#No Matter What You Say Furi San Is Scary

[faline-cat444]

They showed up yesterday but I used up the image capping point and their estimate was actually showing up today so nothing really changed

[edgar-allan-possum]

I appreciate that both this guy's given and family names are anagrams of "otaku".

[regarding-stories]

Reading round-up

Sakurai-san wants to be noticed

This is a manga series about a girl putting herself in front of a boy in the most blatant way until he gets a clue. It spans four volumes and is rather charming and typically very cute.

If I had to name one downside, it's the fan service picture each volume. They're not in tune with the series' feel and that makes them feel crass, somehow.

Do give it a chance, it actually it's a breeze to read through and finished recently.

Bakemonogatari

"Bakemono" - altered thing, "Monogatari" - thing told (story). A boy gets drawn into solving mysteries affecting young girls and classmates involving spirits, gods, and monsters. Almost everybody he meets outwits him, though, leading to lots of mocking dialogue. Maybe almost too much of it.

The resolution of the first story is amazing writing, hands down, masterfully executed. I loved it. It already has me hooked. Each encounter with the unknown and mystical is also a personal emotional riddle to be unraveled.

A really long-running series, and being currently in the fourth story (2nd volume, somehow they collect them in twos), I can already tell why. I mostly started reading this because I could find no one streaming the sprawling anime adaptations, but the writing itself makes it very worthwhile.

No matter what you say, Furi-san is scary!

A short manga series that will conclude with upcoming volume 5.

Furi-san looks like a juvenile delinquent, but beneath the exterior hides a surprisingly wholesome girl that nigh-immediately develops a crush with the boy sitting next to her. He in turn starts out being scared of her. Her inability to express her wholehearted crush is comedic gold in itself.

Can't wait for the finale, really.

Kubo won't let me be invisible

Here's another one with an anime adaptation I didn't get to watch.

The basic setup has me in stitches. The protagonist is a boy whom everybody overlooks. People can't find him in the same classroom, his ability to not be seen (not intentional) borders on magic. Except for Kubo - a girl who set her sights on him.

I find it funny how her whole family can somehow spot him when even his friends have a hard time. Wonderful shenanigans. Also the cute version of the art style is to die for.

There are plenty of volumes in the pipeline for this one, waiting to be translated.

[marveltrumpshate]

To say that we’re beyond devastated and at a loss for words barely scratches the surface of what we’re feeling in the wake of the U.S. election, and it’s been a struggle to figure out what to say and how to speak with impassioned clarity when we're muddling through fury, heartbreak, and fear. So what we did was go back to our 2018 "thank you" post to all of our creators, bidders, signal boosters, and supporters to reflect on the beginnings of MTH and where we can go from here.

When Marvel Trumps Hate was created, it was made with the hope that our name would outlast Trump. We would fight to eradicate the hate that he and his ilk have sown and continue to spread and not only survive but also thrive in spite of it. That Trump would be re-elected six years later by a bigger, more emphatic margin, with the Republicans taking the House and Senate, is a damning indication of the state of the U.S. today and a result that is of extreme concern for everyone in the U.S. and around the world.

In many ways, it’s dispiriting that not only have a lot of things not changed since MTH was founded, but they’ve also become actively worse and more dysfunctional. But the difference between 2018 and 2024 is that while our anger hasn’t gone away, our rage is now accompanied with a better, more clear-eyed understanding of what’s broken and what actions need to be taken. We know what needs fixing—and what works.

What works is community. We may not be able to put our trust in certain systems and people in power, but we can lean on and take care of one another. We have to and we will. How do we know this? Because you’ve all shown that since the beginning. We were reminded of it when reading our 2018 post and thinking about the past six years of MTH. Like we said in our closing message at the end of this year’s auction, it’s easy to feel defeated, but time and time again, we’ve learned that the most important thing is to show up even if you’re unsure of what impact you can have as just one person. Every year, that’s what you all do.

Hope doesn’t come from nowhere. We have to create it ourselves. And while there are dark days ahead of us, what we have to hold onto as we march forward, what lights our way, is the knowledge that you’re doing just that. This year’s auction is proof of it.

This year, 180 "Marvel"-ous creators came forward to offer 293 auctions. They offered 360 unique platonic and romantic relationships and character-centric options (if we include "all ships/gen"-inclusive relationships, this number is even higher) across 40 universes within the Marvel multiverse.

This spirit of inclusion goes beyond trying to encompass as much of the Marvel fandom as possible and can be seen in our auction and charity results too. Every one of 293 auctions was bid on, and every one of our 30 supported charities received donations. As ever, we’re in awe of your commitment to supporting all our creators and charities.

As for the crowning achievement, the culmination of our efforts, the grand total we raised this year is…

Wow. This is the most we’ve ever raised in a single MTH auction (other than our Spiders Georg 2021 auction), and you shattered the record for the highest amount donated to a charity AGAIN, with $9,420.62 going to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) too. This is all the more impressive considering it was accomplished by the second-to-smallest number of creators and auctions we had. It goes to show that no matter how small you are, you can pack a punch if you team up.

You can see the effort of our teamwork and the breakdown of the donations here (to enlarge the image, click here and hover to see the donation amount per charity).

We’ve also listed the amount raised per charity on our 2024 auction results page.

Creators, we couldn't have started this auction without you. Your commitment to the event, whether you return every year, made a surprise welcome return after a break, or are new and took what we know can be a scary jump into the event, moves us. It’s hard putting yourself out there, and we applaud you for it.

Bidders, your willingness to duke it out helps us raise as much money as we do. We’ve seen some wild things though what always astonishes us the most is that most donations are small ones including a lot of those crazily high winning bids—so many of them were the result of people pooling their five dollars together! This has been consistently the case since MTH began and is a testament to the ripple effect you can have if you’re part of something bigger than yourself.

We also owe our success to our amazing signal boosters. There can’t be an auction without any participants so to every fandom community Tumblr and Discord mod and every individual who shared our posts and encouraged their fandom friends to sign up and/or bid, thank you so much. Together, we reached hundreds of fantastic creators and bidders from all corners of the Marvel fandom, many of whom we didn't know and some who were hearing about us for the first time (and some who made the leap after sitting on the fence for years which is awesome).

Thank you all. We’re so touched by the massive number of people who donated above and beyond their pledged amount, creators who took on multiple auctions and offered multiple winner slots, and bidders who accepted their second-place wins with such eagerness. We also had people make donations in the spirit of MTH even though they didn’t win an auction, which was beyond generous. This year, we saw a record number of people doing that (even someone who was no longer part of the Marvel fandom but wanted to support what we were doing), especially in the wake of the U.S. election, and it made us very emotional to see such compassion.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for helping us turn our seventh Marvel Trumps Hate auction into such a fantastic experience. We cherish every single message of love and support that we received and continue to receive on our Discord server and through DMs, Tumblr messages, emails, tweets, etc., and they as well as your generosity have buoyed us since September and the past two days in particular.

If you'd like to stay updated on all of the 2024 Marvel Trumps Hate fills, follow us and/or check out the "mth 2024" tag on our Tumblr. You’ll also be able to find works posted on AO3 in our Marvel Trumps Hate 2024 collection and links to fills in our Discord server, which you can join to brainstorm prompts, chat about fills, and find out about other fandom events.

And with that, MTH 2024 has officially come to a close. Thank you once again to everyone who volunteered their services, time, money, and platforms to spread the word. We hope that these results have bolstered your belief that you can make a difference as well as your determination to stand back up after being knocked down and defiantly say, “I can do this all day.”

Because we have to. For those of us who have suffered, for those of us who are in the most danger now, for those of us who have died at the hands of the evil and cruel in power and are no longer with us. For all of us who are still here. Because we all deserve to be here, safe, cared for, and alive.

So let’s get back up. Let’s get to work.

Yours in solidarity, Your 2024 MTH mods

[connordraws]

smoking behind the convenience store with you is better than ok but if thats ok whatre the best manga ur reading

yknow what i take that back, in the sea of romcom mangas ive read (which unfortunately is a lot) 'smoking' is better than most.

i read only trash at the moment & absolutely cant share em out of embarrassment, but i will say

after the rain

angel densetsu

mob psycho

azumanga daioh

no matter what you say, furi-san is scary

are my favorites, in no particular order

[thelreads]

Have you read Tonari no Furi-san wa Tonikaku Kowai (No Matter What You Say, Furi-san is Scary)? It's a romantic comedy about an ordinary high school boy who's scared of the delinquent girl sitting next to him that's always glaring at him in class, but she's actually a nice girl with a mean-looking face that thinks he's cute and is trying to flirt with him. Badly.

Oh yeah I did read it a long time ago. Never finished it for some reason, I think I stopped reading for some reason then forgot to get back to it

[stella-so-sly93]

Recently read the first two volumes of this manga called No Matter What You Say, Furi-San is Scary and it's a cute little slice of life and Furi is adorable. This scene cracked me up cuz of how much an oblivious dork she in this scene. 

[frankiepayot]

Furi-San Fanart

[drink-n-watch]

No Matter What You Say Furi-San is Scary - Manga First Impression

No Matter What You Say Furi-San is Scary – Manga First Impression

I’m going through some sort of identity crisis at the moment. The moment is probably 3 months ago. I have quite a lot of posts prescheduled at the moment. First, a whole bunch of series of animes have made me realize that I no longer have a tendency to dislike little kid characters. Quite the contrary, in fact, I think they are adorable and I should watch more shows with little kids in them. I…

[faline-cat444]

Some starts and standalones but mostly expansion

[edgar-allan-possum]

[regarding-stories]

Rounding them up to keep up

So, I watched and read more stuff. But before I get into the "new" stuff, some updates for stuff we had before:

I just finished reading the final volume of "No Matter What You Say, Furi-san is Scary!" It was a delightful, highly pleasing end of a series that was heart-warming, well-paced, and fun to read.

I watched season 1 of "Kubo won't let me be invisible" and it was delightful.

I'm well into "season 2" of the -Monogatari novels and find them truly good (except the endless banter dialogue about anime and wordplay). Tsubasa Hanekawa got to be the narrator of her own volume and is definitely best girl. Why is nobody streaming this in Japanese anymore??

And so, without any further ado, some recent discoveries.

Flying Witch

This is an "older one" and hence we're unlikely to see another season. I'm glad the time is ending where most anime wound up with one season only.

This is one is a bit subdued, more slice of life, and absolutely a comforting treasure. Young modern-day witch arrives at her relatives, begins to slowly get into the business of witching she's supposed o learn, and also attends high school.

Three episodes in, already loving it. Countryside goodness. Wholesome to boot.

Bullbuster

A different take on giant robots. Small down-on-its-luck company uses giant robots to battle monsters that have overrun a Japanese island - in a Japan very similar to present day. But the show is not about endless robot-vs-monster battles, it's really about the people working at that company, uncovering the mystery behind the monsters, and the realities of the workplace. It's fun and relatable.

No animated GIF for this? Meh.

I'm In Love With The Villainess

Rae loves her dating sim games and one day wakes up in her favorite one. But instead of winning over any of the handsome three princes she goes after her favorite, the haughty noble and game's bully/antagonist - Claire.

Rae is armed with the knowledge about the game's many paths that somehow still play out, but the more she progresses down her path to win Claire's affections, the more she gets into the unknown.

What makes the show work is the Claire has actually quite some character under her off-putting demeanor - and what makes it funny is that Rae is perfectly content to be Claire's masochist doormat - which really freaks Claire out. Freaking out Claire is best!

Definitely above par for a "I'm in a game!" show and entertaining.

Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions

Here's a modern Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson pairing. Ron is a genius but (complicated backstory, yada yada) forbidden from sleuthing - which is all he lives for. He's of course quirky to boot.

Toto is a most hapless police detective that was about to be fired from the murder unit because he couldn't solve any cases. They team up and Toto becomes the front for Ron to solve cases.

It's super-quirky, funny, and has great mysteries. I think it also abides by the code for writing a true detective mystery by providing us enough clues to solve the mystery ourselves. (As opposed to hack stories like the BBC's "Sherlock" which is all about grandstanding. Sorry, Benedict Cumberbatch. I still love you.)

Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and The Inexperienced Me

A shy high school nobody is dared to confess to his class' super-popular gyaru that he has a crush on. And she says yes? Turns out our heroine did have a lot of boyfriends because she says yes to all of them and tries to make the boys happy, only for them to take advantage and leave. (Because she thinks this is as it should be and not of herself.)

It's not very convincing a setup, and the show suffers at times from it, but it's heart-warming how the protagonist slows things down and actually tries to date the person she is and cares about her and how actual feelings bloom.

It's very low on drama, save for one episode, and very untypically for a Japanese show, the drama is nigh-immediately resolved by... talking it out? Communication? Where is the several seasons of dysfunction and unsaid words? Somebody clearly didn't get the memo.

(Actually I like it. It's an easy show to watch.)

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You

I thought this would be too stupid to bear but it's actually working. A god fucks up somebody's wish for a girlfriend and grants him 100 soulmates. And to make it worse, they'll die if they don't get to be with him. And he meets all in high school.

Title is a dirty liar, though: So far it's five. And they rock, even though they simply are a harem covering all character type bases. (But I won't pretend I remember their names.)

The show is funny to watch, there is not much drama, and it doesn't take itself seriously. And the girls agree that they other can date him, too? And have all kinds of interactions themselves?

This could be a show about polyamory except it's too silly for that. But it makes me laugh. It's really into kissing, though.

Psycho-Pass

Japan in the future. An omnipresent AI can detect whether people are so psychologically unstable they would get violent or murderous, so a special police task force hunts them down.

And who better to hunt them down than people with high disturbance scores and their handlers? Yeah, makes sense...

I'm only halfway, but I suspect more is behind the show's setup than simply enabling the episodes to proceed as they do - the underlying arc is only unfolding slowly yet.

But talk about dystopia. This is "Minority Report" all over. The reaction of people to other people being in actual distress is itself disturbing. May be a very clever show. I hope. It sure thinks nothing of allowing maximum violence against people who have merely a high score... Wow, there's more? But not today.

[archiveikemen]

Abe no Yasuchika Main Story: Chapter 4

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection; expect mistakes, grammatical errors, and some creative liberties. All original content and media used belongs to Cybird. Please support the game by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

Read this before interacting┊aikm’s Genjiden Glossary

Sanemitsu: You are nothing more than a mere town girl. Don’t think you can get away with this. 

(... Sounds scary. But I can’t let this slide.)

My wrist was throbbing in pain from how tightly Sanemitsu-sama was grabbing it, but I shot him a death glare burning with fury.

Just then—

Yasuchika: What are you doing to my lovely assistant? I’d appreciate it if you'd keep your hands off her. 

(...!) 

Sanemitsu: Yasuchika-dono…!

Yasuchika-san came into the room and took Sanemitsu-sama's hand off me. 

(He came to save me…) 

I felt relieved and my body instantly relaxed. 

Sanemitsu: … You’ve misunderstood.

Sanemitsu: I was just about to discipline this girl for being rude to me. 

Yasuchika: I wonder which of you is the one who needs to be disciplined? 

Yasuchika: Even though Yuno-san is an apothecary I don’t think she knows of any medicine to prescribe to a creep who took advantage of her kind offer to examine his injury! 

(Yasuchika-san?)

(Up till now, he had been polite to Sanemitsu-sama.) 

Sanemitsu: … Yasuchika-dono. You’ve said too much. 

Yasuchika: Are you surprised by my sudden change in attitude?

Yasuchika: What if I say that I found your weakness… and thus I don’t have to be at your mercy anymore? 

Sanemitsu: What?

Yasuchika: Not only did you have relationships with multiple maids prior to getting married, you even made your wife’s relative your mistress. All of which are sinful deeds. 

(What…?)

Sanemitsu: H-How did you find out? 

Yasuchika: From my source.

(Could it be that ayakashi in the grass at the teahouse…?) 

Sanemitsu: … Even so, you have no concrete evidence. 

Yasuchika-san reached into his pocket and pulled out several letters. 

Yasuchika: These letters were found in your office, all addressed to your mistresses. 

Yasuchika: I knew I’d need physical evidence to support my claims, so I borrowed them. 

Sanemitsu: Ridiculous…! I’m sure I never told anyone where I hid those. 

Yasuchika: You should be more careful. Evil spirits from the rivers and mountains are attracted to evil things. 

Yasuchika: Witnesses of evil deeds aren’t always human beings.

Sanemitsu: …! Argh… 

Sanemitsu-sama looked at Yasuchika-san with eyes fearful of what else he might know.

(... It’s understandable he feels this way. There are no limits to Yasuchika-san’s capabilities.) 

Yasuchika: No matter how good you are at covering up, you won’t be able to do that anymore once your wife knows about these letters. 

Yasuchika: You married your wife because you wanted her father’s support in the Imperial Court. So this must be something you wish to avoid. 

Yasuchika: Especially when you're about to get promoted. It’s not ideal to cause problems, don’t you think? 

Sanemitsu: … Isn’t an Onmyōji only supposed to focus on astrology and divination? 

Sanemitsu-sama’s voice was shaking. 

Sanemitsu: Why do you know so much about politics? 

Yasuchika: An Onmyōji’s magic is so useful that quite a number of people want to use it for political purposes, you know? 

Yasuchika: If you’ve been dealing with those people since you were a child, you’d naturally grow familiar with politics. 

Sanemitsu: W-What do you want from me? 

Yasuchika: That’s right. First of all, I want an apology. 

Sanemitsu-sama’s jaw dropped and he bowed his head in resignation. 

Sanemitsu: … I’m sorry for being rude to you. Is that enough? 

Yasuchika: That wasn't sincere enough. 

Sanemitsu: … My sincerest apologies for my actions! 

Yasuchika: Yep. That sounds better. Now, why don’t you apologise to the right person? 

(What?)

Sanemitsu: Huh? Erm… 

Yasuchika: I’m not the one who needs an apology from you. 

Yasuchika: It is Yuno-san you need to apologise to. 

(Yasuchika-san…)

Sanemitsu: You expect me to apologise to a commoner…? 

Yasuchika: Fine by me if you don’t want to! It won’t be my fault when my client’s life gets ruined by something other than supernatural things. 

Yasuchika-san waved the letters in his hand. 

Sanemitsu: I… I have made a grave mistake. Please forgive me, Yuno. 

Sanemitsu: My sincerest apologies…! 

Yuno: I… 

(What should I do?) 

When I turned to Yasuchika-san, he gave me a wicked smile, as if telling me that I could do as I pleased. 

Yuno: … Yasuchika-san saved me, so I wasn’t hurt. 

Yuno: But I can’t forgive you for all that you’ve done to other women. 

Yuno: Please genuinely reflect on your actions, and not just because you were exposed…

Sanemitsu: … O-Of course.

Yasuchika: Impossible. 

Yasuchika: People like him never change. 

Yasuchika-san was smiling, but he looked down at Sanemitsu-sama with cold eyes. 

Yuno: Yasuchika-san… 

Yasuchika: But that’s none of my concern.

Yasuchika: I want you to write an apology letter to the woman who sent that living spirit. 

Yasuchika: Hand it to me once you’re done, and you can have these letters back. 

Sanemitsu-sama no longer had the will to protest, he slowly picked up a brush from his writing desk and started writing. 

After he finished writing, Yasuchika-san did as he promised. 

Sanemitsu: UeUe… 

(Sanemitsu-sama, you look like a completely different person now.) 

The young court noble’s confident face was now utterly broken. 

Yasuchika: Sorry you're in this state, but allow me to remind you that you still have to pay for my services. 

Yasuchika: Here’s the bill. 

Sanemitsu-sama’s eyes were wide as saucers when he saw what was written on the paper presented to him. 

Sanemitsu: But that’s not the amount I was told at first!? 

Yasuchika: You can afford it, right? 

Yasuchika: You can pay me using your private funds. I charged you just enough money to keep your wife in the dark.

Yasuchika: Looks like you won't be able to have mistresses for quite a while. 

Sanemitsu: You’re still trying to ruin me… 

Yasuchika: No, no, you’re mistaken. All I ask for is that you lend me a hand when I need help one day. 

Yasuchika: With your father-in-law backing you, you’ll become even more powerful. 

Yasuchika: To be able to become closer with such a powerful person makes my work as an Onmyōji worthwhile. 

Yasuchika-san smiled to feign innocence. 

(Even though Yasuchika-san thinks that Sanemitsu-sama will never change his ways, he intends to take advantage of him.) 

I felt a shiver run down my spine. 

(... I just witnessed another side of Yasuchika-san.) 

After leaving Sanemitsu-sama’s mansion… 

Yasuchika: Alright, I’m going to look for the woman who sent the living spirit. What about you? 

Yuno: I don't know…

Yasuchika: Yuno-san. You were shocked at the methods I used earlier, right? 

Yuno: I…

(As expected, there’s nothing I can hide from him.) 

Yasuchika: You don’t have to push yourself too hard, okay? If you want to know more about your powers and other strange things, I can always find you another opportunity. 

(He’s right that I found his way of doing things frightening…) 

Yuno: I don’t find it taxing to help you out, because I know you’re here for me. 

Yuno: I want to learn more about supernatural powers and strange creatures… so, please take me with you. 

Yasuchika: …

Yasuchika-san’s expression became gloomy as he furrowed his eyebrows. 

Yasuchika: You’re strange. 

Yuno: T-That's not what I expected you to say. 

Yasuchika: Really? I’ve never met anyone like you. 

Yasuchika: But yeah, if you want to… come on. 

Yasuchika-san smiled slightly in the sunset. 

I hesitated for a moment before nodding in response. 

We followed the traces of Yasuchika-san’s magic and came to…

Father: Um, what business does an Onmyōji have with my daughter…? 

Yasuchika: There’s something I need to confirm. 

Sitting before a sunken hearth in front of a simple-looking house, Yasuchika-san spoke to a man who claimed to be the woman’s father.

Yuno: We apologise for the sudden visit.

Father: It’s okay… but my daughter has been laying in bed for a while now, and she’s not in the condition to speak. 

The sight of the father’s haggard face made my heart ache.

Yuno: Is she ill…? 

Father: I think it might be neurosis… 

Father: About a month back, my daughter was abandoned by a noble family she was serving. 

Father: She thought that she would eventually get married… she believed those verbal promises. 

(But Sanemitsu-sama ended up getting into a political marriage…) 

Father: She was falsely accused of something she didn't do… so she got sacked… and tried to take her own life. 

Yasuchika: …

Yuno: Oh my…

Father: She survived because I managed to stop her just in time, but afterwards she fell into an unusually deep sleep…

Father: She told me that she felt exhausted although she did nothing all day.

Father: Even if she wakes up, she doesn't have the energy to speak. 

Yasuchika: … I see.

(This means that she became a living spirit while she was asleep.) 

(But I’m worried about how heartbroken her father will feel if he knows that…) 

Yasuchika: I understand the situation now. You see, your daughter is—

The thought of him revealing the cruel truth made me gulp.

Yasuchika: She’s just being possessed by an ayakashi. If we perform an exorcism, she’ll get a lot better. 

(What?) 

Yasuchika: However, the ayakashi is already very deep into your daughter's soul. So I will have to be extra careful during the ritual. 

Father: … My daughter is in this state because of an ayakashi!? 

The father exclaimed in shock. 

Father: B-But it costs a lot to hire an Onmyōji… 

Yasuchika: Ah, don’t worry about that. I’ve got you covered! 

Father: What? 

Yasuchika: Actually, the court noble who hurt your daughter deeply regrets his heartless actions. 

Yasuchika: So he want to pay for the emotional damage.

Yasuchika-san handed the father a heavy bag. 

(That's the money Yasuchika-san threatened Sanemitsu-sama for…!) 

Father: Is this really from him…? 

The father muttered in amazement. 

Yasuchika: It should be enough money for you and your daughter to move to somewhere where you can live happily and comfortably. 

Yasuchika: Here’s proof of his sincerity.

Yasuchika: This is an apology letter, since you probably don’t wish to ever see his face again. 

(— Yasuchika-san’s words are mixed with lies.) 

Sanemitsu-sama didn't give him this money to pay for emotional damage, and he wrote that apology letter because he was being threatened by Yasuchika-san. 

(Still, for a father and daughter who are this devastated…) 

(A “sincere apology” from Sanemitsu-sama would be a little comforting.) 

Yasuchika: After your daughter recovers, you can pass it to her when the time is right! 

Yasuchika: … And if necessary, it can be used as physical evidence against the other party.

(That sounds dark!) 

(... But I understand now. Yasuchika-san demanded this much payment for that woman’s sake.) 

I was relieved that it wasn't because he wanted to pocket all that money. 

Father: Oh my goodness…

Father: T-Thank you so much. Please save my daughter…!

Crying tears of joy, the father held Yasuchika-san’s hands and thanked him profusely.  

A few moments later…

Yasuchika: Glad the daughter woke up. 

Yasuchika: Looks like we’re done for now. I placed a seal on the living spirit while I exorcised the ayakashi, so there shouldn't be any problems. 

We were on our way home after leaving the woman’s house. 

Yasuchika: I’ll monitor the situation for a few more days before closing the case. 

(That’s a relief…!) 

Yasuchika: You’ve worked hard, Yuno-san.

Yuno: All I did was watch from the sides. 

Yasuchika: You examined the woman and prescribed her medicine to replenish all the nutrients she lost. 

Yasuchika: Her father and I are very grateful for your help. 

Yuno: … It wasn’t much but I’m glad I could be of help. 

(But tonight’s hero is definitely Yasuchika-san.) 

Yuno: Yasuchika-san, you’re a kind person. 

Yasuchika: …

Those eyes as dark as the night sky staring straight at me made me flinch a little. 

Yasuchika: Why do you think so? 

Yuno: … Am I wrong? 

Yasuchika: Everything I’ve done is part of my job. 

(Work? But…) 

Yasuchika: Only the most sorrowful of people become living spirits. 

Yasuchika: No matter how hard I try to seal a living spirit, as long as the resentment and sorrow remain, it will only grow stronger. 

Yuno: Yasuchika-san… 

Yasuchika: I got to the root of the problem because I wanted to prevent the same situation from happening again. 

Yuno: That’s why you lied to them? 

Yasuchika: Because sometimes, the truth hurts more than lies. 

Yasuchika: Knowing that the person you hate regrets their actions can potentially soothe the anger that’s eating you from inside out. 

Yasuchika: And if you get the money to lead a comfortable life, you might forget the pain of your past. 

His voice gently melted into the night breeze. 

Yuno: To me, it still seems like you did all that out of kindness. 

Yasuchika: … It’s too bad you think that way. 

Yasuchika-san suddenly stopped walking. 

There was a faint bitter smile on his face.

Yasuchika: I was only pretending to be kind. 

[lilyofthesword-writes]

Kokkuri-san (Loki Oneshot)

Summary: You are on your way back to the Tower when you sense a strange energy emanating from it. Loki is there to help.

Pairing: Loki x F!Reader (established relationship)

Word Count: 1,718

Warnings/Disclaimers: Opens with description of being unable to breathe.

A/N: I tried to provide enough information for this to be a stand alone, but it does still act like a follow-up to Sorceress. And if you would like more information on the game Kokkuri-san, I highly recommend checking out the podcasts Kowabana and Toshiden both created by Tara A. Devlin at Kowabana.net. Just a heads up, this is NOT sponsored by anyone. I just enjoy listening to scary stories, and this became one of my favorites.

Masterlist

Molasses had seeped past your skull, compressing your brain uncomfortably. Or at least that’s what it felt like. A wavering darkness flowed around you as if you were underwater. Your lungs were sluggish to take in air, and it was getting worse. The longer you were forced to endure this pressure, the harder it was for you to focus, to breathe.

-up...

A voice muddled through the inky blackness.

Wa- up...

It sounded so familiar...

Wake up...

Nat, maybe? Were you asleep?

WAKE UP!

Your eyes shot open, unwillingly taking in the light of the Quinjet. The air you sucked in felt like gravel in your throat. Nat’s steely grip on your shoulders were beginning to ground you in reality.

“Wha- What happened?” Your throat burned as you spoke.

“Some kind of dream.” Her concerned eyes bored into you as you tried to blink yourself to full consciousness. “You were breathing heavily before you just stopped altogether. You okay?”

“Y-yeah,” you half lied. You didn’t feel nearly as bad in the dream but it still felt like sludge was creeping across your mind. Whatever energy you were getting close to was some kind of nasty. “How far are we from the Tower?”

Nat released you from her hold. “About an hour out.”

The pressure on your head was only growing worse the closer you all got.

“Okay...” you sucked in a deep breath.

Sitting in the seat across from you, Nat eyed you wearily. “You sure you’re good?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, pulling out your phone. “Just going to break one of Fury’s rules. Something is going on at the Tower.”

An eyebrow shot up her forehead. “One of those sixth sense things, again?”

“You could say that...”

You pulled up Loki in the messenger app. You could astral project yourself to talk with him, but that could be more dangerous with whatever energy was infecting the Tower.

You: Hey. We’re almost back. What’s going on there?

Loki: Good evening to you as well, Darling. You can feel the energy from where you are?

You: Yes, it’s very... Palpable. ☹️

Loki: Well, we could use the extra help. It seems that the Ant-Man’s daughter played some spirit summoning game before joining him here for the summer.

You: And it followed her... Great... Is she at least okay?

Loki: She is unharmed. More spooked than anything.

You: Good, good. Did she mention any specifics? Like which game?

Loki: She did, yes. Although, she is unsure if she remembers it correctly. I believe she said it was Kakariko.

You: That can’t be right... That’s a village from a video game series.

Loki: So I learned recently with the Spiderling’s assistance.

You: Did she mention anything else?

Loki: She spoke of strange symbols as well as numbers being written in rows on a piece of paper. A coin was used as a conduit to pick each symbol.

You huffed and smacked your head in realization.

Kokkuri-san

Similar to a Ouija board in nature, missing or mucking up a step could be dangerous. Summoning spirits really should not be a game, something you concluded after cleaning up several messes on campus caused by the students who believed themselves master magicians despite their lack of experience. You couldn’t blame them too much for wanting to try since you had played a variety of those games in traveling with your family as a child. In Japan, Kokkuri-san was all the rage in schools.

Bumping your head on the back of the seat impatiently, you checked the time on your phone for the millionth time. You were about twenty minutes away now. Estimating the physical distance, you debated on just teleporting to the Tower instead of waiting in agony during the small amount of time.

Your phone pinged with a new message.

Loki: How are you faring?

You: Better than before. Energy barrier helps. How’re things there?

Loki: I have Lang and Cassie in her room with protection. The spirit cannot reach her there. However, it is lurking about. Stark is none too pleased.

You: He’s not blaming you, is he?

Loki: He tried. It did not last long.

You: Good. We should be there shortly.

Loki: I’ll be waiting, Dove.

Placing the phone in your pocket, you huffed.

“You know,” Nat chimed in, “We should be pretty close now. Just go already.”

Contemplating a moment, you answered, “I don’t know... I’ve only practiced long distance teleportation a few times.”

“And you were successful. Count this as extra practice. Now get out of here.” The harsh sound of her words was mitigated by an encouraging smile.

With a nod, you took a deep breath and teleported to the landing pad. You were about a foot away from the floor when you reappeared. Loki was already there to catch you. The god knew you too well.

“I dare say you might be getting the hang of this.” He held you close like he was making up for lost time.

You reached up and cupped his face to pull him in for a kiss. “Only because I have a very patient teacher.”

“I have missed this,” he breathed, his lips brushing against yours. “But I believe there is a young girl waiting for our help.”

Aside from Stark’s ranting about how ghosts weren’t real, setting up the library went off without a fuss. Between the salt, candles, charms, your spells and Loki’s seiðr, there was no way this could go wrong.

After confirming with Cassie that she had indeed played Kokkuri-san with a new friend who had recently moved to the States from Japan, you had coaxed the whole story out of Cassie. At their slumber party, they had started to play and were spooked by a sudden power outage and strange noises, causing them to let go of the coin used to slide over each symbol. With their connection to the conduit broken before properly closing the game, the kami/spirit latched onto Cassie and followed her here. The best bet was to re-summon the kami in a more secure environment and properly close the game. Luckily for all of you, she had kept the 10 yen coin her friend accidentally left behind, something you needed for all this to work.

You were quadruple checking the last set of charms when Loki snuck up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and nuzzling your hair. “Everything ready, my little sorceress?”

“As ready as it will ever be,” you huffed before turning on your heel to face him. “This always makes me a bit nervous.”

He pulled back to look at you while he spoke. “Everything will go according to plan. Besides, you have me here. Nothing could possibly go wrong,” he chuckled, a teasing grin painted his face.

“What an ego,” you exclaimed and lightly smacked his chest. You couldn’t help your own smile. “Just go get Scott and Cassie so we can get this over with.”

“As you wish,” he relented, teleporting away after stealing a kiss to leave you flustered. It was certainly one way to lighten the mood.

The summoning had gone well enough. Both you and Loki knew for sure just by the feel of the energy the right kami had come. It was getting it to leave that was the problem.

“Kokkuri-san, please return.”

The coin slid to いいえ/iie no matter how many times you all reset it to the middle of the board.

No.

While you and Loki both grew in frustration, Scott was busy keeping Cassie calm. As level headed and clever this girl could be, the repetition was getting to her. Loki decided another tactic was in order. A few unintelligible words under his breath that you barely heard and the kami was visible on the table.

A tall kitsune clad in white and red robes hissed and glared at Loki, but made no move to attack. It knew it had no chance with all the preparations you two had done. Its four tails flicked in annoyance and its white, almost silvery ears pressed back. You held back a sigh of relief. This kitsune was not as strong as it could be, having not lived long enough to acquire its maximum nine tails and its full power.

“What is it you desire, Spirit?” Loki spoke loud and unwavering.

“Same as Mischief God. Fun,” it growled through its broken English. Despite the ability to hear it now, none of you dared remove your fingers from the coin.

“Well, you certainly have had your fill. Now begone! Return to your realm,” he challenged.

The kitsune’s tails waved wildly as it contemplated its next move. Its eyes flitted to Cassie, softening almost apologetically as it gazed upon her. Similar to its Western Fae counterparts, it did not fully understand that its version of fun was not the same as it was for mortals.

“分かりました。/Wakarimashita,” it huffed, bowing as it turned its attention back to you and Loki.

Understood.

You felt the coin move again. This time it was to the top left of the paper to hover over はい/hai. Yes.

It then promptly glided to the torii gates drawn in the top center. The kitsune vanished from the table, the energy it left behind dissipating rather quickly. You all said, “Thank you,” in unison before pulling away from the coin.

“So... Is that it?” Scott asked with a mixture of confusion and the need to ensure his daughter was safe.

“Not quite,” you mused while picking up the paper.

“What do we do?” Cassie chirped.

Your raven-haired god looked to you curiously. You didn’t tell him about the next part.

“You don’t have to do anything,” you grinned, “The next two parts are easy.”

Picking up the paper, you began tearing it. You counted as you went until you hit forty-eight.

You held up the coin for all to see. “Now. Part two is going to be more interesting.”

“Do tell,” Loki purred.

“We have to spend this within three days.” Your grin slipped into a more mischievous smirk.

Cassie’s eyes sparkled with hope. “So does that mean...”

“Uh-huh. It’s time for a vacation. Who wants to go to Japan?”

[thelreads]

You read "Tonari no Furi-san ga Tonikaku Kowai/No Matter What You Say, Furi-san is Scary"?

I did read it, but never finished it.