suspiciously.

If he had met him differently and they had pursued a dream together, he would have been in a position as the Lieutenant and scolded him. And so, imagining something that didn't even exist, he smiled bitterly.

Shiro reached out his right hand and left hand to the side and grabbed Kuro and Neko's hands.

"Let's go home. To our house."

Shiro took the two of them by the hand and began to walk.

"Hey. I'm not a boy, so don't hold my hand."

"Wagahai will hold hands and go home~!"

Kuro reluctantly distanced himself from Shiro, while Neko happily waved the hand connected to Shiro.

In between the two, Shiro laughed out loud.

END.

#k #k project #k one year later #shiro isana #adolf k weismann #yatogami kuro #neko #yata misaki #fushimi saruhiko #kamamoto rikyo #izumo kusanagi #kushina anna #scepter 4 #homra #homura #jungle #mishakuji yukari #gojou sukuna

55 notes · View notes

ciaossu-imagines · 8 months ago

Text

Personalization Prompt #1 – Shohei

So, for the reader appreciation day of the event, I used the first personalization prompt for the wonderful @shoheiakagi! I know I’ve said it before, but their blog is definitely the K blog I check out most, their views on some of the K characters have definitely influenced how I write them, they’re a very chill person to talk to, and just a really wonderful and supportive person to this admin and blog! So, I hope they’ll enjoy this little prompt, set in the K Project universe 😊

Siblings: None! Like, honestly, none – no canon siblings, no non-canon siblings. You’re an only child, though you do have two loving, if somewhat overprotective parents.

Best friend: Eric, Kusanagi, Kamamoto Frenemies/Enemies: I do see you occasionally butting heads with Yata, Bandou, and Chitose all at some point, but it’s more or less friendly bickering and you get along with them. I don’t see you getting along with Fushimi or most of Scepter 4, other than Seri, at all though. Especially Fushimi, who you think is just an asshole, and you kind of feel like Munakata is a little creepy. Crushes on You: I do see Bandou having a bit of a thing for you at one point, mostly because Shouhei did and Bandou likes to compete a bit with his friend. I do think your friendship with Eric can turn kind of flirtatious, and there was some interest on both sides for a little bit but I can’t figure out for sure whether the two of you hook up before you get serious with Shouhei or not, so I’ll leave that decision up to you. First Romantic Relationship: You definitely did have a life before meeting these guys, so I do figure it was someone from your past, a non-canon guy who you probably aren’t really too much in contact with anymore. Lost Virginity To: Again, the answer is pretty much the same as above. You had a life prior to meeting the guys, you aren’t completely virginal and innocent when you meet them, and probably lost your virginity to a guy in your past. Whether you are still in contact with that person or not is up to you. Married/In A Committed Relationship With: While the relationship really takes a while to get started and just gradually becomes more serious the more time the two of you spend with each other, I do see you and Shouhei starting to date and that’s the end pairing in this little scenario/story. Cockblocked by: Bandou and Chitose do it on purpose, but almost all the other HOMRA members, minus Kusanagi and Mikoto, have all accidentally cockblocked you and Shouhei. Affiliation: I don’t see you being an official member of HOMRA. There might have been some ‘should we’ talk among the boys about possibly encouraging you to join but at the end of the day, you’re just not someone who would really be happy living a really violent gang life and it’s more that you’re just friendliest with HOMRA and that’s where you feel most at home.

Special Abilities: You’re not really part of any clan, so you don’t have many special abilities. I’ve played with the idea of having you be a Strain like Maria, but then there’s the possibilities of Scepter 4 taking you away in that case…really, it would be interesting story-wise, so I do like it. It could go either way, with you having no special abilities, or you could be a Strain with mild psychokinetic abilities in my head.

5 Headcanons About Your Life:

You work for a large company in the Human Resources and people management division, normally working from an American office. However, due to a shortage of workers in the Shizume Town location ends up with you getting transferred to the office over there, because in this story, you’re fluent in both Japanese and English.

You settle in pretty well, make some friends at work, and it’s a coworker who first takes you to Bar HOMRA. You really end up liking the bar and you start to frequent it on your own, which is how you end up getting to know the guys. The more often you come in, the more of them you meet and end up talking to and the more they start opening up to you and growing friendships with you.

Eric and Kusanagi can both hold fully English conversations with you, a fact they both enjoy, though it can annoy the other guys to be so excluded from a conversation. I do see Dewa and Shouhei both practicing their English skills with you.

Anna ends up really taking a liking to you and starts to regard you as almost an older sister like figure and she really likes it whenever you agree to spend time with her, especially when you take her out shopping. While she definitely has a very set fashion taste that doesn’t change, I can see her kind of innocently wanting to get some of your favourite things herself in terms of jewelry, accessories, bedding and such to kind of be a little more like you.

All the guys start to take you under their wings and almost all of them play tour guide in one way, either suggesting places you really need to check out or mostly each of them offering to take you out on one of their days off and to show you around. It’s really fun since each of the guys is so unique that they all end up showing you completely different things and it’s through them doing that eventually that you’re able to really solidify these friendships. However, it’s definitely Chitose and Dewa together when Chitose offers to play tour guide, just because Dewa’s not trusting him alone with you, knowing his best friend.

#unrequested prompts #shoheiakagi #k project #k reader insert

7 notes · View notes

ridiasfangirlings · 1 year ago

Note

Munakata and Fushimi on a long train ride together in their own private car. What do they talk about? Reisaru would be lovely, thank you!

I bet Munakata would enjoy a nice private train ride, maybe they have to go somewhere for a work mission and Munakata thinks this would be better than flying. There’s like some conference at a resort up in the mountains and Munakata asks Fushimi to accompany him (not at all so they can relax together and have a small vacation). Fushimi complains about all the work that won’t get done but he agrees to go, he’s surprised when Munakata has them driven just to a train station rather than the airport or taking the vans all the way. Munakata says it’s a scenic area and he thought perhaps taking this route would be calming. Fushimi shrugs and says he doesn’t like trains, looking distastefully at the crowds around them, and Munakata assures him that he’s rented them a private car.

When they get into their private room Fushimi has to admit it isn’t that bad, at least there’s plenty of room and no one around to bother them. Munakata says they have a long ride and Fushimi should settle in. As he’s speaking Munakata pulls out a puzzle from his luggage and starts laying out all the pieces in a pile on the floor, Fushimi looks all disbelieving like you’re really going to do a puzzle on this trip Captain. Munakata says he was hoping to find something to pass the time, Fushimi rolls his eyes like most people bring a book you know. Munakata chuckles all ‘is that so’ and focuses on his puzzle.

Fushimi tries to play on his PDA but he’s distracted by Munakata there on the floor carefully putting the puzzle together. Finally he can’t hold it in and Fushimi asks what Munakata’s making this time. Munakata says it is a special puzzle he has commissioned, of S4 headquarters. Fushimi leans his chin on his hands as he says no picture then, since Captain has the building layout memorized. Munakata laughs and says correct, Fushimi rolls his eyes and quietly mutters that at least it isn’t his face this time. Munakata asks if Fushimi wants to join him, Fushimi says wasn’t Munakata the one talking about the view, he’s not going to see any of it if he’s doing his puzzle the whole time. Munakata wonders if Fushimi’s worried about him missing the sights and Fushimi denies it, leaning back and looking out the window himself.

The seat dips momentarily as Munakata sits down beside him and Fushimi looks over, wondering about the puzzle. Munakata says Fushimi was correct, it wouldn’t do to ignore the view for the entire trip, and the puzzle can wait. Fushimi mutters that he didn’t mean Munakata had to come over here now and Munakata wonders if Fushimi is bothered by his presence, Fushimi denies it. As they get deeper into the mountains Munakata starts pointing out various landmarks and explaining the history behind the area, Fushimi acts like he’s not listening but he’ll occasionally ask a question and Munakata just beams as he answers. Eventually I imagine Fushimi dozing off against Munakata and Munakata leans back to stroke his hair, thinking that it seems he won’t finish his puzzle on this trip after all but he doesn’t really mind that at all.

#Reisaru #Talking K #Munakata will get to his puzzle on the way home :)#some people bring books he brings puzzles #but then he gets to see the sights with Fushimi-kun #I imagine if there are lots of landmarks he points them out #or explaining local history

14 notes · View notes

1-lightofjustice · 4 years ago

Note

Wait there really is an existing meta tells us that Fushimi is even in worse state after joining S4? Like, is that guy just hate Scepter 4 nonsensely but simping so hard on Fushimi or something?

I admit it’s not as bad as the sound. I just found an opinion that said Munakata reminded Fushimi of Niki and the fact that Fushimi chose someone who resembled Niki as his authority figure is quite unhealthy for his mental health.

Problem is, Munakata IS NOT in any ways similar with Niki. It’s such a grave insult for my King Munakata to be said resembled the piece of toxic waste that is Niki. Literally the only thing similar between them is their genius mind, and the scene when Munakata reminded Fushimi of Niki is only on puzzle scene, but even Fushimi added that Niki is genius BUT he didn’t use his genius mind to do something worthwhile. Other than that? Even in the most annoyed time of Fushimi handling Munakata’s antics, there’s no single scene about Fushimi thinks “ah, this guy is annoying like Niki”. Yes Munakata is quite sadistic (Fushimi said so in Scepter 4 commentary Drama CD), he’s manipulative, and often drags Fushimi on many activities that he’s very reluctant to do so (King’s game, Flower Viewing, Fishing), but Fushimi never ever thinks that Munakata acts “like Niki”. Fushimi is not masochist or someone with Stockholm Syndrom, even though he didn’t enjoy any of Munakata’s bonding activities (at least in the beginning), he knows that Munakata sincerely wants Fushimi to enjoy them too, unlike Niki who did all his stuff because Fushimi’s suffering face amused him.

If anything, Munakata is definitely an anti-Niki. Like his whole acts and perspective are so so the opposite of Niki (or any of Fushimi’s parents). For example :

1. Fushimi’s parent ignored him on unlocked manor because “Nothing valuable can be stolen”. Munakata was literally ready to fight two kings to “steal” Fushimi, and I’m sure Scepter4 dormitory is one of the safest place in the world.

2. Niki destroyed all things Fushimi enjoyed, and Fushimi develops “everything will be destroyed anyway” mentality. Munakata proved him wrong by making indestructible sandcastle with other Scepter4 members.

3. Niki named him Saru (monkey) because baby Saru is ugly like monkey (in his worthless opinion. Excuse you, baby Fushimi is the cutest). Somehow, of all Niki’s bad things, this act angers me the most. I like my name, proud of it, and so happy to learn why and how my father named me. My handlename is actually the meaning of my name in English. Name is symbol of your parents pride and hope for you. And you know who gave Fushimi a name that represent his pride and hope for Fushimi? Munakata. He named Fushimi’s saber Subaru, meaning to govern or unite. Subaru in astronomy means “cluster of blue stars that gathers together”. An analysis also said Subaru means Munakata sees Fushimi as someone who can unite his Red and Blue power to create a whole, a complete style of fighting that is Saruhiko’s style. Like, you can feel how much thought and care Munakata poured on naming Fushimi’s saber (that’s why people can rip off my headcanon about Fushimi gets adopted by Munakata’s family and his name changes into Munakata Subaru from my cold, dead hand).

And you know what? Even in the most hurtful moment between two of them, a.k.a their staged fight on ROK episode 8, when some people already made fanart, gifs about Munakata changed into Niki in Fushimi’s eyes when he insulted Fushimi, Fushimi’s perspective about that scene is :

But maybe he shouldn’t have left the saber behind, after all? No, if you decided to do something, you must do it thoroughly, no half-assing - that was how you did it, too, no, Captain?

That’s right, on that scene in Fushimi’s eyes, Munakata DID NOT turn into Niki, he only thought, ah Captain truly didn’t do half-ass thing, just like how he is as usual. Munakata did his utmost ability to deliver his verbal abuse as real as he can, so no one would suspect the fight was staged, not people that present on the scene, not Green spies and surveillance cameras. And so Fushimi did the same, he did his utmost best to deliver the fight, as far as leaving his saber behind even though it’s not needed and he didn’t want to (awwww I often re-watches that scene after knowing their feeling toward each other on that scene because I am masochist as hell).

Conclusion is, Fushimi never sees Munakata as Niki’s resemblance or Niki substitute and Scepter 4 is goddamn healthy for his mental state. He literally said that he can breathe easier on that clan, seriously.

#k project #fushimi saruhiko #Munakata Reisi #scepter 4 #fushimi niki #honestly this is why I don't really like Munakata as Fushimi's father figure narrative #not only it hinders the fact that Munakata is still quite young #I don't like Munakata as Niki's substitute narrative #Just like how I dislike Dick Grayson as Bruce's substitute for Damian #mentor relationship exists #parental brother relationship exist #*ahem*in Reisaru's case I sometimes ships them #Anyway Munakata's existence in Fushimi's life is not simply Niki's replacement #Munakata is his annoying but amazing King #k meta #meta #I dislike Munakata as Fushimi's father figure narrative #munakata reisi defense squad

43 notes · View notes

retphienix · 4 years ago

Text

I just wanted to simplify my complaint on Yakuza 4′s story because I’ve dwelled on it, ranted in places I shouldn’t about it, and tried to tie it down to simple to deliver ideas so an outsider can understand. So here goes.

1) Yakuza 4 is not terrible, not by a long shot.

2) A great deal of what I dislike about the two stories (explained shortly) can be chocked up to the short dev time- Yakuza games are/were/what have you, yearly releases.

3) This entry tried something new and SMART- multiple protags to help prevent Kiryu burnout, but this is a difficult task and I feel they overall failed on delivering the benefits this writing style can provide.

4) The story is more or less split in two. The overarching “25 year long planned hit” story about the hit, Ueno/Tojo relations, and who stands to benefit in the modern day | And the “four protags” story, or more or less “Why these four care and how they discover and ultimately join forces. IE: How do these 4 coalesce into the 25 year planned hit story”.

5) Both suffer, likely from the dev time, but also from some poor decisions.

5a) The “25″ plot is interesting, but in a bid to make it more interesting more and more layers keep getting added to it. This isn’t bad in itself, a little complexity goes a long way in a thriller, but some of the decisions are just nonsensical and demand conveniences and coincidences to work out.

Rubber bullets falls apart when the flashback sequence features blood and only serves to explain how Katsuragi survived when less damaging ideas could have been put in place. Rubber bullets makes no sense visually (there’s plenty of blood exploding from some of Saejima’s victims during the scene), spits in Saejima’s eye (not necessarily a bad thing just mean), creates cascading effect where they had to explain Munakata betraying the force, had to have Katsuragi do the killing to explain the deaths. The intent of rubber bullets was to make it ‘easy’ to explain why it was air tight that Katsuragi survived, but something as simple as Saejima bringing additional ammunition or beating Katsuragi to death physically (as he beat another during the attack) would destroy the plan.

The 15 layers of betrayal hierarchy become less interesting the more they spread- initially it’s a bid for power, then it’s a bid for profit, then it’s a bid for a perpetual crime machine for profit that benefits someone otherwise uninvolved in the plan at all, then it’s a... well then it’s Arai taking 100 billion to create his own sense of justice, something that has nothing at all to do with the 25 plan and just sorta happens. It loses it’s way fast as layers get added.

Only tertiary but REALLY bad, Arai shooting Munakata and not realizing it’s a rubber bullet, AND getting out of that building without being questioned- both are just ridiculously stupid.

5b) The four protag stories don’t naturally coalesce and some of them struggle to be relevant at all until forced by the writers to be involved.

5bi) Akiyama- Good! He’s involved with Arai and is interested in what Arai is doing which naturally leads him to the 25 plan, he is romantically interested in Yasuko which, again, naturally involves him in the plan, all this provides an interesting POV and motivation especially considering he is in no position to say any of the intended ‘winners’ of the 25 plan are in his camp. He has no direct interesting in Tojo/Ueno beyond knowing and liking Arai, and that falls apart as he gets too close. INTERESTING! PROVIDES A WAY FOR HIM TO JOIN FORCES WITH THE OTHER 3 BY VIRTUE OF KNOWING SAEJIMA’S SISTER AND TRACKING ARAI WHO IS A KEY MEMBER OF THIS STORY!

5bii) Saejima- Fine, adequate even. You would think he’d be the best written in terms of tying to the 25 plan and the four protags story but honestly he exists mostly for backstory on the 25 plan. He wants revenge on Majima (well, answers, but semantics) and this only barely points him to finding the 25 plan. It mostly just points him to Shibata, whom he never meets and never gets closure on as he’s jumpstarted to a further point of the story when the writers realized they needed him to get a move on.

5biii) Tanimura- Not great. Now I’ve ranted about Tanimura a lot and unfairly so, I’ve dwelled on his obsession over his father unfairly so as well, but in truth it’s where he’s at in the story that bred my disdain because he’s the smoking gun that shows the writers struggled and began to give up on tying these threads together. Tanimura’s only initial tie to the 25 plan is that his father died and was “probably” involved. He doesn’t get ANY more of a tie to the plan until the effective end of his story where he’s more or less told that Munakata is at the top of this which THROWS him into the main plot. It’s such a heavy dump of motivation that wasn’t there before that they made Tanimura jump the shark and do something irrational- abandoning his current objective to instead return the borrowed money to Akiyama- JUST so that they could have an excuse for Tanimura to get an info dump and catch up with the rest because up until this point he wasn’t following the story at all. As such he doesn’t follow the 25 story and he’s forced into the four protag story purely by heavy handed writing forcing him to be.

5biv) Kiryu- Look, Tanimura is the worst tied in, but Kiryu is pretty poorly incorporated as well. Not horribly, but he’s only here out of obligation (in-universe). He’s involved in the 25 plan purely because Hamazaki says “This’ll fuck up Tojo and is tied to the previous games” and he’s only involved in the four protags because Hamazaki tells him to go to Saejima and that cascades to the four meeting.

So the tl;dr:

Yakuza 4 has two stories.

One overarching story that starts interesting but gets downright silly with how many conveniences it relies on which makes focusing on the ACTUAL INTERESTING PARTS (Police corruption! Power and what that means! Scandalous inter-family sabotage as lives are treated as pawns for a game of success!) difficult.

One of four protags with wildly varying levels of motivation toward the plot teaming up because the writers plot armored them into doing that so you can’t really enjoy them naturally coming together or each of their individual motivations and POVs.

In the end. It’s fine. It’s my least favorite Yakuza game thus far, but it’s fine. And seeing the ambitious plan to use four protagonists for an interesting view of the story and cut down on Kiryu burnout coupled with the year long dev cycle- I fully understand why it doesn’t quite click for me. It was a big challenge and they did well for what was demanded of them.

#Yakuza #Yakuza 4 #RetPlays

2 notes · View notes

afinepricklypear · 5 years ago

Text

Compare and Contrast: K Project vs. Bungou Stray Dogs - Part 3

**Disclaimer: I love both K Project and Bungou Stray Dogs. I highly recommend watching both of them. This series of Compare and Contrast posts I’m doing is merely for my own sake, to get these thoughts out of my head. If you are a fan of one show and not the other, please don’t read, or if you do, save your bashing comments for like-minded antis elsewhere. If you have not seen both, there are a lot of Spoilers ahead, please don’t read. I am heavily critical of both shows, so if you are someone who cannot handle negative things being said (I try not to outright bash and just provide reasonable evidence from the material to back my stances) about your favorite fandom or characters please don’t read. Thank you! ***

Read Part 1, Part 2

Characters

Both Bungo Stray Dogs and K feature ensemble casts, with large numbers of characters. That being said, the shows have vastly different approaches for how they handle those characters and those approaches impact the way they come across for the viewer.

One of the things that K does a hell of a lot better than BSD, is fleshing out and managing of its characters. This may in part be due to the fact, K doesn’t attempt to give all of its characters a starring space in the story. It’s comfortable letting some characters fall into the background, allocating them to the role of side characters. There are only a few members of each of our main clans (Silver, Red, Blue, and later, Green) that are given attention and the rest of the clansmen (Red and Blue are the only clans shown to have notable clans members who regularly show up and are given names and little else outside of our mains) fall to the background. For some people, this may be frustrating, as we don’t learn a whole lot about the rest of Scepter 4 or HOMRA in the anime, but narratively, I’m comfortable with it because I’m not asked by the show to care about those characters, and the characters that I’m meant to care about are given adequate screen time to develop them into someone who’s story I am invested in. That being said, K does have moments that utterly flop. Scepter 4, for me, beyond Fushimi, is an absolute failure in presenting itself as a likeable or, even, relatable organization of individuals (Full disclosure, I hate Munakata, and while Awashima has potential, she’s treated by the series as little more than a miniskirt and bad boob job obsessed with Munakata). They seem to be there only to be obnoxious. I get the sense they were originally intended to be viewed as villains, but they became so popular following the first season, that the creators tried to treat them more as heroes in the movie and second season. However, it was painfully obvious in the final episode of K: Seven Stories – Nameless Circle, as the surviving members of the Green, Red, Silver, and good Colorless clan members (Yukari and Kuroh) enjoyed their final farewells with their fallen clansmen (I dare you not to cry when Mikoto and Totsuka pour Kusanagi a glass and Yata takes Anna’s hand in the background), that Scepter 4 staring up at Munakata’s lost Sword of Damocles was the least humanized of the Clans. They lost nothing, they felt nothing, their presence in Nameless Circle was nearly pointless beyond fan service. Likewise, K heavily drops the ball in Season 1 with its primary antagonist, the Evil Colorless King, who’s back history, motivations, and even his (her?) name remain a mystery to date.

BSD starts out with an already large cast, and while Atsushi and Dazai might arguably be the “main” characters of the show, starring roles in various arcs and episodes are given to the other characters, as well. Most of those episodes, however, can easily be relegated to the “filler” pile. On top of this, BSD continually introduces increasing numbers of characters, it also likes to bump characters up from side character to more main character type roles, which only serves to take limited screen time from the initial cast of characters and ultimately fails to give itself enough space to flesh out the cast. Time constraints, of course, doesn’t always mean a character can’t be adequately developed (see the first ten minutes of Pixar’s Up for how it’s done right), but possibly, because of this limitation, BSD has a tendency to fall back on telling instead of showing. It also feels like many of its characters were not fully developed in the creator’s minds (this appears to have been confirmed in several interviews with the creators) when they started their story, so that when those backgrounds are revealed, especially in those far too often instances where characters that have interacted in past episodes and given no indication of a history between them are newly revealed to have a connections to one another. It feels tacked on and last minute, and consistency of characterizations is lost. As previously discussed in a past post for this Review Series, this may also be due to the fact that K was envisioned as a self-contained story, and BSD seems to have been developed as an ongoing serial without a predetermined ending.

For these next several posts, I want to do more individualized character analyses, but to keep things simple, I will only focus on the characters of K that are given focus in the story and I’ll try to reference only its anime (just to be fair, because I’ve read all of K’s extra materials, and have not for BSD because I lack access in my country). Likewise, I’m only going to talk about BSD’s characters from the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia, as well as, a few key villains like Shibusawa, Fitzgerald, and Fyodor. Once again, I will attempt to keep to only what’s been revealed in the anime.

A reasonable starting point on character analysis for these two shows would be our sort-of main protagonists. Although, BSD and K are both ensemble anime, they do each feature a character that may ostensibly be considered the “main” character, in the sense that they kick off our main events and are positioned as integral to all subsequent storylines. For BSD, that character is Nakajima Atsushi, and for K, that character is Yashiro “Shiro” Isana. Interestingly (maybe), these characters share a similar aesthetic. Both are young males, with white hair and light-colored eyes, they are also both small, waif-like, bishounen that might be better suited to a shojo or even yaoi anime, rather than leads on a seinen series.

At the start of both series, Atsushi and Shiro, respectively, find themselves thrust into a world of supernatural powered people in which they are targeted for reasons to be revealed throughout the story. The greatest similarity between these two, however, is that they are both weak characters. Neither one proves interesting enough to shoulder the responsibilities as main character of the show. You would be hard pressed in either fandom to find someone who would name Atsushi or Shiro as their favorite character. I’m not saying these fans don’t exist, because they do, they are just few and far between.

Shiro spends the first half of the first season trying to avoid being killed by the Red Clan, who believes he killed their Clansman, Tatara Totsuka, at the same time, he is trying to convince his reluctant ally and potential executioner, Kuroh, that he isn’t the Evil Colorless King responsible for Totsuka’s death. Atsushi’s story, on the other hand, begins with him finding out he’s an ability user that shapeshifts into a white tiger, and, subsequently, being rescued and recruited into the Armed Detective Agency by Dazai. Then the Port Mafia begins hunting him because a bounty has been placed on his head, conveniently only after he’s learned that he is the white tiger that he believed had been hunting him his entire life, he’s joined the ADA, and Dazai has the chance to warn him with a picture of Akutagawa “beware of this bad boy” mere hours before Akutagawa attacks him.

The initial drawback with both of these characters is that they are merely victims of the plot and not helping to drive the plot forward in anyway. Shiro only becomes invested in determining why there’s video footage of him murdering Totsuka because Kuroh demands he provide evidence that he’s not the Evil Colorless King or he’ll face justice at the end of Kuroh’s blade. When Atsushi learns about the bounty on his head that Port Mafia is pursuing, rather than show interest in why anyone would want to capture him (alive, to boot), he “nobly” decides to run away, in his naivete believing that it would spare the ADA war with Port Mafia.

Throughout the K story, we do see real change in Shiro’s investment in his own mystery when it’s revealed that his memories, and the memories his classmates have of him, are not real, but fabricated and imposed upon him and those in close proximity by the cat girl that’s obsessed with him, Neko, AKA Official Provider of Fanservice #1. This provides a further explanation for why he’s so lackluster about pursuing the truth, she’s been bending his reality and his perception of it from the start. It isn’t until her ability and how she’s been using it is revealed, and she runs off in humiliation and panic, that Shiro begins to actively pursue the truth. Even before this, however, Shiro is shown to be a wily and clever character who is quite self-sufficient. In his first meeting with Kuroh, he’s able to escape Kuroh’s justice by lying and manipulating the swordsman. He later throws off the Red Clansmen pursuing him by appearing just as Kuroh is facing off against a very annoyed Yata and calling out to Kuroh as though they are allies. This falls in line nicely with the big reveal of Shiro’s true identity as the Silver King, Adolf K. Weissman. In flashbacks to an unnamed great war (FYI, people speculate this was WWII, which, fun fact, would make Adolf a Nazi, but because this story takes place in an alternate history of the world, it’s equally possible Nazis never existed), we see that Adolf was originally researching the Dresden Slate, a mysterious artifact capable of granting people mysterious powers.

As Adolf, Shiro is shown to be a light-hearted, goofy man with no place in war or battle (consistent with what we’ve already seen in the show). Nothing of his character feels last minute retconned, and no previously unheard of connections are revealed to other existing characters in the show that haven’t been heavily hinted at or already explained. He believes that his research will be helpful in granting people their wishes throughout the world, yet when his sister is killed during an air raid, he runs away, leaving his research and the Slate with his friend, a Japanese military officer who becomes the Gold King and curator of the artifact. This turn of events does grant Shiro greater weight as a main character, and an importance in the plot that doesn’t feel contrived or heavy handed. Hints exist early on that Shiro is not who he thinks he is, starting with his high school classmate, Kukuri noting in introductory scene that she feels like he’ll disappear if she takes her eyes off of him. After all, one of the things that K is often praised for is its mastery of foreshadowing, this comes from having a very clear idea of the entire story its creators hoped to tell and a firm grasp of the connections between all of its characters.

That said, Shiro still remains throughout the story as relatively uninteresting, serving more as a plot device rather than a character. After the Blue Clan, the Silver Clan is the second least relatable and their scenes in Nameless Circle also remain a bit ‘meh’ as the “losses” the Silver Clan experienced throughout the anime were far removed from the actual plot. They didn’t resonate. We see, in Nameless Circle, Adolf’s sister and the younger version of his lost friend, the Gold King, enjoying breakfast with the Silver Clan every morning on repeat. Yet, Adolf’s sister was never developed beyond “here’s a tragic thing that happened in Adolf’s past”, so it’s hard to really feel her loss. She isn’t a person but a plot device, used to reveal more of Adolf/Shiro’s character rather than having anything of her own. As for the Gold King, he suffers the same fate as Adolf’s sister, but also, he lived a long life, and died of old age, so his death isn’t any kind of tragedy in the same sense as Mikoto, Totsuka, or Nagare’s deaths. There’s certainly a melancholy to these scenes, Adolf misses his friends, but it doesn’t pull at the heart strings, quite the way the Red and Green Clans losses do.

The real reason that Atsushi is being pursued at the start of the manga is yet to be resolved. We’re given a loose explanation, a foreign organization known as the Guild put the bounty on his head because allegedly his ability is the key to finding some powerful book that can manipulate reality. When the main antagonist of the Guild, Fitzerald, is defeated, this explanation and Atsushi’s importance becomes all but forgotten in subsequent arcs featuring new villain, Fyodor Dostoevsky. Atsushi himself can best be described as whiny and severely underdeveloped. He continues to be a victim of the plot just dragging him along, but worse, he quickly becomes one note with the constant flashback to his Orphanage’s director telling him he’s useless and doesn’t belong anywhere. There are entire scenes dedicated to this refrain causing him to full-scale breakdown into bouts of self-doubt. All I can say is he was eighteen when he was “kicked out” of the orphanage, he had zero work experience, and when we find him at the start of the story, he’s only been on his own a couple weeks and is already considering turning to assault and thievery to survive. Considering that Dazai and Chuuya were sixteen when they became Executives in the Port Mafia, Kunikida is only twenty-two and has already had a successful career as a teacher before becoming a detective with the ADA, Kenji is fourteen when we find him at the ADA and a former hard-working farmhand, Kyouka is a capable fourteen year old assassin before joining the ADA, Lucy is eighteen and comes from a similar abusive background and is already busting her ass to work for the Guild and then the ADA’s favorite Coffee Shop (jobs she got herself, thank you very much, for spending anytime looking for her like you promised, Atsushi, you jerk), and so on…I’m inclined to side with the orphanage director: Atsushi is useless. It’s a good thing they kicked him out, or he’d probably still be a bum surviving off social welfare the rest of his life.

I also can’t help but agree with Akutagawa, Atsushi has practically had everything handed to him and yet still manages to pull a pity party routine on the regular. It isn’t long after getting kicked out of the orphanage that he’s taken under Dazai’s wing and handed a job with the ADA. This wouldn’t be so terrible if he didn’t constantly squander it, and consistently prove that he doesn’t earn it. It’s hard to like him, especially when the author seems to be bending the story over backwards to give him some semblance of importance in the plot to the point it hurts the narrative. This is best exemplified in Dead Apple. Throughout the entire movie, we see every other character acting to bring the plot forward, meanwhile, Atsushi spends the entire time whining that they need to find Dazai, because Dazai will know what to do. Bitch, Dazai is busy trying to outsmart two super smart bad guys; he doesn’t have time to also prop you up on your own damn feet. It gets so bad that even Kyouka becomes fed up and leaves him. It really says something that the majority of comments for the movie on CrunchyRoll are complaining about how whiny Atsushi is throughout the movie.

While some people are quick to defend Atsushi by pointing to his abusive childhood to excuse his behavior, it is worth noting, he is not the only character that has an abusive past and he is far from being the character who has suffered the most abuse, and that’s including the odd growth on the side of Dead Apple’s plot that is the inexplicable, unnecessary, and might I add, ridiculous connection that was made between him and Shibusawa at the last minute that only raised more questions than answers and created huge plot holes. Atsushi’s travel companions in Dead Apple, Kyouka and Akutagawa, both have their own history of being abused. Just to underline Akutagawa’s complaint that Atsushi has everything and manages to forsake it all, Akutagawa was abused by Dazai, whereas, Atsushi is saved, fawned over, and praised by Dazai seemingly only for the sake of further tormenting Akutagawa. This continues to contribute to making Atsushi a weak character that I find difficult to really like all that much or see as having anything more than a forced relevance to the plot.

Atsushi does have redeemable moments in his interactions with Kyouka and Lucy. With the aforementioned Dead Apple aside, Atsushi is often at his best when he is with Kyouka. She sees him as her savior, and it reflects in the way that he treats her, being seen that way helps to boost him from pitiful status to someone that may actually have potential as a hero. As for Lucy, because she has a similar life history as Atsushi (abused orphan with matching burn marks), he can’t get away with the same woe is me lines that he throws at every one else. She’s got the same kind of past and manages to stand on her own two feet, forcing him to also rise up to meet her. Both of these girls have tragic histories, but seek to lift themselves up from those histories and stand their own ground, which serves to lift Atsushi as well, unlike with other characters that only patronize, validate, or outright feed into his insecurities leaving me playing on my phone hoping his scenes end quickly. More interactions between Atsushi and Kyouka, Atsushi and Lucy, or all three together would be a welcome addition in Season 4. These babies build each other up, and it’s beautiful to see.

At the end of the day, Shiro and Atsushi are prime examples of the “perfectly innocent protagonist whose only flaw is their own self-doubt” and exemplify why this type of a character is always, ultimately a failure. They’re bright eyed, they’re kind, without internal debate they always make the right choice, everyone is drawn to them because they are light and goodness, I guess, and even when they are clearly the weakest in a fight, they always come out on top without working towards bettering themselves in anyway beyond putting in some old-fashioned good guy gumption. This is so painstakingly evident in Atsushi, who receives zero training upon joining the ADA, and is expected to battle (and is successful) against exceedingly powerful bad guys on the regular. Contrast this against Akutagawa, who we see underwent harsh training from the Port Mafia, yet still manages to always lose in his battles against the untrained Atsushi. Proving yet again, that you don’t need hard work to become the best, when you got the power of good on your side. Self-doubt exhibited by these types of characters never rings true, because we see them always get their way, everything turns out fine for them in the end, they never encounter lasting consequences for their choices (at one point in BSD, Akutagawa mocks Atsushi that everyone around him dies, but we have yet to see anyone he cares about die – the only person’s death that we see him have to deal with is his Orphanage Director that was coming to visit him with flowers and probably apologize for being a jerk, and his struggle there is with whether he’s allowed to still hate the guy or not, I mean, come on), and everyone around them that matters respects and dotes on them even before them being shown to truly do anything that should earn that respect and affection. I still don’t fully understand what compelled Kuroh to swear loyalty to Shiro, if I’m being perfectly honest, when Shiro is a lay-about, coward and liar, that ditches his clan in the end to soul search in his airship. Though, I will note, Shiro does demonstrate this character type a mite less than Atsushi. He’s not often shown to come out on top in battles, he doesn’t actually engage in any physical battle himself (his fight with Nagare at the end of Missing Kings, not withstanding, because he’s really just blocking that whole time waiting for Kuroh to show up and do the heavy lifting), he typically needs to rely on the strength and intelligence of others, and is more often than not shown running away. Also, Shiro is never really put into a position where he needs to make any hard, moral choices which has its own drawbacks for a main character in a show where a lot of hard, gray moral choices are being made around him.

I have seen it commented in defense of these characters’ weaknesses that the main character of a shonen/seinen story are always weak. This is not true, and I will point to one of my all-time favorite characters from any anime, as example: Edward Elric of Fullmetal Alchemist (both versions of the anime). Ed is badass, he earns his name as Fullmetal, and he earns his title as the youngest State Alchemist. We see him earn it as we watch him and his brother, Alphonse’s journey to become stronger, yet he also makes mistakes. It is his own arrogance that kicks off the entire anime when, in the Elric brother’s attempt to bring their mother back to life using forbidden Alchemy, Ed loses his arm and then his leg to save his brother who has lost his entire body. Their journey to find the philosopher stone for Ed is entirely about restoring his brother, he doesn’t care about his own body and, in fact, views his missing limbs as his own deserved punishment for challenging God, and throughout we see how their moral failing in the past effects all of their choices going forward. We know why Ed makes the choices he does; it isn’t merely because he is the “perfectly innocent protagonist that exudes light and good”; it is because he has learned from his mistakes. His naivete is not shown as a benefit, but as something to overcome. Ed is always acting on his own motives, while the plot is being driven forward by other characters around him, he is not merely a victim of the plot or being dragged along by it, his own actions and goals also help to forward the story and eventually brings him in direct conflict with the big bad. He struggles under the weight of the choices he’s made, he bears the burden of those he couldn’t save, he doesn’t leave the heavy lifting of gray moral decisions to the other characters, he’s seen to struggle and even lose in the anime, and in those instances, we watch him work to better himself so that he can come back stronger. We know where his power comes from – he trained and studied for it; it was never handed to him. Throughout the anime he is shown to literally and figuratively grow and develop into a powerful hero that we can believe is capable of overcoming our main antagonist, Father, in the end, but not without losses and struggle. This is a protagonist done right. Compared against Ed, the failings of both Shiro and Atsushi is glaring.

That is all I have to say about those two. Next up will be the Black Dog of the Silver Clan versus the Black Dog of Port Mafia.

17 notes · View notes

dimensionslip · 6 years ago

Photo

Danganronpa 3 The Stage 2018 Thoughts

“Summer is coming with despair...” - Aka a very much relatable quote that comes with some of the stageplay merchandise and tokuten

Came back from the matinee showing at Ikebukuro, which started at 12nn and ended around 3:15pm (though part of it was a mini-concert by Samurai Tunes and them promoting their free concert tomorrow). Boy, I did not expect it to be that lengthy, but I certainly did feel I got my money’s worth!

Anyway, under the cut are some of my thoughts and my experience over there! Unmarked spoilers follow. Also, I’m going off memory for these and in no particular order, so if there’s anything I wasn’t able to answer in my report, feel free to drop an ask and I’ll try to answer it to the best of my abilities! o/

The gates opened at around 11am to allow people to buy merchandise before the stageplay starts. The lines weren’t that bad and to my knowledge, none of the merchandise sold out, so there’s plenty to go around! I bought the pamphlet and visual book set, the tote bag, some bromides, the large images, and the can badges.

The stageplay, for the most part, follows the story of DR3, but has a number of deviations and additions, especially to adjust to the fact that they’re not bringing in actors for Class 77. For the most part, I think they were for the better, and I really enjoyed them.

Most of the time, the backup dancers and lifters for the stageplay were in Monokuma kigurumis, which I think is an unusual but rather interesting and fitting choice.

No Chisa in a metaverse theater, watching things unfold :( Though I think that would make for a confusing story and would take up too much time, especially with the limited amount they have...

The intro to the Future Foundation’s members and their abilities has Chisa using a fly swatter to strike down the Monokuma backup dancers (who I think represent the Remnants of Despair) which amused me too much. The rest of the characters more or less proceeded as they did in the anime.

Naegi was the one who introduced everyone with their titles and what not.

Hagakure, Togami, and Junko were never onstage, just on video for their respective parts.

Everyone was mostly on point with their characters and costumes, but those who really sounded similar to the original voice actors were Munakata, Ruruka, and Bandai. And Seiko to an extent.

Bandai was probably the most amusing character to watch... I can’t believe he actually pitched his voice to match up with Rie Kugimiya’s original acting.

Juzo isn’t as buff as his anime counterpart, but it’s not that detrimental. Just a small thing I noticed.

One extra scene that amused me was Asahina picking a fight with Juzo (while he was beating up Naegi prior to the killing game), which went something like, Kyoko telling Asahina to be careful because Juzo’s the SHSL Boxer, and she’s just the SHSL Swimmer. She tried a lot of silly moves on him, including a swimming one. Needless to say, she was soundly defeated.

Mitarai was with everyone from the start instead of a latecomer.

I like the way they handled Munakata’s NG Code (for the most part, it was almost perfect)--there were doors onstage and he wouldn’t enter them and always exited or entered from the side of the stage--if not from the audience side.

I love how they handled the tragedy that is Class 76th’s dysfunctional friendship, and am glad they kept the flashbacks for it.

Speaking of flashbacks, Juzo and the incident with Junko making fun of him was handled pretty well. I like how Juzo’s expression was mostly “tch”/mocking when Junko was like “and the person that Juzo Sakakura likes is Chisa Yukizome--” then suddenly alarmed when she goes “--not, it’s Kyosuke Munakata!”

They also had the Class 74 graduation flashback, which I’m glad they kept in.

Weird nitpick on my end: When they showed onscreen the silhouettes of Ultimate Despair, they had Hinata on it instead of Kamakura.

With regard to Kyosuke discovering that Chisa is part of Ultimate Despair, they changed it from pictures to a “video” (enacted onstage). It was pretty brutal. The video came from Tengan, who we later on discover told Kyosuke about Chisa being Ultimate Despair and giving him the video to prove it.

Like in the anime, they just had Tengan lipsynch the part where he tells Munakata who the culprit/mastermind is, and it’s only later that we discover what he said in his dying moments.

My memory is a little fuzzy on this one, but I think he also said something about her being brainwashed? There definitely was a brief cut onstage to where Chisa was on that chair, being forced to watch the despair video. And, well, screaming.

There were some scenes were they had to show or make it seem that people were moving through a lot of places, and they kind of ended up doing that by making the stage actors walk in place (since the alternative is making them run around the stage and/or venue, which sounds like it may invite an accident more than running in place would). But I ended up having to stifle a laugh while it went down because it made it difficult for me to take some scenes seriously (Munakata running after Juzo when he learns about him planning to end the killing game, Naegi chasing after Mitarai when he goes off to broadcast his hope video).

Right, the adjustment I mentioned to fill the absence of Class 77:

Asahina ends up reviving the people who got killed by NG Code using Seiko’s drug. So Bandai, Izayoi, Kizakura, and Kirigiri arrive in time to save Naegi and Munakata from the people that Mitarai brainwashed. Bandai was using pretty sturdy leeks as weapons...

Naegi is the sole giver of the Hope Speech (TM), and is later joined by Kirigiri, if I recall correctly. Also, he did “Sore wa chigau yo”, bless.

Another added scene: Mitarai talking to Munakata about Yukizome as his teacher, and how he saved her. He also admitted to helping out Junko with the despair video... and I think he might have been there when Chisa got brainwashed, because he somehow knows about her final words before she became a despair. Because one of the lines that went there was something like (this is paraphrased) “even at her final moments, she uttered your name. Yukizome-sensei must really... (love you -> unsaid, it trailed off towards this part)”

With regard to Class 77, Togami tells Naegi at the end that they woke up and are back to their normal selves.

Overall, I really enjoyed the stageplay! I feel it provides a more balanced view of what’s going on, even if they do (expectedly) cut out a lot of stuff. Munakata definitely got a lot of action here (second or equal to Naegi) and it’s pretty amazing how he’s able to keep it up. As far as time limitations go and character limitations as well, I think they handled it quite well, and it was pretty creative of them to make use of the existing cast that way.

#danganronpa 3 #danganronpa #dr3 spoilers #event report

55 notes · View notes

ryuukia · 6 years ago

Text

[Translation] Tsukino Empire - The Third Fleet「Seiryou」

I’m in the middle of my post-graduation exams, so I’m slow with translating. Here’s the third fleet, including both SOARA and Growth.

Special thanks to @clearui and @ryota-kunstranslations for proofreading (I can’t tsukipro to save my life so I needed additional help this time)

If this is your first time reading about Tsukino Empire, you might want to read the stage play plot (especially about the collective affinity)

Profiles under the cut, don’t repost my translations!

07. SOARA - Ohara Sora & Arihara Morihito

Ohara Sora

Cast comment

Hello! I’m Ohara Sora! SOARA's composer, guitarist, and vocalist!

Lives are fun and great, and I love them, but this is my first time in a stage play, so I’m a bit nervous (sweats). Everybody from SOARA has been set in the same fleet as me though, so I am happy to do my best with them all. I will work hard with all my heart and power. ＼＼\┗(' ω ')┛//／／

Story data

Affiliation: Third Fleet (Ao) ※Commandant ① Spirit beast: Ryuu-san (Seiryou1 and ryuu2 type) ※First rank (Main ring ①) 【STR】★★★★★★★ 【VIT】★★★★★★☆ 【DEX】★★★★★★☆ 【INT】★★★★★☆☆ 【HP】★★★★★★★ 【MOFU】★★☆☆☆☆☆

An individual with similar attribute values who picked up a ring by chance while coming back from school. Certain that the ring was The First Rank’s Seiryuu, he coincidentally shared it through collective affinity. In a sense, he has become a legendary person.

Seiryuu, known as the most friendly type between the First Rank spirit beasts, says “Although messing around with everyone was fun, it was tiresome to do the compatibility exams carefully on each of them, so I ended up searching for hosts who looked fun”. ※Among [them], the First Ranks are similar to phantoms due to being able to use the space-time gate even in ring forms and without resistance.

He’s innocent, but even so he’s quick-witted. Although in general he follows others’ suggestions exclusively rather than coming up with his own ideas, however, in critical situations, his bold ideas and tactics during confrontations are acknowledged to be superior even by the First Fleet’s Hajime.

Ryuu-san’s type is “For now, let's just go and bam~!”

T/N: 青龍 (seiryou)1 = The Blue Dragon 龍型 (ryuu kata)2 = dragon type

Arihara Morihito

Cast comment

Hello, I am Arihara Morihito. I think this might be the first time you're meeting me but I play a lot of enjoyable songs with my unit, SOARA. The Tsukino Empire story is our first job unrelated to SOARA’s songs but…… I'm already overwhelmed by the fascinating world setting. SOARA, together with Growth, who debuted at the same time with us, will do our best!

Story data

Affiliation: Third Fleet (Ao) Spirit beast: Ryuu-san (Seiryou and ryuu type) ※First rank 【STR】★★★★★★★ 【VIT】★★★★★★☆ 【DEX】★★★★★★☆ 【INT】★★★★★☆☆ 【HP】★★★★★★★ 【MOFU】★★☆☆☆☆☆

One of the people who participated in the collective affinity. He’s calm, smart, and has an exceeding ability to grasp the situation, so, in short, he's the type born to be part of the military staff. As his attitude is also gentle, he’s popular.

With a father who is an instructor in the military academy and also a host, Morihito was glad to become a host too. However, he didn't expect it to be the friendliest type…...

He is the group’s peacemaker, and even though he would like a different role from how he usually is, there are times when he goes easy on the others (example: Sora & Nozomu), something which Soshi tends to make fun of.

Ryuu-san’s type is “First of all, grasp the opponent and the situation carefully. That’s the most important thing.”

08. SOARA - Kagurazaka Soshi & Munakata Ren

Kagurazaka Soshi

Cast comment

I’m Kagurazaka Soshi, who’s been randomly told that the military uniform suits me. Hello.

Today I welcome you to the Empire stage play. Putting music aside, I’ve just started to learn about acting. The five of us who don’t have real abilities nor popularity at all got to stand on such a large stage. In order not to let the chance go to waste and make everyone remember our names, we will give the best we can.

Story data

Albeit being the same age and being childhood friends with Sora, he's always had a calm personality to balance with Sora's recklessness. Even though he says it’s troublesome, he’s very good at taking care of others, which made him gain the trust of many mothers from the neighbourhood. He was asked many times to look after the children.

In the military academy he was on good terms with Iku and got along with Rui too.

His father is the chief engineer in the Sixth Fleet and his mother fills the lawyer position in the regional legal affairs bureau. Soshi thought that eventually he’d become a soldier, but becoming a host was an unexpected turn of situation.

Lately, he’s been really into strolling around with Ryuu-san.

Ryuu-san’s type is “Good grief, don’t force yourself”

Munakata Ren

Cast comment

Hello, I’m SOARA’s Munakata Ren. I’ve watched stage plays with my mother who loves dramas ever since I was little, though I never thought I would stand in one myself. I am a bit nervous, but I will do my very best. I hope I can bring everyone to the Empire world…… just like how I used to experience, a long time ago.

Story data

His parents are biologists and researchers working for the UMA Research Bureau. He intended to take on the researcher position as well, but after being persuaded by Seiryou he became a host, too. He’s aware that his personality is unsuitable for combat, but if assistance is needed in his surroundings, in some way or another he ends up participating.

He’s calm, kind and delicate by nature. When he became a host, he slept for an entire week, and during that time it looks like he became friends with Ryuu-san. Now, even among the members, he’s one of the best when it’s about precision.

Since he is very polite, he speaks very formally to his superiors. However, because he was taken care of by Soshi a long time ago, Ren sometimes refers to him as "Sou-nii" with a very pleasant smile on his face.

Ryuu-san’s type is “I will give my utmost effort.”

09. SOARA - Nanase Nozomu

Nanase Nozomu

Cast comment

Nanase Nozomu-kun, bring it on the Empire Stage~!! With this we’re suddenly advancing in the universe on our first stage appearance! My character is basically pretty ordinary & during the comedy parts, he’s in charge of making things lively! With this spirit beast, thanks to his personality and his noisy attitude, he can make even his superiors go along with him. He'll prove that he can make everyone laugh. We might even go in the audience and interact! When that time comes, let’s laugh together!

Story data

He’s a bright, cheerful, and foolish. Always lively, happy and energetic! Although he doesn’t plan on reading the mood in particular, he’s a good guy and seems to naturally get along with Ren, who is calm.

He can easily get along with almost everyone and treat them normally, even toward Hajime, Shun, Shiki, and Dai. However, it seems there are no problems from the other party since they seem to be enjoying it.

Originally from a family which had a large scale business in the republic, it looks like he managed to escape in the Empire during the republic destruction. His household is now quite the common middle class family. His parents work in the private division and his older brother (※who is not a host) works for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. When the two of them are together, they are very nois-... … lively.

Ryuu-san’s type is “Let's do it let's do it let's do it let's do it”

10. Growth - Eto Koki & Yaegashi Kensuke

Eto Koki

Cast comment

Hello, I’m Growth’s Eto Koki. Welcome, to Tsukino Empire. A magnificent story will unfold in a distant side of the Universe…. A dream will spread out. The story’s genre is my personal favourite too, so I want to perform with all my might. Sometimes in stage plays, we're given adlibs that are not part of the main script. Being able to portray that as well as the scripted parts is also part of my objectives.

Story data

Affiliation: Third Fleet (Ao) ※Commandant ② Spirit beast: Ryuu-san (Seiryou and ryuu type) ※First rank (Main ring ②) 【STR】★★★★★★★ 【VIT】★★★★★★☆ 【DEX】★★★★★★☆ 【INT】★★★★★☆☆ 【HP】★★★★★★★ 【MOFU】★★☆☆☆☆☆

He’s part of a noble household, with a mother who is a member of the Supreme Council and a father who is a high official.

He can be clueless at times, but he has been taught to do anything by himself as much as possible, and in addition, he is very capable in housework. Especially in cooking, he seems to be receiving requests from people around him, even though the person himself thinks that it’s a good change of pace.

Kensuke and Ryota are his childhood friends. Belonging to the upper class, they were born and lived in the same district.

He met SOARA and the others in the military academy. With music as their common hobby, while at it, he was actually hooked by Seiryuu.

Ryuu-san’s type is “Don’t push yourself, let’s take steady yet effective steps forward”

Yaegashi Kensuke

Cast comment

Hello! I’m Yaegashi Kensuke, Ken here! In collaboration with our companions and the Gravi members, we’re going to follow this story from the same positions as everyone in the audience. The setting and world view reveal a quite heavy story, but no matter when I’ll always smile ♪ I will persevere without giving up on hope, so let's go through this together until the end!

Story data

Although he’s the son of a good family, he’s very friendly, cheerful, sociable and can get along with anyone. There are times when he can’t read the situation, though even then he’s fun.

His specialty lies in his instinct, so it will either lead to safety from problem or probably to danger. Because his curiosity is strong, he comes in contact with the mysteries around the story’s heart and, without realizing, is drawn towards it.

He’s the Third Fleet’s operator. Occasionally, the sight of him handling information seems to be very manly. He doesn’t think hard & has a positive attitude, which can be someone’s hope in a way.

Ryuu-san’s type is “Let’s go smiling!”

11. Growth - Sakuraba Ryota & Fujimura Mamoru

Sakuraba Ryota

Cast comment

This stage play’s curtain finally opens. I want to thank everybody who came to the theatre. I’m Growth’s Sakuraba Ryota. I have worn military uniform costumes several times until now, but this is actually the first time that I will do that in a military stage play, I feel like I stretched my muscles more than before. I will do my very best, so please take care of me.

Story data

Despite his delicate appearance, he’s a cool junior with a realistic point of view whose parents are both high officials. He’s very smart, excellent in making strategies and he’s the one supporting the Third Fleet with his diplomatic skills.

Since he had not kept animals so far and also because he did not interact with the organization too much, it looks like he kept some distance between him and his spirit beast, Ryuu-san, for a while. After he recognized himself that it quite resembles him, it seems they started to get along and became good pals.

Not just that, actually Ryouta’s Ryuu-san deals with machinery, which is negotiating with outsiders through devices. Unlike Seiryuu who loves to fool around, it actually works its job properly.

Ryuu-san’s type is “Well now, shall we make some negotiations?”

Fujimura Mamoru

Cast comment

Finally! I finally got to work! … that’s not it (laughs). Who would have known that as a consequence for changing my job, I’d enter the show business world, make my debut and overall reach splendid accomplishments. I’m Growth’s Fujimura Mamoru. Besides composing and singing, this is the first time our work includes a stage play. Just about everything is new and exhausting, we’re in a pretty difficult situation, but we will give our best in practising more than …… no, twice, even three times more than the others. Enjoy yourselves by all means, okay?

Story data

A junior who came from an orphanage without any relative, and who enrolled in the Classified Intelligence Bureau, just like You. It seems like he tends to act giddy whenever he observes the higher-ups when they talk or even when he enters the research laboratory.

He joined The Third Fleet and became Seiryuu’s host after Kou picked him up when he got injured. As a result, he seems to feel in debt particularly to Kou.

He is laid back and cheerful by nature, so each member of The Third Fleet are having fun while playing around with him.

Ryuu-san’s type is “Narrow places are calming”

#tsukipro #tsukino empire #tsukino teikoku #english translation #SOARA #Growth #Ohara Sora #Arihara Morihito #Kagurazaka Soshi #Munakata Ren #Nanase Nozomu #Eto Koki #Yaegashi Kensuke #Sakuraba Ryota #Fujimura Mamoru

83 notes · View notes

itsuki-minamy · 4 years ago

Text

“K - THE FIRST STORY”

CHAPTER 4: BLACK OR WHITE (Complete)

* K - The First Story (List of Chapters) * Projects & Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

There is a system that has never been used in a formula. It would have been better if he hadn't used it, but now is the time to move it.

"All eyes and ears."

Awashima agreed with Munakata's instructions.

"Yes. If it can't be handled, we need eyes and ears. We have to handle it properly."

Munakata smiled at her, she is his right arm, who had a straight face and praised her as an evil executive.

"You are a wonderful person, Awashima-kun."

Munakata looks at the puzzle at hand.

The complete picture of the puzzle is visible. No matter what kind of puzzle it was, Munakata never wondered which piece to put where. What should be to where it should be. By doing that, messy things are put together in the right way. So Munakata enjoys the puzzle.

But now, the full picture of the incident Munakata is facing is not seen. Also, there is only one piece left in Munakata's hand for Suoh.

He picked up one of the Sansui painting puzzle pieces scattered on the office desk, and Munakata looked at it through the lens of his glasses.

++++++++++

Kusanagi received several report calls and made some instructional calls inside the HOMRA bar counter.

"Oh, Bando. Are you aware? Yes, then join Dewa and head to the location on the map that I just sent."

"That is the seller's hidden store."

"Oh. It's the one with the mobster who was in charge of the arms trade. It seems like he died about ten days before Totsuka was killed."

Kusanagi's words made Bando groan over the phone.

"So that damn guy killed him and Totsuka-san?"

"No, that's not the case. The vendor was used by the criminal and murdered... there is a good chance. And recently, there have been a number of other mysterious misconduct."

"Ah, I'm sure you suddenly heard those rumors. Strange urban legends have become popular, like the fact that there are criminal groups that hold people and sell them, and where they meet gods."

Bando suddenly makes a hasty voice.

"Kusanagi-san, do you think the criminal who killed Totsuka-san is involved in the disappearances?"

"The story is a possibility. At least, there is no doubt that the arms dealer who disappeared this time did come into contact with the criminal in some way. Anyway, check the dealer's hidden warehouse and look for clues."

"Understood! I'm heading there now!"

"Okay, be careful."

As soon as the call hangs up, the Kusanagi PDA announces a new call as if it were waiting for it. When he answered, it was Chitose, who is currently in charge of providing information and gathering information online.

According to his report, the video of the criminal on the network has already been removed and appeared to be treated as a naughty video. It seems that people's interests are turning in another direction after rumors that the murder video was fabricated and posted were stopped.

It would be the instruction for "Scepter 4". Kusanagi is impressed that the work is quite fast.

However, at the time, the video was viewed by many people in various parts of Tokyo, focusing on Shizume. Some of the videos themselves have been uploaded to the "Jungle" site. There should be a reaction in the future, as it can be a prize.

Kusanagi hung up when he said in a casual tone that there was no problem. He stared at his hand a bit, thinking that the PDA would start ringing, but it seemed that the PDA in his hand had finally decided to rest, and he remained silent.

Phew, he takes a little breath.

The situation is not good. Although the criminal appeared once, he disappeared again, and also...

"It's finally becoming a hassle to get to that fox."

Miwa Ichigen, the predecessor "Colorless King", said that he only had two clan members in his life.

One of them was born nearly ten years ago, and Kuro Yatogami was the only remaining vassal.

Since Miwa Ichigen basically lived a life as a retreat in the mountains, Yatogami Kuro rarely appeared in the village, but it is said that his power as a clan member and the dexterity of his arm and swordplay, which he has shown several times, that is perfectly maintained.

It would be difficult for Kusanagi to cross evenly when he suddenly appeared and saw how he was treating Yata like a child.

However, he heard that he would not use any other power other than for Miwa. That is why it bears the name "black dog" with the meaning of loyal black dog.

He wonders if Kuro will move with the will of Miwa, who died, or something like that. After dying, serve the next "Colorless King"? Either way, it must be a hindrance for them.

"Uh, I don't have much time."

Anna, who was sitting at the table in the tent, turned to Kusanagi in response to the words that had come out of his mouth.

Anna spread the map on the table, rolled a marble on it, and continued searching for the criminal with her sensitive skill. Kusanagi laughs at Anna inadvertently, acknowledging that he has cut off his focus and probably worried Anna.

At that moment, the door of the bar opened with a loud noise.

"Gah! Yata-san!"

"Sorry! You said something stupid!"

Kamamoto and Yata rushed into the bar as they broke into a fuss. Yata, in the form of bright red rage, hurls Kamamoto's plump giant.

A large body flew into the air towards Kusanagi, hitting the counter.

It was unfortunate because the quality of Yata's small body, Kamamoto's heavy weight, and his stone-hard head were all combined.

Kusanagi's beloved bar counter is chipped by a head shove similar to a Kamamoto missile. Kusanagi screamed.

Yata attacks Kamamoto, leaving behind the broken counter. Kusanagi moaned low, "Guys..." while shaking.

He grabs the head of the slowly moving person who hurt his beloved counter with his right hand and the other with his left hand, and squeezes them mercilessly.

"Sorry it was not my intention!"

"Kusanagi-san! It will seriously break! My head will break!"

"Huh? Guys, what is this counter? It's expensive because a British pub gave it to us. It's a historic gem drenched in the scent of beer and cigarettes, and the hustle and bustle of drunkenness."

With both of them screaming and hanging from their hands, they scream and preach the weight of their sins.

"What is the cause of this fight, guys?"

Looking into his eyes, Yata complained as he hovered.

"It's because of Mikoto-san!"

"What is Mikoto-san doing?"

"This guy said that Mikoto-san gave up on the blues! Kusanagi-san, you should also punish him!"

"Oh, no! No! I wonder why our king was captured without any resistance!"

"Hey! Isn't that a turning point?"

"It's totally different!"

That's it.

The appearance of the two people making noise is like a fight of elementary school students, but it is not clear how they feel.

Kamamoto's doubts are natural, and although they are not mentioned, many of the "Homura" members are probably thinking. Yata himself, who is angry with him, must have the same anxiety and doubts.

Suoh must have an idea, and since he told himself that he shouldn't hesitate, he was so angry at Kamamoto that he raised his doubts about Suoh.

Kusanagi laughed a bit guiltily, saying they were too honest, and then deliberately laughed out loud.

He lets go of the two surprised heads, hugs them and whispers in the ear.

"Do you want to know?"

"Eh?"

"Why was Mikoto-san caught on purpose?"

Yata was confused and said "Yes."

Alright, Kusanagi released them from his arms and made them "repent" on the counter that they had hurt, so that they could first reflect on them.

Kusanagi was pleased with the appearance of the two people bowing his head towards the counter in silence, in the atmosphere of a completely scolded elementary school student, and decided to take a seat.

"Well, that guy is kept as that natural disaster all the time. In some cases, the 'Blue King' must be clear about it. What if that happens? Will it make it easier for us to move? He got caught to free us."

He can see Yata's face bright and clear. Seeing the expression, which seemed overwhelmed by anger, anxiety and dissatisfaction, repainted with joy and pride, the guilt ends in Kusanagi again.

Yata stretched out his chest, smiled boyishly, and shook Kamamoto's shoulders.

"Hey, you said that! I'm going to find that rotten outer path and the fox again! I'll live up to Mikoto-san's expectations!"

Yata, who is completely fine, urges Kamamoto to leave the bar.

Kusanagi encouraged him slightly, saying, "I charge you, Yata-chan."

When Yata and Kamamoto noisily exit, the bar fills with suffocating quiet.

"Liar."

Anna said that like a slap. Kusanagi smiles bitterly at her painful words who silently heard the exchange between Kusanagi and Yata.

"Well I'm not saying… there are some aspects like that."

The words he just said to Yata and others are not lies. However, for that reason alone, Suoh would not have chosen a way to chain Munakata.

Kusanagi glances at Anna. Anna looked at the map in front of her with a doll face.

++++++++++

Inside the lunch box, alongside the white rice, the colorful and well-balanced garnishes are well packaged. The boy thinks it's like being full of "happiness".

The boy loves it because it looks like the treasure chest with an unbalanced brown lunch that is filled with "special" items like meat and fried foods that are always blessed with recommended side dishes. However, he was impressed by the desperate lunch that Kuro prepared as a harmonious world.

From the lunch box, the boy takes a plump, beautiful yellow egg with chopsticks and puts it in his mouth. The sweetness spread through his mouth. He asked Kuro to do it yesterday, the rolled egg was delicious too, but the sweet flavored egg grill is good too.

While trying with a smile, he heard a clear voice next to him.

"Shiro has his own lunch with side dishes!"

Kukuri opened her eyes and looked towards the shrine that surrounded the lunch box with Kuro and Neko in the coffee shop. For whatever reason, he have two lunches on his hands.

He decided to advance through school with his own face, saying he was a "transfer student."

This school is located on an island, isolated from the outside, and basically he cannot enter the site without a pass. However, probably because they were relieved by safety, the people on the school island were enthusiastic about the safety aspect. Even the seemingly suspicious Kuro and Neko are accepted as "I'm a school person because I'm here with a natural face."

By the way, he managed to calm down Neko, who doesn't like clothes, and put her in the Ashinaka school girls uniform (when the boy praised Neko in uniform like "cute!) However, Kuro is still in his uniform. Also, even though he had a sword on his waist, the people around him naturally accepted Kuro's existence, probably because the boy was with him.

Kukuri looked at the contents of the boy's lunch box with a surprised look, and the boy put his hand on his cheek.

"This time it is my beloved wife's lunch."

"If you just say stupid things, I'll stick my tongue out at you."

Kuro draws his sword threatening to cut off the boy's tongue.

As for Neko, he has already eaten Kuro's lunch, and she looks at Kukuri's lunch and makes a voice that waits, "Are you hungry?" Kukuri opened the lunch box and asked, "Do you want to eat?" She opened the lunch box, but for some reason there was no main food, such as fried or roasted salmon, and various kinds of vegetable side dishes such as slow-cooked dishes, salads, and hot vegetables were packed in the lunch box. She wonders if she is on a diet.

Despite the interaction between Kukuri and Neko, the boy looks towards a PDA.

"Oh, what's up? It's different from the school's designated PDA."

Kukuri said, paying attention to the boy's PDA.

The boy's PDA has disappeared, therefore he borrows Kuro's. By the way, a handmade plush doll hangs from Kuro's PDA. When he told him that he thought it was a hobby that did not suit his face, it seems that it is a doll that he made himself, imitating the appearance of Miwa Ichigen, and from there he began to sigh the story of how wonderful Ichigen was. So sorry to ask. Frankly speaking, Kuro's emotion when he talks about "Ichigen" is very disgusting.

The boy squeezed Kuro's PDA and made another comment.

"It's from my wife."

"Do you really want to separate yourself from your tongue?"

Kuro draws his sword again threatening to cut off his tongue. He's not sure if he's unexpectedly good or if he's really mad, because he can't even pull a joke, but his reaction when he hit him is a bit funny.

After a little tantrum, Kuro regains his mind and turns to the boy looking at the PDA.

"Did you find out something?"

"No, it is an unclear image..."

What the boy sees on Kuro's PDA is that video of a person, who looks exactly like the boy, killing a person.

This was transferred from his classmate Mishina. He said he found this video on a website. With the curiosity and drive of a healthy high school boy, Mishina is good at watching erotic videos and images, avoiding the security restrictions placed on school-designated PDAs. Some of his classmates also have part of the videos that Mishina found. Yesterday, Mishina intercepted the boy in an uncrowded corridor and told him a secret story: "I found a bad video yesterday."

Although the boy does not have a young and perky sex drive like Mishina, he looks at Mishina's PDA with the feeling of "Well, if he wants to show it, I can't wait to see it." But, it was not an erotic video.

It is the video of a murder that was shown on a huge monitor in Shizume.

However, Mishina believed that this video was false. It seems to be treated like a naughty video even on the net. However, the criminal's face looked exactly like the boy, so he became interesting and came to show him.

Mishina laughed mockingly, saying, "If you did something wrong, should you be selfish?"

In fact, the boy cannot tell if it is a fake video. But if the person was actually killed and this was false, it would probably mean that the real criminal had redesigned the footage to replace himself with the boy. However, this video was taken by the murderer himself, and from what the video looks like, it appears that it was taken with a retro camera rather than a PDA. The video itself is also owned by "Homura", whose partner is the murdered person. Could the criminal have tampered with the video? If that is not possible, is it the crime of a person with the appearance of the boy? Is that possible?

The doubts have no end, but what the boy must do is not pursue the truth, but prove his innocence.

The boy never does. The boy who lives in the dormitory has rarely left Gakuenjima except to run errands these days.

The boy looks at the picture. It says "12.07 23:45". It's been a week. Of course, the boy does not remember leaving Gakuenjima at that time.

"Are you seeing it multiple times?"

Kukuri looks mysteriously at the boy's hands.

"Hmm, this is a mysterious video delivered by Mishina."

"Eh, Mishina-kun?"

Kukuri overreacted to Mishina's name. The cheeks are slightly tinted red. The boy suddenly remembered the incident that would save himself at Kukuri's appearance.

++++++++++

Fushimi snorted as he watched the scenes projected on the many monitors in the information room.

Each image in each location is displayed one after another on the monitor. Not only the city's surveillance cameras were collected and analyzed, but also all kinds of data such as personal camera images of PDAs and the content of private communications.

Knowledge of the system. As long as the system is up and running, there will be no privacy for the people of this country.

It was a system that prioritized investigations into people's human rights, which could be triggered by the special "Real Level" information disclosure request issued only in emergencies where an undetermined number of lives are in danger. Since the approval of the activation also requires the permission of the Prime Minister, the order of the "Golden King" Kokujoji Daikaku has also been obtained.

He doesn’t want to activate it to find a child.

Fushimi was alone in his heart and ironically distorted his mouth while looking at the private lives of strangers.

"It is quite a masterpiece."

"Help me if you have free time."

Awashima takes Fushimi's words as dislike without raising her eyebrows.

"I am not free."

Fushimi looks back at his desk and slides his finger over the keyboard.

On Fushimi's desk monitor, there was a video of the murder posted by "Homura." A bullet was fired into the roof of the Hirasaka building, in the Western District, at 11:45 p.m. on December 7.

Tatara Totsuka was not good for Fushimi. When he was in "Homura", even if he showed that he didn't like that Fushimi didn't get used to it, he didn't care and felt like he would stop him and see through the line that he really didn't want to step on. He saw it with his eyes. It was not good for those eyes.

He was a man of the opposite nature to Fushimi, and he always laughed with a face that everything he saw was funny.

"Totsuka-san, you are dead."

A whisper came from Fushimi's mouth.

Fushimi stared at the image of the man whose face was always smiling, falling on the concrete without force.

Suddenly something happened. Akiyama, who was doing the compilation work, called out to Awashima in a whispering voice, "Lieutenant Awashima!" The voice turned the eyes of everyone in the briefing room towards Akiyama.

There was a child on the monitor that Akiyama showed. The facial recognition matches the criminal boy that Fushimi just confirmed. Fushimi's expression also tightened slightly.

"Do you know where he is going?"

"Yes, please wait a moment."

Akiyama immediately responds to Awashima's question and runs his finger across the keyboard. Review the points on the web in chronological order. He was at the foot of a bridge where he is captured by Shizume's surveillance camera, an ordinary PDA camera trying to capture the confusion caused by "Homura's" people, and finally the boy.

A connecting bridge that spans from Tokyo Bay and leads to an artificial island. The boy goes over the bridge and enters the island. That was the last appearance of the boy found by "Yuishiki" (Wisdom).

Awashima looks at the map of the place where the boy was last seen.

"The Ashinaka school island?"

It is a gigantic school that is very independent and does not allow outsiders to enter easily, partly because the whole island is one site.

He hears Awashima mutter under her breath, saying it was troublesome.

++++++++++

Anna finally did.

Yata was running. Anger and fighting spirit burn the flames of the body. From that day on, he couldn't find a place to hit and was swirling in his stomach, turning Yata into a fiery bullet with the target he should be heading for now.

A motorcycle gets next to him and they run side by side, they seem to fly in the landscape around them. There was a huge body that he knew on the motorcycle.

"Yata-san! What's wrong?"

"Oh, Kamamoto! Very good, you are coming too!"

"Where you go?! What happened?!"

Yata looked down the road and told him to sharpen his eyes and growl.

"We're going to the school island."

"Gakuenjima? The school island in Tokyo Bay?"

"Just a moment ago, Anna's skill finally found out where it was!"

Kamamoto took a deep breath.

Anna is a member of the "Homura" clan, but has more power as a Strain than the power of fire. She has always been searching for the criminal's whereabouts with her sensitive ability.

It finally showed results.

Yata remembers the bar just before. Anna spread the map on the table and stared at the many red marbles rolling on it. Its responsiveness detects the criminal's signal, and the marbles move and gather towards a point on the map. Beneath the bright red marble is an artificial island in Tokyo Bay.

“Here.”, Anna's transparent voice said like a decree. The criminal is there.

Yata holds his hand tightly in his fist. That night, it was a hand holding a bloody body. This hand knows the cold body that fell on the rooftop in the middle of the night and the warmth of the blood that was spilled.

Yata gritted his back teeth tightly and said, "Kamamoto, take me." He put his hand on Kamamoto's shoulder and jumped into the back seat without slowing the skateboard propelled by his skill. At the same time, he kicked the skateboard and lift it to catch it in the air.

"Speed it up! I'm going to Gakuenjima to kill that damn guy!"

"Hey!"

Kamamoto twists the throttle grip to accelerate the motorcycle. Grasping Kamamoto's thick back, Yata puts his strength into his arm holding the skateboard.

"Wait, you fucking bastard!", he whispers into his mouth.

++++++++++

In the locker room, which was simply installed by pulling a curtain in the classroom, the boy dressed in a khaki kimono and looked at the borrowed PDA. The video plays on the PDA.

“The date shown in that video that was shown in the city was at 11:45 p.m. on December 7th. Given the distance between the school and the crime scene, it is not possible to move in an hour."

"And so..."

Kuro was also dressed in Japanese clothes. With a short sleeve and a hakama, the original long black hair hairstyle collected and the sword attached to the waist match, and it looks like a samurai.

The boy wears a yellow garment over a khaki kimono. It's a hand-sewn costume for a female student, but it's pretty cool.

"Yes. If it is proven that I was at school around 11:45 PM on the 7th, my alibi will be established."

"But you're in a single room. If you slept alone in the room, it wouldn't be an alibi."

Kuro turned his eyes to Neko. Neko also wears kimono. Although she was wearing it, she didn't seem to know how to wear the kimono, so he could see the white skin with the front wide open.

Neither the boy nor Kuro did not change their complexion because they got used to seeing Neko naked. Perhaps he couldn't see Neko playing with the obi in her hand, and when she approached him, he wrapped the obi around Neko's body with one hand as if he was gathering an old newspaper.

"I'm telling you! I don't accept this testimony as an alibi!"

"Kurosuke, you are stupid! Shiro has been with me since I met him! Wagahai's Shiro is a good Shiro!"

"Shut up. You're saying you don't trust me. If I find out you were responsible for this, don't worry. I'll be prepared."

The boy opened his mouth sweetly, looking at Kuro and Neko as if they were really like a dog and a cat.

"Well, it's my fault. That day was the day that preparations for the cultural festival were allowed at night, and as I recalled earlier, it was a day where there were many incidents."

"Incidents?"

The boy trusted the mysterious Kuro.

"So there must be someone who can prove that I was there too."

The boy used a bird hat to finish. A beard is also attached to the mouth.

"Hmm! How many times do you change your clothes while chatting!"

Feeling free to open the curtains on the simple wardrobe, Kukuri stuck her face inside.

"Oh, it looks good! Shiro-kun, you are a valuable person to look good like Ebisu-sama even if you are not fat at all."

The boy, Kuro, and Neko were forced to try on the costumes they would wear to the main event of the school festival. On the night of the school festival, they will wear these costumes, carry a sword and pull a horse to parade to the shrine behind the school.

The Ashinaka school school festival has a mysterious flavor, in part because it overlaps with the annual shrine festival.

Kukuri was in a good mood when she saw the three people wearing costumes, and while saying to Neko, "Wagahai-chan is a beautiful woman!" On the first day, Neko who hated wearing those clothes and had trouble with the boy's hands, was also happy to be told that she was a beautiful woman.

Well, the boy changed his expression.

He has been living at school almost normally for the past half day, but his life is involved. He has to ask someone to testify that he was at this school that day.

The boy saw Kikuri. The girl who started the confusion that night.

Yes, it started with a runaway boy who fell in love with her.

--- Testimony of the classmate, Sota Mishina.

Oh sure, it was around 11:45 PM on December 7th. There is no doubt that the preparations for the night of the school festival had just finished.

He climbed the stairs of the clock tower with the determination of a generation.

His heart was making a loud noise and his hands were sweaty and slimy. Still, he did not stop climbing the stairs. He is also a man. He will do what he has decided to do.

When he climbed to the top of the clock tower, he could see the view of Gakuenjima. Everyone is working hard to get ready for the school festival, which is coming up two weeks later, and the huge objects that he put in the yard look pretty good from the top, and the fire from the PDA that he plans to use at the night festival is beautiful.

He was thinking about that as he watched the situation below and was blown away by the cold midnight winter wind, he saw Yukizome coming. As a student council officer, she tells them to finish getting ready for the night. His reading that the last time she would come to the clock tower would be about 15 minutes before the date changed was correct.

Yukizome spoke a word or two with Inaba, who was pulling a rope, and came to the front of the clock tower. A moment before she tried to give instructions to everyone around her, he took a deep breath and yelled from the bottom of his stomach.

"Yukizome Kukuri-san! It's true love at first sight! Please go out with me!"

Everyone in the place fell silent and was looking towards the clock tower where he was.

Yukizome had the same lazy face as everyone else, but gradually her face turned red and she started to panic. It was cute, but she was so nervous that she was ashamed, so it wasn't the case.

After making a panicky movement, Yukizome turned to him and bent her head with force and bend her waist at a right angle.

"I'm sorry!"

He knew it. He was honestly thinking there was no pulse.

But he liked her for a long time, all year long. When he entered the school for the first time, he got lost because the school is big, Yukizome called him and accompanied him to his destination.

It's too big here, but she's so cute and kind, she was love at first sight. After that, she was nice to him.

Perhaps he misunderstood and thought she also liked him a bit. Yukizome is a kind person to everyone. He knew it wasn't just for him. Even so, he still wanted her to turn around. He wanted to hold her hand and dance together at the festival that night.

The dream was shattered and he was slightly shocked and unconscious. He was sad because he was totally sorry, he was sorry for Yukizome, who shrugged with a bright red face and ran away, and was not surprised by the eyes around her. He cries and stumble back. A strange laugh escaped his mouth, although it was not strange.

What he saw was a mountain of fireworks that was scheduled to be launched from the top of the clock tower at the school festival.

Filled with sadness, shame and apology, he wanted to blow away those feelings that swirled in his chest, so he approached the fireworks with a quick movement and lit them.

"Another love has fallen!"

The fireworks went straight up the night sky and the light flowers bloomed in the black sky. It was a memorial service for his love. He is reflecting on that now.

"You mean, what is it? Why do you suddenly want to hear about my sad night?"

"Huh? You wanted to ask if I saw Shiro at the confession? Would you mind the details of the confession if you heard that?"

"Oh... I don't know!" He could only see Yukizome in his eyes.

"That's right. Mishina-kun, were you watching everyone from the clock tower? You must have seen his figure when you were crushed!"

The boy lowers the end of his eyebrows and touches Mishina's arm.

The boy, accompanied by Kuro and Neko, caught Mishina, who was the party to the incident that night, in the corner of the classroom looking for someone to testify that the boy was on campus the night of December 7. He was listening to the story. As his costumes were still being tried on, Mishina was surrounded by Ebisu, Benten, and the Samurai.

Mishina was crying, perhaps because he remembered how he felt when he lost his love as he spoke.

"Don't say crush clearly! Why are you trying to smear a person's wound with salt?"

"Because even if I ask Kukuri, it's not so much at the time, and I don't remember if I was there..."

"Did you ask Yukizome-san?"

As Mishina cries with the urge to hold his head, the boy feels a little sorry and tries to comfort him.

"But Mishina-kun, shouldn't you have made the confession a bit more normal? Is it okay? Isn't it a problem for the other person?"

He thought he was worried, but the amount of tears that had accumulated in Mishina's eyes increased.

"At first, I approached her more normally! I tried to tell her that I casually liked her! But it was amazing to feel the goodwill!"

"Ah! Kukuri, that seems pretty boring."

The boy laughed inadvertently.

"So, as impressive and dramatic as possible, a confession aimed at the suspension bridge effect..."

As he said that, Mishina held his chest as if remembering the pain of a lost love, and was screaming.

Kuro, who was listening to the story with his arms crossed at his sides, punches Mishina's back to strengthen him.

"Don't be so depressed. I think your way of declaring yourself is wonderful."

"Oh, yes. I respect the love and action of passionate young men like Mishina-kun who can make such a confession."

"You guys never comforted me, are you stupid?"

"That's not the case. I was looking at Mishina-kun, who loves a girl so much, thinking it was really amazing."

While raising his hands and calming the approaching Mishina, Kuro looked at the boy with half-eyes.

"But there seems to be no evidence that he was at the site where Mishina was."

"Eh, huh? You actually saw Mishina-kun's crush site, can you talk about the details?"

"Many students will have witnessed Mishina-kun's crush site. You can acquire as much information as you wish later."

"Crush site... stop saying crush site!"

Mishina cried out in a sad voice. Neko laughs.

"Fireworks, sunrise! It was so beautiful!"

While innocently laughing, Neko expresses how the fireworks could be seen with both hands open. When she looked at it from the side, it seemed like she was thinking, "Did you see it too...?"

The boy doesn't remember if Neko was with him at the time (after all, he didn't know that Neko was a human girl at the time, he thought she was just a kitten), but Mishina was sad and urged him to lose love. The beauty of the fireworks launched remains in the boy's memory.

"By the way, it was the people from the student association who stopped the fireworks that Mishina continued to fire, right?"

Mishina shook his face with a bitter bite.

"Oh! They were there, the people from the student association."

--- Secretary of the student association, testimony of Sakura Asama.

She arrives on the scene just as the date changed from December 7-8.

It took about 15 minutes before the first fireworks were launched. At the time, she and President Hyuga were working in the student council room. President Hyuga is an excellent student president who is also known as a teacher with abundant intelligence and ability to execute. She was a little nervous when she was alone with the president in the student meeting room at night.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise and the outside of the window suddenly lit up. Many bright fireworks were blooming in the night sky. It was romantic watching the fireworks with the president, but that's not the case.

"What's wrong? There shouldn't have been an app for practice shooting fireworks, etc."

The president squinted through the back of her glasses and immediately contacted a student council officer who was supposed to be looking around the clock tower where Mishina was setting off fireworks. The president knows exactly where and what the executives plan to do and everyone's work schedule. That is why she can immediately give appropriate instructions and verify the situation. (Is that amazing? You're longing for it, right?)

Well, the PDA didn't connect. It's not unreasonable because the student association officer who should be looking around the clock tower was Yukizome.

She was unable to reach Yukizome, but soon another officer contacted the president.

It seems like second year Mishina Sota confessed to Yukizome from the top of the clock tower and was hovering around in despair and burning fireworks.

The president immediately ordered other officers to rush to the scene to stop the fireworks launcher. Sakura quickly got ready for office with the president. She took the wire cutter out of the toolbox and prepared to open the door even if the caster locks the clock tower and stands up.

Glancing sideways as she was ready, the president turned and walked out of the student council room, continuing to speak into the PDA. At that time, the president's clean hair was fluttering and smelling pleasant. The president's hair goes well with her image, and has a refreshing scent that is not sweet but fascinating.

It was midnight when she joined the other officers from the student association and arrived at the clock tower.

The area around the clock tower was full of gathered students.

The area around the clock tower was full of gathered students. Everyone just opens their mouths and watches the fireworks that are launched one after another. There were so many people, so she couldn't help stopping someone. Well, there are people who cannot move easily unless someone takes the initiative. That is why someone was needed who had the power to make decisions and act as the president.

The students around the clock tower noticed the arrival of the president and said: "The student association has arrived!" They raised their voices. It is an air that is safe if it comes from the president. The crowded students quickly cleared the way for the president, who was like Moses.

When the president observed the surroundings and understood the situation, she gave instructions in a clear voice. "Stop this!"

"Ah, the president was great!"

"Eh? If did I see Isana over there? I don't know. He's small so I didn't see him."

The boy was drowning.

It was good to visit the student council room with Kuro and Neko, see the first-year girl, Sakura Asama, and hear the story from the night of December 7, but it emphasized how wonderful the student council president was that day. He was unable to obtain any testimony that she saw the boy.

Asama is a fluffy, mature-looking girl who looks cool with braided hair that's tied sideways, but when the story reaches the student council president, the picture shows the heat dissipating.

Chiho Hyuga, the president of the student council in question, is processing the documents in question without paying attention to the boy, whether she is listening or not. Hyuga is a beautiful girl with straight black hair on her back and red-rimmed glasses. A talented person who stands at the top of the student association, rumored to be more powerful than teachers, and manages various school events. It has gained overwhelming popularity.

The boy sat down and asked Hyuga.

"I... should have been there, don't you remember?"

"I don't know. It wasn't work to see if a fool was in the place."

She replied coldly without raising her face.

The boy let out a disappointing voice in response to the blunt answer.

"It was really difficult at the time. What if the president didn't deal with it quickly? Do you have the article at the time?"

Asama presented the school newspaper to the boy as her cheeks turned slightly vermilion, perhaps in contradiction to Hyuga's attitude at the time. "The flower of love that bloomed in the night sky!" Below the caption, there were many photos from the scene from that night, including a photo of Mishina, who was captured by sympathetic students' association officers with both arms clasped. But…

"I am not here."

It is not far-fetched because he does not recall jumping into the camera to appear in the newspaper photos, but he is disappointed that there is nothing to prove his innocence.

Kuro looking at the newspaper next to the boy also looked rough. Only Neko has a mysterious appearance, as if the situation is still unknown.

"If you want a picture of the riot, why don't you ask the journalism club? Because they were filming a lot that day."

"Yes. The president should have dealt with the incidents that happened in succession, and her activities should have been photographed."

Asama leans her body enthusiastically. Hyuga raised her face without paying attention to Asama's situation, and finally turned her attention back to the boy.

"More than that, guys. No matter how much you are preparing for the culture festival, don't wander around campus in a playful way. Especially you, long accessories are forbidden."

Hyuga's eyes were on Kuro's waist.

"Ah, this is for accessories...!"

Kuro was upset, but Neko laughed happily, perhaps because he was angry. The boy wanted to confiscate weapons that were aimed at his own life if possible, but thought that trouble was more likely to occur because of that. He immediately left the student council room.

"What was that, did she say that 'Kotowari' is a prop?"

"Okay. It means your samurai style suits you too well."

The boy treats Kuro, who bites his teeth while walking down the hall, with appropriate words that move only half his head. Kuro looked at the costume he was wearing, and then turned his eyes to the boy and Neko.

"But, well... like this outfit, the school festival here has a lot of excitement."

"Also, under the initiative of the students, the members of the student association will divide so that everyone can do whatever they want and work together to do and prepare various things. Like December 7, there are days when you can prepare until the evening and there are many free places in this school."

The boy looks out the window. Students wave a props mallet in the yard, talk about how they are decorated, and laugh happily at each other. The scene seemed somewhat defeated and the boy narrowed his eyes.

"It's because it's peaceful that you can do this and work hard at it. I think it's amazing, very nice."

Speaking of stubbornness, Kuro opened his eyes a bit, looked at the boy's face suspiciously.

"Don't say something like an old man all of a sudden."

"Eh? Are you intrigued?"

"And don't forget that your situation is not peaceful at all."

"Ah! That's..."

The boy was drooling. Maybe she thought he was depressed, Neko hugged the boy's arm and encouraged him, "Shiro, cheer up!"

Kuro took a deep breath and crossed his arms in thought.

"By the way, that girl said the incidents happened quickly after that..."

"Oh, that's right. There was a crushing incident, and while the student association was going to capture Mishina, there was an uproar."

"What is that?"

--- Testimony of colleague Sumika Inaba.

About Mishina's case, she thinks it was tough. She thinks the time was around 0:15.

She was moving the horse that was going to guide the gods at the school festival.

He is a good and calm horse. He has beautiful brown fur, round black eyes, and is friendly. The riding club usually takes care of him, but that night they loaned it for the event.

"So, I was about to return the horse to the riding club stables, but that idiot Mishina made that confession, right? That guy is really useless. That kind of thing should only be done by a kid who has a pulse and that he's sure she likes flashy surprises. I think about Kukuri's feelings that she has to reject him in front of the public. Well, in Mishina's case, he wouldn't have had such an upset spirit to pressure her to say "yes". It's just stupid."

"When I looked at Mishina's feelings from the end, I knew it completely, but Kukuri was so bored in the love relationship that she did him no favors, so she desperately tried to make him notice it for himself."

"But I never heard about Mishina from Kukuri, but I understand that she has no more feelings for Mishina than she does from friends. There is a possibility that Kukuri likes him, no, not at all."

"Well, what was the story? Oh, the story after the confession case. Mishina was turned away and set off fireworks, so the horse I was leading was excited. I was desperate to calm him down. Normally he's quiet, but it seems like was surprised by the sound and the strange atmosphere."

Everyone around her was in awe of the fireworks that continued to increase with the momentum of today's school festival. Among them, there was a guy who had a PDA, but he always forgot that he had a fire and watched the fireworks. It seems that he was experimenting with the tatami used in the evening festival, but he was told to be very careful when using the fire, but he neglected his hand and looked up at the sky, so the fire was next to him. It burned the object that was there. It was an object stretched out with paper glued on a wooden frame, so it burned vigorously. The scene was in a panic.

Then the horse she was leading, which was already excited, saw the flames and panicked. She started running all the way so she was about to get dragged off the rope. The horse was running with a force that seemed to bounce off the people around him, and she was half crying and chasing him. Thanks to the fire and the raging horse, the people around her screamed.

"Really, that night was hard, right?"

"Huh? See Isana at the scene? I don't remember. Why is that important?"

The boy dropped his shoulders in front of the lonely Inaba.

"Hey... I'm looking for someone to prove that I was there..."

The boy, who found Inaba right in front of the clock tower at the scene of the incident, recalled that Inaba was in this place with a horse that night, but the result was also lost.

"Isana Shiro-kun has an image that is not strange wherever he is, so he doesn't leave much of an impression no matter where he is. It feels like he's not there, even though he's there..."

"That's..."

Inaba put her finger to her lips and tried to remember for a while, but finally shook her head.

"No. I can't remember. After the horse ran away, I couldn't even look around."

"I see. Yes… thank you…"

He couldn't hide his disappointment, but with a slight smile, the boy raised his hand to Inaba and thanked her. Inaba watches the boy's face closely.

"By the way, Kukuri said, "Shiro-kun looks like he's going to disappear somewhere when you take your eyes off." When I heard that, I didn't understand at all, but he was there. I felt like I couldn't remember what he was doing and I felt like I could understand what Kukuri said."

Inaba is a good friend of Kukuri. The boy hesitates a bit, wondering what they were talking about.

"Eh...? Am I that overshadowed?"

"That's all. He is a popular person who is loved by everyone. Somehow... well, I can't trust his existence... I can't express it well..."

Inaba turned her head several times, but quickly stopped giving an answer and returned her gaze and interest to Neko sitting on a bench and dangling by her legs in her spare time.

"By the way, are you Neko? It's an interesting nickname. It looks cute on you, doesn't it? The costume looks great. I'll give you a candy."

"Hurrah!"

When Inaba took out the candy wrapper from her pocket, Neko who was bored jumped up with a bright expression. Neko, whose head is caressed with candy in her mouth, looks like a little girl with a full forehead.

"Good girl, Neko-chan. Should I buy a delicious Daifuku later?"

"Really? Food!"

Seeing Neko loved like a younger sister is fun, but it's not the case when the boy smiles at her. He already felt at a dead end when searching. Feel the spicy skin next to her, with a haunting aura.

She wishes she could remember who the boy spoke to that night, but sadly she doesn't have such a clear memory.

"You…"

"Ah, wait! Oh, look! Asama-san said that a lot of people in the journalism club were taking pictures that night, right? I'm sure if you ask him…"

Upon detecting Kuro's signal that he is about to draw the sword, the boy asked Inaba who was with Neko, quickly.

"I am also a journalism club. Do I ask the director?"

Inaba simply takes the PDA out of her pocket and calls the manager.

The director of the journalism department appeared to be taking pictures of the school festival preparations and came with a beautiful single-lens reflex camera hanging from his neck.

Upon hearing from Inaba, the director took the tablet from the PDA and searched for a photo from the night of the incident.

"It's a photo from December 7th, within an hour from 11:45 PM. Right after Mishina made the confession until the fire was extinguished and the wild horse was captured. At that time, there were many incidents at the same time, so several people took pictures at random."

"Wow, help!"

Looking like a god of salvation, the boy jumped on the offered tablet. Kuro also looks seriously.

While looking for the reflection of himself in a large number of photographs, Inaba went away saying: "See you later. I'm going to the classroom.", And the director of the journalism club began to photograph the traces of burned objects in front of clock tower. Neko who seems to be free begins to play with the cleaning robot, type Tsukumo 99, which was passing by.

In the idyllic afternoon sun, the boy and Kuro kept looking at the images on the tablet one by one.

Fireworks strewn across the night sky. The horse looking at them. The student council president who arrived in a hurry. A student association officer who opens the door of the clock tower. An object that begins to burn.

Dismay, come and go, run away, fire extinguisher.

Students who run with them. A horse that begins to raze and run. Those who run away from the horse, those who pursue it. Mishina is captured and taken out of the clock tower. The student council president who sees the noise outside and quickly begins to give directions. A student association officer who brings down students desperately trying to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher and pulls a hose from the fire extinguisher. Discharge of water that starts strongly. A member of the riding club runs in. A member that stops chasing the horse and keeps them away. A horse that moves through the school grounds. Students who coordinate and monitor. A flame extinguished by discharge of water. Guys who are full of soot and rejoice in putting out the fire safely. People around her clapping. A boy who starts crying. The student council president scolds him. However, after that, the vision of putting her hand on his shoulder as if he was happy he wasn't hurt. In a calm and warm mood, a horse that has run and calmed down slowly returns, and a member of the riding club and Inaba gently catch him. Robots that appear to "clean up the mess."

There were so many photos. The boy kept rushing to see the images appearing one after the other, but gradually the movement of the fingers when swiping the images weakened.

"No..."

Involuntarily a helpless sound leaked out. Many of the photos show a large number of other students who are not the protagonists of the case, but the boy who should have been there is nowhere reflected.

"I think I was wandering around here."

When he lowered his eyebrows, the director of the journalism club, who was pointing the camera around him, looked back with a look of surprise.

"Ah, really? There are so many photos from that day, so if you were there, you could find them somewhere, right?"

"No..."

Family views and rushed friends appear one after another, but he can't find the essential boy.

Kuro made his badass look even sharper and turned to the boy.

"You, after all, weren't there!"

"What happened? Is it important that you were there?"

The boy smiled a warm smile, suppressing the director of the journalism club, who bit a strange place and said: "No, it's nothing."

After all, unable to find a photo where it appeared, the boy returned the tablet containing the photos to the director of the journalism club and thanked him.

The boy, who had been unconcerned by the memory and the confidence that he was there that day, began to feel a gradual impatience.

"Hmm, I'm in trouble. I'm sure of it."

Although he made an effort to have a carefree voice, he painfully feels the disturbing signals emitted by Kuro getting louder and louder. Look sideways. Kuro with his eyes on his sword, seemed to have come to the realm of murder out of suspicion and anger, and looked at the boy with cold air. Partly due to the disguise he was wearing, he had the feeling that he was a samurai trying to behead the enemy. It can seriously cut it.

When the boy was in a cold sweat and faced Kuro, a bright and refreshing voice broke through the tense atmosphere.

"Oh, Shiro-kun!"

Kukuri, holding a luggage in his arms, was puffing out his cheeks when he saw the boy.

"Everyone is busy, but what are you doing?"

Before the boy made an excuse, he withdrew the murderous signal from the sword that had leaked just now, walked over, and scooped up the heavy luggage stuck in the cardboard box from Kukuri's arm. When asked, "Where are you going to take him?", Kuro has grown into a young warrior who is kind to girls and children. In a short relationship, the boy knew enough to say that he was basically a very caring man.

Kukuri happily thanked her and smiled.

"So can you bring it to the staff room? I have to take this to the student council room."

"I get it."

The moment he heard the exchange between Kukuri and Kuro, an inspiration ran inside the boy.

"Oh, that's right... the staff room..."

The boy gently raised the edge of his mouth.

"The student's departure record? Daimon?"

"Yes."

The old teacher who is in charge of literature has a rough and very laid-back personality. He is the perfect person to make this request.

The literature teacher turns his head mysteriously.

"Good, but... why again..."

"No, it's not a big deal... just that I could die."

The boy turns to the literature teacher and tells him the situation in a whisper. The teacher said, "Oh, yeah." If it was troublesome even though it seemed like he didn't understand why.

"When?"

"December 7th."

Check-out for December 7th was provided by a former literature teacher. When the boy succeeded, he laughed at an angle that did not look like a fox.

The only entrance to Ashinaka High School, which is an island, is the gate in front of the connecting bridge that connects to the mainland, commonly known as Daimon. To pass, the door sensor must be made to read the school-designated PDA, which also serves as a student ID card. Basically, all the times of entry and exit of people are recorded.

As he left the staff room and walked down the street in front of the research building, the boy analyzed whether the student's check-in and check-out from December 7, which he had just received, is endorsed to prove his identity. Start going through the list.

"Torisawa, Ariyoshi, Iida, Ikuno... Next is Inoue! Look! Isana Yashiro is not here."

On the paper, the names of the students who passed through the door that day are listed in the order of Aiueo, and the transit time is recorded next to each name. Students who go to school are basically on schedule to get in and out of school, and students who do not live in the dorm are on time to leave and return to school.

There is no boy's name on the paper, which means that the boy who lives in the dorm has not left campus one step that day.

The boy killed the tension and listened to Kuro's reaction with a casual face.

Kuro doesn't look at the recording paper the boy is showing, and walks with his gaze down with a calm expression that makes it difficult to tell what he's thinking.

"Shiro, Shiro! Wagahai is hungry!"

Neko who was not interested in what they were doing, complained innocently.

The boy does not care about Neko's comment, and pushes the recording paper to force him to see Kuro, who is looking down.

"This cleared your suspicions, right?"

Still, Kuro doesn't move his expression or his gaze. While the boy gulped and waited for Kuro's behavior, Neko feeling ignored clenched her fist with both hands and screamed.

"I'm hungry!"

Both the boy and Kuro stop at the scream of Neko's angry girlish look.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm relieved, so let's have a snack slowly."

"Yahoo! Snack! Kukuri has delicious senbe! After that, Kukuri's friend should buy Daifuku! Oh, I'm thirsty! Buy something, Shiro. Let's go!"

Neko, who is excited about the snacks, moves in a good mood and romps.

However, in contrast to Neko's high enthusiasm, Kuro still looks at the boy coldly.

The boy sighed and said in a tone reminiscent of the confused.

"That's why everyone who enters and leaves this island is controlled by the automatic gate. It is a pip. The fact that it is not on this list means that I have been on this island the entire time and could not have gone to the crime scene. Right?"

Kuro still hasn't opened his mouth. The boy left him and turned to Neko who was waiting in front of the vending machine.

"Wagahai should have juice!"

"That? Not enough coins."

When the boy clenched his pockets in an attempt to respond to Neko's pleas, a beep was heard. So, there is a sound of the juice Neko wanted.

When he raised his face, Kukuri, who was holding the PDA over the vending machine, turned her dismayed face towards the boy.

"Don't you have the PDA again? It's a rule, so you have to have it correctly. I mean, it's a pass."

An eerie air fell over the place. It can be understood without looking. There is a sign of anger that crosses the skin of the person in charge.

"Kukuri. Are you saying this boy never carries a PDA?"

Kukuri is unaware of Kuro's disturbances. The boy raised his finger in front of his mouth and desperately sent a gesture that he wanted to keep a secret, but Kukuri didn't notice and took it easy.

"No matter how much you tell him, he will forget."

"You can't walk through the door without a PDA, right?"

"He always manages."

The boy covered his face with the palm of his hand. He thinks he did, and it was at the same time that Kuro touched his sword.

"Kukuri. From now on, something unpleasant will happen here. Leave us alone."

"Wait, wait! I'm serious! I'm seriously looking for evidence!"

"Okay, I know you are a dishonest man."

In response to Kuro's threat, Neko stood up with a threatening voice and stood in front of the boy. Kuro keeps Neko in a sharp line of sight.

"Go away, or are you still this guy's partner? Do you want to get cut off with your master?"

"Wagahai is a cat! I'm Shiro's cat! I won't give you Shiro, Kurosuke!"

Neko hugged the boy with a desperate face and tried to be the boy's shield. Neko is hideously self-taught, but like animal cats, she is sensitive to danger. She exposes herself to Kuro, who is about to draw his sword, and strongly appeals over misaligned issues.

"Shiro is a good person and we eat delicious rice and sandwiches together!"

"Easy, Neko. You're making things more complicated."

The boy calmed the watery-eyed Neko and pushed her behind him.

She is innocent about the murder case, but it is true that she tried to ridicule him. The only one he should be mad at is the boy, who cannot involve or hurt Neko.

As soon as the boy took a position to hold Neko on his back, he rolled his eyes as if confused. Kuro, with a sad look, loosens his hand from the sword's handle as if he had lost.

"Sorry, Kuro. I'll take it seriously from now on! There were still a lot of things that day! Sprinkler destruction incident, toilet flooding incident, gym ceiling penetration incident, etc. I must have been somewhere. That's it! "

As the boy said, Kukuri, who had been left vacant with a face that until then could not swallow the situation, responded to the case of penetrating the roof of the PE warehouse and said, "What?"

"I ran into Shiro-kun at the gym that day, right?"

The boy opened his eyes to Kukuri's words, which seemed casual.

--- Testimony of the classmate, Kukuri Yukizome.

That day, she had the incident with Mishina at the clock tower... She was shocked and embarrassed. She did not know what to do and ran away.

She felt sorry when she learned later that there were several difficult things after that...

When she escape to the school building, she could hear loud voices and sounds from the clock tower all the time, and the people in the school building also noticed the noise and looked at the situation towards the clock tower. "I ran towards, I... I mean... it's also the cause... I felt like I didn't have a place to hide..."

So when she walked through the school building and down the high street, she heard something loud in the gym. She went to see what happened.

"It really was a terrible noise..."

When she opened the gym door and looked inside, she found Shiro. She was surprised because she didn't think there were people.

("Isana-kun! What are you doing here? Hmm. You were skipping the preparations for the school festival, right?")

"Shiro-kun disappears and takes a nap somewhere. Oh, but it was time to get ready for the night, so maybe it was a nap. If it makes him sleepy, I wish he would at least rest in the bedroom."

When he was talking about it, she suddenly realized that the moonlight was coming from a strange angle into the gym, which should be dark, and when she looked up, there was a large hole in the ceiling of the warehouse.

"Shiro-kun, you were also surprised when the ceiling suddenly fell, weren't you? I'm so glad you didn't hurt yourself."

That's why she went to the staff room to report. After all, it seemed that the roof was quite damaged, and it seemed that something flying in the wind had fallen. It is an old warehouse and it looks like they are going to demolish and rebuild it.

"Hmm? Shiro-kun, why do you look so happy?"

The boy who moved to the gym with Kukuri, and they looked up at the hole in the ceiling. The hole was repaired by putting a wooden board in its shape, but sunlight shone through the gaps in the board.

This is the scene of the "PE Warehouse Roof Penetration Incident", which is a relatively small incident among the many incidents that occurred that night. The discoverers are Isana Yashiro and Kukuri Yukizome.

"Oh, that's right. Hey, do you remember exactly when it was?"

The boy looked at Kukuri with a face that couldn't hide expectations and joy.

Kukuri operated the PDA in her hand to display a single photo. She had to report the hole in the gym to her teacher. The image clearly shows the boy looking at the hole in the ceiling.

The date and time data in the photo are...

"It was at 12:30."

"Less than an hour from the time of the crime."

The boy sighed with deep relief.

Kuro muttered with a complicated expression that seemed unhappy, but somehow relieved.

"It is impossible to return from the scene of the crime at that time."

"This time, the alibi is established!"

The boy jumped for joy. Even though Neko doesn't seem to understand the meaning, she jumps out with a face that makes the boy happy.

"What? What are you talking about?"

Kukuri looked at the boy with a clean face.

"You are my lifeline!"

The girl who proved the boy's innocence blinked slowly.

++++++++++

He was confused by himself, that somewhere in his heart he was relieved that an alibi was found.

He may not have been a bad "King", but the boy is a dishonest man. He try to pray for Kuro with a sigh. However, in front of Kuro, who was about to draw his sword, the boy kept Neko behind his back. If he is a coward, he will escape with a woman as a shield, he can cut him off without worrying about it.

When he saw the boy hiding Neko, the memories of the old days returned to his mind.

It was a memory from when Kuro was ten years old. There was an incident where a man who was Kuro's brother and Miwa's disciple, requested a battle from Miwa and raised his sword. Kuro, who was still young, wanted to protect his beloved master while confused, and trembled while holding a stick.

That brother, he was terribly strong. That person was offensive to Miwa. That fact scared him and made him think that he had to keep Miwa safe even if he replaced him.

However, Miwa gently put his hand on his head and smiled gently, appearing in front of him with a very natural movement.

The Miwa of that time and his appearance overlapped with the boy and Neko who was hiding.

Kuro knows the horror of having a loved one threatened.

Kuro also knows the strength and goodness of his back, which stands up to threat and protects.

"Is he fake or not? What is he?"

Kukuri, who was next to him, raised her face at the leaked message inadvertently.

"Hmm? Kuro-kun, did you say something?"

"No, nothing, sorry."

"Hmm... that? By the way, Shiro-kun?"

After confirming the boy's alibi in the gym, Kuro and the others returned to the classroom with Kukuri. However, along the way, the boy seems to have gone somewhere alone. A man soft and restless as a balloon. Although an alibi was found, the murder video mystery stands strong, and although the situation has not been resolved, he is surprised that it is a person with a weak sense of crisis.

"Hey, Kukuri, sandwich!"

Neko always becomes attached to the boy, but now it seems that with Kukuri's words, "Let's give her a sandwich", she stays glued to Kukuri.

"Yes. Kukuri-san's rice patisserie is open! Wagahai-chan, roasted rice, Negi Miso, roasted shrimp mochi, roasted mochi, carrot shoyu, Zarame roasted mochi, super spicy roasted mochi."

Kukuri takes the rice cakes out of the paper bag one after another and orders them. Neko looked at the rice cake with bright eyes.

"Is it spicy? Super spicy?"

"Super spicy is a very spicy rice cake."

"You want?"

"That's right, it's going to be very hot!"

"Nyaaah! Then that!"

He looked at Kukuri and Neko happily playing with each other, and Kuro pondered.

If the boy is really innocent and someone puts him to sleep and dresses in the murderer's wet robe, then his life in this school cannot be destroyed. The boy is a careless man, but after working together all day today, he knew well that he was surrounded by many friends at this school and loved this peaceful life. If something happens to the boy, Kukuri and the others will be sad.

After seeing Kukuri parading around the room and handing out rice cakes to other friends for a moment, Kuro looked at Neko sideways.

"Hey, Neko."

To Neko who is happy to receive a spicy rice cake from Kukuri, Kuro bluntly throws words at her.

"I am still reluctant to your existence, but what are you really? Why are you with Isana?"

"Wagahai is a cat."

"That again... Are you a Strain?"

"Strain?"

"He is a talented and lonely person."

Neko puffed out her cheeks as if offended.

"I was alone, but now I have Shiro. Because this Shiro, I'm not alone anymore. Also being with Shiro, I received a snack from Kukuri."

"Isana the one who picked you up?"

"Shiro picked up Wagahai, and Wagahai picked up Shiro. So Neko is Shiro's cat, and Shiro is Neko's."

What Neko says is still irrational. However, even so, Kuro has deepened his sympathy for Neko.

Kuro is also a person who was alone until he was picked up by Miwa.

"Since when have you been with Isana?"

He felt a bit grumpy and made a softer voice than before, but Neko didn't answer this question. She turns to the side and holds the rice cake she received to her chest and walks away from Kuro.

Kuro sighed deeply and looked around.

In the classroom, students are on their feet and working to prepare for the school festival. Everyone was working hard, especially Kukuri seemed to be busy, and although she was still smiling, she was on her feet and working as she watched the progress here and there.

(Because it's nice to be able to do this and work hard at it. I think it's really nice.)

Remembering the boy's words, Kuro inwardly agreed. Everyone enjoys peace as a matter of course, so they can work hard to prepare for a festival like this. Is very precious.

It was supposed to be a distant vision for Kuro, who is destined to cut down the evil "King".

However, when he was looking at them, he feared they were uncomfortable.

According to the boy, the school festival was only three days away. Even so, he can still see a blank cloth in the hands of the students who are sewing the costumes, will they be okay? They are putting together an accessory, but if they stretch the board first, he thinks they won't be able to fit that part later. As for the group that does interior decoration, it seems they don't even know what they want to do, but maybe they can't get it done in time.

As he stared at them, something in Kuro began to sting him. It may be because the boy's search for a alibi has stabilized and relaxed him. Since Kuro is from a rural school with a single digit number of students, it is possible that he was not related to such a school festival and has stimulated something of a longing. Maybe the nice guys at this school he was involved with today couldn't just leave him alone, thinking he might get in trouble later.

"Hey! Then they won't be able to make it in time for the school festival! Lend me the tools! I'll help you!"

When he suddenly raised his voice, the students' eyes slyly met. Kukuri rounded her eyes, and the next moment she said with a happy voice, "Really? Help!"

++++++++++

The boy returned to the bedroom, rubbing around his tense shoulders.

He has not been able to take a nap in his daily routine because he was desperately moving while being watched by Kuro today. When he was relieved, he was suddenly tired and sleepy.

"Oh, I'm tired. I wonder if they want to kill me every day."

As he tried to dive into bed, he found he was still in his school festival costume and stopped. Sorry for the clothes his friend sewed with so much effort.

"Wow, I left my uniform in the classroom."

The boy opened the closet looking for a change of clothes. He should also pick up his uniform when his deliver the costume to the classroom later. He searches a poorly organized closet, trying to put on comfortable clothes.

As soon as he grabbed a replacement shirt from the bottom of the closet and lifted it, the boy's body froze.

There is blood.

As soon as he realized that, his body starts to shake.

Under the shirt he grabbed, there was another white shirt. Blood was attached to the front like splatter. It became rough and hard.

Does not know. He doesn’t know what that is.

The boy did not remember the bloodstained shirt. The only thing he inevitably remember is that murder movie.

(It's a beautiful night, right? I came to take a night view, but what are you doing in such a place? I'm Tatara Totsuka, and you?)

Someone with the boy's face turns around and shoots the photographer who speaks quietly.

When the image is blurry and the photographer collapses for a moment, and then the person who looks like the boy reappears, the shirt is stained with blood.

(I am the Seventh King, the Colorless King. I am waiting for someone. Is it a good, night? Oh, yes, it is a good night!)

The shot in the video echoes behind the boy's ears.

Is different. He can't be him. He doesn't remember that, and Kukuri proved he was in Gakuenjima 45 minutes after the crime. Thinking normally, there should be no way to get from the crime scene to Gakuenjima in 45 minutes.

But... no one proved his alibi at the time of the crime. It must have been in front of the clock tower at the time, but no one remembered if it was there and it wasn't in the photos.

"Wrong! It's not me! I'm not killing people! So... what is this damn shirt?"

Many thoughts swirled in the boy's head.

"Shiro!"

Neko's bright voice broke into the boy's disturbed thought.

The boy hurriedly shoved his shirt back and closed the closet door.

When he raised his face, innocent-faced Neko had just entered the room.

"What? What's wrong? Oh, is it a sandwich?"

"Kukuri gave me a super spicy rice sandwich! So, she said to call you, and after that she said she will give me an ultra-spicy sandwich!"

Neko moves happily and informs to express her mood with her whole body.

The boy returned an awkward smile.

"Okay, now I'm going."

Neko looks at the boy's face and clouds her happy face a bit.

"Shiro…? Does your stomach hurt?"

Eagerly walking towards Neko, the boy puts his hand on her head.

"Is nothing."

Suppressing the anxiety and fear that slowly spread throughout his body, the boy gently stroked Neko's head.

#k #k project #k the first story #Isana Yashiro #Yatogami Kuroh #neko #k fan clan #k novel

18 notes · View notes

ciaossu-imagines · 1 year ago

Note

You know, one of your Day Three suggestions is really fitting because it’s a friend’s birthday today so I want to ask in her stead, what would Munakata, Kuroh, Akutagawa and Hajime, Mitsuru do for their s/o’s birthday?

Wow! A super-duper belated happy birthday to your friend! Thank you so much for sending in this cute request and I am sorry it took so long to get back to you, but I hope both you and your friend enjoy the headcanons!

MUNAKATA

So, Munakata is definitely the type, in a romantic relationship, to really want to celebrate all the important dates with his partner. Birthdays, anniversaries (first date, first month together, yearly anniversaries, anniversaries of saying I love you)…honestly, he’s really kind of a sap when it comes to any sort of special date in the relationship and he remembers those dates off the top of his head, thanks to his terrifyingly excellent memory. He’ll never forget his partner’s birthday and he starts thinking of what to do for it weeks in advance.

Munakata will actually celebrate his partner’s birthday twice. He’ll want a more public birthday party for them, where they can be celebrated with the other Scepter 4 members (since it’s important to Munakata, who views Scepter 4 as both a ‘business’ and a ‘family’, to include them in his life, including his life with his romantic partner) and with the friends that are important to his partner. It won’t be over the top and lavish, since that’s not Munakata’s style, but it will be the bigger of the celebrations. On top of that, he definitely wants a more private celebration, where it’s just him and his romantic partner together for a whole day, one of the few days he’ll take off (as much as he can). What they might do that day really depends on what he thinks will make them happiest in the moment – if they seem bored, he’ll try to make it more exciting and adventurous of a day but if they’ve been swamped and seem stressed, he’ll try to make it a really relaxing day for them.

Munakata is such a bad gift-giver. Literally, so bad that it’s almost shocking. So, while he definitely gets his partner at least one gift, though usually more, they’re not great gifts. He tends to give either overly practical gifts or very eccentric or not well thought out gifts – things that he thinks they could have fun doing together that aren’t really his partner’s thing, stuffed animals that are ugly-cute at best, or gifts that he thought they would like and that boggle his partner’s mind as to how he got that impression. He always gives them flowers though, first thing in the morning on their birthday. Unless they’re allergic to flowers, in which case he gives them a bouquet of fake flowers…it’s the thought that counts.

KUROH

Kuroh is another one who really is great at remembering special dates, like his partner’s birthday. He’s not into grand celebrations and he wouldn’t be comfortable planning anything like that for his partner, even if they would like it, but he remembers their day and he does make special plans for it. He always takes time, about a week before their birthday, for him to sit by himself and really pour over every word, on tape and in his memory, that Miwa said about birthdays, and he lets himself be moved by his master’s words in how he’ll approach his partner’s birthday that year.

Kuroh is definitely the type to really want to celebrate his partner’s birthday with just him and his partner. If his partner really wants to celebrate with friends, he’ll request that they do so maybe the day after or before their actual birthday, since he wants to be a little bit greedy and have them all to himself that day. He does plan things for them to do that day and he takes care of the birthday supper and the cake all by himself. It’s the one day of the year where he won’t gladly welcome his partner into the kitchen to play sous chef for him. It just doesn’t seem right for them to have to make their own birthday meal to Kuroh, and he’ll insist on them being nowhere near the kitchen, usually drawing them a hot bath full of whatever bath additives they enjoy most while he cooks, just so that their birthday meal, made with all his love, is a surprise for them.

Kuroh doesn’t really hold much stock in material possessions or buying a lot of gifts, though he does try to get his partner something for their birthday. It’s usually something really small though, with the main gift being the experiences they share together that day, all of his undivided attention and time, and something hand-made, like the meal they’ll share together.

AKUTAGAWA

Honestly, not going to lie at all. Akutagawa is the most likely, out of everyone on this list, to completely forget his partner’s birthday. But, at the same time, just saying that he actually forgets his own birthday and the birthdays of everyone else he knows, so it’s not done out of any malice or apathy towards his partner. It’s just that birthdays really are pretty meaningless to Akutagawa, who hasn’t really ever celebrated his own birthday in any special way.

It will either be Gin, Higuchi, or his own partner who will remind him of the fact that the day is his partner’s birthday. If it’s Gin or Higuchi, Akutagawa will snap at them that of course he remembers and then quickly excuse himself…and then he’ll stress himself out a little by quickly playing damage control as he goes to grab a last-minute birthday card and a cake, which is what he assumes is what you do for a birthday. He’s really bad at gift-giving too, usually just grabbing whatever the media has told him is ‘trending’ or ‘romantic’, like flowers, jewelry, stuffed animals, candles, perfume, etc. His gifts are very generic, not really tailored to his partner, but he is trying his best.

If it is his partner that has to call him out on forgetting their birthday, there might actually be a little bit of an argument because Akutagawa will honestly feel a little guilty and embarrassed to have forgotten and this boy is horrible at dealing with his feelings and lashes out to avoid having to really do so. His partner is probably already used to that bad habit of his and hopefully won’t take his words too much to heart. He will apologize, later on, for forgetting and will try to make up for it, in whatever way his partner would like for him to do so, if it’s within his power and agreeable to him.

HAJIME

Hajime does remember his partner’s birthday most of the time. Like 99% of the time, he remembers and the other 1% is usually just him forgetting because he’s insanely swamped with work and super stressed out. However, because Hajime is a workaholic and his job will always take first priority, it’s not always guaranteed that he’ll be able to celebrate with his partner on their actual birthday. It really does depend on whether or not he can book that day off and have it approved, with nothing coming up that will change that.

If he does have to work the day of his partner’s actual birthday, he’ll still make sure to at least text message them, though he really tries hard for an actual phone call, as he does love and miss the sound of their voice. He’ll apologize for missing their birthday, ask what they’re planning to do to celebrate and will genuinely wish them a wonderful day, and will tell them that he is looking forward to a belated celebration with them on his next day off.

If Hajime ends up getting the time off, or when he does get the time off, because he normally gets several days off in a row with the way that Nanba’s schedule works, he typically plans a trip to celebrate with his partner. He likes to travel with his partner, often either as a road trip, since he loves driving and is very proud of his car or taking them on a relaxing trip to the hot springs. He’ll really make sure to try to devote his attention to his partner and to not let them see any stress or frustration he might have brought home from work.

MITSURU

Mitsuru is horrible at remembering dates, but he’s also pretty aware of that fact and does the intelligent thing. He uses technology, like the calendar app on his phone and the various social media sites he has his partner added on and lets them give him the heads up that his partner’s birthday is coming up and to tell him when it’s finally arrived. He has an alarm set on the calendar app for a month before his partner’s birthday, since he gets really busy with work (despite appearances otherwise) and needs the extra time to really plan out gifts and birthday surprises for his partner.

He definitely makes them mixed tapes/digital playlists every year, no matter how long they’ve been together, of songs that he’s heard over the last year that remind him of his partner. It’s easy to tell how many years they’ve been together – someone just has to look at how many of the playlists Mitsuru has made say HAPPY BIRTHDAY Y/N! on them.

Mitsuru is the most likely, out of all the men on this list, to really go over the top with planning his partner’s birthday celebrations. To Mitsuru, there’s no such thing as being too over the top, and since he really is so happy that his partner was born and really does love them, he thinks they deserve nothing but the most extravagant, craziest, wildest, most fun day, right from the early morning to the stroke of midnight and he will keep throwing surprise after surprise after surprise at them, from the time the clock strikes midnight on the eve of their birthday, to the time it strikes the midnight of the next day.

#event asks #k project #nanbaka #bungou stray dogs #bsd #reisi munakata #kuroh yatogami #akutagawa ryuunosuke #hajime sugoroku #mitsuru hitokoe #headcanons

17 notes · View notes

ridiasfangirlings · 2 years ago

Note

We need more advetures of Munakata stalking Mikoto (for Kingly reasons)

Munakata would never stalk Mikoto, this is just normal friends behavior. Like when Mikoto makes a run to the grocery store for more cigarettes and some snacks, Munakata is only there also because he spotted Mikoto across the street and thought Mikoto looked lonely and would like some company. When Mikoto calls him ‘creepy’ and tells him to go away, that’s just Suoh being troublesome as always, and now Munakata has even more reason to accompany him, so that someone can inform Mikoto of all his faults.

Later Mikoto decides to take a walk in the park and he is entirely unsurprised when Munakata comes and sits down on the bench beside him, reading a newspaper. Mikoto wonders if Munakata put a tracker on him again (he burned the last one) and Munakata smoothly denies it, he has no interest in tracking Mikoto’s behavior save for his duty to keep an eye on anyone who could be a danger to the populace. Mikoto figures he’s not a danger to anyone right now except Munakata, Munakata pushes up his glasses and notes that they are in a public park so please refrain from causing a scene. Mikoto says if Munakata didn’t want a scene why did he follow Mikoto into the park, Munakata claims he was only looking for a place to read his paper and this bench was free. Mikoto promptly lays down on the bench, neatly pushing Munakata to the very edge as he says that sorry, there’s no room on this bench after all looks like you’re gonna have to sit elsewhere. Munakata’s glasses shine and he says park benches are not to be slept on as he moves back towards the center, trying to shove Mikoto off the bench. Mikoto says there’s no sign, is Munakata just making up rules like always as he pushes back.

That evening there’s supposed to be fireworks and Anna wants to go watch them. Maybe Homra even sneaks onto the roof of an abandoned building for a better view, Mikoto walks around to the other side of the roof to get a moment alone to smoke and almost runs into Munakata. Mikoto raises an eyebrow and then has a ‘why am I even surprised’ moment before he sighs and offers Munakata a cigarette. Munakata notes that his research indicated this was the best spot in the city to watch fireworks and Mikoto’s just like ‘yup.’ Munakata says he’s always wanted to watch them from a roof such as this, which is why he is up here, there is no other reason. Mikoto lights Munakata’s cigarette and puts it directly into Munakata’s mouth, telling him to shut up for once and enjoy the view.

#Mikorei #Talking K #normal friends behavior #Munakata would never stalk anyone he just happens to be wherever Mikoto is #Fushimi gets called the stalker all the time but Munakata may be worse XD #S4 is not okay

21 notes · View notes

jinjojess · 7 years ago

Note

"#every canon girl would get bored of Naegi" aww, that's harsh. I mean, I loathe "but the Nice Guy /deserves/ this beautiful woman's affections" thoroughly and I see too much of it, but I like to think Naeg and his classmates would like genuinely enjoy each others' company (+ this wouldn't mysteriously disappear in a romantic relationship, as it sometimes seems to do in shipping), + the dynamic I've liked to imagine is more, beautiful baddass gets support from down-to-earth and very (1/2)

2/2 go-with-the-flow egg in her endeavors, egg is content w/ a few simple things in life (the necessities + some things for fun, happy home, friends) and is happy to otherwise throw everything into supporting BB and her ambitions. And they’re together because they just like each other and like being together. CAN YOU SEE THESE DESIRES OF MY SHIPPING HEART?

If that’s your thing, cool, but I have seen and experienced that exact kind of romantic scenario failing too many times in the real world to have such a rosy view of the dynamic.

In more detail:

1) The kind of support that you are describing here is not exclusively romantic, and could be provided via friendship. The fact that the fandom insists and Kodaka insinuates that any kind of emotionally intimate relationship between a guy and a girl MUST be romantic irritates the fuck out of me and perpetuates the immature idea that friendship is “lesser” than romantic love and you can only truly care about people you desire romantically. Whenever I suggest that I prefer Naegi as friends with the girl in question, I get people screeching at me about how Naegi “deserves” their romantic love, as if friendship isn’t good enough.

2) The dynamics of a partnership are different than the dynamics of a friendship–a friend who is not as motivated as you will not be as difficult to deal with, since you have multiple friends with whom to satisfy different needs. But since our society is largely monogamous, a partnership with someone with a wildly different degree of motivation from you is an entirely different kettle of fish. So if for example Kirigiri/Mukuro and Naegi get married, she goes off to travel the world all the time and he sits at home cleaning the house or whatever. Does that really seem like a fulfilling relationship? Sure, Naegi helps with cases when everyone’s lives are on the line, but as you said yourself, he’s easily satisfied and probably doesn’t have any interest in actually being a detective full-time, and he sure as fuck isn’t going to be tooling around as a co-soldier to Mukuro. Realistically, that kind of situation would cause a good bit of resentment–the girl feels guilty for leaving him behind all the time, and slowly comes to resent him for making her feel that way. Hell, he may even start to resent that she doesn’t give him enough attention.

3) Both in canon and in fandom, these kinds of relationships are implied to be a means to “fix” the character flaws of the girls–Naegi is supposed to make Kirigiri more Nice and Mukuro more Healthy and Maizono more Free and sorry, but any way you look at “saved by love for a man” it’s pretty damn shitty as a moral. (It’s also ironically pretty unfair to him–like Mukuro is a horribly fucked up human being and realistically she’d be pretty damn manipulative and harsh to Naegi, but her being conventionally attractive outweighs that I guess.)

4) On the other side of the coin, there’s the part of fandom and canon that only seems to care about the relationship working to fulfill Naegi’s needs and reduces the female character to a token. Like in DR3, where Kirigiri’s death was entirely about making Naegi feel sad enough to make false equivalences to Munakata, or the way the fandom flipped their shit at the idea that Mukuro might value her twin sister she’s known her whole life more highly than some classmate she may or may not have a crush on because “it says so in the fan-made Wiki” (which at the time was far less reliable than it is now).

5) What you have described is pretty much a gender-swapped version of Japan’s favorite Bold Hero and Humble Love Interest Supporting from the Sidelines, and personally that is not my cuppa tea, regardless of how the genders shake out. I prefer relationships that are way more dynamic and have more potential for conflict, where both sides are pretty terrible people.

6) We get zero examples of this going the other way. Where is the example of the attractive guy/normal girl pairing in DR? Well, there’d first need to be a genuinely normal or homely girl, I guess, and right now all we have is Fukawa, who no one but Komaru wants to touch with a ten-foot pole.

7) So, so much of the fanwork I see for Naegi ships is so wildly OOC that I can’t even deal with it. Like I saw a comic a few weeks ago where like, Action Hero Naegi is all “my girlfriend [Kirigiri] is the only thing keeping me from exploding into a ball of rage” and like bruh. How can you so thoroughly misinterpret a character you supposedly like? So much of fanwork, particularly in Japan, is about the girl being so enamored of Naegi doing normal, every day shit that it feels really creepy and wish-fulfillmenty, and you know my stance on that by now.

8) These fucking ships are goddamn everywhere and you just cannot escape from them–I still find it pretty rude that someone marched into my inbox to make a definitive statement about my least favorite character deserving one of my favorites, but apparently saying I dislike a regressive, sexist dynamic is not allowed. I don’t go into the inboxes of people I know ship Naegiri and tell them that Naegi isn’t the right partner for Kirigiri, Mukuro is.

Anyway, hopefully that clears up why I can’t stand Naegi/girl pairings.

#ask #plateauofmemories #shipping #opinions #ship hate #character hate #long post

19 notes · View notes

tkpro-scenarios · 7 years ago

Note

My, Tsukipro imagines blog

You’re welcome! And thank you for loving this blog and requesting!

- mod mari and nana

Ohara Sora (my mod mari)

Money? Check.

Phone? Check.

Dating references? Check.

As he prepared himself for his first ever date, Sora mentally ticked off his list. When he had finished reviewing his notes, he was called by Mori that it was almost time for your agreed meetup.

Rushing to gather all his things, he rushed to the station where you two promised to meet up. When he had arrived near the station, he saw you looking at your phone and called you out, “[Name]!”

“Ah, Sora-kun,” you said as he had reached you and started to regulate his breathing, “Was I late?” he asked you.

You shook your head and told him with a smile, “Nope. You’re just on time.”

He grinned happily before he excitingly told you, “I have a lot of places I thought we could go to! Shall we?”

You nodded and let him guide you to your first location. “Where are we headed?” you asked him as you two walked together side-by-side.

Sora took you to several places, from food stops to arcades to music stores and lastly was the local theme park, all of which you noticed were all famous destinations for a date. Your last attraction is the ferris wheel, overlooking the theme park and the city.

“Waahhh, the sight is beautiful!” you said in awe as you looked at the view. You then looked at Sora, who was looking down nervously, “Sora-kun?”

“Ah, sorry. Say, [Name]?”

“Hm?”

Sora then dived in to kiss you in the cheek, surprising you, “S-Sora-kun?”

The boy looked at you, blush on his cheeks and asked, “S-Sorry, I just– They said that you kiss inside the ferris wheel and–” he started to babble and when you noticed it, you quickly interrupted him by taking his hands in yours.

“Don’t worry, I was just surprised.”

“Really?”

You nodded. His expression soon changed into a happy one. “Then… Can I do it again? This time on the lips?”

You giggled, “Yeah.” you said as you two leaned in for a kiss.

Munakata Ren (by mod mari)

The young light gray haired boy nervously waited outside the station, occasionally letting out a few sighs. It was the first time he would go on a date and he didn’t know what to do. He asked the SOARA members, and even the other units, but he was still nervous about the whole thing.

“Ren-kun!”

The boy looked up to see you walking towards him, “[Name]-san. Hello.”

You giggled at his formality, hinting that he was nervous, “Hello. Shall we go? Anywhere you’re interested in going?”

Ren flinched, “Oh… I was thinking of asking you if you wanted to go somewhere…”

You tapped your chin with your finger, thinking of somewhere to go, “Oh, I know… There’s a piano recital nearby, would you like to watch?”

Ren nodded before you two started to walk towards a music hall, which held a piano recital. The two of you sat somewhere at the back, but is still able to see the performer. As the program went on, Ren started to relax and after the recital, he invited you to eat in a nearby cafe.

“Did you like it?” You asked him

He nodded, “The performers were all outstanding.” he said, before he started to talk about all the pieces the performers had performed and compared it to the time he played those pieces.

You giggled, “Hearing you say that makes me want to hear you play.”

“Hm? What do you mean?” he inquired, he knew you listened to SOARA’s songs and even watched him perform during their lives.

“I meant those kinds of piano pieces. I want to see you play in a grand piano~”

Ren looked at you, surprised, but he softened his expression and took your hands and mustered up his courage and told you, “Then… Will you go out with me again sometime? I’ll play a song, just for your ears to hear.”

You looked surprised at what the usually shy boy had said, but seeing his serious expression (with a hint of blush on his cheeks), you nodded, “I’ll look forward to it, Ren-kun~”

Arihara Morihito (by mod nana)

It was a nice clear day while the blond stood under theclock in the middle of the plaza. He looked up at it then at his wristwatch,taking a breath to calm his pounding heart. Today was an important day afterall—it was his first date with you.

“Arihara-kun!”

As if on cue, you called out to the youth, stopping infront him.

“Sorry! Did you wait long?” you asked with an apologetic smileto which the young guitarist shook his head.

“No, I just got here too.” Morihito replied with his usualsmile, leading you down the path. “Shall we get going?”

—

The date was a casual one, a simple stroll around theshopping district as you looked at the different shops. The first stop was a smallmusic store.

“Wow, they still sell this CD? I heard that when it wasfirst released, the album was so popular that it was sold out nationwide injust three days!” The blond explained, flipping the case in his hand to readthe back. “I wonder if I should it buy it? I heard Nozomu say he likes thisband too!” He mused with a laugh when you giggled.

“Ah, I’m so sorry! It’s supposed to be a date but I gotcaught up—” Morihito apologized, cheeks flushing at his lack of awareness whenyou merely giggled again.

“Don’t worry about it!” you waved a dismissive hand. “You’realways so calm and mature so it’s nice seeing you like this too! Your eyes aresparkling, like when you talk about Sora-kun—it’s actually really cute,Arihara-kun!”

He scratched his cheek with a sheepish laugh. “You can justcall me Mori. It feels a little weird I’m the only one calling you [Name].”

You blinked, suddenly feeling self-conscious as your lipsstarted to move while he patiently waited for you.

“H-How about we compromise with Mori-kun? A-At least untilI get used to it.”

Green eyes stared, maybe it was your shyness but the wayyou said his name made his heart skip a beat.

—

After wandering around a bit more, the two of you decidedto wind down at a bookstore that doubled as a café.

You skimmed through the collection, pulling out a book whenMorihito called out to you.

“[Name], I placed our orders.” He said, joining you whengreen hues lit up at the cover. “Oh, you like this series too?”

“I haven’t actually read it yet, but I am a fan of theauthor so I was thinking about giving it a try.” You admitted, looking back tothe bookshelf. “They have the entire collection here…but I think I’ll only buythis one for now.”

“Eh? Are you alright with just the one?” Mori asked,looking over the café’s extensive collection.

“It’s so that we can come back here to buy the rest on ournext date!” you explained with a sheepish smile. “I mean if you want to.”

“I’d love to.” He returned your smile, taking you by thehand towards your table.

—

Bonding over coffee and books seemed to have helped completelybreak the ice and close the distance, the two of you enjoying the passing scenerydyed orange by the setting sun as the young singer walked you home—fingers twinedwith each other while you indulged in idle conversation.

“Looks like this isme…” You mused, stopping in front of your house and turning on your heel. “Thankyou so much for today Mori-kun! I had a lot of fun!” You smiled, hugging yourbook.

“Me too.” Mori nodded, the two of you exchanging goodbyes.You turned to head inside when the youth called for you again. “[Name]!”

“Hm—” you looked back when the blond surprised you with a chastekiss on the lips.

“I’m looking forward to hearing what you think about thatbook on our next date.” He whispered, placing one more kiss goodnight.

#tsukipro #tsukipro the animation #alive #soara #ohara sora #arihara morihito #munakata ren #scenarios

10 notes · View notes

its-love-u-asshole · 8 years ago

Text

Shaking in My Skull [Ch. 7]

Pairing: Fushimi Saruhiko/Yata Misaki

Rating: T

Summary: Stuck on the plane between life and death, Saruhiko makes the decision to risk everything, forced to find faith in himself and the headstrong Yata Misaki as they both face unimaginable demons.

FFF I’m sorry it took forever to update this lmao I went through a really severe writing block, but it felt so great to get back to this, thanks for your patience <3 This story has one or two chapters left at most, so I’m very excited for what’s to come! Enjoy! Big thanks to @emeraldwaves for reading this over!

Ao3 Version

I also made an 8tracks for this fic if anyone is interested ^^

"What could you give up?"

It was a simple question, one Saruhiko had never pondered before. Sure, there would be times on rainy days or nights when Domyoji or Hidaka would feel extra introspective, maybe after seeing a weird movie, and similar questions would fly around the office.

What's worse, failing or never trying?

Is there something holding you back right now?

Are you happy?

He'd always viewed them as somewhat pointless. Why dwell on the answer to a question if the situation never arose? Why worry about if you are happy, when you could just work on trying to be? That's what Seri had said, and it made sense. Saruhiko never indulged any of them with his own answers, simply nodded along to whatever she or Akiyama said.

It was better that way. Looking back, he couldn't say if he avoided the questions simply because he deemed them worthless, or because he didn't want to face the answers.

But now, he didn't have a choice. He was posed the question, and given the solution, like some backwards exam. Except it wasn't multiple choice, there weren't alternatives. Only one outcome, one way out, and he had to go with it.

He wanted to throw up, wanted to go back to the ghost of his father and bone graveyards, anywhere else but here.

When they'd first stepped through the door, he'd felt like something was off, could feel his mind being picked apart even within his own skull, like something was searching for the soft spots, and again there was that voice, those eyes, this place...

The door had disappeared behind them. Gone. No going back. As if he needed that reminder anymore. He scanned the room, tapping Misaki on the shoulder, so as to make sure he was still there.

It was strange how much the room resembled a shack of some sorts, comfortable, but oddly out of place. There was a torn up couch and a table in the middle, poorly masquerading as a humble living space, surrounded by darkness and the cold cave rock.

A shattered illusion, essentially. Nothing about the space felt easy, though it did give the impression of multiple...people...occupying it.

As Saruhiko's eyes grazed over the tattered blankets and documents with various signatures, he couldn't help but be surprised. He'd assumed Munakata and Mikoto were the only human-like figures down here, but that had been a mistake it seemed, confirmed upon meeting Douhan. He just didn't know how many he expected, how many other deities he'd be forced to meet.

And then, standing in front of them had been another, and those pale eyes were like spikes through his soul. Looking into them....that had been Saruhiko's first error.

The man was seated, strapped to a wheelchair of some sorts, confined but smiling regardless, his eyes searching in a way that was so different. Different from Munakata's calculating gaze, or Douhan's commanding one. It was if those eyes were trying to pull something out of them, and Saruhiko didn't like it at all. But a force of some kind kept him rooted to the spot, forced to let the exchange of information, or whatever it was, flow seamlessly between them until the moment was over. It was like a snap, like when a computer would overheat at work and click off. Instantaneous, leaving a slight hum in its wake.

The man let his shaggy hair fall in front of one eye as he finally blinked, and Saruhiko felt Misaki jolt at the same time he did, the spell ending for both of them as their muscles tensed.

They were waiting for...well he didn't know, did he? This was a trial, but the common format of the previous ones was apparently out the window. They had to wait for instructions, and the knowledge of that was making him more anxious than walking into immediate peril did.

Misaki inched closer to him out of discomfort, letting their shoulders brush, and Saruhiko exhaled from the slight solace he got from it.

Misaki is here with me, and I'm with him. It's fine.

Except it hadn't been.

"While wasting time isn't an issue for you, I think we should move this along, yes?" The man spoke, the words slow and smooth as he tilted his head forward. Yata wouldn't call his demeanor kind or inviting in any sense, but it was purposeful, respectful. Yata spared a glance at Saruhiko, whose face was set in an odd grimace, like he wasn't sure what to make of the man either. They stepped forward hesitantly, not really believing the simple room with its bound occupant and lack of danger.

This was the last trial so...what the hell?

"I'll congratulate you, but I'm sure you've been hearing that a lot. Still, it’s admirable you've made it this far, you two must be really special. Impressing Ambition herself is difficult," he continued, looking away fondly to a framed picture. Yata followed the gaze, noting Douhan sitting primly on the floor in front of the man, along with three others who smiled happily.

He wanted to ask, but decided it didn't matter. He could tell enough from the picture, styled very much like a typical family photo, and he decided the guy in front of them couldn't be too evil, if not seriously strange.

Everyone had the things they loved, and it made Yata feel weirdly jealous, that he wasn't with his own family, back to life with Saruhiko, hands dirtied with paint instead of blood.

Soon though. Soon he would be.

"Impressing me will be a challenge too," he said with a smile, wide eyes flashing in excitement when Saruhiko glared. “I am the deity of Change, but you may call me Hisui Nagare. That’s what I used to be called, but don’t worry, it’s not important for you to know.” His lips quirked a little more, barely noticeable. “It’s not a memory test you’ll be given after all.”

In the past, Yata might’ve jumped on the scraps of information offered, given into any spiel this magical being had, but Yata wasn't having it with the riddles or verbal games anymore. He was tired of waiting. He was curious sure, they could sit there for hours while Nagare told them who he was, what this place was, but what was the point? Yata only had one thing he wanted, and he wanted to be back home.

"We don't care what it is, we'll do it!" Yata didn't so much as flinch when Nagare's eyes snapped to his own. "Bring it on!"

For as much as Yata had been afraid throughout the journey, he was proud he'd never lost his determination, his pride in himself, no matter how many times it faltered. Now was no exception. He was damn exhausted and desperate, but he wouldn't kneel, he'd face whatever came at him head on until he couldn't stand anymore, and then he'd crawl.

He felt Saruhiko relax next to him a little at the words, and Yata took the opportunity to squeeze his hand, their interlocked fingers rough from effort.

He hoped Saruhiko hadn't lost anything either, in fact, Yata could only think he had gained. Saruhiko was still Saruhiko, and so much more.

Funny, Yata thought. He didn't know how time worked in the afterlife, but he had only known Saruhiko for the duration of their journey, and yet he felt like they had a bond that could never be severed.

Nagare sized them up for but a moment, his eyes focusing on their linked hands as his restraints tightened around him. Maybe one day, far in the future, Yata would remember to ask who he was, how he'd gotten there. But for now...

"You heard him, what's the trial?" Saruhiko's thumb rubbed the back of Yata's palm, silently searching for ground.

"Yes, very well. Let's proceed." Nagare nodded, stiff and quick, eyes closing as a serene smile bloomed on his face. "It won't take long, well, depending on you that is. It's not so much a trial as a question you see."

At that, Yata's brow furrowed in confusion. That was it?

"And since you seem so eager," Nagare said, inclining his head towards Yata. "Why don't you start. Someone so passionate..."

It didn't sound like an insult, but Yata couldn't help but glare anyways. Nothing that came out of Nagare's mouth sounded good or bad either way, but it was laced with something he couldn't pinpoint. "A question? Whatever! No problem!"

Really, he should've known by now never to expect the best, but he had an image to uphold, even in death.

"Hm, so you say. It's more like a few questions, a survey if you will." Nagare moved his chair forward, closing the gap between them, and Yata took the chance to glance at Saruhiko, finding some small security in those blue eyes. The taller nodded, and it was all Yata needed to know he had the other's complete faith. He turned back to Nagare, and the seated man took it as his cue. "Alright. Yata Misaki, age twenty, born on July 20th, and died on the evening of August 14th on the Shizume bridge. Cause of death: drowning after being run off the road by a stray vehicle. Hobbies include skateboarding, video games, and painting. Then there is a list of relatives and friends who play important roles in your life, along with some trivial history. That is the basic summary of your life, found in your file."

Yata hardly registered the last part. He felt his body jolt, and he heard the sound of a car horn blare in his ears, the distinct screech of metal against metal ringing throughout his thoughts, a flash of red, the smell of burning rubber...

He was late again, he had stayed too long at the bar with his friends, and now he was going to have to deal with the crowds around his apartment complex.

"Ugh, maybe I should've let one of the guys come with me," Yata mumbled to himself as he made it to the halfway point on the bridge. If it got too dark, he'd surely get lost, he never did get used to this short cut. Traffic was already pretty heavy, the aggressive rush hour taking its toll on impatient cars as they cut each other off and honked loudly. Yata should've just stayed at the bar for the night. Kusanagi wouldn't have minded...

Yata hadn't wanted to impose though. He knew the bartender was stressed about his wedding, and probably wanted to go home to his fiance, not stay worrying over Yata locking up the bar. Fuck, they had the rehearsal dinner tomorrow too...Yata hated wearing suits, and Kusanagi's wife was way too pretty for him to not make an idiot of himself around. On top of it, she was bringing her friends and family too, even more reason for Yata to feel awkward.

"Ughhh," he groaned again, really wishing he hadn't stayed out as late as he had. Now he wouldn't get to bed until late, and tomorrow was sure to be hectic and filled with planning...

Maybe--

A loud horn broke his thoughts, and Yata glanced over to the traffic at his side, barely having time to gasp as a car stupidly switched lanes at the wrong time and at a way too aggressive speed for the current congestion, colliding with the red convertible next to it and sending it careening to the side of the bridge.

Right towards him. Yata jumped, landing on the car’s hood and roughly sliding into the windshield, knocking the air right out of him. His vision blanked, and the last thing he was able to comprehend was the car lurching forward, and the feeling of falling.

Yata tensed, and suddenly it was like he couldn't breathe. It was like he wanted to cough, heave maybe, and it was only Saruhiko's hand on his that kept him in reality.

White. That was what had happened next. He saw white, and the blue of Saruhiko's eyes.

Fuck...

He remembered. Not in its entirety, but he knew it was the truth.

I drowned. I was walking home, there was an accident. I fell...

"Holy shit..."

"I know it might be a shock," Nagare stated, sensing the distress Yata was no doubt emanating.

I'm so stupid. I knew I shouldn't have gone that way so late. I could've avoided everything. All of this...

"I figured it was something like that," Saruhiko voiced, expression softening when he caught Yata's watery eyes.

"H-huh?"

Saruhiko looked about as pathetic as Yata felt, and for whatever reason, the urge to quell his worries seemed to relieve Yata of some of his own anguish. Saruhiko reached out, grabbing Yata's other hand and facing him completely. "Before you woke up...you were coughing really bad, gasping for air...I'm...sorry."

The apology sounded awkward, but Yata knew it was genuine, and it was that alone that already had his mind wafting through the cloud of disappointment in his mind.

It didn't matter that he’d died, if he hadn't, if he had somehow avoided it, he wouldn't have been able to help Saruhiko make it back. He wouldn't have met Saruhiko at all, the taller had died before him, a complete stranger. Somehow the thought was worse than the idea of facing Saruhiko's grieving friends by himself the next day due to the cancelled dinner, so in a strange way, he was grateful. The journey was awful, but they'd made it, and now Yata knew Saruhiko better than he could've hoped, and never wanted to be without him.

"It's okay, it wasn't your fault anyways..." Yata mumbled, pushing down his urge to wrap Saruhiko up in a hug. "I'm here now, with you, and we'll be back soon, together." Yata turned back to Nagare, shaking off the last of his shock. He could worry about it later, much later. "Right after these questions yeah? So let's have it!"

"Well put," Nagare said with a nod. "As I said, that was a summary of your life, but you and I both know humans are much more complex than that. Your thoughts and desires are powerful, and your resolve has proved powerful throughout this whole journey. You've grown and changed, and if you are granted life again, you will change even more." Nagare back up a bit, eyeing the photo on the mantle once more before turning back to Yata. "But, what I'm interested in is the now. I want to know what has to change."

What?

"That being said, Yata Misaki, what are you looking forward to when you get your life back?"

Yata stuttered, and well, he couldn't help it. What kind of stupid question was that? "U-uh..."

"When you started this journey, what was driving you?"

"W-well...my friends and family obviously, I want to get back and see them an--"

"Was that really the most important thing at the start? When you thought of what you'd left behind, you were angry, or so I was told. Why?"

Yata all but growled. Who was this guy to tell him what he valued? Of course his friends were important to him, not to mention his family, and there was...

“I was going to be a great artist you know…was gonna give all the other snobs a run for their money…”

"Oh." Yata froze, not really meaning to voice the realization aloud, if it could even be called that. He swallowed, trying to shrug it off, but something in his stomach told him he'd found the right answer.

But so what? Yeah he loved his art, he wanted to share it and make it into a career, it wasn't abnormal. Lots of people cared about their job...

Yeah, but it was all you cared about, it was the first thing on your mind.

His stomach twisted, and he shook his head despite himself. He knew Saruhiko was looking at him in concern, but he didn't have the heart to look back. All these fears, repressed or new, he didn't know, came rushing up. He was selfish, simple minded....

“I had my first gallery showing next week..."

Right. What a joke.

The worst part was, he couldn't find himself regretting those words from before. It mattered to him, it would always matter to him.

"My art," he whispered feebly. Yeah, his art was a big part of him, it was supposed to change his life, secure his future no matter how hard he had to struggle for it. Now he just felt like he was kidding himself, putting his skills up on a pedestal in his heart when most people would consider it trivial. Yata frowned at the floor, mouth softly opening, unable to find words. Nagare didn't see any issue with continuing regardless.

"Yes, you care very much about it right? There were quite a few pieces of your work in your file, one of my companions actually complimented you. Youth isn't...the easiest to please either." Nagare let his neutral expression fall for but a moment before it was back again, but Yata didn't dwell on it. He was still a little too overcome with everything, he couldn't shake the guilt, didn't even feel proud of the compliment like usual. "It's a form of self-expression, art, and it obviously was a very integral part of your daily life."

"Um...not really, well..." Yeah it was. "I guess it doesn't sound like much to most people..."

Certainly not enough to be someone's first concern upon fucking dying.

But it had been his everything, his drive and passion, he was never happier than when he was sketching or painting, and the facts remained true. So why...

"There's no reason to feel guilty," Nagare supplied in his same, steady tone. It wasn't meant as a comfort, more like he was stating a fact. "It's human nature to indulge in things you value, if you didn't have any passions or interests, it would be more troublesome for me to ask my questions. It's normal. Now..."

Normal.

He knew he wasn't a failure, at least he tried to believe it most of the time. He was good at what he did, he wanted to be even better, how was that different from any other job? Of course it had been on his mind, it was part of his life and future.

Maybe he wasn't as selfish as he thought. And as for the people in his life...

"Tell me, what is it about art that you love?" Nagare, whether he meant to or not, seemed to spark Yata's findings.

"It's a challenge." His voice was still shaky, but as the words flowed, he felt the guilt dissolving, his insecurities leaving him as a grin formed. "It takes effort and time, and sometimes you fail, but when you succeed and finish a piece of work it's the fucking best feeling in the world. It makes me feel proud of myself, but mostly..."

He remembered the late nights where he stayed up, the truthful and encouraging critiques of his friends, the first sketchbook his mom bought him when he was little, and a plethora of good memories where his sketched lines and mixed paints intertwined with his life and the people in it.

"It's an extension of me, and what I'm feeling, and when I'm having fun with my friends or thinking about my mom, it comes out in my work! It's all important to me, and art lets me share that, and when I can, I know all the people who support me are happy too." And that's more than enough.

It's all important, it'll always be important.

"Good.” Nagare’s voice was small then, but something about it made Yata tense. “Now, could you give it up?"

Yata felt as if his words were completely disregarded with the singular statement, and he choked on his reply, because surely there had to be something more. "W-what?"

Nagare blinked, eyes lowering slightly from their usually wide appearance, patient if nothing else. "That is your question, that is your test. Will you give it up? Upon leaving the afterlife, your knowledge of art, the skills learned and acquired, gone. If you desire to return more than anything else, you will be able to let it go."

Give it up.

Hours of sketching, of shitty part time hours working for supplies, pictures and portraits of his life. Gone. Given up.

As if it was so easy to strip away what made Yata whole.

He didn't know if he moved or not, his brain stalling at the words, but he felt Saruhiko jolt next to him, equally stunned, but still being able to comprehend it. Yata couldn't blame him, it wasn't as if he'd just been asked to throw away a big part of himself, but Yata couldn't help but be slightly envious of the clarity.

Was this some kind of joke? All that...for what? Give it up? How could he? What was even the point of having him remember all the great things about his work, about how it influenced him?

Because it's fucked up that's why, this whole place.

Yata wanted to be as angry as he should be, but his face muscles trembled, and he bit his lip hard to block the show of hurt. Nagare stood there all the while as he processed, not cruel or conniving, just...like he was going through the motions. Maybe that made it even worse, because Nagare wasn't giving him anything to yell at, no 'you're pathetic' or 'bet you thought this was easy.' So, it came naturally to him, his next words, as small and helpless as they sounded. "Why?"

Nagare tilted his head, much like the parrot from before. "It's simple really. Not only is it endurance, because after all, it shows how willing you are to complete the journey. However, for me it's telling in other ways." His greyish eyes moved towards the wall, where the portrait sat along with other old, unidentifiable artifacts, much like those in Douhan's area. "Life tends to not go as planned, it's why you're here in the first place. Dreams have to be abandoned at times, connections severed, relationships lost."

Yata's first instinct was to snap back about not fighting hard enough for things, that giving up was a choice people made without trying, but he knew better now. It wasn't always the case, it couldn't be helped at times, and he had no right to judge.

But this wasn't like that. He had a choice, he had made it. He'd sacrificed everything to make it back to his life so he could pursue his passion, not have it taken away.

The response was there, burning on his tongue, but he held it.

"I know it must appear useless and unfair, but you must understand, I believe the sign of someone truly worthy of making it past this point of the journey is someone who is able to leave things behind no matter how painful. They are the ones who are not afraid to move forward and find new ways to enjoy their life, and search for the fulfillment they lost. They embrace change. That's what makes you worthy, if you can give me a yes to that one question."

The tears spilled somewhere in the middle of that, he stopped caring, stopped functioning really.

Saruhiko growled next to him. "What's the use in that? You'll just take it away anyways!" His grip was a vice on Yata's hand, but it trembled from fear, Yata could hear it lacing his voice.

Right, Saruhiko would lose something too. It made him cry harder.

"No, I wouldn't allow it. Your response has to be truly honest, you have to mean it. And believe me, I will know if you don't." Nagare bowed his head. "When you reach hell, you will find out whether or not your response was enough."

Saruhiko snapped again. "What the--"

"Saru..." Yata tried, but his voice was scratchy. He had to do this himself, it was his question. His gut twisted at the reminder. "Let me, p-please."

It made Saruhiko back off, but he stayed rooted to his side, and Yata couldn't be more grateful. We'll get through anything together. Isn't that what he'd always said? If he returned to life after hitting the reset button on his art, well, he'd have Saruhiko, he'd have his family and friends.

His inspiration.

"H-hey," Yata began, clearing his throat and wincing at the noise. "If I say yes, can I never make art again?"

"No, as I said, the skills and effort you've put into it will be cleared, but if you so choose, you are free to take up the challenge of learning again and restore it," Nagare answered immediately, a barely there smile joining the words. It must've been the response he was looking for. "After all, such traits are valued."

Yata would have all he needed, the drive, and the things he loved to influence his creativity. It would be hard, but he wouldn't lose anything if wanted it.

And he really wanted it.

"Do you think you're capable of it? Remember, you have to mean it."

I always say what I mean.

"Yes," Yata answered without hesitation, because that part of himself he knew all too well. If he put his mind to it, no matter how long it took, he would be an artist again. If it was meant to be, he could do it. There would be no point in doubting himself anymore, not after this.

Nagare's smile stretched a bit farther, and Yata's nerves tingled as he made the final decision.

"So then, will you give it up?" Do you want your life back?

Saruhiko's breathing faltered beside him, and Yata fixed the taller with a stern gaze, because yes, he was sure about this, before tilting his chin up at Nagare.

I can embrace change too.

"Yes."

It wasn't like Saruhiko didn't know Misaki was amazing, in fact, he'd come to the logical realization long ago, perhaps before he decided to actually admit it to himself. Back when Misaki was simply an overly determined stranger with too bright eyes and a voice begging Saruhiko to help him, to get their lives back.

“We could get our lives back!”

“What’s scarier than death?”

“C’mon! Don’t you have anyone you miss? Or that misses you?”

Saruhiko had picked apart the genuine words, but he'd caved in the end hadn't he? Did he regret it? He couldn't find it in himself to, and it was such a stark contrast to what he would expect from himself. It wasn't cowardly or negative, and he was as shocked as he was terrified at the admission. How easy it had been, falling into the redhead's pace, adopting his goals. Now Saruhiko knew how powerful the other truly was, how convincing and passionate. It was obvious from the beginning, how Saruhiko really never stood a chance. He thought that maybe, just maybe, his old self would've been angry about that. Would've been repulsed, pushed the other away because truthfully, he didn't understand people like Misaki. He'd never be someone like Misaki. Not fully.

But he had changed a lot, not only from the journey, but before as well. His younger self and the adult Saruhiko, were very different, only connected by the threads of trauma permanently woven into him.

And now...

He may not have gained the unbridled enthusiasm and spirit Misaki had, he never would, those parts of him had long been cut off, stomped into the ground along with his childhood. But he had his resolve, he had his desires, his skills, and the goals which had spawned from Misaki were now purely his.

But in this case...

What could you give up?

The doubt was still there. Yes Misaki was amazing, and he showed it even more so now, being able to give up something which Saruhiko meant the world to him. Difficulty aside, he'd done it.

Dread pooled in Saruhiko's stomach, and he didn't know why. Part of him figured it was the unknown variable. He always hated those. Nagare would pick out something from his life he deemed important to Saruhiko, but the taller really didn't know what.

But no, he knew that wasn't all of it. It wasn't so much that Misaki's bravery made Saruhiko feel like a coward, though it definitely did that too...he wasn't sure if when in Misaki's place, he'd be able to do the same. But it was more because he couldn't distinguish what he coveted so dearly. Could he really say he was super passionate about anything? Saruhiko had been so indifferent all his life, and it wasn't until he'd found a purposeful job and slowly let his friends into his life that things changed. He liked his job, he was good at it, but he wouldn't call it a passion. He didn't love it.

His life was relatively simple and boring. Peaceful, but by no means special, and he liked it that way. He didn't need much, he'd been through enough when he was younger. Having a routine, a place to keep him warm, and a close knit group of people who he trusted, it was all he felt the need for.

Saruhiko watched as Misaki dried his tears clumsily with his free hand, refusing to break the connection between them with his other, and the dread was intensified.

What if this wouldn't work on him? What if he held them back, because there was nothing special about him to lose?

"You're incorrect Fushimi-san." Nagare's voice sliced through his thoughts, calm as ever, and Misaki's amber eyes flashed up to meet Saruhiko's own in confusion. It weirdly stung, which wasn't common with Misaki. Looking at Misaki always calmed him considerably, but now it made the dread pool tenfold and Saruhiko turned away like he'd been slapped.

He snarled at Nagare, damn him. Of course he was aware of the telepathic abilities of these deities, but he didn't get their scope and he certainly couldn't detect them in his head, and it made him feel overly exposed in the worst way. More than that, having Misaki aware of his inner turmoil was the last thing he wanted. So, he'd do what came naturally. He'd deny.

He never got the chance.

"Shut--"

"You're wrong Fushimi-san," Nagare pressed on, holding his head high in observation. Saruhiko tried to loosen his grip on Misaki's hand, but the redhead wasn't allowing it.

"Saru...what is he--"

"I don't need your all knowing wisdom," Saruhiko growled. "Stay out of my--"

"You care about many things, just more subtle. You're standing next to one, for example," Nagare said, gesturing to their joined hands, and Saruhiko instinctively stepped closer to Misaki, bumping into him unexpectedly when the redhead did the same. The dread was surged with fear, because as unbelievable as it was, part of his resolve was getting Misaki out of there, getting them back home and being alive and together. No, he wouldn't give that up.

Nagare nodded in placation. "But that's not what I'm after. I seek something from your life, remember? What you valued most, at the start of it all, and what has endured."

Saruhiko's eyes narrowed. "Enlighten me."

A nod, that's all that prepared him. "As I said, you care about many things, and it all makes up large parts of you. You care about your work in the sense that any work you do is done impressively well and to the best of your ability--"

Hours of sitting at his desk, sifting through files and code flashed through his mind, as do memories of him as a child, researching and researching about whatever piqued his interest at the time. From the science in textbooks or a rubik’s cube, from staying up to make seating charts for Seri's wedding to finishing work reports and video game quests, he worked through everything, drowsiness a secondary concern.

"Mediocre is hardly in your vocabulary, and when it is, you do what it takes to white it out. You care about being better than those that wronged and betrayed you, right down to physical appearance."

He saw years of self-destruction and doubt, of molding himself into an image he could hate, so he wouldn't ever make the mistake of believing he could be something more. He remembered when he stopped, when his reflection started being him, and only him.

"Don't think your glasses request did not go unnoticed. But above all, and regardless of whether you know it yourself, you have immense adoration for those you've allowed into your life."

Saruhiko stops his own mind there, because going further was far too dangerous. It doesn't take a genius to know what Nagare was implying, and he's no idiot, but exposing the truth is more than he's willing to do. As if he could keep it hidden, unharmed, from someone who no doubt knew everything there was to know.

Even still, he pushed down memories of bickering and laughter, of heels clicking and the smell of stuffy offices, because part of him knew what Nagare meant.

He remained quiet for far too long, and he could tell Misaki was fighting with himself to not intervene like he so obviously wanted to. Ask Saruhiko what was wrong and pull the answers out himself with fierce purpose. But he didn't, because he had done this on his own hadn't he? So Saruhiko should too.

How he loathed it now, facing things alone.

"Would all that be correct to assume?" Nagare's question was hardly one at all, said with a slight lilt that hinted he already knew the answer, the greenish-gray of his eyes glistening in a way that did nothing to quell Saruhiko's anger. He wasn't a fan of people assuming things about him, much less when they were completely correct.

He directed what he thought was a scathing glare, and he guessed he succeeded, from how Misaki jumped back next to him, hand stuttering in its grip. Nagare was unfazed as ever, form relaxing oddly in his chair. Patient, waiting.

Expectant.

The worst part was, Saruhiko couldn't give himself the satisfaction of shattering those expectations. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth, dry like sandpaper as he hissed the words out, or he tried at least. It sounded more akin to the voice of a scared child. "Yes."

"What are you willing to give up then? Or, more specifically..."

The feeling bubbled up, dread, knowing. It twisted his gut. It was as he thought. He couldn't push down the memories, Nagare knew they were there.

Saruhiko's breathing stumbled regardless; a memory slipped through.

"Fushimi-san, I have to say, you're being difficult." Fuse's irritable voice cut through the silence of the office. They were working overtime, because the rest of the group had caught some sort of stomach bug after going out the previous night. They could've simply left the work for them for later, but...

Saruhiko almost blanched at the blunt admission, but caught himself. Ah, so it was going to be like this. It wasn't uncommon for Fuse to be annoyingly honest about sensitive issues, but well, Saruhiko had been more than okay with the quiet. "Oh, how so?" He resisted the urge to glare. It wasn't like he much cared about the answer. In fact, he was impressed he'd actually replied. "You can leave if you want, I told you I had work to finish. I don't need your help."

"Right," Fuse mumbled, loudly throwing a stack of finished reports into a sorting bin. "We both know neither you nor I were behind on work. You stayed to help everyone else, so they didn't have things to do when they--"

"Any work that gets done helps overall efficiency, which makes my life less of a headache." Saruhiko cut in, not bothering to hide a scowl this time. There was something he hated about the conversation, regardless of if he chose to pinpoint it, and he'd rather sweep it away and into the silent void as soon as possible. Sure, he could say he and Fuse got along better now than in his first days at the company, but at the moment, he was managing to get on Saruhiko's tired and coffee deprived nerves.

He ignored any of the actual reasoning for Fuse's statement. It wasn't important, shouldn't be. The usual pattern between them told Saruhiko that there was nothing more to say. Saruhiko would make a final remark that left no desire for retort, and Fuse would sigh or grumble, and then...nothing.

So he wasn't exactly expecting it when the other went on.

"You know, you don't have to try so hard to act like you don't care, or that you don't need help. We'd all...we'd help you, if you asked. Probably even if you didn't, which isn't fair, so get rid of the habit already." Another pile, tossed violently in the bin, a stark contrast to the other's level tone.

There they were again, baseless assumptions. He wished he could shut them all down in one go. He was never certain about the assumptions he made about himself, so how dare anyone else have the audacity to make them with no hesitation.

Saruhiko snapped at him, that cruel smile threatening to curl up. He guessed it hadn't gone away yet, wondered if it ever would. "Right, I'm sure."

There was hardly a pause there, like he expected, because a pause would follow the pattern. He would push away, people would back off.

Lately, the pattern was becoming less and less dependable, based on the people who surrounded him. Fuse straightened to his full height, that same annoyed glint in his eyes as he grabbed another stack of paperwork defiantly, because he obviously refused to leave.

"Why do you think I'm here with you?"

The memory wasn't fresh. It was from years back, when Saruhiko had barely been adjusting to his new life, new opportunities and outlooks. He still held parts and tendencies of his old self, still isolated himself and refused to accept words of comfort and weakness.

It wasn't a special moment on its face, he'd been exhausted, irritable. Yet he'd subjected himself to working, and Fuse hadn't hesitated to tag along. Saruhiko knew now it was a gesture of care, and maybe that was the point. Maybe the moment wasn't pivotal, but he obviously cherished it, clung to it deep in his mind because it was essential to...

To what? His growth? The bonds he'd formed?

God there it was again. Admitting it always made his palms sweat.

Bonds, such unstable, fleeting things. In most cases. And yes, maybe his case wasn't normal, when it came to his inner circle, but it wasn't just that and he knew it. The memory reminded him...

"We'd help you, if you asked."

Ah, it was that. The reminder that he had support, whether he deserved it at the time or otherwise. He'd cultivated that, in some unknown way, his loud, overly nosy support system, and as a result, he could hardly think of a memory in the past few years where they weren't involved in some shape or form.

It settled something comfortable inside him, or maybe just reinforced the fact that it was there, the warmth, one which didn't burn or make his skin prickle anxiously.

Saruhiko looked back at Nagare, the strange coolness of the cave seeping in his bones, and he finally considered how this might be the hardest trial yet. His question wasn't something he'd be able to answer correctly, for once in his life. Nagare seemed to realize them too, Saruhiko's own internal realizations, his head bowing before his last effort.

"If you had to return to your life, only to find the people in it no longer remembered you, could you?" A question, that was the trial, but Saruhiko knew his would have many hidden questions, things laced underneath way more complex than a simple rewriting of time, of his bonds. He couldn't answer any of them the right way, like Misaki had. Determined, and sure, confident of his survival. "Can you make the effort to cultivate those relationships from scratch?"

No. A resounding no. Was it not fucking obvious? Saruhiko wanted to snap at him, but his strength drained instantly, the surging of self doubt and loss was too much, he couldn't do anything.

Did these people not know who he was? How much of a distant reality it would be, for him to do any of that? They seemed to know everything else. It had taken Saruhiko his entire life to accept those bonds and connections he'd made, he'd tried to destroy and crack them more times than he could count. He was distant and reserved, any effort made on his companions' part to get closer to him had completely depended on their own kindness and resolve, none of his. It was purely selfish really, how he'd taken his spot among them all, only giving in and seeing their value when all the hard work had been done, his walls chipped away slowly by each interaction and tender moment. He didn't deserve it, not the first time, so why would he be able to earn it a second? He wasn't so naive as to believe it was possible.

On top of it all, he was bad at connecting, he'd been told several times how unpleasant he was. And though he'd surely return to life a changed person, with new insights and more control, there was no guarantee he could erase what had been ingrained in him completely. Certainly not enough to reach out and put the things he cared about back together. He would have Misaki...and yeah, that in itself was more than he could ask for, and he wanted it so bad, but...

He couldn't leave those fragments of himself behind with people, with Seri and the guys, knowing they had no idea what they'd been to him. It was worse than if they simply passed away; nothing about this grieving process would be natural.

How hilarious, he thought with a rueful smile. All this to get back to them, and I lose them no matter what.

No.

That was the answer.

But what was he supposed to say? Certainly not what he knew deep down. Because if he didn't try to deny his feelings, he wouldn't even get the chance to try to overcome them. The journey would end for him, right then and there, after everything he'd gone through.

Misaki would leave without him. All his connections, truly gone.

Misaki's hand touched his neck, like he was trying to ground Saruhiko as best he could, in support of an answer Saruhiko could not bring himself to utter. He met the touch anyways, though he felt sick, and curled his long fingers around the warm palm, never wanting to let it go.

"Saru..." Misaki's voice was the most patient he'd ever heard it, to disappoint the person behind such an understanding tone...he probably couldn't do that either, not after finding out what they meant to each other.

He wanted to be with Misaki, he wouldn't lose that. Saruhiko looked down at the redhead, eyes undoubtedly clouded with fear he had no desire to acknowledge further. Misaki held it, didn't comment on it other than another gentle squeeze to Saruhiko's hand and neck, and Saruhiko could've buried himself in his arms for eternity, away from all this.

But it wasn't an option.

Saruhiko wouldn't break his gaze on the shorter's face, even as Nagare asked again.

"Fushimi-san, could you give those connections up?"

A spark of sadness flashed in Misaki's eyes, but it was much too late for that.

"Yes."

Misaki smiled at him, encouraging, a silent 'you can do this, it won't be so bad.' Saruhiko couldn't mirror it.

"A good choice, Fushimi-san."

"Right."

And all the while, the voice in his head continued. No, no, no.

#sarumi #adri writing #k project #fushimi saruhiko

5 notes · View notes