#i love that his first instinct waking up is: ryuu’s not up yet

[gakuenbbsitters]

kotarou every single morning:

[traditional-with-a-twist]

xxxi. Beauty and Her Beast - REWRITE

@the-pompous-potato  awww, so glad to hear that you love all of it! It’s like reading through the chapter with you, hearing all the moments that caught your eye. Yeah, I really wanted to bring Mitsuhide back into this arc - he hasn’t been mentioned lately, but he is missed.

@bubblesthemonsterartist  XD these are factors that were not taken into consideration but the advice is undeniably sound!

<<Previous || first arc || second arc || AO3 || Next>>

A/N: Dear readers, you’ve been both patient and supportive. Please consider this both an apology and a thank you: the wedding arc just wasn’t coming together. I had fought my way to the climax only to discover that the key moment fell flat. There was no way to recover - it had all started off on the wrong foot. So I scrapped everything starting with Ryuu’s chapter and started afresh. I will edit the AO3 chapters for the sake of preserving comments, etc, but may post the original version as an attached fic if you’re interested in seeing how it lurched to the finish.

The good news is, the entire arc is now written, so you can expect more regular updates for the next little while!

...

Ryuu had left the castle in spring, and now it was autumn.

The plants had changed seasons in his absence - some had gone to seed, others flowered, and still others were breaking the soil. He had the curious sensation of life going on without him, of decisions made and friends lost, all while he was away, out of sight.

...

Some things hadn’t changed: stone moves only slowly; it shrinks as the wind carries particles of it away once the sun has baked it hard and crumbly, layer and layer, altering its shape not with a hammer and chisel but fine trickles of dust.

Stone moves so slowly that it is invisible; in a human’s lifetime, he will see only one shape. Even though it alters, his eye alters with it; he perceives nothing. 

In that way, Ryuu had carried the walls of Wistal with him, in his mind’s eye, and erected them anew on his return.

The ceiling rested overhead; the walls held the room together; Garrack worked at her desk; Yatsufusa greeted them every morning.

Some things hadn’t changed.

...

Some changes he had expected: the leaves turning to gold, painting the trees’ faces a new color with their reflected light. 

Clustered around the outskirts of the castle and extending deep into the countryside, the trees hung over everything in their new agedness, come too soon for Ryuu. 

The trees in the port town, warmed by the nearby water, had not finished turning; their transformation was not yet complete but now that he was home, he found all the trees here different - wearing new faces, losing their green luster in preparation for winter, overnight and prematurely.

So it seemed to him, returned to find that mourning had set in like an early autumn in Wistal. 

No one spoke of it anymore, as they might have when the leaves first shed the color of life; now it went unacknowledged and yet omnipresent in the unfamiliar shadows the change had cast over them all.

...

These changes - known but unseen, or anticipated but unwelcome - would have been more than enough for Ryuu.

His acute sensitivity to the currents of nature, was matched only by his awareness of the energies of the people around him - except that nature he had learned to explain, to give a precise account of, while people continued to speak in languages largely foreign to his ear, and to behave in patterns that he could no more explain than he could wish them away.

He felt their fluctuations through an instinct too deep for words - which meant that he could seek no help for the confusion it caused him, any more than he could give voice to the questions he wished answered.

How could he receive answers when he could not articulate the questions?

Unable to decode, decipher, or analyze with the aid of his mind, Ryuu instead absorbed the turmoil he sensed, holding it inside himself like a human capacitor, until the charge diffused.

...

This took time - but time was what no one could give him, even if they had understood how badly he needed it.

Change - precipitous and shattering as a lightning bolt - had struck in his absence, permanently altered the sphere of his existence, and left him hopelessly behind in recognizing and tracking its movements.

It had come and gone before he knew anything of it. Now he was left to make sense of what remained in its wake.

...

It was not that Ryuu was unhappy that Shirayuki and Obi would marry. It would not cross his mind to approve or disapprove of their decisions. 

He did not wonder, why so soon? He did not ask, was it proper? He did not compare Obi to Zen or wonder at Shirayuki’s change of heart, at Obi’s sudden revelation of passion.

He did not think the worse of them for it.

He would have preferred not to think of it at all.

...

He didn’t have the tools to approach it; he withdrew in confusion and fear from what had once given him delight and fed his heart and his mind with warmth and curiosity.

Shirayuki had been a source of joy to him - as startling as the red of his favorite flower at first, then comforting in her quiet consistency. Day after day, she had worked beside him, gentle and understanding, keen and quick in her thinking, yet soft as petals in her presence.

She had been transplanted too soon, trading away her uniform out of season for another dress, and he had missed her -  but now she was something else entirely, inexplicable.

He had thought he knew her; now she felt further from him than ever, slipping away when he wasn’t looking, and he couldn’t bear to look.

...

Then there was Obi: like the too-tall branches of a tree, Obi had been out of sight, then out of reach - stretching overhead, impressive and other, to the point of intimidating Ryuu with his strength and presence. 

He and Obi belonged to different worlds, though they might occupy the same space: Ryuu grounded, Obi somewhere above - skyward, tending free and waving in the mind. Obi was challenging and supple yet also somehow vulnerable when bent to the point of breaking.

It wasn’t until Ryuu had risked enough to test his weight against Obi that he realized this laughing stranger could support him, bear him up, lift him to new heights unimagined, out of his comfortable places and into the clouds - not as blank and terrifying a place as Ryuu had imagined but full of wind and sun and new life.

...

He hadn’t looked for either of them to break the soil in his life, and now he didn’t want them to leave. 

Be perennials, he wanted to beg them, and come again after this season of death and destruction and dormancy.

He knew, nonetheless, that some flowers only bloom once in a lifetime. He knew, but at the same time could not know it, could only wish it untrue in the very admission of it.

The knowledge was too awful for words, especially now with the charge of change built up so high in Ryuu that language failed him and left only a mute unrest.

...

It was in this state that Obi found him.

Obi was a frothing mix of anticipation and impatience; he was on a mission to conscript witnesses for the ceremony.

Shirayuki said it ought properly to be his blood brother; Obi wouldn’t know where to find such a man even if he existed, so then he had thought of Little Ryuu.

...

He thought almost guiltily of Ryuu because Obi had felt his silence since the announcement and felt it impenetrable. 

No matter how much Obi filled that silence with his own voice, the words ran away, like drops of rain over a parched earth that would not drink. 

Then when Shirayuki spoke of brothers, Obi had thought of Ryuu.

...

Obi hoped this gesture, this invitation, would speak for him and say more than his words could when he said the miss would be very pleased if Ryuu would stand for them at the wedding.

Really he was saying, Would you be my brother?

Brothers, as far as Obi could understand them, were forever.

...

Obi hoped for a yes, or at least a smile, but then Ryuu wasn’t a talker.

He didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no.

He had always been quiet, and so Obi had to content himself with silence.

[akelyokikagu]

The Cursed II

The Cursed - Chapter II

A Sukonbu a day keeps a nightmare at bay

Kagura hated nightmares.

They always reminded her of the past, of the cold and never-ending rain drumming like a pitiful melody to accompany her own loneliness. Her mother had just died in front of her eyes, and she could only grasp the weakening hand, listen to the weak voice one last time before she was gone like the rest the farce of a family she had. Her kind older brother had forever changed to a monster and didn't even spare a glance back as he left the weakling burdening his quest to strength. Her father became even more absent than he already was— within a day he had lost both his wife and his son, and even for the strongest man in the universe there was only this much he could cope with.

Suddenly she became a reminiscent of the past and the family on this planet, everyone else had already gone to different path. The bond she thought strong was so easily broken in so much pieces that ten little fingers weren't enough to catch and glue them back, clumsily. The rain felt even lonelier, the house felt colder and the dinner was too much of a hassle to bear.

The silence gave her all the time to think, think and re-think: why didn't her family work out? Was it because they were Yatos? She decided to never, ever lose to her blood and instinct. Was it because she was weak? She strived to grow stronger. Or was it because…

Sometimes, Kagura thought with a bitter smile, there were questions better left unanswered.

Shinpachi's face was barely some inches away from the screen when Kagura forcefully grasped him by the collar before throwing him in the couch with Gintoki. While they were used to the teenager's antics, shadowing the TV was strictly forbidden within the Yorozuya: it was already small enough for them to need to squint their eyes in order to watch a show and there wasn't enough space for his head. "We're watching your stupid show already, stop being so annoying Patsuan."

"But this is the Otsu-chan special interview! As the chief of the fanclub I cannot miss it—"

"— no one is going to change of channel. Sit down and shut up, Patsuan."

"SHUT UP you two, I can't hear what she's saying!" Kagura elbowed both of them in their stomach, instantly calming the argument taking place.

The screen buzzed for second before a purple-haired girl appeared on screen, her cheeks visibly red after another concert. She had been getting popular lately, these days a lot of idols were scared to appear on scene because of the rumours, of the Sleeping Beauties but Otsu never abandoned her career and worked even harder to complete all the schedules other idols left. Kagura didn't understand why Shinpachi liked her songs about corn and poop so much, but she could at the very least for his admiration towards her.

"Our favorite Otsuu-chan is here, despite her tight schedule!" The female host grinned with all of her pearly teeth, "fans are worried about you, you do look tired!"

"I need to work harder— corn poop!— because that's an idol's job, right?" Otsu laughed and sat down, smiling at her fans that she knew, were all squealing for her. Like Shinpachi was, before Kagura jabbed him again for being too noisy.

"Let's start the interview then! Aren't you scared of the Sleeping Beauties?"

"Of course I am, but my fans are way more important! I don't feel tired or scared at all!"

"That's some energy you have," the MC patted her on the shoulders gently, like a good friend. "Otsu-chan, you have gotten shows with lot of male idols because of that, did you get a crush on someone?" She gave her a glance, something like a gossiping friend would do.

"Ehh?" The idol faked surprise, "I don't really like anyone, I put my fans before my love life."

"But surely you have a favorite?"

"Oh, yes, I do. My favorite is of course Ryuu-kun, I love his album Darling Darjeeli—"

Shinpachi's eyes widened as his whole body plunged forward to the poor machine, his glasses almost falling out when his hand reached the unanimated object.

Suddenly, the usual bubbling eyes of the idol turned dull and dark, before she fell straight onto the table of the host, who was screaming for help to the crew. The same words repeated like a mantra.

"She's a Sleeping Beauty! Otsuu-chan, wake up, wake up!" The emcee shook her shoulders but the idol wouldn't rouse from her sleep. "Call the ambulance! The police! You, cut this!"

The screen turned black, with some apologise scribbled by the production but it was too late.

"Otsu-chan!" Shinpachi cried out in front of the TV. "No, why did it happen to her, why did she have to be one of the victim?! She worked so hard to get here," a river of tears fell out of his eyes, "why did it happen?"

"Oi, oi, she's not dead."

"But we don't know if she'll ever wake up! They never woke up, Gin-san!" The silver perm sighed deeply before trotting to the boy, a calloused hand felling on top of Shinpachi's head, before messing up his dark hair.

"We'll find a way before you flood Edo, okay?"

"Gin-san…"

Kagura yawned, "this mood is too boy's love for me. We should go to the tax-robbers instead, maybe they know something after all the tax they've robbed from the good citizens."

"Wow, you're acting mature Kagura-chan, daddy is proud of you. Aren't you too, mommy?" Gintoki wiped a fake tear, a little smile stretched on his lips when the teenager had stopped sobbing like a mess and instead showed his usual, bright self. "That's better, I'll buy you some sukonbu today."

"Really? Kya—hoo, thank you Gin-chan!" The little girl in red jumped at Gintoki, climbing up the man like a koala would with an eucalyptus tree.

The Shinsengumi were solemnly silent, despite not caring for the idol in particular. They have failed their duties yet again as another victim had been announced to the already too long list.

"So, you look even shittier today, China." Okita decided to break the ice, but perhaps not in the good way. Kagura was already fuming at him, and would have probably broken a few ribs and his nose if it wasn't for her foster father grasping her.

"I promised you sukonbu today so don't try to fight with Souichiro-kun, Gin-chan already needs to buy us a new door."

"He started first!"

"I only stated the truth, you look like a panda with your dark circles, but without the cuteness." Sougo grinned, "what, you haven't been able to forget my beautiful face?"

"I'm having nightmares, maybe I do see your ugly face in my dreams! I need my beauty sleep!"

"Even if you became a Sleeping Beauty, you'd still be ugly. More like a piggy, do you drool too?"

Hijikata made a jab to Okita, praying the boy would stop infuriating further the very much dangerous Yato on the other side of the table. "That's not how you flirt," he coughed, "and we're not here to do that, anyway."

"Flirt? Have you gone mad Hijikata—"

"We've gone to the priestesses sisters and asked them about the incubus, and we have an idea but we'll need your help. We're making a trap."

"A trap?"

"Since ancient times, incubus liked to tempt the priestesses to mock them, so they managed to find a way to exorcize them. They drew sacred circles on the floor, and then gathered the fairest maidens of the villages, once the incubus was lured they would start the exorcism right away to expel it."

"I'm not lending you Kagura to lure out some blind lolicon—" Kagura blushed.

"No, not for that. We need her to guard the maidens."

"Ah, I thought so."

Okita laughed at Kagura's expression that went from blushing, almost cute face to one disintegrating into pure, unhinged anger towards the two men who so easily discarded her 'feminity', well, as much a geroine like her could manage in this area. He knew she was prideful, but had never seen her being feminine of all things.

"I'm a beautiful girl, you guys are just too old to see this."

"Yes, yes, and I pay Granny's rents every month."

"Is that true?" Hijikata asked, hopeful.

"Of course not, that's the point. Kagura attracts either lolicons or giants, maybe both."

"It's not true, I have mami's genes. Papi says I'm a pretty girl, too!"

"Parents always lie to their kids, you know? One day you'll become bald and there's only Gin-san in this world to accept this," he picked his nose casually even if his foster daughter was about to commit a crime far bloodier than the Sleeping Beauties. He glanced at Okita, and grinned a little.

"…"

"You're a pretty girl, okay? But you have yet to bloom," he ruffled her hair affectionally and made her sit down besides him.

That silver perm is pretty good, Hijikata thought. It was obvious to anyone but the concerned that the Yorozuya Boss was warning a certain someone from getting closer to his daughter. He heard the perm got worse after a story of a giant trying to marry the China girl.

"Anyway, we're going to make a war with all possible victims. Of course, we'll say it's for protection but they'll be the baits, the sisters are going to perform the exorcism but we need to make sure all goes well. Since there are only women, China girl is more suited to this. You need to make sure the circles work."

"What does it mean?"

"Verify if their body is intact and doesn't have any marks," Hijikata decided not to pursue further the subject. "Stuff that looks like a bite."

"Oh, I see. Like a vampire's?"

"Kinda, yes."

"Oogushi-kun?"

"My name is Hijikata."

"You'd make a good mother," Gintoki cackled and hardly smothered his mocking laugh at the sight of the demon Vice-Chief trying to explain, as candidly as possible, what a love-bite was to a little girl. Truly, it was amusing.

Kagura only tilted her head in confusion, while Shinpachi contained his imminent nosebleed the best a cherry boy like him would— which, to be honest, was just holding his hand close to his nose.

"Anyway, if you work for us you'll be better feed than the silver perm would ever do, and you'll get paid for it in extra. We're counting you, China girl," Hijikata explained quickly before the girl had the time to be in awe. "You'll need to be on your guard and alert at night, and sleep during the day. Your eyes, they're better than ours right?"

"Yato have sharper senses overall," Kagura nodded.

"That's perfect, then."

Okita had shut down his mouth at his superior who seemed to know how to sweet-talk China girl, in a matter of seconds. Perhaps he wasn't popular in Yoshiwara just for his looks, after all. He wondered how Hijikata did— sometimes he haven't said anything mean that there was already a fist blown to his face. It wasn't his fault if she did have huge dark circles marring her usually perfect and white skin.

"Hijikata-san, die."

And the bomb exploded.

Kagura walked in circle alone. Walking in circle over circles, her mind going in circles— everything was circle, round like the moon, its light being her only source to the sight. The Shinsengumi were surprisingly efficient in organising a ward fathering all the beauties Edo possessed within, and Yoshiwara had been chosen as the area of protection because of its wide area and its proximity to the headquarters. Temporarily, they changed an extravagant and onerous brothel to an area strictly guarded, a gilded castle for the princesses.

But Kagura wasn't admiring the lavish bedroom she stood in, nor the crimson carpet secretly covering sacred marks the priestesses had hand-drawn to the floor.

She closed her eyes and listened to the pounding of the rain outside, a summer's rain.

The nightmares gave her headaches and hear stings she didn't ask for, reminded of a question she had yet to confront. Deep in her heart she knew the cowardice got the best of her, but she also acknowledge that the answer might simply break everything she had tried to build until now.

Strength. Smile. Kindness.

"You," the silky curtains danced into the air, wind engulfed in the room in a strong blast, but not enough to wake the women inside. "You're scared."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I can finally read your soul," the beautiful voice echoed in her ears, "you're asking yourself if you're the cause of everything."

"That's not true."

"If I had not been born, if I hadn't existed, would they still be a family? Would they be happier without me? Was I burden? Was my birth only a curse?"

Blue eyes flashed towards the stranger, "it's not true. They love me, you don't know anything at all."

"I am loved, so I am not hurting. I'm not lonely, I'm not scared, I'm not abandoned," the man stepped swiftly, like feathers, to her. "You're hurting, you want to be numb."

"Pain makes me alive, because I have a heart," Kagura didn't question the mysterious being. Part of her didn't want to— as if drawn to him.

"Poor kid, your mother's body didn't take your birth well, has she? You're scared of the answer, you wish you could just stay numb, you think that just smiling and forgetting the past will change that, but it's not. Not anymore."

"It's not true! You're lying! I'm not hurt, I'm going to fight, I'm going to hold my promise to mami and I'll bring this idiot Kamui and Baldy together, again! I won't cry ever again," Kagura shook her head. "I didn't bring Mami's death. It's not true."

The room was filled with silence, yet the stranger's hand gently drew Kagura's face towards him. "You worked hard, haven't you? But it's fine now, you just need to trust me, I'll make the pain go away."

"I'm not in pain, I have Gin-chan, Shinpachi, and even Sadist. I'm not lonely."

"You are, you're scared to bring misfortune again— you can forget all these things for a moment, but it keeps coming back." The man leant down, the space between their lips scarce, "did you know? Kisses can make the pain go away."

"They do?"

"Yes, close your eyes."

A devilish smile stretched, "Good night."

[intra-fiducia]

Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE! Novel II - Summary of Chapters 4-6

Earlier chapters (bar my quick ch3) have been translated in full by @vashtijoy! 

Please excuse my incredibly boring summary skills, but here’s a casual rundown of what happens; for more detail, ask me for a full translation. My thoughts are kinda scattered in the text but I think it’s pretty easy to tell what’s textual and what’s me lol

Content warnings apply as usual with this novel for suicidal thoughts/behaviour and unhappy home situations, and also for some potentially slightly shippy comments on my part.

Chapter 4: Play-Family Time

This chapter starts the morning after Chapter 3. Yumoto wakes first out of the main five, though technically Gora was awake even earlier (he’s out chopping wood). Yumoto wakes Ash up and gushes over how fun the sleepover was.

Ash: Yeah......It was alright. But I’m a bit tired.

Even as he said that, though, he was smiling. Of course, Yumoto calls him out on it and tickles his tummy as if cuddling Wombat. The rest of the club wake to Ash’s ‘angelic laughter’ okok. Yumoto teases Ash for his bedhead since it makes him look like a chicken; Ash tells Yumoto he looks like a cream puff. Yumoto takes it as a compliment :P

The rest of the club look on. Ryuu seems a bit sour about it.

Io: What is it, Ryuu? If Ash is happy, isn’t that the most important thing?

YOU TELL HIM, IO.

Ryuu: Io, were you the type to say that sort of stuff?

Woahhhh he totally was. But anyway, Io asks what problem Ryuu could have with Ash being happy. Ryuu throws a pillow at Ash and Yumoto in frustration and Ash gets sad, so Ryuu smushes the pillow in his face to comfort him. Io tells him he’s a kid; Ryuu asks Io to join in.

En-chan is still asleep. Io comments on how poor his sleeping posture is -- his head is covered under the sheets. Atsushi says they have to wake him or they’ll be late to the zoo (oh, back to the plot now).

Yumoto’s hugging a pillow (cute). Atsushi calls out to En even though he knows En won’t wake just from that. He starts to shake him too but it doesn’t work, so Ryuu gets Ash to go under the covers and tickle him, which works well.

Yumoto is confused about the zoo thing; Atsushi realises they’d forgotten to tell him what they’d decided on. Cue short spiel on how Gora used to take Yumoto to the zoo. Ash is all tsun about wanting to go to the zoo, but Yumoto tickles that out of him and is like ‘alright, let’s go then!’ It’s like he’s the one who’d thought of the idea :P So the rest of the guys gang up on him to refute that and poor Yumoto is a little sad. The rest of the club is actually just jealous that Yumoto got to have fun with Ash they’re so petty omg.

THEIR THOUGHTS:

En: How strange; it’s not like me to get jealous...... Atsushi: I thought En-chan might be, but the same goes for me. Am I jealous of Yumoto? Ryuu: Huh? I’m a bit sulky? Io: Yumoto just wants to go to the zoo himself, but /we/ decided to go to the zoo as a result of searching Ash’s memories.....(far out Io, a couple of issues there)

Yumoto doesn’t even know a thing. He talks about how he gets touched seeing the animal parents lick their kids --- BAM TRIGGER WORD --- but it’s too late when everyone realises and Ash is like ‘huuh so that’s what zoos are like’. The seniors are all like ugh Yumoto stop in their thoughts :( BUT! Ash defies their expectations and smiles happily. Io considers buying the zoo for Ash.

Yumoto: Right? Zoos are fun. I was always watching the house alone, but when I saw the animal families it reminded me how nice families are.

Wombat understands that Yumoto instinctively wanted to convey to Ash how wonderful families are.

The seniors get jealous again (seriously guys, stop) but they kind of realise they’re all jealous and Ryuu goes for the denial. En-chan sees right through him lol. Enter Gora with a mountain of onigiri~ aaaand end of section.

***

They’d heard the zoo was small, but it’d be more appropriate to say it had been forgotten by the townsfolk. There were no lions or elephants or giraffes in this zoo! You had to pay to feed the animals and the entrance fee wasn’t cheap. And even though there was a farm-like place there, you couldn’t eat delicious soft serves or drink fresh cows’ milk, and you couldn’t ride around a track on a pony. There was a monkey mountain and you could pet the rabbits and walk with the goats, but it was pretty sparse. AKA rather than a zoo it was more like a petting zoo in the corner of a park. That panda on the homepage was a pretty big dream. However! <-- quote novel haha

According to Yumoto, up until the that month the zoo had only had a couple of animals, but they’d gotten something new in. There are capybaras! Io explains what they are; Yumoto praises him for being knowledgeable; Zaou doubts that Io bought stocks in the zoo because he liked animals. Bingo --- Io had no interest in the zoo itself but he’d heard capybaras were becoming more popular worldwide. The stocks were cheap when he bought them, too. 

En: Amazing, Io. Did he sense the smell of money coming from the capybaras? Atsushi: ......Can you really make money off capybaras?

Yumoto tries to explain what capybaras are to Ash but En and Atsushi keep teasing him for his rough explanation. He gets a bit sad :( Io takes over the explanation (he’d looked it up the previous night! :P). Apparently the capybara goods (and those alone) were flying off the shelves. I could summarise what’s said about capybaras, or you could read the wiki. Just saying :P The important thing is that they like baths and are easy to get along with --- they have strong family bonds and easily get used to humans. Ash respects Io’s intelligence. Oh dear, now everyone’s getting jealous again >.>

En: ......He’s just repeating what he found word-for-word. *sigh*...... Ryuu: He only sees capybaras as a source of income. Even I could say that much with access to a search engine.

Meanwhile, Atsushi had been looking stuff up on his mobile (see, put those words into action lol). He offers a tidbit about there being a type of capybara called a carpincho.

Ash: Ahaha, what a funny name~

 to which everyone else (including Yumoto) gets jealous and is like ‘ughh what useless info I can’t believe Ash was into that’. Io’s frustrated because he thought it wasn’t necessary, and yet...! Yumoto is unsure what he is feeling (it’s jealousy).

Ryuu: Damn it! I won’t lose, Kinugawa-senpai! En: It’s been a while since I’ve seen Atsushi’s smug face. Io: This isn’t like you, Kinugawa-senpai. Fine; I’ll take on this challenge.

Yumoto wonders why they’re all glaring at each other. Wombat tries to make a speech about how it’s immature to quibble over whose love is greater, but nobody listens to him. Io makes a jab at Ryuu usually only being interested in girls; Ryuu ofc says Io is usually only interested in money. En-chan agrees :P And then Atsushi joins in and asks what’s going on with En since he’s usually not interested in anything. Atsushi takes the lead again!

Thus began the defence club’s heated “Ash Contest”.

***

Location: Capybara Kingdom (a bit of an exaggeration :P). Wombat is troubled, but he figures this is their way of expressing their love for Ash. Yumoto has no idea what’s going on. As long as Ash is happy, he’s happy!

They’ve decided to take it in turns starting from Yumoto to have play dates with Ash. The order was decided by rock-paper-scissors and goes Yumoto --> Ryuu --> Io --> En --> Atsushi. Wombat is still worried about it since ‘it’s the first time he’s seen them like this’.

En notes that Atsushi seems pretty composed. Atsushi refutes the idea, but En still feels it.

Wombat: What can I do, merely sitting on the bench like this? There has to be something. I’m meant to be a specialist on love. Umm, something I can do for young Ash......

***

Yumoto gets excited seeing the capybaras but they ignore him. Ash is a bit bleh because there were supposed to be capybara families there but he only sees one kid. Apparently there’s a mother, father and three children. Ash is worried because the capybara seems cold. There’s no water in the bath! And where's the rest of the family! The zoo attendant has to come and explain that it was raining the previous day, and also that they just argue when they’re out together AHAHA. Wombat forgets he’s supposed to be a soft toy and is all like ‘oh noooo Ash will never know what familial love is like nowww’. Io starts on an impassioned rant about how he needs to reform the exhibit. blah blah how scandalous even animals fight poor ash

Ryuu tries to switch in. They’re all like ‘kids aren’t girls you know’. Io tells him that Ash doesn’t want LOVE as in the love girls want with Ryuu, but rather the warmth of familiar love. Ryuu says he knows, but that Ash needs more than that; just watch.

He tries to explain to Ash that the capybara’s being a lone wolf. Ash doesn’t get it. Everyone is all boo what’s with that explanation BUT in the end Ash is pretty happy to accept that being alone can be cool too. Yumoto suddenly starts talking about how they’ll be Ash’s family, because if Ash can’t get love from the capybaras, he’ll have to get love from the defence club. The plan changes to seeing who can be the best dad for Ash.

WOAH SHIP ALERT.

En and Atsushi lock eyes and begin to hash out a plan together.

En: Atsushi, according to Wom-san’s plan, everyone’s going to be a fatherly, but it’s not ideal to have fathers only, right? Isn’t it a bit much? Atsushi: That might be. En: So it might be good for us to change up the positions. Atsushi: Yeah. I was thinking the same thing myself. En: We’ll figure it out, but it might be good for someone to be a bit motherly. Atsushi: I see. It’s not like we can go with an older sister type. En: Nope. Atsushi: A motherly character, huh. I might be able to do that?

AND

Atsushi: Your personality isn’t quite motherly......yeah, no way. You completely miss the morning on Sundays; you just evoke the feeling of someone told things like Papa, all you do is sleep; you’re such an old man.

That’s why Atsushi feels he has no choice but to take over the mothering role by process of elimination, but he still doesn’t think it’s possible for him. Maybe it is better for everyone to be dads after all? He’ll just be a dad with some motherly traits. En asks whether they want to cooperate as a dad and a motherly dad.

Atsushi: That’s fine, but......En-chan, will you be able to be a good papa? En: It’ll be better than me trying to be a good mama, right?

As Atsushi’s explaining some stuff to Ash, En thinks about how Atsushi is totally a good mother.

Cue exposition about how Ash is so lovely and cute and wonderful etcetcetc ok next section SORRY I’M JUST VERY DONE WITH ALL THE REPETITION

***

The activity starts with Ryuu offering to carry Ash on his shoulders. En thinks that Ryuu’s short, so he won’t be as good as it as En would be. Atsushi is worried about how he can be both a father and a mother to Ash.

Io: Hmm......straight to skinship, huh. That’s so like Ryuu.

OKAY IO. He then respects how the simple act of carrying kids on one’s shoulders can resonate with them more than anything. After all, Ash’s entry to the zoo was free (thanks to Io) and that didn’t bring a smile to his face.

After ten minutes, Ryuu gets tired. Io time!

It’s a bit cloudy, so Io suggests sitting down and getting something warm (like lemonade???? Io????) to drink. Ryuu’s pretty shocked by his behaviour and wonders whether Io’s actually used to this sort of thing. Wombat tells him it’s the power of love :P

Meanwhile, En-chan is totally amused. The rest spot they’re going to is reserved for shareholders. Io’s using the power of money even with a child as his partner.

Io tries to leave Ash while he goes to buy drinks, but Ash wants to go with him. That reminds Io of how he needs to focus on the important things because the crux of it is that Ash wants love. They end up buying lemonade and coffee.

So apparently it’s about to be Summer, but it’s still cold. The rest of the club has to wait for thirty minutes out in the cold. As En reaches his limit, Io and Ash finally emerge from the break area, looking very warm and toasty. They bring hot lemonade for everyone; Yumoto drinks it and pulls faces at the sourness; Ash laughs at him.

En and Atsushi get fired up over it. They ask what Ash wants to do and it turns out he wants to wash his hands since they’re sticky from the lemonade. En offers to give him a piggy back. Atsushi does his usual ‘wow how rare for you to be fired up’ thing, and En is surprised himself at how warm and fuzzy he feels carrying Ash.

After Ash washes his hands, he’s hungry. Time for lunch! Yumoto takes over, and En/Atsushi lament how all they got to do was take him to the bathroom ahahahahaha

They get to eat Gora’s handmade onigiri ahh. According to Yumoto, they look plain white, but they’re not. One of them has a pickled plum inside (like that winner’s coin in the cake tradition in England or something, I guess?). 

En: Urk, I don’t like picked plum. Atsushi: You can’t say that, En-chan. Gora-san went to the trouble of waking up early to make it for us.

En backs off :P Atsushi holds out a wet tissue to Ash and asks him which rice ball he wants. En starts another little thought about how Atsushi’s far more a mother than a father.

Ryuu: Wet wipes?! Who has those, usually? And a high school boy, at that!

On top of that, the wipes are antibacterial! NICE, ATSUSHI.

Cue sob story about how Ash’s lunch was only ever sandwiches (he wonders if his mother even knows what pickled plums are) and now that she’s in America she doesn’t make lunch for him.

Most of the defence club aren’t happy that Ash has been reminded of his mother, but Yumoto’s pretty excited over the sandwiches. He manages to turn Ash’s mood around.

Apparently making sandwiches is more effort than making onigiri I’M LAUGHING Yumoto sums up the trip by saying that he’s glad they came to the zoo, even if the capybara exhibit was a disappointment. (Everyone: That last bit was unnecessary!)

En asks Ash how the onigiri is and Ash hurries to try one. He makes a face because it’s sour; everyone laughs (the biggest laughs of the day!).

Atsushi: That ‘Ash~ How’s the umeboshi onigiri?’ was so dad-like; nice. You asked it knowing he hadn’t eaten one yet. That’s really like you. En: Shush, you......

HAHA HI

They all start to ponder whether they’ll ever be able to solve Ash’s actual problem, since they can’t be with him together. They want to bring him home wearing that angelic smile of his.

Chapter 5: The Angel’s Little Fever

Ryuu suggests that Io do something about the capybaras, at least, with his money. Usually, Io would reject these suggestions, but this time he agrees, as it’s regretful Ash only got to see one. It’s rare for Io to express regret.

Apparently Ash’s mood has been going downhill since lunch. Atsushi asks him if he’s cold, but nope. Yumoto tickles his tummy, but to no avail. Ash just says ‘it’s nothing’...while clearly looking as if there is something please communicate, child. En asks Atsushi what he thinks is going on.

Yufuin had a habit of turning to Atsushi when he didn’t know something.

And then:

Zaou, too, soon turned to Naruko when he didn’t know something.

Unfortunately, nobody knows! Yay! They figure it must be because he’s thinking about his parents or something, so they decide to change locations. They try to think of places they liked visiting as kids.

En: I’ve always been the indoor type......I can only remember going from home to school and back again. Atsushi: For me......it might have been the school grounds......and then the library or the assembly hall. Ryuu: If you’re after date spots, I know plenty, but...

Sometimes Yumoto goes camping with Gora sometimes, so they decide to go hiking/camping on Mt. Binan. Atsushi’s like ‘haven’t we been there recently’ and En-chans remembers they used to go for excursions back in primary school. According to Io, there didn’t used to be much around, but recently they built a hot spring there to revitalise the town and there are a lot more buses that go straight there. He’d been wondering whether he should invest there, but apparently a lot of others were going to make it quite extravagant, so he held back; besides, the Kurotama Bath is enough for him. They decide to go, and return to the Kurotama Baths at night.

Ash is in a bit of a better mood after that.

***

The bus carries them right into the heart of the mountain, and then it’s a twenty minute walk from there to the top. Io complains about the company being halfhearted by not taking them all the way to the top. They can see a building at the top that really doesn’t suit the overall feel of Binan City --- it’s the hot spring. Nobody likes the look of it.

Ash seems to be getting tired. Yumoto offers to piggyback him, prompting more jealousy from Ryuu. Meanwhile, Io is still complaining about the bus route ahaha

ENTER THE STUDENT COUNCIL

A limousine passes by them. It looks familiar to the third years. The only people who’d have a car like that in this town...it’s Kin-chan’s family.

***

Inside the limousine, the student council are having a nice chat. Akoya things the people they just overtook seemed familiar. Kinshirou knows it’s the defense club because only they would walk around on the road in such a disorganised manner. Arima noticed the kid. Akoya hopes they’re not going to the spa, but Kinshirou reassures him that they have private rooms. He’d just like to avoid running into them in the public areas (especially since it’s a holiday).

Arima’s watching Kinshirou out of the corner of his eyes with a bit of a teasing smile.

Ibushi: Well, it’s not that bad if we go in with them.

But Kinshirou doesn’t answer.

***

Yup, even as they get closer, the spa still looks just as gaudy to En-chan. Zaou reckons it’s like a high-class love hotel; Io retorts that he doesn’t know what they’re like.

Atsushi is optimistic, saying that they don’t usually come to these sorts of places. Yumoto, of course, is super excited. It’s like a castle to him, and he hopes there’ll be those lion fountains with water coming from the mouths.

Ash isn’t very energetic. And wait, he’s shivering? They decide to go inside quickly; it’s very nice with all its stone floors and chandeliers etc

AND THERE, UNDERNEATH THE CHANDELIERS, is the student council, sitting at a table decorated with roses. They’re elegantly enjoying welcome drinks.

Yumoto is excited to see them. En is like...ohh man. Io realises that the investors who’d made the building all extravagant are likely to be Kin-chan’s family...

Kin-chan is clearly displeased. Beside him, Arima’s smiling and enjoying the situation i like this ibushi more than the manga version tbh.

Atsushi tries to make small talk but when Kinshirou stops answering him Akoya takes over.

Akoya: You knew we might be here, and yet you still came. On purpose. In other words, you had no consideration.

Ryuu gets mad; it’s like Akoya’s saying they’re not allowed to come! Arima smiles and says it’s fine for them to be here since it is a public facility. Ryuu says he won’t get in the same tub as Akoya, to which Akoya replies that’s natural, since the student council has a private room. Yumoto tells them that baths should be for everyone to share! ‘Naked bonding!’

Kinshirou admits that this is a public space, so he has no problem with them being present. He asks what Ash is doing there, and Yumoto says that Ash is his little brother for the day. Kinshirou’s lost for words......or rather, keeping silent. Instead, Arima laughs and says, ‘your little brother for the day. You’re as interesting as ever, Hakone Yumoto-kun.’

Then, surprisingly, Kinshirou speaks again. Ash looks unwell to him, and they suddenly realise that he has a fever. Then, again, unexpectedly, Kinshirou offers to lend them the car. Even Akoya stares at him for that. Atsushi beams and thanks him, and En turns to him to tell him that the offer is appreciated, but they’ll be fine. Kinshirou doesn’t reply.

Yumoto’s about to run back the way they came, but En stops him, because there’s a faster way than a limousine! HE’S SO SMART and Yumoto understands. Love Making happens. Atsushi’s worried about the practicalities of Yumoto transforming with Ash on his back, but Wombat assures them that thanks to his highly advanced technology it’ll be okay. Wombat’s actually kinda useful in this novel ahaha

 There’s some banter about why they’re still spouting lines when there’s no enemy to defeat. En and Atsushi are embarrassed. En tells everyone that only he and Atsushi need take Ash to the hospital *waggles eyes*. Everyone else is to contact Ash’s dad and bring him to the hospital. EN-CHAN. HE’S BRILLIANT.

Io is the first to agree. En picks Ash up bridal-style.

En: In the end, it’s this again. (referring to when he’d first caught Ash)

The other three start arguing over who’s going to find Ash’s father first. Io’s already looked up his workplace so they’ll branch out from there.

Atsushi: When you do that, you seem more like a knight than a dad. En: What’s with that.

The two of them sped towards town, cutting through the wind, truly looking like knights protecting a princess.

***

Meanwhile, Kinshirou is remembering Atsushi’s thanks (but not En’s, lol, bc Yufuin who???).

Ibushi: We didn’t even do anything deserving of gratitude, hm.

Kinshirou doesn’t reply. Akoya takes a sip of tea (black) and says with less bitterness than usual that they’re idiots, since it’d be warmer in the car. Kinshirou agrees. Arima says that it’s like them, though. Kinshirou leaves wordlessly but he comes back to his VIP seat not five minutes later.

Akoya asks where he was, naturally, and Kinshirou waves him off with a really vague answer. Arima’s smiling teasingly again.

Ibushi: Speaking of which, the only hospital operating at this time on a holiday would be your family, right, Kinshirou? [...] You won’t let yourself say that you called to ask them to take care of an emergency case coming now.

lol arima why you gotta call him out like that

Kinshirou: You’re talking quite a bit.

aka shut up in polite words ahaha

Chapter 6: Let’s Talk Love in the Tub

A neighbouring town to Binan city. A large road ran through the town, but the bullet train didn’t reach it, so there were only small shops etc by the road. It’s an even quieter town than Binan since it doesn’t have hot springs to liven it up.

Scarlet and Vesta are searching the town. They’re in the most residential area, but nobody’s around; they recall that Ash said his father barely came home. Io’s missing. Ryuu tells Yumoto that Io must have gone straight to Ash’s father’s workplace. Yumoto decides to yell for Ash’s dad before they leave just in case, and while Ryuu is dubious, it actually works. A tired-looking man in his thirties rushes to them all ‘did you say Ash?!?!’

Io’s shocked that Ryuu and Yumoto found Ash’s father first. There’s a short conversation where Yumoto tells Ash’s dad to spend more time with him.

***

Ash has already been examined by the time they reach. He’s calling for his parents while he’s sleeping in bed. Wombat’s finally feeling guilty but En tells him that there were problems even without that. Wombat laments that though they spread love as the Battle Lovers, they caused this poor child so much suffering.

A bit more talk on how Wombat will, try, in time, to do something about Mr Tawarayama.

***

Ash’s dad grips Ash’s small pale hands in both his own while the defence club look on from a distance. Yumoto tells him that Ash will be okay because his dad is holding his hand.

Ash’s father: Honestly...I’d been thinking he hadn’t eaten much lately. He’s never had much of an appetite, but that’s been especially true of late......Even the dinner I prepare is barely touched when I come home...... Yumoto: When I’m alone, I don’t have much appetite either. Eating alone is no fun.

YUMOTO DOESN’T MEAN TO BE CRUEL. But like, ouch. En and Atsushi try to soften the blow by saying that Ash’s dad works so it can’t be helped. Ash’s dad apologises to Ash for coming home late all the time.

There is a stilted, awkward conversation between Ash and his dad. En tries to smooth things over when it peters out. But as it turns out. Ash doesn’t want to go home.

***

Ash was fed up with being a good boy. He hated both his parents --- but there was nobody around for him to tell that to, so all he could do was cry. He called his grandfather wanting to hear his voice, but nobody picked up. Maybe he was busy. So he tried emailing him, but received no reply. He rushed out of the house, thinking that there had to be some reason why, and went to the school......He was afraid that his grandfather had gone somewhere far away, like his mother had. He climbed a tree hoping to spot a glimpse of his grandfather, and there decided he didn’t want to live anymore. Not even he knew whether he was serious. But the next thing he knew, he was falling towards the ground. As he fell, scared that it would hurt when he hit the ground, he was caught in the arms of an older boy.

***

The defence club can’t believe that they’d met Ash only the day before. They’ve all grown so attached to him. Wombat can’t talk because he’s pretending to be a toy, but he wants someone to explain that Ash’s dad really does love him and worry about him.

Yumoto addresses Ash’s dad (who startles at it) instead.

Yumoto: Ash said he doesn’t want to go home, but I don’t think that’s actually true! It’s not that he doesn’t want to go home; it’s just lonely being alone all the time!

Everyone agrees. Yumoto tells Ash that it’s okay to tell others when you’re lonely.

Yumoto: When I was younger, I felt lonely too at times. But An-chan always told me, ‘Yumoto, you can tell me if you’re lonely.’ Kids don’t have to hold things in. So Ash, you can say it too, that you’re lonely. Okay?

Ash gets a bit angry. He tells Yumoto that he’s really childlike.

Ash: I mean, my parents are both busy with work, you know? It can’t be helped......Wouldn’t it be wrong to say I was lonely? It’s not like they can take time off. They wouldn’t earn any money, and we wouldn’t be able to eat.

They all wonder how to tell Ash that there needs to be a balance, that Ash is too young to tamp down on his loneliness for those reasons. Wombat understands that Ash’s dad desperately wants to say something, but doesn’t know what; he’s the sort who isn’t good with his words, even though he’s not a bad person. mmmmwelllllll there’s always an excuse isn’t there.....

Yumoto says that Ash should tell his parents anyway.

Ash: And what would that change? Would they quit their jobs and stay with me all the time? Would they bring me to the zoo? [...] Nothing would change, okay? So if I said I was lonely and nothing changed, that would make me even lonelier......

En says that it does sound like it can’t be helped, but he puts a hand on Ash’s head. Yumoto sees that Ash’s dad does love his son, so he tells Ash about how he used to tell Gora he was lonely sometimes, and when he did, Gora would always play with him. So what Ash needs is......an older brother?!?!

That’s not right :P

They realise that Mr Tawarayama was to Ash what Gora was like to Yumoto. Then Yumoto remembers Gora used to tell him something...Atsushi gets impatient waiting for him to elaborate (as does Ryuu immediately after). Yumoto realises that there’s a deeper feeling to express than loneliness. You have to say, ‘I’m lonely! I love you!’ Then, apparently, you must hug.

Everyone is confused. But love is something you start by giving, not receiving! is it really but ok sure

En-chan explains that the reason Ash gets lonely when his parents aren’t around is.........He gets a bit embarrassed, but he finishes the sentence.

En: It’s because you love your papa and your mama. Right, Atsushi~ Atsushi: That’s right. Good explanation, En-chan. En: Shush, you.

Ryuu agrees that when you want a girl to like you, it’s fastest to say you like her first. Io retorts (as usual) that that’s a bit of a different thing. Ash’s dad wipes tears from his eyes (even though he did nothing but stand there the whole time) and Ash is a little surprised by that.

***

Back to the baths! ...Or is it, because Ash has a fever, so he really shouldn’t be taking a bath. Yumoto gets the feeling that his baths are good for colds, though! Ash’s dad promises to go with Ash when he’s recovered. Ash is still shocked, but he’s happy.

***

The defence club return to the Kurotama Bath and Ryuu tells Io to do something about the zoo again. Io’s already submitted his opinion on it as a shareholder. Atsushi tells En he’s being uncharacteristically quiet....and it’s rare for Atsushi to turn the conversation to En. (is it really??? huh) Usually, it’s En calling ‘Atsushi~’.

En’s wondering which of them represented family best to Ash. There’s a bit of a dispute, during which Ryuu tells Io he was more of a guardian, to which Io realises that while yes, he was, guardians are meant to stand in for parents, and parents are family. Apparently this is a childish rebuttal. En says that without him catching Ash, none of this would have happened, so this is all thanks to him (he uses ‘ore-sama’ cute). Ryuu doesn’t think that’s quite right.

Atsushi says that while he was plain, he managed quite alright with Ash. And En says he was a total mother; Ryuu says it’s pretty great because it was natural; Atsushi is like, ‘uh, is that a compliment???’

They all tell him it is and while Atsushi is a bit mixed about it, he doesn’t dislike it. Wombat tries to sum things up by saying love is something you give first, and Yumoto’s like ‘this time you were just a pink toy for the whole thing!’

Cue cuddle time!

The sound of wood being chopped leads Yumoto to reminisce about how Gora is always loving him, so he wants to give love to people just like that!

En and Atsushi are like, that’s fine, but saying it out loud is a very Yumoto thing to do. They tease him a bit about how Yumoto’s more of a kid than Ash.

***

Several days later. It’s drizzling at dusk. A blonde boy holding an umbrella heads to the Kurotama Bath on his father’s back.

The rain soon stops, in the sky just above father and sun, shines a rainbow, faint yet radiant with the entire spectrum of colour.

THE END

(There is an afterword, but not much is said there.)