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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 27 days ago

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Meet the Family 4

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Your boss needs a last-minute favour for the holidays.(petite!reader)

Characters: Lloyd Hansen

Note: Hi.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Asking for more or putting ‘part 2?’ is not feedback.

Love you all. You are appreciated and your are worthy. Treat yourself with care. 💖

You drift into that sort of sleep that makes your head hurt. Even as you detach from consciousness, you feel the tempo in your skull driven by the pulse of your fatigue. The void behind your eyelids is painted in dull hues in splotches and smears.

The residue of stress from your waking hours remains. It coils your muscles and knots under your shoulder blade. Just behind the curtain of sleep, it waits for you. A flight, your family, all that mess.

You groan as you wake slowly. You shift as the blankets lay heavily over you, almost holding you down as you try to stretch out the stiffness. You arch your back and stop as you feel a firm prodding against your ass.

You slap your hand down on the arm hooked around your middle. No way. Lloyd squeezes you and draws himself flush until you know exactly what he’s pushing against you. Ew!

You jar away from him, ripping his arm off as you bounce and sit up in disgust. As you do, the blankets slip off his torso and he grumbles. His naked arm and shoulder bulge.

You huff and clutch your head. “Jesus, Lloyd, what are you doing?”

“Mmm,” he curls his arm over his head, “shhhhh.”

“Are you drunk?” You accuses.

He giggles, “a lil.”

You roll your eyes and reach for your phone. Your hand hovers over the night table and you frown. It’s gone.

“Where the hell is my phone?” You hiss.

“I unno,” he babbles.

“Mr. Hansen,” you poke him, “where the heck is my phone? It was right here, now--”

Your eyes skim to his side of the bed and pinpoint on the digital clock. Your heart drops. What the hell? You leap out of bed in a panic and rush around to the table, grabbing the clock as you whine.

“No, no, it’s-- I missed my flight! Lloyd,” you slam down the clock, “what did you do with my phone?”

“If you must know, I plugged it in. For you.” He raises a hand groggily, his eyes still closed. “I was being nice.”

“Nice?” You spin and search around.

You spot the cord plugged in beside the television. You don’t fail to notice the empty samplers of whiskey either. You storm across the room and pick up your phone. You tap the home button and it stays black. You gnash your teeth and push the power button on the side. The boot screen flashes on.

“What-- you shut it off! You made me miss my alarm and my trip out. Everything else is booked up!”

“Family sucks,” he gurgles. “You’re not missing much.”

“That’s not fair,” you snap. “You don’t know my family, okay? Not everyone came from a cult of spoiled rich kids.”

“I’m not spoiled,” he argues and stretches, the blankets slipping further down.

“Oh, because that’s what’s important right now,” your anger spikes and you shake. You aren’t emotional. You do your best to repress everything, for your own good as much as his, but you’re at the end of your rope. After last night and now this, how can you not be enraged? “Ugh, are you naked?”

“Can’t sleep in clothes. Gotta let it breathe,” he spreads over the bed with a yawn.

You stand speechless, staring at him, helpless to the flurry of emotions coursing through you. Disgust, rage, disappointment, frustration, every last stitch holding you together snaps. You drop your head and sigh.

“Fine, I’m just going to go home.” You surrender, “I give up.”

You shake your head and traipse away. You go into the bathroom and shut the door. Before you resign yourself to the long journey back, you just need a moment.

You sit on the edge of the tub and stare at the tile. You feel foolish. You don’t know why you came all this way for such an ungrateful brat. He might be your boss, you might need your job, but you deserve better.

Well, you don’t always get what you want, do you? No, it's people like Lloyd and his clan that do.

The handle turns and before you can react, the door swings open slowly. You look up and gasp as you raise your hand to block out Lloyd’s lower half. He shamelessly stands in the doorway, leaning on the frame.

“Hey, Pixie Puff, it’s okay. How about we drive up to see the family? Me and you? We could make a road trip of it.”

“Drive? You mean me? You’re still tipsy. Plus, you are not invited,” you snarl and look down. You don’t know how you forgot, or how you managed to sleep in it, but the ring still clings to your finger. You tear it off as you stand. You stomp up to him and shove it into his chest. “It’s all just a joke. Or maybe I’m the joke.”

“No, Pix, you saved me,” he slurs. “Really. Last night... was amazing. I’ve never seen you like that. Fiery.” He reaches to touch your cheek and you dodge him. You grab his hand instead and put the ring in it.

“I wasted my time,” you let him go.

He watches you silently, swaying on his feet as you turn to the sink. You unwrap the sample-sized toothbrush and uncap the mini tube of toothpaste. You try ignore him as he looms in the door.

“Please don’t leave,” he says. “You can’t Pixie pie. Please,” he staggers forward and you turn your face away before you can see everything. “Look, there’s Christmas brunch today and I can’t go alone.”

You spit a mouthful into the sink and rinse it away, “well, you’re going to.”

“No way,” he argues. “Mom’s been blowing up my phone and dad left me a long voicemail. I’m in trouble.”

“It’s not my problem.”

“But, but—you're my assistant. I’m your boss.”

“And I’m not your fiancee.” You counter.

“I demand it, I—I--” he blusters as he braces the sink. “I’m in trouble, Pix. I’ve been a bad boy.”

The words make your insides crawl. How can he be so pathetic in both the most revolting and most pitiable way? You've never seen him like this and you never really wanted to. It’s embarrassing.

“Like I said--”

“No, no,” he grabs your wrist and you flick foamy paste onto him. “I’m not asking. You do this or—or you’re fired!”

You stare at him. You weigh the consequences. It might be nice to be free, yet then again, you’ve been applying for jobs since you started working for him and haven’t gotten anything better. Only jobs with lower pay and menial work.

“You want me to beg? I can beg,” he says.

“Can you put some pants on?” You tear away from him and grab a towel. You throw it at him and go back to brushing your teeth.

“Pixie,” he pouts.

“I want a raise.”

“Fifty cents.”

“Fifty-- Five dollars at least. And a Christmas bonus. And vacation days,” you rinse the brush then your mouth. You use the hand towel to dry off. “And I want it in writing.”

“What? You don’t trust me?” He challenges.

“You lied to get me here. Then you sabotaged my alarm.”

“I was helping--”

“You know what you did.”

“Christ, Pix, when did you get so mouthy? It’s making my balls hurt.”

“That’s gross,” you avert your eyes to the ceiling, “cover up. I can’t focus.”

“Ugh, fine,” he wraps the towel around his waist. “I’m sure you’ve seen one before. Probably not any as big but--”

“I want to know why you’re doing this.”

“You met my family, you know they’re a handful,” he crosses his arms and shrugs. His chest bulges and the thick hair brushes against that on his arms.

“There’s another reason.”

“No,” he denies unconvincingly.

“I’m not going to go along with this dumb play if you don’t tell me. Don’t you think I deserve to know? If you keep me ignorant, than how can I be convincing, huh?”

“You’re smart. Sneaky even,” he unfolds one arm and points at you. “Alright, cards on the table.” He drops his other arms and adjusts the towel around his waist as he grimaces. “That inheritance my sister mentioned. It’s... substantial. And I want it.”

“Okay, but... wouldn’t that mean someone needs to die?”

“Nah, the old bat’s been dead forever,” he sneers. “I get it when I get married. Well, a portion of it. Then the rest is all mine once I pop out a mini Lloyd.”

You squint as you take in his explanation. It still doesn’t make sense.

“Right, but you’d have to present legal papers. And a child. That’ll be harder to fake.”

“Yeah, almost impossible.” He agrees and flutters his fingers over his mustache. He stares at you. Intently.

Heat creeps up your back and across your shoulders. It curls around your nap and crawls up your cheeks. He can’t mean--

“Absolutely not,” you yipe. “You really are out of your mind. We are not getting married and I’m definitely not.... not doing that other thing.”

“It’s just a piece of paper,” he says.

“Just-- no way. No!” You wave your arms vehemently. “Not in a million years.”

“Ouch,” he frowns, “you know, that hurts my feelings.”

“You’re my boss, alright? It's just... deranged.”

“I can be,” he shrugs.

“Lloyd! Mr. Hansen,” you have to calm yourself before you continue, “I’m not going to sell myself because you want some trust fund--”

“I’ll give you a cut,” he says suddenly. “How about it? Then you won’t even need a raise because you’ll be rich.”

You go quiet. It’s fishy. You know you can’t trust him. He already lied to you a dozen times over. Besides, giving you a fair share means cutting you loose. Is it that much money?

“How much?” You ask.

“Ten thousand.”

“All this for ten thousand? Sure. It’s more. I know it. So you give me at least a million or I’m going to fill up my tank and go home, right now.”

“A million--” he coughs. “You drive a hard bargain for someone making less than 100k.”

“And who’s fault is that?” You retort. “I want a million and I want that notarized.”

“Notarized?” He whines.

“Fine, can’t lose what I never had--”

“Fine, fine, you can have it. I’ll get it notarized,” he nears and offers his hand, “but it’s Christmas and I think everything’s closed so... shake on it?”

“I’m not having a kid. We’re going to a courthouse then I’m getting mine and going.”

“We can do a surrogate--”

“No kid.”

“Adopt--”

“Don’t push it,” you grab his hand and shake. “One million and I will suffer until the New Year.”

He grins triumphantly, “you know, Pix, I always appreciated that about you. You always got my back.”

“Go. You need to sleep off the Jack Daniels,” you retract your hand sharply.

“And I’ll dream of all that money we’re going to get,” he giggles and rubs his palms together. “We’re going to be rich, baby.”

“Lay down before I change my mind.”

“Too late, we shook on it,” he winks and backs up. The towel catches on the rod next to the door and you quickly turn as it slackens. He lets out an oops as it falls off and you avoid looking back. “This show’s for free, baby, don’t worry.”

“Get out,” you say. “I’m gonna need some coffee if I’m going to deal with you all day.”

“Grab me some too, pookie? Pweez,” he taunts, “oh, and if they’re serving bacon, I’ll have at least a dozen strips. The grease is good for my hangover and once that hits, I’m gonna be a baby.”

“That’s great,” you mutter dryly, “coffee and bacon. Now please, give me some space.”

“It won’t be that bad, Pixie stick. Trust me. You got me.”

“Not making it better,” you turn to the sink and lean on it. “Please.”

“Right, okay, I’m going,” he picks up the towel and slowly pulls on the door. You sigh. “I’ll be in bed if you need me.”

You shake your head. The door clicks and you look at your reflection. Are you really doing this? It feels like you’re selling your soul. You should’ve asked for more.

You finally find your strength. You go out into the suite and grab your bag. You pull out your sweater and throw it over your head. You ignore Lloyd as he lays on the bed.

You take your wallet and the room key. You don’t bother with your phone. You might just leave it there for the day because once your mother finds out you missed your flight, you’ll be in for an earful. You already feel rotten enough.

As you find your way down to the dining hall, your anger returns. He did that on purpose. He spoiled your plans all for his stupid selfish ploy. The payout might be hefty but you’re already regretting this. Still, he as good as backed you into a corner...right?

You get the coffee, two cups on a tray, and some muffins, and a greedy handful of bacon. You’re not hungry, you just need caffeine. You head back up to the room, basking in the silence of the mostly empty hotel. Everyone else did what you should have and hit the road by now.

You make a sluggish return. The only thing you have to look forward to is the coffee and you’re sure that hotel fare is not gourmet roast. You balance the tray and slide the card in the lock. You enter the room, roiling in your thoughts.

You’re too distracted to notice the noise before you get too far. You put the tray down as your ears prick at the dulcet groan. You glance over at Lloyd as something moves beneath the blankets. Is he--

“Oh god!” You exclaim and spin on your heel. “Jesus!”

You race out of the room and slam the door as you enter the hall. You lean against and stifle a scream. What is wrong with him? Well, you know exactly what’s wrong with him. Daddy issues, mommy issues, sister issues, and maybe even uncle issues. He’s entirely corrupt and you just made a deal with him.

This is going to be a nightmare.

#lloyd hansen #dark lloyd hansen #lloyd hansen x reader #the gray man #series #fic #dark fic #dark!fic #meet the family

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damthosefandoms · 2 months ago

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my life has changed in oh so many ways

(ao3 link)

Summary:

"You aren’t stupid. You just learn different than everybody else. You don’t have to do this.”

He stares at her. Maybe she is still kinda nice. But nice girls don’t date guys like Bob Sheldon who've picked on him for a decade now because sometimes he talks funny and because he can’t read or write or do anything like people his age are supposed to, on top of everything else that comes with being a greaser.

Guys like Bob Sheldon who do nothing but get drunk and beat on poor kids like Johnny Cade until they aren’t themselves anymore and never will be again.

"It just ain't fair you never got any help!"

“You told me you wanted to be a teacher here when you grow up, Sodapop. But if you want to be a teacher you have to work! What do you think would happen if I came to school everyday and did nothing?”

“I ‘unno.”

“I’d get fired! So if I were you, I’d pick up that pencil and start writing.”

Soda puts his head down on his desk and cries. His teacher just sighs and walks away. She’s giving up on him just like everyone else.

He’s a lost cause.

He just wanted help.

Soda slams the door to their dad’s old truck and tries to control his breathing. He waits for Darry to drive off, to drop Ponyboy at the middle school, where their genius little brother only has one month left of seventh grade. Soda has what feels like centuries left of tenth; but the piece of paper hidden in his sorry excuse for a backpack will change that.

Steve jogs up to him and goes, “You remember it today?”

“I shoved it under my pillow and couldn’t sleep all night ‘cause of it. Yeah, I remembered it.”

“They gonna take it covered in drool?”

Soda swings at him, but Steve just dodges and switches to walk on his other side. They pause in front of the doors, so Soda can get the withdrawal form out.

The main entrance to Will Rogers High School is intimidating, but not as intimidating as what lies beyond the doors. Most kids—greasers and socs alike—don’t give it a second thought as they walk in every morning, but Sodapop Curtis isn’t most kids, and the paper in his hand proves it.

He’s never even driven by this place without wanting to throw up.

“Seriously, man. You ain’t got nothin’ to worry about. I know Darry’ll kill you, but we talked about this, we all got your back and Two-Bit or me are gonna drive ya to school every day and you can just walk to the DX for work, say you’re working just part time every afternoon now, he’ll never—”

“It ain’t Darry I’m worried about. He’ll be mad as the day is long, I don’t give a damn. Dad gave the okay, it ain’t up to Darrel at all. Never was. But Pony’s gonna take it hard and I can’t stand that.”

Soda gives it three classes before he feels sick to his stomach. He’s got the form folded up in the pocket of his dad’s favorite flannel, the same one he’s worn practically every day since the accident. Darry’s always getting on him about giving it a rest and wearing something else—“Everyone knows we’re poor! No need to make them think we don’t wash our damn clothes!”—but to Soda it’s like a security blanket. It’s also one the few shirts he has that don’t make him want to rip his skin off while wearing it. And, you know, his dad always cut the tags off.

He doesn’t even ask his history teacher to let him use the bathroom, just gets up and leaves. He’s told to sit down but he doesn’t because he’s a greaser and nobody expects obedience from him, anyway. He doesn’t look back as he walks out, just reaches into his pocket and takes out the form. It’s the only piece of paper he’s ever put in there without crumpling. He absent-mindedly hums a little tune while he walks—“Help!” by the Beatles, which is one of his favorite songs. It’s a few years old but he heard it on the radio again recently and it’s catchy, not that he could ever admit that to any of his east side buddies—and he unfolds the form. He wants to read through it one more time before he hands it in.

He knows what it says in theory, but there’s so many words on there, and the font is so small that his eyes kind of glaze over, but he keeps his eyes glued to the page while he walks.

Until he collides with something and it flies out of his hands. He looks up and there’s a girl in front of him—ohgodit’sCherry—and he immediately goes to help her up. She looks at him for a second, eyes wide and he thinks maybe her cheeks might be as red as his are her hair, but she ignores his hand, so instead he goes to pick up her books for her.

“Sorry,” Soda mumbles, somehow briefly forgetting that he’s not supposed to be saying stuff like that to soc girls, he’s got a reputation to uphold, but glory, his Mama taught him manners and he’d be damned if he didn’t use them. And deep down he knows Cherry isn’t like the other soc girls because she was nice to him once in first grade and he’s never ever forgotten it.

He nearly shudders at the memory. The words “consonant digraph” are not ones he remembers anymore, all these years later, but way, way back when he was learning them he wanted to cry at the mention of it.

He’s brought back to first grade. It’s sometime in the beginning half of the year, and they’re doing some cut-and-glue activity with partners. He’s been paired with Sherri Valance because he’s always paired with her. They sit next to each other because their class sits in alphabetical order by first name, and they always do partner work with their neighbors.

There’s muffled yelling down the hall and another first-grade teacher pokes her head in and asks for backup, ‘cause one of her problem students is throwing chairs. Their teacher tells them she’ll be right back and heads out. Soda hears somebody who wasn’t in his class last year mutter to their friend, “Dallas, probably.” They see the principal speed-walking down the hall through the doorway, and then everyone loses interest and starts to get to work.

Sherri taps Soda on the shoulder.

“Can you write our names for me?” she says. “I’m going to go get scissors and stuff.”

She gets up and Soda looks at her nametag. He takes a whole minute to decode it. Sherri.

Goddamn digraphs. /sh/ and /ch/ are his worst enemies lately, and she’s got one of them in her name. He knows it’s real sad that he can barely tell which one. He feels butterflies in his stomach as he picks up his pencil. In the best possible handwriting he can muster up—writes her name. He is pretty sure he wrote it correctly, tries to read it aloud, and thinks he’s doing well until one of the kids at the desk pair behind him, Randy Adderson, laughs.

“What’d you just say?”

Soda is starting to understand now why Darry keeps telling him to stay away from the kids with the nice backpacks and brand-name shoes.

“You’re copying off her nametag and you still spelled it wrong?” Randy sneers, and his friend Bob Sheldon looks over too, and starts to grin. Soda’s butterflies turn into rocks.

“I just wrote her name. Sherri.”

But his mouth does that thing again where the word doesn’t sound quite right coming out of his mouth as it did in his head and he can feel his cheeks heating up. That always happens. Bob and Randy and their friends always make fun of him for it, too. He tries to make out the letters he wrote on the paper.

He did write a y instead of an i. And his S is kinda weird-looking, too.

Oh. He didn’t mean to do that. His pencil must’ve moved on its own again like it always does when his brain gets jumbled.

“Cherry, you said Cherry! Her name is Sherri! An’ I think you wrote it too, but who knows, I can’t read that at all!” Bob jeers at him loudly, and the whole class is starting to look over. Chet Baker, the kid who mentioned Dallas earlier, is laughing too, and he whispers something into the ear of his partner. Soon everyone is staring at him, and Soda feels like sinking into the floor. Bob revels in the glory of it all.

“Leave it to dumb ol’ Sodapop to mess it all up!”

The classroom explodes into laughter, like that was the greatest insult of all time and not some lame comment from little kid.

“I like it, actually,” a voice says suddenly and Soda thinks for a second it’s an angel come down to earth. But it’s just Sherri, and she’s handing Soda a glue stick.

“Cherry. I love that. It’s going to be my new nickname.”

She elbows him gently and smiles at him. Her eyes are so green. Soda thinks green eyes are his favorite; Cherry has green eyes, and so do both of his brothers and his dad. That’s almost all of his favorite people on Earth, except for his mom. Her eyes are brown, like his own.

“I really like it, Soda.”

He really likes it too. Soda wishes he could’ve stayed in first grade forever, sometimes, because back then Cherry always stood up for him and now…

Now they’re sixteen and when he goes to hand Cherry her books, she seems to come back to reality. Her face contorts into something angry, or maybe more defensive, as she snaps, “I don’t need your help, grease. Helping me pick up my books like some wannabe-gentleman… don’t you have a girl, anyway?”

He does. Sandy’s somewhere one floor up in English right now reading some Shakespearean tragedy about star-crossed lovers, and he hasn’t told her he’s dropping out yet, either. He loves—really loves—three people left in the world, two of them are his brothers and one, he thinks, is Sandy, and they’re the only ones of the people he really cares about that he hasn’t told about his plan.

Now that his parents are dead, they’re the only people left he’s truly terrified of disappointing. They’re the only people he ever talk to about his problems.

The only people he felt he could ever ask for help. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t anymore.

So why does it bother him so much when he has to ask Cherry Valance to move her foot because she's standing on a paper that might honestly be his lifeline?

He points it out to her and she goes, “Oh,” and picks it up for him. Even brushes the dust off. Soda watches her eyes scan the top of the paper before his face turns even more red and he has to rip it from her hand.

“You didn’t see shit, soc,” he snaps, and maybe it’s mean and out of character for the ever-so-charming Sodapop Curtis that is known to walk these halls, but he’s embarrassed. There’s a sinking feeling in his gut at the face Cherry’s making and his stomach somehow hurts even more.

Not hurts. He’s got butterflies.

He’s in love with Sandy though, and she loves him back, and who gives a damn if he’s been practically ignoring Cherry for a decade now. Who gives a damn if she was the only person from the entire west side of Tulsa to show up at his parents’ funeral. She’s always gone to their church and it was right after the regular Sunday morning service and it doesn’t mean shit. Even if he didn’t have a box under his bed he’s been filling with cash for a ring to marry Sandy one day, Cherry wouldn’t matter, because she’s a soc and he’s a greaser and he might not be in even the average level English class like Sandy is, but Soda asked his mom about it once back when Darry was in sophomore year and was reading it and so he knows how Romeo & Juliet ends.

Soda’s in love with Sandy. She loves him back. He flips the collar of his flannel up because he’s a greaser and he’s gotta look tuff or tough or whatever and keeps walking.

“Sodapop!” Cherry calls, and he shouldn’t turn around but there’s classes going on right now and no one’s watching them.

“What?”

“I just—you aren’t stupid. You just learn different than everybody else. You don’t have to do this.”

He stares at her. Maybe she is still kinda nice. But nice girls don’t date guys like Bob Sheldon who’ve picked on him for a decade now because sometimes he talks funny and because he can’t read or write or do anything like people his age are supposed to, on top of everything else that comes with being a greaser.

Guys like Bob Sheldon who do nothing but get drunk and beat on poor kids like Johnny Cade until they aren’t themselves anymore and never will be again.

“School just ain’t going to be the same without you brightening up everyone’s day, Soda,” Cherry calls after him, but he pushes through the door to the stairwell and pretends her words aren’t eating him alive.

“It just ain’t fair you never got any help!”

He wanted to be a teacher once. So did his mom, once upon a time, that meant college, and she had no money and had a baby at eighteen, so she never even had a shot of working in a daycare. And Soda’s dumb and nobody wants a dumb teacher, so he’s never going to be able to make a difference in the lives of kids like him.

Cherry’s right, he never got any help. That’s why he wanted to be the one to help the next generation. But it’s not going to happen.

She stood up for him once. She used to check his work for him before he handed it in. She would whisper-read when they were supposed to be reading silently so he’d understand the passage. They just can’t talk about it anymore because they grew up.

There aren’t many things he’ll miss about Will Rogers High School, but Cherry Valance is admittedly going to be one of them.

Another thing he won’t miss—the grouchy secretary he’s got to hand in the form to. When he gets to the office she gives him a nasty look that just screams get back to class, hood! or maybe something more along the lines of what’s this idiot doing here? He blow in on the way to stupid town?

…Maybe it’s an oh great, another greasy little troublemaker sent to the office.

Clearly that’s the right one, because the first thing she says is “What’d you do? I ain’t gotten a call up or nothin’.”

“I have this withdrawal form to hand in. I talked to our case worker with social services, she says she confirmed with you guys here that my dad’s signature should still be good enough even though he…?”

She swipes the form out of his hands and glances over it. “I’ll have the principal look at it. Get back to class.”

Soda turns, fully intent on finding his backpack and then walking out a side door somewhere instead, and he’s still going to—but just as he’s walking out someone calls his name. He looks back over his shoulder and the principal has stepped out of his office.

“Mr. Curtis, can you do me a favor?” He asks, and Soda nods, just hoping it’s not to do with that form.

He’s handed an envelope, but it’s not for him.

To the Parent/Guardian of Ponyboy Michael Curtis, it says on the front. Soda’s confused.

“I don’t get it.”

“It’s an intake form for high school.”

“Pony’s in seventh grade. There’s a month left of school.”

“Yes, and his test scores are like nothing we’ve ever seen. He’s going to be coming here next year.”

“He’s in seventh grade. Sir, he never even hands in his homework on time! How’s he jumping ahead to ninth?”

“Mr. Curtis, please, just deliver that letter, would you? Saves me the trouble of having to mail it myself. Glory knows you of all people should understand not wanting to waste money on a stamp.”

The butterflies in Soda’s stomach from earlier turn to rocks and he feels like he’s being weighed down again. “I understand just fine, sir.”

He walks back to class, grabs his backpack and walks all the way home.

That night Darry talks about throwing a party for their little brother and Soda has to grin and bear it, because he’s honestly jealous as all hell. He’ll never admit it, though, because he’s as jealous as he is proud of Ponyboy.

But now he’s never going to be able to tell them he dropped out.

Not when Pony’s immediate reaction to the letter is “I get to go school with Soda next year?”

(He then adds, “and Johnny?” but Soda missed that part because he was too busy wallowing in his own guilt.)

Ponyboy’s going to hate this, he thinks the world and more of Soda and he’ll probably find a way to blame Darry for it. But it’s not Darry’s fault, it isn’t their parents’ fault or anybody’s except Soda’s brain for not working like it should. He thinks if his brothers fight tonight he’ll either lose it and kill them both or never stop crying, so he doesn’t tell them that night.

He doesn’t tell them for a month, not until it’s the last week of school and it’s pouring rain and Darry’s roofing job gets canceled for the day. He comes home early to find Soda sitting on the couch watching cartoons because it’s too early to head out to the DX. The clothes he left the house in that morning for school are drying on the radiator and Soda’s nose is red and Darry has to put the worry he’s going to get sick from walking home in the rain aside.

Ponyboy thinks Darry didn’t yell at Soda for dropping out. Well, he wasn’t home for the fallout.

For the “I know school is hard for you. If you really needed a day off, little buddy, you coulda told me instead of skipping. I’ll go call the school now and say you’re sick.”

And the “Sodapop Patrick, what the hell do they mean you ain’t been enrolled at Will Rogers for a month now?”

Or the horrible silence as Darry has to drive Soda to the DX for work in the pouring rain just so whatever cold he definitely caught that morning won’t get worse before it even starts.

No, Ponyboy won’t find out about any of it until he’s back to school shopping in August and jokingly asks Soda if he’s throwing in the towel this year because he’s not buying anything, and Soda casually tells him he’s not going back to school. That working full time at the DX over the summer wasn’t just a summer thing. It doesn’t go over well.

Darry carpools to work on the first day of Pony’s freshman year, because Soda practically begged him to let him have the truck to bring Pony to school alone that morning. Normally the kid would’ve walked, but Soda knows how big of a day this is, and their mom used to always make sure they didn’t have to walk on the first day, not even to the bus stop when they were in grammar school.

They pull up to the curb by the front doors and Soda can see Steve and Two-Bit and Johnny waiting for Ponyboy. He really appreciates Johnny for that. He never goes anywhere in the school that socs go unless there’s a teacher in the room, after he got jumped at the end of the last school year.

It figures he’d show up for Ponyboy, though. If Johnny isn’t with Dally—who’s not there because he got locked up after taking the blame for busting out a bunch of school windows last year even though Two-Bit did that—he’s with Ponyboy. They’re just close like that.

(Actually, Soda’s pretty sure Dally got himself arrested either because he’s simply self-destructive, or so he wouldn’t give himself a chance to kill anybody for what happened to Johnny, but that’s not really the point.)

Soda turns off the engine of the truck and turns to his brother.

“You ready?”

Ponyboy shrugs. He’s chewing on his thumbnail, a nervous habit the three brothers share. Soda gently pushes his arm down, getting Pony’s hand away from his mouth.

“You’re gonna do great, Pony. You might be young but you’re smarter than everybody in there. You’re the smartest guy I know.”

“You know Darry.”

“Darry’s Darry. He’s smart but he’s like—perfect, yknow? He don’t count. And he an’ I both reckon you’re smarter than he’ll ever be. You’re goin’ places, Pony. Really, truly going places. We both know it. You’re on your way up in the world, you’re gonna go so far.”

“People said that about Darry. Look at him now. He’s just a college dro—” Ponyboy cuts himself off and Soda knows why.

“Show ‘em what for, Pony,” he says. “Show ‘em what us Curtises are really made of, okay? Darry gave up his chance for us, but…if anybody’s gonna make it outta this place it’s gonna be you.”

Because Ponyboy was made great things, and Soda wasn’t, and he might still be jealous but his baby brother is going to kick ass in high school.

Soda hugs him and Pony gets out of the truck, and as he starts to walk away, Soda rolls the window down and he calls out:

“Hey, Pony, if you meet a girl named Cherry, tell her I said hi!”

Pony rolls his eyes and waves. Soda laughs to himself as he drives off.

Ponyboy Curtis, talking to a soc girl. Imagine that.

He’s too busy laughing at his own joke to notice Sandy on the sidewalk as he drives past, heading up the steps into the school practically hand-in-hand with a guy who isn’t him.

He does see a girl with auburn hair walking up to school, frowning, and Bob Sheldon’s got an arm around her.

“Great job, Soda! Mrs. Larkin, look how good Sodapop’s doing! He nearly finished the whole worksheet and didn’t give up once!”

“You aren’t stupid. You just learn different than everybody else.”

Soda turns the radio on. “All You Need Is Love” blasts through the speakers. The truck’s windows are down as he heads for the exit of the school’s parking lot.

One head turns.

But Sandy doesn’t like the Beatles.

#sodapop curtis #cherry valance #cherrycola #outsiders fanfic #ponyboy curtis #darry curtis #bob sheldon #greasers #socs #sandy the outsiders #the outsiders #the outsiders musical #the outsiders broadway #the outsiders 1983 #the outsiders book #julie writes stuff #my post

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sunnydayaoe · 29 days ago

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in regards to the post w the caption "Whole one of those big ineffectual sleepy dogs with those droopy eyes that look like they're about to cry at all times. 2 injured 1 dead," I HAVE A QUESTION, TUMBLR USER SUNNYDAYAOE. does your petre!whole know what particular kind of wouppy he regresses to, and for your consideration may i offer:

WOLFDOG WHOLE. LOOKA THAT BIG OL FELLA. is that not the most big ineffectual sleepy dog you have ever seen. im pretty sure i left a tag on one of your posts (MY APOLOGIES I AM A CHRONIC YAPPER and my memory is bad) along the lines of this ask but also i beg you to consider. whole doing a little wruff. a boof, even. a biiiig sigh. slam his 'paw' against the mattress. WOULDNT SOUL JUST HAVE AN ANEURYSM AND DIE RIGHT THEN AND THERE many such cases

AND LOOK

THIS IS YOUR SOUL AND PETRE!WHOLE REAL NO FAKE NOT CLICKBAIT/IJ. IS THAT NOT THEM.

my condolences for my yappage i just do not see enough stuff about petre that isnt "ohhh tiny little puppy" and wouppywhole brings me so much joy. okay scampers away

really fucking funny I was having THIS conversation before you dropped this ask. really good. realllly good

that is to say Yep I like wolf dog whole I think it is Very good I like it lots :] also writing a whole petre fic .. next up.. so glad you gave me aspeciifc type of dog to give him X] I am bad at picking stuff like that [all of them are just general . erm kitty. erm. puppy. erm. erm. I unno... usually HAHA]

#ahhh I do see mind as like a big dog though. in my fic with kitty soul and oupyp mind... mind is [big dog] andsoul is a kitten :] but...#I do just like describing all dogs as [ouppy] cus its fun X] wouppyyy #but eyahhhhh X]] I like... when theyare not just little puppys I think its cute too I like it lots lots lots #this... I can' ttag this cccc at this point HAHA #jbird's asks #tazzymcclazzy

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sunny6677 · 3 days ago

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Alright. I'm gonna open up about some things cuz I think it'd be good for me. I kinda want some of my moots to see this so they understand me and what I'd want a little better. Or incase they might have something to say. I just think that by communicating some of my needs or what I want or how I feel, my problems will be easier. Sorry if u didn't wanna be tagged.

@catsockpuppet @mayisgoingnuts @merwynpersonalhub @paperbagirlratlover @luzxii

(The following is pasted from a vent I posted, so I have realized certain things or reflected—like I do understand not everyone's gonna magically know how I feel. That's kinda why I'm posting this. I think I just crave more of an understanding or gentle approach sometimes, or to be asked about how I felt more.)

To be honest, I feel like no one understands me cuz I don't talk about how I feel a lot, so people don't really get what I need, and as a result I feel worse and worse. I always crave affection from other people cuz I feel reminded that others care about me whenever it happens, but at the same time it feels selfish. And it feels selfish to want more anytime I'm given affection. Anytime someone gives me affection without me giving it to them first, I get all happy and start to crave that feeling more. The urge to be held by my friends or treated gently like I'm not literally fifteen and aging is a bit too strong sometimes.

I only like being treated gently because I genuinely don't know what I'm doing sometimes. Unironically, being treated like a kid who can be gently corrected on certain things is sometimes the way I wanna be treated even though I know I'm a teenager and I'm growing up and can't always be treated like I'm below the age of 5. Maybe it's the feeling of understanding and comfort and security that I miss?? I dunno. Anytime I'm treated like I'm younger than I really am, it makes me feel like I'm cared about or like maybe everything is okay. And admittedly, there's just some ways I think or some bad habits that I can't help—and some things that I wanna say but don't say because I don't wanna hurt anyone. I think this is mainly cuz ever since I've gone onto Reddit, I've been told a lot of hurtful things or misunderstood just because people got pissed off at me for literally the littlest things or things I didn't know could be offensive. Honestly, if I went onto a vent reddit and placed this here, I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me to just grow up or get over myself.

I'unno. I kinda feel like letting everyone I know—know this about me. I think maybe if I do, people will get me a bit better. I'm not asking people to treat me like a kid if they don't think that's what's best for me, but I just wish people reached out to me more is all. I know not everyone can be magically understanding and automatically know when somethings wrong with me—I just wish I was asked about more sometimes. Or just seen as a kid. I am a kid. And I'm supposed to be growing up. But I wanna be treated like I'm still one if only for a little longer. I unno. I'm feeling a bit choked up as I write this.

Thanks for readin', if ya did. You don't have to say anything but I want people to know this.

#vent

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itsuki-minamy · 4 months ago

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"SIDE GOLD"

CHAPTER 4: IKU AND THE BIRIBIRI GROUP (Part 3)

* List of Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Anno

Unno Yutaka hates rain.

Therefore, on days when the weather is not good, he usually spends the day resting at the back of Todokoro Suwako's cafe, or resting at the back of the "Yakumo" game room. Unno, who was resting at the back of "Yakumo" that day as usual, suddenly stood up and walked out through the back door.

The direct reason was...

[Where?]

The radio that was beside his bed.

[Miya-chan, where are you?]

Even if he hit it or broke it,

[Whoever knows, answer me... I am...]

It was because that continued raising the voice.

[Oh... "Green King"...]

With a bat umbrella, he walked as if he was kicking the bitter icy rain.

Then, a member who was following closely behind joined him.

It was Todokoro Suwako, holding an umbrella.

"Even though I said I wasn’t going anywhere."

A hard look emerged from behind the round black glasses.

Embarrassed, Unno pouted even though he was the culprit.

"That’s not what I meant. I’m sure you understand."

"You said that? That's not even true."

Another person began to tease and follow them.

It was Tamataro Okuma, dressed in an uncomfortable-looking raincoat.

"There are people who believe in the phrase "don’t fly" and it's cannonball."

"Don't make any noise."

"There's a lot of noise."

At times like this, Unno and Suwako would answer in unison.

Okuma let out a sigh and asked again.

"So you know where you're going, right?"

"There's going to be a commotion anyway, so let's go there."

Suwako was very taken aback by the terse and messy answer.

"Were you planning on just walking in the rain until then?!"

"He's a boss who always looks out for you, see?"

Okuma was equally taken aback, but handed over the newspaper he had in his pocket.

After receiving it, Unno drew his attention to the area circled in red. The headline of the small article read, "Traffic restrictions in the vicinity of Nanakamado City due to the extraction of infectious disease samples from the Research Institute for Infectious Disease Control".

"Nanakamado, umm... Colt’s house?"

Without taking a moment to think, Unno's feet turned in that direction.

The two followers also had their destinations arranged.

"That's the only place where there's going to be commotion today. Traffic regulations will require people to pay before entering and leaving."

"Well, I guess the young lady and her blue-hatted husband will be coming too."

Unno walked away, kicking away the freezing rain.

"Don't talk about that bastard, he's really bad."

Although he had a premonition of a battle, or even a conviction, his steps remained the same.

The next two people were the same.

++++++++++

In Tsunogui Iku's memory, there is a flame break.

She doesn't remember what was supposed to be on the other side of that flame.

The woman she is today began with that fire, wandering through the scorched fields.

The fact that she was burned during an air raid was discovered by others much later.

At that time, she wandered around with a vague sense of loss, as the endlessly hot flames annihilated everything in their path... including her memories.

The only thing besides life was a name.

A name tag was sewn onto her clothes, which were riddled with tiny holes caused by the sparks. The small piece of cloth that testified to her existence had the words "Tsunogui Iku" written on it in furigana, probably because it was difficult to read. Or perhaps it was a beacon for parents and children to find each other among the burnt ruins, but it was never used.

Along with her memory, many of her criteria for judgment had also disappeared, and her face was expressionless.

At that moment, she was incapable of experiencing feelings built on some sort of foundation, such as feeling sad for the person she had lost or angry at the person who had provoked her.

The instincts of a living being, of being hungry and thirsty to connect with the present, and fearing the danger of oneself who has no way to protect oneself, ruled everything in her small body.

Even after the flame that caused the rupture had turned into a wasteland of extinguished charcoal,

She continued to walk aimlessly, hungry, thirsty, and scared.

No one else had the energy to help her.

Above all, it was not a particularly unusual hardship.

It was quite normal, except for the memory.

Many children lost their parents and were orphaned.

In a tense situation on the brink of defeat, there were very few ways to save orphans like her damaged by the war. There are very few orphanages that are public protection facilities and individual households are doing their best to keep their own families alive. It would have been better if only children could be evacuated, and it was still the same day to day where they evacuated to eat or not.

Orphans who were burned in the air raids flocked to makeshift communal dining halls or died in the field. On very rare occasions, some children found adopters, but in reality they were only a handful, or rather almost no one. Most of them just wandered around, got lost, and ended up at the edge of the place.

After many days, she finally reached one such abyss, the underground passage of Ueno Station.

It was a narrow, winding concrete underpass that connected the burned-out JNR Ueno Station to the Keisei Line’s Ueno Koen Station, and served as a makeshift evacuation center for people who had nowhere to go. Of course, that hadn’t been publicly acknowledged. Due to several large air raids, the number of homeless people numbered in the hundreds, even thousands, and society was at a standstill, with no one able to do anything about it.

10% to 20% of the homeless people were children, and she ended up living like one of them. Although they called it life, it wasn’t that of a normal human being. They slept in unsanitary and unsafe spaces, crammed into places where it was difficult to even lie down, and they survived by running soup kitchens and begging, and when that wasn’t enough, they resorted to illegal means… to put it bluntly, they resorted to criminal acts. The targets were mainly people coming and going from Ueno Station, sometimes people from far away who were rebuilding the ruins, and sometimes nearby neighbors who slept and woke up together in the underground passage.

"I can’t help it, what else can I do?"

In the stagnant darkness of the underground passage, she heard someone muttering.

In such a place, where everyone’s hearts were filled with resignation at the thought of losing their human relationships, Tsunogui Iku was rebuilding herself and continuing to live.

There is a girl who has a keen eye and keen intuition.

Such rumors began to circulate among the vagabonds of the underground passages a few months after the Empire of Japan, which they did not care about, suffered defeat and collapse.

At first, she was simply someone who knew a secret place to store leftover food from a US military facility, and for a short time, that place filled the stomachs of the few people who followed her until the parliamentarians chased them away.

Soon, people who had not only witnessed the incident but also cooperated with it began to share their experiences, such as locating a supply storage area that had been cleverly hidden by a blackmailer and unearthing several underground warehouses buried among the burnt ruins.

Ultimately, by predicting from the police's movements that a raid on an underground passage (squatter raid) is taking place, she gains tremendous trust from those who believe her and escape.

The girl's name is Tsunogui Iku.

Judging from the clothes she was wearing, that seemed to be the case.

She could be about ten years old. In addition to the person in question having lost their memory, homeless children are usually malnourished and underdeveloped. Guessing from her emaciated appearance was unreliable.

She was small in appearance, with a hunched back, and had a habit of slightly thrusting her chin forward. It was whispered that she looked like a beast, with her large eyes peeking out from her long, unruly hair.

When this strange-looking girl was asked the reason for her unusual intuition,

"You know it's going to happen when you see it."

She explained it concisely and difficultly. It is said that she is able to have a vague idea of what will happen based on what she sees and how she will move from there.

Iku was often approached by people who thought that even if they couldn't understand her, there was value in using her, but unfortunately Iku didn't have the social skills to be "used for good". At this point, she shows no interest in collective action, and in the above case, she didn't encourage others to do anything. Those who followed or heard the story willingly participated in the spillover.

All she does is search for food, eat, defecate, and sleep. She secretly wanders around the city during the day and returns to the underground passage to sleep at night, repeating the same behavior. It was truly the life of a beast.

The other things began to increase little by little, and it was at the time when people began to flood into Tokyo again that she began to see obvious changes.

The trigger was a common occurrence.

The child sleeping next to her died of hunger.

It was not her friend, it was a child who somehow had a fixed position next to her and sometimes did not have it.

The children who often walked astride them were dying of hunger.

It was a child whose face she did not know well, and who always slept on the way to her usual bed.

The child who spoke to her without giving her anything died of hunger.

It was a child who only thought she was noisy and had never exchanged a single proper voice.

Children were dying of hunger.

Similarly, adults were dying of hunger.

It was a common occurrence, but the rate of occurrence was accelerating.

From the fall of 1945 (Showa 20) to the following year, the year of Japan's defeat in the war, there was a food shortage that was even more severe in Tokyo. Defeated countries have limited reserves and do not matter as they did during the war.

Furthermore, immediately after the defeat, Typhoon Makurazaki swept through the Japanese archipelago, destroying fields across the country and causing the worst crop failures in the Taisho and Showa periods. Even food distribution to the general public was suffering a reduction.

Furthermore, people returned to Tokyo, where air raids had ceased, and demobilized soldiers arrived as well. The city of Tokyo, which had always been a large consumer area, was experiencing rapid, uncontrollable population expansion.

The population did not increase naturally due to development, but was due to a sudden influx of population. There was no way production or supply could keep up (after this, Tokyo's population would increase by 1 million people in just one year).

The balance that had kept the vagrants barely alive, surviving the day by eating or not, was shattered by this food shortage. All kinds of people faced food shortages, and the homeless people down below were forced to starve, unable to get food even if they begged and soup kitchens were disrupted.

At first, Iku showed no particular reaction to the starvation of these other people, but soon she realized that it was becoming difficult to get food and that there was a limit to what she could do with a little intuition.

She began to have relationships with other people.

She learned to talk to people, she began to act and work together.

Still, all she could do was spread out a little, but in that small space there was a chance to find life... to put it more plainly, there was a chance to find food.

From her experience, she has seen many adults who think that children's weaknesses are an opportunity to take advantage of them, and who want to wear them out and throw them away, but the only ones who can work together and share the results are children of the same generation.

Over time, Iku and the dozens of homeless people who gathered around him became well-known in the neighborhood. Sometimes they died, ran away, or got separated, but they were never killed.

Homeless people do not understand difficult issues. They often acted on impulse or mood rather than logic. Among the jobs offered to them, Iku chose one that even they felt they could do.

Basically, they work in groups of several people and mainly do simple jobs like traveling around the city in Batya (waste collection business), selling newspapers, collecting trash cans, and shining shoes in a row. Homeless children were often suspected of stealing, so they could hardly work in a shop (although in some cases the suspicions were true).

In illegal activities, they often acted as transporters, secretly transporting rice and other goods thrown from trains to black markets to evade inspections. They were highly valued by black marketers because they never ran away with their belongings, never fought in secret, and were often obedient if given food.

In this way, Iku and the vagabonds around her began to resist the cold winds of society to a certain extent, but change came from an unexpected direction, leaving no trace.

The blind old man who taught Iku enough words to hold a conversation was killed. He was unknown to no one, never talked about himself, and had just appeared in a corner of an underground passage, but the Ueno yakuza glared at him and thought he was the mastermind who was manipulating a group of vagabonds and sucking their delicious juices.

Speaking of the interaction between the old man and Iku and the others, they talked about various things and received a small amount of food in return, but that was all, but there was no way for an outsider to know the actual circumstances of their interactions. For the yakuza, it was just a matter of removing the nuisance in order to remove the convenient.

After inflicting irreparable injuries on the yakuza who had approached them as their new boss, Iku and the vagabonds around her suddenly disappeared from the Ueno underground passage. These incidents... the murders, injuries, and disappearances were too much to erase, and people soon forgot the memories of the strange girl.

It was the summer of 1946 (Showa 21).

The months leading up to the breakup seemed to be going well.

Iku and his friends, who had literally become vagabonds with no place to live, set their sights on the barely surviving fields in the suburbs, rather than the urban areas of Tokyo, which had dried up due to food shortages. Following Iku's instructions, the children hid and penetrated the darkness, where their guard was relaxed, and were efficient and thorough, ruthlessly stealing the crops, which were valuable under the current circumstances.

They became bands of thieves and continued to plunder the outer limits of Tokyo from east to north, north to west... and finally reached a dead end. The police, taking the increasing damage seriously, formed a vigilante group together with the former local police (a part-time fire department that was disbanded by headquarters, but reorganized as a fire department the following year, in 1947). This was because they were organized and took strict precautions.

Iku's intuition was correct. She knew where the crops grew, and she also knew that the vigilante group was keeping a close eye on that area, and that if they ventured there, they would definitely be caught.

But she couldn't do anything else. There was no power to change things. Like other vagabonds, her young and wild mind couldn't even think of anything else.

They simply stopped targeting the fields and focused their attention on their next looting target.

Distributed in the western part of Tokyo, this is a place where rations for soldiers, luxury items sold to XP shops, and daily necessities are collected.

In other words, it's a base warehouse for the Occupation Forces, a subordinate unit of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces Headquarters.

They had no idea how great a risk they were taking.

The first five cases went as smoothly as before. Following Iku's instincts, they sneaked through security and gaps, and looted many things without being seen. The children were delighted by these processed and sweet foods, unlike agricultural products.

But that was all. They could not imagine what kind of reactions their actions would provoke, or the mechanisms they would unleash, outside of “out there” where they were looking at the moment.

By late autumn, relief supplies from well-known Asian relief organizations, the so-called "Lara supplies", had begun to arrive at the warehouses of the Occupation Forces. These are not just literal relief supplies, but are politically important tools for the Japanese government, which is facing a food shortage. There was no way they were going to let those few warehouse raiders have their way with those items.

The Headquarters decided to use the entire organization called the Occupation Forces to subjugate the mysterious bandits. The strategy was to leave the warehouse, which was predicted to be the next target, unguarded and reduce the circle of troops surrounding the area. That’s it. Just like in the previous war, it was a sumo yokozuna match in which even the slightest discrepancy was crushed with great force.

The characteristics of the robbers analyzed by the Occupation Forces were that they were incredibly thoughtless, contrary to their excellent infiltration techniques.

They raided the Occupation Forces' warehouses scattered from the north, one after another and periodically (this is the period when the children have eaten all the food they have stolen). The behavior was easy to predict.

The sixth attack occurred at the planned time and place. The operation went off without a hitch and the robbers, pursued by the troops surrounding them, were cornered in a corner of a grass field.

A cold rain fell on a dark night.

The last words the old man muttered when asked who stabbed him:

"Now that I know, what will I do? There's nothing I can do about it."

There's nothing she can do.

Tsunogui Iku hated that word.

She felt like those words were robbing her of the strength to live.

Many of those who spoke those words died before her eyes.

That happened to an old man whose name she didn't even know.

About the old man who died in blood and mud,

There's nothing she can do,

She didn't want to say that.

At that moment,

Even though she was forced to participate in a massacre with other homeless children,

She desperately tried to never let those words enter her mind.

The rain made everything go crazy.

Iku's intuition doesn't work unless she checks with her eyes whether it's a moving object or person.

The encircling troops of the Occupation Forces, who were stationed far away from the decoy warehouse, had no way of knowing about this situation, but in the end they opted for effective action. All the troops were forced to stay indoors, hating the cold rain. Anyway, from now on they will have to walk in the rain no matter how much they hate it. Furthermore, the operation started after midnight. At least until then, everyone was warming themselves in front of the stoves with a bottle of sake in hand.

Iku and the others didn’t know that and headed for the target warehouse, thinking that they had escaped the safety net as usual. Iku herself could smell a hint of unease in the air, but she didn't stop her attacks. That's because they had already eaten all the food they had on hand. They believe that things will turn out well next time, so they have no extra savings. Days filled with successful experiences had secretly stripped the wanderers of their sense of caution.

And so the strategy to subdue the warehouse raiders was launched.

First, superimposed on the sound of the rain, the sound of countless gunshots echoed in the dark night.

When Iku saw the gunshots, she instantly realized.

(Sounds, gunshots, noticed, soldiers, occupation forces, many.)

Realizing that, she shouted to the homeless people.

"Run away from here!"

The surrounding homeless people grabbed nearby food and chased after Iku, who was the first to run. Normally that would have been enough to get away with it, but this day was different.

At regular intervals gunshots could be heard behind the rain.

A cold wall of fear rose wherever they ran.

Every time her path was blocked, she ran away in another direction.

After repeating that dozens of times, the children realized.

Before they knew it, they heard gunshots coming from all directions.

When they finally hid in a corner of the grass field, they found themselves completely surrounded. To ensure that the bandits never escaped, the occupation forces continued to pursue them with gunfire.

The action the children were required to take in response to that siege was to surrender.

All they had to do was raise their hands and stand in front of the surrounding troops.

The occupation forces had no idea that all the bandits surrounding them were children.

The reason the Headquarters carried out the subjugation operation in the first place was that Lala's supplies were meant to help people like them who were in a state of starvation. Or perhaps simply letting that thin, dirty figure stand in front of the base gate would have given them enough food for a day.

But they didn't do that. That's because they were only thinking about looting.

In the first place, the option of surrendering didn't even cross her mind. There was no chance to gain knowledge.

To them, the occupation forces that kept firing guns were nothing more than an enemy that would kill them if they didn't run away.

To the opposing occupation forces, what's hiding deep in the grass is nothing more than filthy thieves gathering for relief supplies.

She couldn't do anything about it and things ended up like this.

Finally, many children, unable to bear the pressure of being surrounded and the gunfire, ran out of the grass without hearing Iku's restraints. It wasn't the slow steps of surrender, but a frantic and fierce run.

The occupation forces, who had originally been ordered to shoot at the bandits, aimed their guns at the children without hesitation. There was no way they could observe the other person closely in the dark and rain. The way a figure ran out of the grass seemed like nothing more than a desperate counterattack by the robbers.

The children turned into beehives one after another and sank into the mud.

After these gruesome encounters all around, the occupation forces began to slaughter them. Since there are no signs of them offering to surrender, there is no need to hold back. The plan is to shoot them all there, so there will be no one to stop them now. The soldiers were even more motivated to put an end to it quickly due to the gruesome nature of the incident.

The bullets pierced the rain, shook the grass, and reaped lives.

In order to avoid this death passing over her head, Iku lay down in the mud and continued to struggle desperately.

She found no way to escape.

She didn't know what to do at a time like that.

Still, it didn't mean it couldn't be helped.

She didn't want to give up her strength to live.

She didn't know the reason for the obsession.

("One hand"...)

She just didn't want to die.

More than that, she wanted to be alive.

She came from beyond the confines of the flame and possessed within her the power to live. It was just a bit of intuition, but that abnormal power had certainly kept her alive until now.

And she overcomes it again.

What she tried to accept on the other side of the rift.

("Come"...)

She had almost accepted that she couldn't do anything about it.

Along with the words told to her by the person she lost in the fire.

To live in the present moment, she breaks away from the ordinary.

From deep within the cold rain and dark skies a new force emerged.

It glowed green and turned into a flash of lightning.

("Live"...)

The moment she was struck by the power, Tsunogui Iku felt the truth flowing into her. At the same time, there was also something moving along with that principle, something developing beyond the Slate lying silently somewhere.

Instead of printing out words, she felt a huge and complex system.

In a surge of power, she grasped the flow that formed everything from the other side to that place.

Now she knew how to call someone who can do that.

"..."Green Queen"..."

After obtaining the power to live, the "Green Queen" first used it to "graft". She enveloped the vagabonds lying in the mud in her current. A tremendous electric shock ran through the land, giving the twenty people who were still alive the power they needed to make the most of their lives.

These scenes were hidden by the night, rain, and grass, and were never seen by the besieging forces. First of all, they no longer looked at the ground. They all looked up, dumbfounded.

In the dark night sky, a huge green sword shone brightly against the cold rain.

Even after the siege was broken by a sudden flash of lightning and allowed the bandits to escape, the soldiers of the occupation forces remained trapped in a strange dream. It wasn't long before the Heaven's Sword disappeared, and the cold rain showered their faces, and they finally realized the fact that their plan had failed.

The next day, regarding the sword that appeared in Japan three times and the paranormal phenomena that accompanied it, the Headquarters officially announced that it was a mass hallucination as usual, and further imposed a gag order to prevent the spread of rumors.

From the circumstances of the interview, it was clear that the incompetent guy who worked as a warehouse raider had obtained powers similar to that "demon". The Headquarters, which was in charge of maintaining public order, had no choice but to fear the arrival of a new crisis, but it turned out that these fears were unfounded. Like the "demon", the new sword master did not seem to have any intention of showing his fangs to them, at least on the surface.

However, surveillance and search had to continue. Although an examination of the operation revealed that "the warehouse raiders were a group that included many children", this did not reflect the (extremely unpleasant) situation at the location where "only the corpses of the children were left behind". It is nothing more than rhetoric to improve appearance, simply paraphrasing the situation at the scene. In the end, no other clues were found that could be useful in the search.

Above all, after the operation, the raider in question had disappeared.

It is true that, if you have such supernatural power, there is no need to go out of your way to steal.

He must be hiding in the darkness of the world, secretly plotting a plan worthy of using his power.

So, the Headquarters thought about it logically and remained extremely cautious.

But in reality, it was a complete acceptance.

That night, Tsunogui Iku woke up as the "Green Queen" and continued to rob the surrounding area with vagabonds in tow. What she gained through tragedy and awakening was a feeling of remorse for her careless plundering, and not a psychic's mission to provide a general outline of the plan.

With the sense of scanning and grasping things she gained as the "Green Queen", she was able to more clearly recognize where things were, how they moved, and where they were transported to. She then began to use that power to formulate elaborate robbery plans.

Existing supply warehouses, truck beds parked during transportation, wooden boxes piled up behind liquor stores, discarded items from accounting books, and stock that managers had forgotten about and left to rot. From there, she secretly stole an amount that would not cause any stir.

The Headquarters feared that they were hiding in the darkness of the world, but in the end, they were just children who wanted to eat as much as they could, no matter how far they went.

Lightning had begun to strike frequently in the western part of Tokyo.

Immediately afterward, the food disappeared without anyone noticing.

It was infinitely small, and those were all phenomena caused by the "Green Queen".

They secretly called themselves "The Biribiri Group". The twenty people who survived that night of murder are strongly united and lived together. No one escaped for about two years, until they caught a little girl sleeping on a blanket in a truck.

Iku has now jumped into the world to help that person.

There is no calculation. If she thinks she has to, she will not hesitate.

There is no fear of seriously exerting her "Green Queen" power.

The "Blue King" Somei Nazumi entered, or rather cut into, Nanakamado’s command room, and understood the situation from the screams overflowing from the communication device and the "Green King's" few words.

(The "Green King" who attacked Atsugi's base and his group are searching for a person called Miya-chan.)

The moment he understood, he destroyed all the communication devices in the room with a flash of his white sword. Nanakamado’s side must not allow the "Green King" to leak unnecessary information, whether out of distress or frustration.

Then, Nazumi entered the room and approached the person who seemed to be the chief engineer. However, in order to avoid unnecessary questions and answers, he did not forget to point the tip of his sword at him.

"Where is the key?!"

The questions became abstract as he took a few steps further in his understanding.

Even the chief engineer, who answered with a blank look, didn't understand.

"Key?!"

"It's a person called Miya! Is he an engineer, a witch, or a geisha?"

"I-I don't know! It's true, it's true!"

"......!"

Realizing that there was no deception in his tense expression, Nazumi grew increasingly impatient.

(This is the worst timing.)

Yes, he was unusually anxious.

(That tone of voice was trying to get a response through intimidation... In other words, the "Green King" was angry.)

Since the communication was from the Atsugi base where the rebel troops were stationed, it's highly likely that the "Green King" will target Nanakamado, a sophisticated intelligence agency located in the same hole. Soon, he and his group will attack in the freezing rain. From the brief content of the communication, elements such as children, women, forcefulness, and promiscuity could be extracted. He couldn't imagine him as a person who would settle the score with an unconditional conversation.

First of all, it is necessary to take control of the person called Miya and set her up as a negotiator. Still, five minutes is a good chance for a peaceful ending. If they allowed the arrival of the "Green King" as it was, they had no idea how many problems would arise during the search process. Of course, the Fourth Legislative Bureau of the Ministry of Justice exists precisely for this kind of emergency, but that's not the problem.

(He must not participate.)

If the enemy is so strong that he has no choice but to bring out the glow of a sword (Schubert), like in the battle with the "Red King" Unno Yutaka the other day, he might summon that monster again. That was the biggest problem. At that time, with the help of the "Gray King" Benji Otono, he was able to pass through without incident, but he doesn't think his good fortune will continue next time. He didn't think he would lose (he was also an arrogant King in that regard), but it was physically and politically dangerous for him to show his true intentions as the "Blue King" in such a complicated situation.

(This person is useless, so what else can I do?)

Nazumi turned the focus of his thought away from the chief engineer who pointed at him with his finger and took a broader view of what was there. From among the principles and phenomena that have been worked out up to this point,

(We need a collaborator who knows the inner workings of this place in detail and can have a conversation with them.)

It will only take him a moment to find the piece he needs.

"Where is Mr. Thomas Colt?"

"What? Ugh!"

He pushed the blade an inch towards the chief engineer, whom he asked again.

"Where is Mr. Thomas Colt?"

"Oh, I should have taken the doctor to the underground bunker."

"Please call him, there should be an indoor broadcast."

"Okay, someone..."

The voice of the chief engineer, who was following instructions, was cut off by the arrival of something.

Nazumi thought he was moving things as quickly as possible, and that's exactly what happened.

However, the existence of a "King" has the power to destroy such ideas and reality.

Tsunogui was the "Green Queen".

Atsugi Air Base is located about 40 kilometers west of Nanakamado.

A green lightning bolt shot out from there, scattering sparks.

It wasn't the "Green Queen".

It was a boy considered a vassal and a member of the "Biribiri Group".

A small body wrapped in lightning abruptly cut through the air and finally landed on top of a telephone pole. As he bent his knees like a monkey and reached out one hand towards the telephone pole for support and the other towards the rainy weather, the lightning around him became even more intense. The green power traveled along the cable and extended eastward.

Finally, when his power reached its limit of expansion, a new person rushed out from the base. The jump followed exactly the same trajectory, and just before colliding with the first person, his body began to slide. Riding the lightning, he went eastward. When he reached the limit of extension, the second person also applied force to the cable and stretched it.

As the second child finished, one by one, the children of the "Biribiri Group" slid their bodies towards the beam, transmitting their power and stretching it. When the last person was able to follow their movements, the total length of the electric wires transmitting the force had reached a kilometer. Nanakamado was still far away, but it didn't matter.

This is because what the vassals have prepared so far is nothing more than a taxiway or runway prepared for the "King" to head east. The preparations are complete and the time has come to travel the laid out path.

An extremely large beam shot out from the base.

The moment it traveled on the green energy extending from the top of the wire, it was guided and accelerated, passing over the heads of the subjects at high speed. At some point, it gained momentum surpassing that of a cannonball and flew away with its vassals in tow.

Naturally, the destination is east.

The other side of the communication he picked up was Nanakamado.

It had been less than five minutes since the previous question.

The loudmouthed "Green King" Tsunogui Iku arrived amidst the chaos.

Nazumi felt it coming from the freezing rain.

"Okay, someone..."

The chief engineer suddenly cut off the voice.

Right after that, something crashed to the ground.

Nazumi immediately knew what that something was.

Not only was there a crashing sound that shook the air and pieces of concrete flew, but there was also a flash of green lightning. The edge of the lightning spread out and burst into the freezing rain, leaving sparks and sounds.

Nazumi jumped from the collapsed roof to the roof just beyond, hoping to control the situation as soon as possible or, if possible, end it without missing a shot. When he came down, he saw a large hole in the center of the rooftop, an elegant bell tower rising higher, as if it had been hit by a cannonball.

From the depths of that large hole filled with lightning,

"Eh?!"

A figure, smaller than he expected, leapt towards Nazumi.

A girl whose appearance could be mistaken for that of a beast. The "Green Queen", Tsunogui Iku, did not speak or utter her name in battle. She will just have to strike him with all her might without hesitation from the start.

Nazumi barely managed to stop the small palm that tried to grab his face, but with a grip strong enough to crush rocks. When he came into contact with the lightning, an intense electric current ran through his body.

"..."Green King"! What you seek..."

Despite the pain, Nazumi still called out to her, but Iku paid him no heed.

When Nazumi tried to turn around, the palm of violent force was approaching once again.

"Eh?!"

This time, instead of blocking it with his sword, he dodged it with his body.

Iku didn't even have time to land, kicking the ceiling and attempting to grab it three times.

Nazumi watched her persistent attacks and began to understand the new factors that were shaping the battle situation.

(She's not going crazy somehow, she's clearly aiming for me.)

If you think about it calmly, it was a strange story.

She suddenly set Nazumi as her target and fights with all her might.

First, she should check if he's related to that situation and then ask, "I'm looking for Miya-chan." That would be the normal way. She didn't ask who the other person was, didn't tell him what her demands were, and attacked Nazumi she had just found with all her might from the start, which was foolish even for a child.

The "Blue King" was confused by the girl who didn't allow him to easily understand.

The "Green Queen", on the other hand, also had her own criteria for judgment.

Adults don't listen to what the vagabonds say and even refuse. Therefore, after gaining power, she decided to defeat the strongest of her opponents first. By doing so, hierarchical relationships are recorded and conversations can be established for the first time with less rejection, lies and deception.

In other words, the "Green Queen" thought that before she could do anything, she had to defeat the "Blue King".

Although she did not know the other person, she felt that way.

(This guy is the strongest here..., so I'll beat him.)

Nazumi couldn't understand those thoughts, but he knew that Iku had no intention of talking to him.

As long as he understands that, he'll feel relieved.

(We can control each other before they release their sword glow (Schubert)... no, we have to.)

The sword was abruptly swung and blue power overflowed throughout his body.

(First, I'll block the electric discharge and buy time to unlock my power.)

His consciousness increased in concentration and he began to have a broader view of the war situation.

The agility of the opponent who attacks without interruption is abnormal.

The interval between attacks is too short. There is almost no reserve in the continuous movement of jumping, landing, standing, and jumping again. Although her physical abilities improved like a superhuman, her maneuvers and trajectories were often impossible according to the laws of physics.

Due to this feeling of unease, Nazumi searched for a logical coherence. That is the act of "cutting", as he puts it. He tried to use not only his eyes and brain of observation, but also his sense of swordplay that Chika taught him and his power as a "King" to understand the phenomenon before him.

Immediately after that, Nazumi came to a realization.

(It’s not an illusion.)

Within his wide field of vision, he saw the freezing rain pouring down, the dazzling lightning flashing, and beyond that, several figures passing by. Those small figures were constantly moving, with the two combatants at the center.

(The children... are they subjects of the "Green King"?)

During the battle, Nazumi understood the principle of action of Iku and the "Biribiri Group" in a short period of time. By comparing it to the current situation, he had finally “revealed” their tactics to the truth.

(I see, it's a group operation that makes use of a wonderful "power".)

Around 20 of them, led by the "Green Queen", formed an induced current force field to aid their movement. The lightning didn't disperse in vain. It was a battle garden built by the vassals to make the "King" dance as they pleased, allowing her to accelerate, decelerate, and bend freely.

(The characteristic of the "Green King" is that it connects with others.)

Nazumi was satisfied that he had "solved" a new principle, but that had nothing to do with the quality of the battle. Even if he had revealed the truth, he wouldn't have found a way to overcome the situation he faced.

On the other hand, Iku and the others were steadily advancing towards victory. Every time the captured prey showed the behavior of breaking through the force field, Iku would block the front, attack the back, push left and right, and shake it up and down.

By blocking those attacks, the prey, Nazumi, is pushed back to the center of the group, or, in other words, the center of the force field. He was forced to fight on a narrow rooftop against an opponent who displayed overwhelming agility.

(Isn't it time to praise this as a good strategy with well-organized principles and methods?)

A stronger blue glow enveloped Nazumi's entire body as he smiled fearlessly.

"Ah!"

It seemed like his goal was to cum, and a flash from the upper deck was shot towards the space he avoided. The blue power that returns everything to order cut through the electricity and created a path within the force field. At the same time, he stomped the ground with his boots and escaped from the rooftop. Without risking the carelessness of flying through the air, he ran down the blue crystal step and stood in the front garden of the research institute.

(With so much space, you can see the entire siege.)

Soon after, the "Green Queen" and the "Biribiri Group" descended upon him, scattering lightning, glaring down at him arrogantly as he readjusted his stance. A king who doesn't hesitate to fight, and subjects who are willing to give it their all. She was a brave figure made of pure hostility and command because she was a child.

After all, they don't hold a conversation with their opponents.

Iku immediately pounced on him, and the children scattered and surrounded Nazumi.

Nazumi, on the other hand, looked for a clue to defeat that tactic.

In other words, aside from Iku, he had begun to analyze the behavioral patterns of the children around him.

It's a simple operation on the surface. He evades Iku's attack and returns with a blue slash. However, it seemed like a desperate counterattack at first, but he soon regained his stance and his counterattacks became more precise.

Iku also noticed it immediately, as she had control of the entire force field. Behind his dodge, a blue slash was aimed at the child around him. The accuracy gradually increases and it will hit the target in a few more crosses.

(If I keep fighting this guy, it won't work.)

A hunch that had never gone wrong triggered a danger signal in Iku's mind.

Her decisions are always immediate.

This bright blue adult will not give up unless crushed with maximum force.

Action begins with decision.

Suddenly, the force field current concentrated at her feet. There was a green explosion and she jumped.

Nazumi took an Ukedachi stance, thinking it was an attack on himself, but the direction of the jump was completely different.

The place where Iku rose was directly above, in the middle of the sky where freezing rain was falling.

Hiding is the "special characteristic" of the "Biribiri Group". The induced current force field surrounding Nazumi was actually not circular. It was shaped like a spiral, or more specifically, a long vertical tornado. In order to escape the excess current of the "Green King", which spreads enormous power, it always rose up in a whirlpool. Then, at the point where the excess current rose, it transformed the cloud directly above it into a certain structure. It became a colossal cloud that continued to accumulate electric charge.

At the command of the "Green Queen", who was floating in the air, the out-of-season colossal clouds let out a solemn and divine wail. Pointing in the direction of the force was a gigantic sword-shaped glow (Schubert) that glowed green and appeared before he knew it.

"Thundering Jutsu."

A lightning bolt filled with hundreds of ordinary forms fell under the guidance of the "Biribiri Group".

Nazumi cast aside his thoughts and protected himself with all the power he could exert at the moment.

"Guh!"

The entire lobby of the research institute was shattered by the electric shock and the explosion of the atmosphere. Numerous wrinkles and collapses appeared at the front of the house, and the tall concrete wall collapsed without a trace. Not only was there a roar that almost broke the eardrums, but also a strong shock wave that even the surrounding troops were shocked.

Nazumi was alive.

(Was it me who was drawn into the open area?)

A thin layer of smoke enveloped his entire body, but the shield of the "Blue King" was barely able to protect him.

(She was able to detect the offensive and defensive tendencies in just a few minutes. How sharp she is.)

A voice that takes priority over everything jumped into his consciousness, which had been absorbed in the analysis of that moment.

"Zanshin!"

Don't relax,

Don't lose attention,

A word that expresses the knowledge of martial arts, a voice that has been beaten many times in the dojo. There was no need to ask who it was, but Somei Chika, wielding a naginata, was issuing a loud voice from the ruined entrance.

Nazumi reflexively brought his consciousness to the foundation of reality and analyzed it.

"......?!"

The attack had not ended yet.

The gigantic lightning bolt did not let all of its power flow into the ground, but instead stayed as much as possible within the circle of the "Biribiri Group" surrounding it, trying to unleash the final blow within the siege.

Nazumi ran.

The power he used in the previous defense could not be recovered in that instant, but he was not afraid or anxious. That was because Chika was wielding a naginata. Nazumi was confident and even believed that his wife in that form was invincible.

Therefore, he was running straight towards her.

Chika will not betray her husband’s trust. The others do not know.

"Lightning bolt!"

The halberd was swung down with all of her soul power. The blue power released from the sword was direct and strong, as if to show the user's true nature, and struck from outside the encirclement.

The ring of electricity was completely severed, destroying the stability of the force field.

The ring that housed an enormous amount of power scattered sparks and flew into pieces, and the children bounced off each other with their powers.

As the current flew turbulently, Nazumi finally escaped the encirclement by stepping on the blue force in a straight line. Standing next to Chika where he should be, he finally let out a sigh.

"Thank you for your help, Chika-san."

"You're welcome. By the way, Nazumi, is that the "Green King"?"

"It seems so."

Before the two could see, Iku was calling out to the "Biribiri Group" that had scattered in all directions. It seemed like it would be some time before some of the astonished people returned. Calling Iku himself might lead to a rematch, so Nazumi only spoke to Chika.

"I let Kouki (Schubert), who looks like a sword, out, I'm just ashamed of my inexperience."

"Not at all. If you were to show me two of those things, that's what would happen."

"Two?"

When he heard that, he noticed that there was also a gigantic blue glow in the shape of a sword (Schubert) floating above Nazumi. It seemed as if he was being pressured harder than he felt. His feelings of shame and anxiety about the situation doubled.

Chika verbally attacked her husband.

"Failure is a natural part of being human, just recover without worrying about it."

Nazumi looked at his wife who was attacking him with words.

"Really?"

"That's right."

After stating that, she gave him a belated report as vice commander.

"We've captured the main area. Shall we gather the personnel here?"

No, Nazumi lightly shook his head.

"I'll take care of this. Chika-san, please contact Mr. Thomas Colt, who seems to be in the underground bunker. Ask him about a person called "Miya"... she's probably a child like them. I want everyone to look for her. Only then can a dialogue be established with them."

"...The "Green King" is a child who can't hear."

Chika gave a loud salute as if to cut off her grief and went inside.

Suppressing the urge to send her off, Nazumi once again faced his opponent.

Iku, who was wary of Chika, immediately began to move as her figure disappeared. Once again, the lightning became more and more dazzling and enveloped the children. Nazumi couldn't help but smile bitterly at his direct and brazen actions.

(Clean up quickly.)

He doesn't believe there is another trick as powerful as the lightning bolt above. She must be a little upset that she couldn't kill him. It wouldn't be impossible to exploit that weakness and bend it.

(Fortunately, her power has been restored by bringing out the Sword-Shaped Radiance (Schubert).)

Nazumi stepped forward to make up for it.

(I mostly grabbed it.)

Both the "Green King" who pounced on him and the "Biribiri Group" surrounding him fought for too long and exposed much of their strength. This is probably the first time he's fought such a long battle.

(No wonder, the fight between kings is... difficult.)

Recalling the fight with a bandit, a faint feeling of "disliking" came back to him.

However, in any case, Nazumi had that experience.

Iku and the "Biribiri Group" don't have that.

He doesn't really like it, but experience makes the difference between winning and losing.

Intertwining with the "Green King" fighting in the center,

The footsteps of the "Biribiri Group" moving,

Nazumi was able to read the reality of the force field of both of them.

Observation leads to inferences.

(Wasn't this tactic originally intended to be implemented in a wider area?)

His guess was correct.

Her combat experience is limited to meeting Hagure several times in the two years since Iku became the "Green King". At that time, she only used a weak "Dazzling Jutsu" once, and the circle was kept far away from each other, and the induced current force field was also slightly deployed.

Now it's the other way around, and the children are closing the distance and deploying a powerful force field to fight against the powerful enemy known as the "Blue King". As a result, they were often swept away by the strong power of the "Green Queen" and left exposed to attacks from within. Cooperation is not as perfect as it seems.

These children, who have lived alone, have no guidelines or aspirations for their studies. The current induced force field strategy, which could have been the most powerful if it had been refined, had been neglected until now, when Iku encountered a strong enemy, relying entirely on his own individual strength.

(Well, thanks to that, I can also achieve a victory.)

Nazumi gathered the elements he had read up until now and used them in his own battle.

"Now it's my turn."

The stance had changed.

Instead of dodging and countering the opponent, he moved towards attacking and setting the stage himself.

Iku sensed it, but her methods remained the same. She has been at her best from the beginning. She has nothing but her full potential. The endless battle she was currently fighting was just to buy time until she could unleash the second "Rumbling Jutsu".

Suddenly, Nazumi made a move.

"Ha!"

At first glance, it was the same slash as before, but it wasn't just a slash. It was his first chance. It's the same with cutting the force field, and with that in mind, he used his second sword to slash in the opposite direction.

A boy was right between the two sharp vertical slashes.

Nazumi quickly approached the boy, who suddenly broke away from the force field and had stopped moving. While the opponent was confused, he pressed the hilt against his opponent and pushed him away.

The boy, who received a strong but non-lethal blow, rolled out of the force field with the whites of his eyes exposed.

Nazumi shouted to provoke the opponent and also to corner him.

"One!"

(I missed it.)

Iku was extremely excited and grabbed him even tighter.

However, that rough behavior no longer translates to Nazumi. He enveloped his entire body in blue power to avoid the electric shock, dodging it like a thin layer of paper, and then used one sword, then two swords, and slashed at another person. He pushed the boy away again, causing him to faint. It was a series of movements that looked like a dance.

"Two!"

(Hey, he's gone.)

According to Nazumi's calculations, if he separated the five from the siege, the "Green King" could also be attacked.

As each person diminishes, the induced current loses its sophistication and the speed of the impulse decreases... but she did not choose to flee. She came here to rescue her friend. She made that decision not based on logic or calculations. That's why she doesn't think about anything else. She had no choice but to continue fighting.

Meanwhile,

"Three!"

(Ah, he fainted.)

"Four!"

(Ah, it leaked.)

In addition, the number of people who left their places increased and the control of the force field became visibly questionable. Iku was irritated that her thrust was not as powerful and had no direction, but she still did not try to stop the fight.

Nazumi pushed the next fifth person away and at the same time prepared in his mind and body the final blow that would make him win.

(The only way to incapacitate her is to hit her with a dangerous spike... Chika might get angry at me for being too harsh on a child, but there's no other choice.)

Then,

"Five!"

(Oh, it's wet... I can eat it.)

The other person who had been waiting for the power to subside... rose up, as if seeping from the cracked ground.

He could be mistaken for black clothes,

He couldn't see the depths, there was no end,

Another person who exudes a feeling of "nothingness" that seems to sink forever.

He extended his twisted rows of teeth and swallowed the weakened "Green Queen" in one breath.

#k #k project #k side gold #kokujoji daikaku #somei nazumi #somei chika #unno yutaka #todokoro suwako #tamataro okuma #tsunogui iku

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