#i was cheering on yen to join in

[cottonlemonade]

Plan B

word count: 1015 || avg. reading time: 4 mins.

pairing: post-time skip!Kuroo x chubby!Reader

genre: fluff, pining

warnings: none

synopsis: he is trying to convince you to go out with him

The café was in its typical morning lull when you came in. After the coffee rush of the business crowd and students on their way to class there were now only a few people seated comfortably around the small round tables, chatting idly and enjoying a piece of quiet in the hustle of a new Monday. This was your favorite time of the day. The early spring sun was shining happily through the large front windows, making the dark wooden walls appear as if dipped in honey. The smell of freshly brewed coffee mixing with the soothing scent of cookies, all amidst the faint sound of traffic humming underneath the soft clanking of spoons gave you a deep sense of calm.

After the daily round of hellos and how-are-yous, you put on your black apron and got to work in the kitchen, starting on the preparations for lunch.

“Manager?”, an hour later as you just put the finishing touches on a batch of orange drizzle muffins, one of your baristas poked his head through the door and gave you a look. You sighed and joined him in the front by the cash register. Sure enough the tall man waited for you, a wide grin across his handsome face.

“No.”, you told him before he even got the chance to say anything.

“And good morning to you, too.”

“No.”, you said again, beginning to prepare his usual order of simple green tea.

“Just one cup of coffee, we don’t even have to leave the premises.”

“400 yen, please.”

He counted out a small stack of coins on the counter and crossed his arms.

“Where is your cheer squad today?”, you asked, referring to his usual companions of a broad guy with spiky gray hair and a smaller one whose smile rivaled the sun in brightness. Needlessly supervising the last drops of hot water in the to-go cup, you made sure to add the exact amount of tea leaves to a little bag, just so you didn't have to look at him and his ridiculously confident smirk.

“Eh, I think they got tired of you rejecting me.”

“Interesting, any chance that’ll happen to you, too?”

“Sure, I’ll stop”, he slid over to where you were finishing up his order and lowered his voice, “when you stop blushing whenever I ask you out.”

He accepted his order with a wink. “Thank you. See you tomorrow.”

When the door closed behind him, you found your barista leaning against a counter with a cocked eyebrow.

“That makes seven!”, he announced, pointing to a small blackboard on the back wall where you usually wrote down the groceries needed that week. In the lower left hand corner he and the rest of the staff had begun to keep a tally of how often the guy had asked you out so far.

Seven times in three weeks. You smiled against your better judgment. You knew not to take him too seriously. Knew it was just a game to him. When he came in for the first time you had almost dropped a mug, because how could someone look this casually seductive?!

It wasn’t that you didn’t have the urge to say Yes just for the hell of it. But you weren't in the mood to be a short-lived plaything for a guy who probably only thought chubbies were easy. And thus began a regular routine of rejecting him. You didn’t know whether you actually wanted him to stop or if saying No to him had just become a reflex. A wise one probably.

Kuroo groaned and gently hit his head against his desk. Of course the thought that he might be an actual creep for asking you out so much had occurred to him but when he made his initial attempt, you had said Yes at first before immediately changing your answer to No. How on earth could he prove to you that he wasn‘t kidding when he told you that you were on his mind all day? Your smile, your voice, your exceptionally squishable body all brought new amounts of cute-aggression into his life.

At this point he was running out of options. Maybe… maybe he should just wait until you approached him instead - if you ever would, that was. He needed a new idea.

And so, one misguided day, he listened in on the gossip of his coworkers who talked about what mundane things they found attractive in a guy. And that’s how we got here:

Kuroo sat at a large four seater table in the corner of your café. Papers were strewn about, magazines lay open for references. He had loosened his tie and opened the top two buttons of his crisp white shirt; his reading glasses were pushed back onto his nose in regular intervals. It was warmer today. So warm that he had discarded his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, wristwatch glinting in the soft glow of the afternoon sun. He gave a little frown and absentmindedly bit his bottom lip as he consulted one of the articles, sometimes silently mouthing along to paragraphs he read, twirling the pen in his long fingers. He lifted a page to read the next, making a note on a separate sheet, the muscles in his forearm taut while he wrote.

He looked up at nowhere in particular, then closed his eyes and stretched his tired neck, the open shirt tightening around his broad shoulders, the line of his jaw highlighted by the golden light beaming through the large windows…

"Sir.", a waitress stepped professionally to the table, a towel neatly tucked in the waist cord of her apron, hands politely folded in front of her stomach.

"Yes?"

"The manager isn’t here today."

His cheeks started to burn, "Why- I mean… what?"

"And while we do appreciate what you do for the ambiance", a subtle gesture pointed out the girls, women and the barista staring, some even holding up their phone camera, giggling behind their hands, "this isn’t a library, so please order something or free the table."

"…O-of course."

[part 2]

[putschki1969]

2025/03/19 Blog post by Wakana ミニドウガ‼︎〜声が大きかった話〜

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗Do NOT SHARE on other sites❗ ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

Mini Video!! 〜Story of a Loud Voice〜

Today, it snowed heavily in Tokyo (°_° Tomorrow is Spring Equinox...🌸(°_° But where is spring?

I got on the train today, and something really embarrassing happened😂 As I was slowly heading towards the platform, a train just happened to be there! I thought I would better hurry so I ran towards the door. I was so panicked that for some reason I got on while saying "Whoaaaaa!!! I'm sorry! Excuse me!" in a very loud voice😂 I even held up my arms like the guys from Dachou Club✋✋ [Note: For reference, see below]

While asking myself, "who am I even apologising to?", I suddenly realised that the bottom of my coat had gotten stuck in the door... This time, I cried out, "Oh no!" (Why is this happening to me?? *laughs*) I was so embarrassed that I quickly tried to pull it out, that's when a kind lady rushed to my aid and helped me pull it out😭✨ Sure enough, I thanked her in a super loud voice😂The worst thing was that the car was pretty empty and quiet😂 It was simply embarrassing *laughs*

Well. For the next podcast, let's make the topic, "Something embarrassing you've been through recently"😂 Let's all comfort each other about our embarrassing little stories＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／

Now, the talk theme for the upcoming podcast is, "Tell me your favourite Wakana song"! 😊 Please let me know your passionate thoughts! Submit your message here! ↓↓↓ https://wakana-fc.jp/answers/botanical_oshaberi_20/new

I thought I'd try singing one of my favourite songs, so I made a short video!＼(^o^)／ Rehearsals for "Wakana Spring Live 2025 ~Little Dance~" are starting soon so I thought I would post a video of me practicing while being watched by Tet! ! ＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //// Please pay attention to Tet cheering me on with an encouraging look📣 The video is really short, I chose to sing "Butterfly Dream" (^-^)

I would like to talk a little about the lyrics of this song... "He" is the narrator of the song and asks "Her" what she wants most right now. What "He" wants is to be trapped in this time and space with "Her" forever. "He" keeps asking "Her" quietly so that "She" won't notice "His" feelings. The question is like a spell. "What do you want most right now?" Mesmerising, enchanting. Soft and quiet. Lulling you into a false sense of security...You won't even notice...It's a very scary song if you think about it🤣🤣 But I really like these sort of dark fantasy lyrics! I wrote it wanting to convey a humble dream of the narrator who can't express his feelings well.

So yeah, this is the song I chose to share with you! And it's acappella! 🎤*laughs* I ended up singing such a difficult song acappella😂 It's a bit weird, but I hope you enjoy it!

In preparation for the live on April 10th, I'm once again spending my days singing a lot and challenging my own songs. I'm excited to see everyone soon!😊 I'll also try to share some of the rehearsals with you😊 I can't wait to sing all these songs... Everyone, please look forward to next month! ＼(^o^)／

《Performance Overview》 [Title] 『Wakana Spring Live 2025 ～Little Dance～』 [Date/Time] April 10, 2025 Open 17:45 / Start 18:30 [Venue] Hulic Hall Tokyo [Performers] Vocal: Wakana Music Director/Keyboard: Takebe Satoshi Drums: Tsuruya Tomoo Bass: Hamasaki Kenta Guitar: Ueda Koji Manipulator: Maeda Yugo [Ticket Price] 8,800 yen (+additional drink fee of 600 yen) [Ticket Site]https://www.red-hot.ne.jp/play/detail.php?pid=py26217 [General Ticket Sale e+] March 8~

My days of singing continue under the watchful eye of Tet...✨

Until next time~☆( *'��’*)/

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊

2025/03/18 Instagram post by Wakana

Some scenes from my visit to Saitama Children's Zoo last year 🐇🐧🐨🦒🐎🐄 (I actually went back there on my own just the other day *laughs*) I have a lot of photos and videos, but I haven't uploaded any of them💦 I'll share them little by little 🫣 In this first video, I asked my manager to film me while I was buying a yogurt drink from the vending machine 📷️When I inserted some coins, I suddenly heard a cow mooing 🐮 It was the type of vending machine that mooed 😂😂 I was genuinely so surprised, I am glad it was captured on camera😂 The yogurt drink was very delicious!! Thank you, cows!!🍼(Source)

[gossamerufansubs]

Who was "Eiyu Club"?

Eiyu Club, simply put, was a small independent production company in the late 1990s to late 2000s who primarily did low-budget android heroine tokusatsu movies. 

[A behind-the-scenes shot from Eiyu Club production Red Lilac: Dream of Shudder, presumably on the state-of-the-art landing pad for the action scenes.] 

It's been difficult to find an English-language summary of who they are, so I've done a bit of a dive into their history and how they worked. Join me below the cut to figure out who exactly Eiyu Club was, and how they made their films!

Now, at the risk of saying “I’m so sad Eiyu Club is dead… sometimes I can hear their voice”, there is still an iteration of Eiyu Club alive, although the focus in this post is on their earlier work, which definitely had a different flavor to it. They go by Akase Planning now, and while some of their more recent work hasn’t been as robot-girl focused, it looks like they may be doing more of that soon based on some recent video clips they’ve posted.

In regards to the Eiyu Club that once was, with immense help from @centrally-unplanned, I have cobbled together a vague picture of how Eiyu Club operated. Given the time period that I’m looking at (late 1990s, early 2000s), many of the webpages are gone but a few are saved via the Wayback Machine, which provided a large part of the information here. 

How did they sell their works?

For example, here is a snapshot of the Eiyu Club website at a time when they were preparing to sell “Dream Monster Ciao” DVDs. 

“We've kept you waiting for a long time. We are now accepting pre-orders for the Dream Monster Ciao DVD. The main feature and making-of are 22 minutes each, for a total of 44 minutes, and the price is 3,000 yen. It will be released at the end of February. We will include a photo with those who pre-order this time.”

Some classic hallmarks of Eiyu Club films are present here: the “making of” being nearly as long as the feature itself, the movies occasionally sold with add-ons (such as the photo), and pre-orders clearly meant for the fans of the group. Clearly they had a sales system for their merchandise, and had enough fans that pre-ordering from just the hype was even an option. 

But the VHSs and DVDs weren’t just sold online. Some, such as Red Lilac: Dream of Shudder, were sold at a hobby store Nipponbashi “Jungle” in Osaka. Apparently there was an event called the Indie Heroine Festival on March 28th, 1999, and Cyber Lady Suzuka - according to this information page - was presumably sold there.  

["Jungle" Hobby Shop in Osaka.]

Several of the videos were also sold at WonderFest (more casually known as WonFes).

[Red Lilac and Seria showing off VHSs of their works at WonFes 2002]

It looks like they attended on February 3rd, 2002 (image obtained via a WayBack Machine archive of the site).

They also sold Cyber Lady Suzuka during at least one Comiket (Summer 1999) according to one of the product pages, and were selling it at Video Market in Shinjuku, Tokyo, as well. According to this page, they sold about 350 units within 7 months of publishing. It can be difficult to find hard numbers on units sold, so this little factoid helped paint a picture of the scale that Eiyu Club was working at.

How did they get the word out?

Events were key to getting the word out about Eiyu Club’s work. One such event that Eiyu Club attended was Heroes Century ‘99. In a blog post about the day of the event, several other indie groups also attended, and other movies were screened as well. It was the first time the actress for Suzuka saw her titular film screened in front of an audience, causing her to be nervous, but it seems the event was in good cheer and it went well. 

[Meetup photo at the end of Heroes Century 1999]

Something else to note about the blog post is that apparently Heroes Century 2000 was supposedly held in the “Jungle” hobby store in Osaka, which I had mentioned earlier as a place that sold Eiyu Club merchandise. There is also an event listing on the Jungle website for 2001. 

Eiyu Club also apparently sold other items in addition to their movies, such as the Cyber Lady Suzuka Soundtrack. Akase Planning, which is the production company that Eiyu Club became, has a merch website where you can buy a keychain for their upcoming android girl video, although I can’t find information on if they sold such merchandise for their other works as well. 

[Cyber Lady Suzuka CD cover]

Something else that has interested me about Eiyu Club is the variety of locations that they frequented. For example, one of the Cyber Lady Suzuka filming locations was Kujime Motors, in Aichi, which is apparently still open and running today, 26 years later. In the credits for Cyber Lady Suzuka, they gave a shout-out to the Nagoya chapter of the Eiyu Club fanclub (as it appeared a lot of the film was filmed in the area). As noted before, Jungle in Osaka was another place that was a locus of activity for them as they did events and sold Eiyu Club merchandise. (Their website from this era says they focused heavily on independent movies, which makes sense for how strongly they championed Eiyu Club.) Since a lot of otaku culture was centered in Tokyo at the time, the breadth of their fanbase really showed in how widespread Eiyu Club enthusiasts were.

Who were the members of Eiyu Club?

Speaking of the credits, you can see from the cast and crew on Eiyu Club’s productions that it’s often the same core group of people. (Check out the Gossameru Fansubs website to see full credit lists from the movies.) According to the HEROINE Magazine Volume #2 article on their work, Eiyu Club members had pooled their money together to create their earlier works such as Cyber Lady Suzuka (1998), Red Lilac: Dream of Shudder (2001) and Blue Lilac: Pure Heart (2002), slowly upgrading their equipment as they went. The article also mentioned that Ausencia Memoria was their first work to use hired actresses, which was a huge step up for the group. The depth of community that group had in the early days shows in how their names repeat throughout the productions, and many times one person has three or more roles in the credits, showing a willingness to work extremely hard to finish the movie.

They worked with other groups/companies, such as SIGMA Modeling Studio (modeling as in, plastics modeling for masks and costumes) and If Action group, an action-oriented original character club. Nishida Special Effects Laboratory, which has a fairly extensive resume, did the explosives for Red Lilac.

There’s also the participation of individuals who worked outside of companies. On a page written by the person who did the costume design for the character of Blue Lilac, they also mentioned the person who did the sewing for it, who now does resin food modeling. There’s a person from the “Toyota City Hall Film Club” who says they did some of the music in Red Lilac (who can indeed be seen named in the credits).

Beyond what I’ve seen, I’m sure there is more Eiyu Club information to be found. Given how long ago this specific era of Eiyu Club was, much is lost to the ravages of time passing on the internet, or the decay of physical media. If anyone has more insights into how the group worked at the time, websites with more information, or more magazines that featured them, please share that information with me - I'd love to hear it!

[bluelocksource]

Kira Ryōsuke’s trivia (src: EGOIST BIBLE)

"I joined this for the purpose of denying Ego."

☆ Character's color: Cream.

☆ Birthday: 23rd May.

☆ Current age: 17 (2nd year of high school).

☆ Zodiac: Gemini.

☆ Nickname: "Jewel of Japanese Soccer"

☆ Birthplace: Tokyo.

☆ Family: Father. Mother. Himself.

☆ Current height: 181 cm.

☆ Foot size: 27 cm.

☆ Dominant foot: Right.

☆ Blood type: O.

☆ Motto: "I am here because everyone else is here!"

☆ Team before joining BLUE LOCK: Matsukaze Kokuō High School football club.

☆ Starts playing football: At age 5.

☆ Hobby: Soccer. "I'm always thinking about soccer."

☆ Favorite food: Sushi. "Not the the conveyor belt sushi."

☆ Dislike/hated food: Conveyor belt sushi. "I hope I won't have to eat it again."

☆ What goes best with rice: Scallops with grilled seaweed "The aroma alone makes me want to eat white rice!"

☆ Favorite animal: Hawk. "They have a cool hunter vibe."

☆ Favorite season: Spring. "Because it refreshes my mood!"

☆ Favorite manga: DEATH NOTE. "The interesting parts where people's dark sides come out."

☆ Favorite movie: Live action 'Rurouni Kenshin' series. "Takeru is cool."

Satō Takeru, the actor who plays the role of Kenshin.

☆ Favorite music: THE FOX. "The one with the Fox Dance."

The Fox Dance (きつねダンス) is a cheer dance performed by Fighters Girls (cheerleading group) who support the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters during innings at home games.

☆ Favorite football player: Patrick Schick.

☆ Favorite subject: Other than Japanese.

☆ Weak subject: Japanese. "I find reading stories in text difficult. I prefer manga."

☆ Mushroom shoots vs Bamboo shoots: Bamboo shoots. "Huh, are there really people who like mushrooms? The world is full of mysteries."

☆ Ideal type: "A wonderful woman who gives her all for me and does anything for my sake."

☆ Fixation: Ring finger. "I think it's the most beautiful part of a woman."

☆ What would make him happy: Being praised in any case "I just want fair recognition for my capabilities."

☆ What would make him upset: Being underrated. "I just want fair recognition for my capabilities"

☆ What he thinks his strength is: “I can uplift others like the sun, giving them energy.”

☆ What he thinks his weakness is: “Sometimes I struggle to understand others' darker sides.”

☆ What made him cry recently: “Come to think of it, have I cried recently? I don't think so.”

☆ Usual sleeping hour: 6.5 hours.

☆ Number of chocolates received from previous Valentine: 1,842. "I read all the letters! Thanks everyone as always!"

☆ Place he washes first when taking a bath: Chest. "I like my chest muscles."

☆ What will he do if received 100 million yen: "I'd like to live in a luxury apartment. Somewhere with a concierge on the first floor*."

* ground floor if you use British English.

☆ How he spent his holiday:  "Just hanging out with friends playing games, singing karaoke, going on dates, and do what everyone else does!"

☆ What will he do during his last day on Earth: "Soccer, of course. I want to gather friends and play soccer. I'm sure everyone would want that too."

note: i want to apologize in advance for any mistake made in the translation!

[satoshi-mochida]

Revue Starlight: El Dorado launches August 8

Gematsu Source

(Possible spoilers for Revue Starlight below)

Visual novel Revue Starlight: El Dorado will launch for Switch and PC via Steam on August 8, publisher Bushiroad Games and developer Frontwing announced. It will support English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese language options.

In Japan, it will be priced at 3,980 yen for the physical standard edition, 14,980 yen for the Starlight Edition, and 39,800 yen for the Super Starlight Edition. The digital standard edition will cost 3,300 yen on Switch, with the PC price still to be determined.

The contents of each edition are as follows:

Standard Edition

A copy of the game

Weiβ Schwarz PR card

Raffle ticket for the stage to be performed in November 2024

Starlight Edition

A copy of the game

Blu-ray disc of Revue Starlight Re LIVE Reading Theatre Part 4 El Dorado – Includes performances of the reading stage performed on December 16 and 17

Weiβ Schwarz PR card

Raffle ticket for the stage to be performed in November 2024

Super Starlight Edition (limited to 999 copies, sold via Bushiroad Online Store raffles)

A copy of the game

Copy of original drawings with serial numbers

Blu-ray disc of Revue Starlight Re LIVE Reading Theatre Part 4 El Dorado – Includes performances of the reading stage performed on December 16 and 17

Weiβ Schwarz PR card

Raffle ticket for the stage to be performed in November 2024

And here is an overview of the game, via its official website:

About

The vast ocean sings to me. I must go and conquer it! Our last summer at Seisho Music Academy… With the 101st Seisho Festival “Starlight” coming up, we the students of the 99th class take up the challenge to perform “El Dorado,” an oceanic epic that Japan is proud of, for our summer performance. The exiled admiral, Salvatore Guglie. The heir to a royal Spanish family, Alejandro Javier Cavallero Cruz. Who will “we” choose… between the “two protagonists” of this story?

Characters

Karen Aijo – “No matter what waters I have to cross, I will… definitely reach you!” A Stage Girl who traded fates with her childhood friend Hikari to “stand on that stage together someday,” after being entranced by the stage play “Starlight” she watched as a child. She gave her all in performing “Starlight” with Hikari, and now begins to walk towards the “next stage” by herself.

Hikari Kagura – “I don’t need destiny or oaths anymore!” A Stage Girl who has loved stage plays since she was a child, and was led into the world of stage plays after watching “Starlight” with Karen. After performing the “fated stage play” with Karen, she has currently returned to studying at London’s Royal Institute of Dramatic Arts. She is striving towards becoming a stage actress while dreaming of the day she reunites with Karen on the stage.

Maya Tendo – “May my revenge shine beautifully as my fuel.” She is the top student at Seisho Music Academy. A thoroughbred, with both parents being prominent figures in the world of theater. Despite overflowing talent in acting, singing, and dancing, she is a proudly independent Stage Girl who has never become conceited and continues to aim to be the best. Aiming to join the New National First Theater Troupe, she imposes strict lessons on herself even today. Maya-sama continues to be Maya-sama even in her third year.

Junna Hoshimi – “I myself emit glimmering lights… A lighthouse star on the Evening Star!” A Stage Girl who keeps taking on stage plays with her vast amount of reading and solid knowledge, she is the most talented girl since the inception of Seisho Music Academy. She was once desperate to catch up with the frontrunners of the scene, but now aims to be a “dazzling protagonist” and sets her eyes far ahead in her own future. She is the former 99th Student Council President of Seisho Music Academy.

Mahiru Tsuyuzaki – “I will decide my own drama… burning myself like the Sun!” Karen and Hikari’s roommate. She is a cheerful Stage Girl with a vast range of expressiveness, and is looked up to by her juniors, but can get extraordinarily scary when angered. She gave Hikari a push of motivation and sent her on her way to share the fated stage play with Karen. She aims to join the New National First Theater Troupe, in order to become a Star who brings smiles to everyone.

Nana Daiba – “I’ll… go slicing for a bit.” She is Junna’s roommate, and at the same time, a Stage Girl with extraordinary talent in both performing and stage creation. She often has the chance to bake together with Mahiru, and she is affectionately nicknamed “Banana.” She loves everyone who helps to create the stage together, and that is the reason why she sometimes shows a ruthless side.

Claudine Saijo – “Thanks to you and my unjustified resentment!” She is a former child actress who has starred in numerous stage plays and movies from a young age. A pure-hearted and highly experienced Stage Girl who knows the ropes of a stage play. Although she honed her skills against Maya as her greatest rival, she returned to her roots in France after graduation and is slated to join a revue in Paris.

Futaba Isurugi – “I don’t want to see a version of you who’s good-mannered and runs neatly!” Unmatched when it comes to sword fights and action. She is a Stage Girl with great expressive power hidden in her small frame. She and Kaoruko have been stuck together since young. They both enrolled in the same school, and she drives them both to and from school on her motorbike. However, she has decided to walk her own path by accepting the challenge of the New National First Theater Troupe, and has entrusted her beloved bike to Kaoruko.

Kaoruko Hanayagi – “A competitive performance between the top stars of the Senka-ryu School and New National… I’d like such a stage play, someday.” The granddaughter of the head of the family that runs the Senka-ryu School of Japanese Dance. After graduation, she returned to Kyoto. She is a Stage Girl who lives a life of history and traditions, and will succeed the name of the 12th Head of Family, “Suisen Hanayagi.” After a huge quarrel, she accepts Futaba’s chosen path and sends her on her way. She is currently considering what to do with the motorbike that Futaba left behind with her, while grumbling that it is “a bother.”

Kiriko Masai and Shion Amemiya – “We are from the Stage Play Creation Program, in 99th Class Group B!” “In order to create an even stronger, even better Position Zero, become even greedier!” From the 99th Class Group B Stage Play Creation Program. Amemiya writes scripts with all her body and soul, while Masai flutters around controlling the stage. The two are also roommates. They stand at the forefront of Group B, having worked on many of the 99th Class’s stage plays, taking on hardships even while clashing and arguing. Before their final summer in the exchange program, they challenge making a stage play with a certain resolve in their hearts.

Judy Knightley – “If you seek a new universe… tear apart your wailing, and overcome the sea of blood!” A Stage Girl who boasts having top grades at London’s Royal Institute of Dramatic Arts, a school that is renowned for being the hardest in the world to get into. With outstanding acting skills and expressiveness that has been lauded even in the British theater world, she is a professional stage actress with a promising future. She has arrived at Seisho Music Academy for an exchange program, and stands in the way of the students in the 99th Class with her overwhelming brilliance.

[Update: Added the opening movie.]

[hunieday]

Isumi Haruka - Drama Collection Summer Rabbit Chat

Please note that I am not a professional translator and I'm only doing this to share the side materials to those who cannot access them, if you notice any mistakes please let me know nicely. Enjoy!

Haruka: Yotsuba～～

Tamaki: Isumin～～～～

Haruka: I win!!!

Tamaki: Shit!!! Just a bit more and I’d have killed you!!!!

Haruka: I’m better at quick maneuvers!

Tamaki: Jumping there was completely unfair!!!!! you’re only supposed to do fancy jumps during lives!!!!

Haruka: What are you even talking about lolololol if we’re talking about lives aren’t you the one who does fancy jumps the best 😒

Haruka: Anyway, the punishment game! You remember right? 🥺

Tamaki: I remember 🥺🥺

Tamaki: The loser treats the other the 5 yen loaf of bread

Tamaki: 😒😒😒

Haruka: All right! Get it tomorrow on our way home! 

Tamaki: Fine!!! Only because I lost this time!!!!

Haruka: Sure, sure

Haruka:

Tamaki: 

Tamaki: I'll invite Iorin too! I'll pay for his share 

Tamaki: I offered before, I told him it looked yummy and he asked me, "What's the point of it having a 5 yen shape?” I’ve been thinking about that!

Haruka: That is something he’d say! lolol but I'm sure he'll look happy when you eat it. Maybe I'll invite him to a game next time.

Haruka: I wonder if he plays games.

Tamaki: Hmmm, I don't think he’s into that

Tamaki: But Iorin is good at everything!

Tamaki: I think he'll study it hard and use smart strategies like Nagicchi does.

Haruka: Ah! I think he's the type who’d use obstacles to his advantage!

Haruka: I don't think he'd rush into the front line like you 😏 

Tamaki: Isumin is just like me in that regard!

Haruka: And yet I still won today!

Tamaki: 

Haruka: 

Haruka: If you say "Please teach me, Isumi-senpai!” I could coach you, you know??

Tamaki: You're not my senior!!

Tamaki: By the way, the other day I almost used honorifics with you without realizing it.

Tamaki: Because of the drama we filmed…

Haruka: You know, I felt really uncomfortable at first when you used honorifics with me.

Haruka: I don't want a junior who’s taller than me lolol

Tamaki: Even though he's tall, he's still a cute junior 🥺

Tamaki: "I'll be in a band with my senior!” something like that

Haruka: Well, Yotsuba in the drama was somewhat cute.

Haruka: He was too timid to express his own opinion. He has a talent for composing, but he lacked confidence. 🥺

Tamaki: Hehe

Tamaki: Ismin was really good too. He gave me a boost when I was feeling down about my lack of self-confidence .

Haruka: You mean when he sang a cappella?

Tamaki: Yeahhh!!

Tamaki: "I want to show off to the world that there's someone who can write such amazing songs!”, and then he sang for us!

Tamaki: He's a great senior!

Haruka: I like that part too! I felt great to have had the OK from the first take!

Haruka: 

Tamaki: We had a great time singing by the beach together!

Haruka: No, I wanted to practice by myself!?

Tamaki: Ismin was singing so passionately that I couldn't stop myself from joining.

Haruka:  Touma and Izumi's brother came as well. I thought something happened lol

Tamaki: Really felt like a youthful moment

Haruka: Well, I guess…

Tamaki: Speaking of youth, I forgot to do my English homework for tomorrow.

Haruka: Weird way to remember but I’m glad you did at least?!

Haruka: We’ll have a mini test on the vocabulary from this homework.

Tamaki: 

Tamaki: I'm gonna be terminated

Haruka: Well, it's gonna be in the 5th period, so try to do your best during recess or something [pudding cheer]

Tamaki: If I get a bad grade again, XXrin and XXX-chan will get mad at me, please teach me, Isumin!!!!!

Haruka: Your nicknames are so unique that censoring them is pointless lololol

Tamaki: Isumin-senpai, please teach me 🥺 I'm your cute classmate too !!

Haruka: Don't call yourself cute lolololol Why don't you ask Izumi to teach you

Tamaki: Iorin will be away for work tomorrow morning, you’re my only hope!!!! Isumin!!!!!!!!!

Harukau: Ugh, I have no choice…

Haruka: Pay me back with melon bread from the store 😑

Tamaki: even though you’re also gonna get the 5 yen bread?

Tamaki: You really like bread, Isumin…

Haruka: You’re a nuisance lololol it’s a promise then!!

Haruka: 

Tamaki:

[writingsofanomnivore]

Wishing well- Oikawa Toru x Reader

fluff/angst? a bit bittersweet. this feels like a very shitty piece. might delete. based on a song I really like.

"I threw a coin in the wishing well; I thought it was free.”

Sunlight peeked through the wooden slats near the well, casting a golden glow that reminded you of a certain someone’s eyes. The gaping well beneath your fingers seemed to peer up at you, its depths reflecting the silver shine of coins that almost blinded you. You wondered who else had thrown a coin, what they wished for, or, as in your case—for whom they wished. The 500 yen coin between your thumb and finger suddenly felt so heavy, as if begging to join the others inside. So, you threw it. Let it go, like that one boy you so dearly loved.

“I wrote you a letter, baby,

Signed it from me.”

The letter sat in the book, lying lifelessly as if it did not contain the words you wished to utter to him—words you’d never said, words that required more courage than you could ever muster. You still remembered writing it a year after he was gone. It wasn’t his birthday, New Year’s, or even Valentine's Day, but you still wrote it, signing it, “from me,” knowing your ‘lovely’ handwriting was quite distinguishable.

“Yn-chan!! What is this? I cannot read a word!”

“What are you talking about, Shittykawa? I knew you were blind, but not this blind.”

“a) Rude. b) I bet you a ramen bowl that no one other than you can read your handwriting. Don’t pretend I haven't caught you squinting at your notes trying to read what italic mess you’ve conjured up.”

“Hmmph!” With a huff, you took it back, ignoring the cries of “I was just kidding, Yn-chan!!” and “Yn-chan, please!”

“I’m looking around this town,

Everything’s changed.

That old liquor store has been sold away.”

Your ‘secret bridge’ is gone. A whole road has been built atop it. The water beneath it is now solid brick. The old grandma you’d meet on your way home has moved to the city with her grandson. The cat who would purr into Oikawa’s hand looks at you every day, as if asking where that loser is. Everything’s changed—for better or worse, you’re yet to know.

“I see your reflection in every scene.

I miss your long brown hair just blowing for me.”

Peering at the glass window, you somehow saw his reflection behind you. A part of you wished to turn around, but the wiser part didn’t want to be disappointed, so you looked ahead. Wind entered through the window, and the image of brown hair flowing flashed into your mind. Fluffy brown hair blowing in the wind—it was unfair how one could be blessed with so many things. You couldn’t even be mad because, at the end of the day, it was your love who was the blessed one, and you were the only one getting to admire his beauty. So, with a sappy smile, you looked at him like you always did.

“If love was a feathered wing,

I hope you’d see,

There’s a whole wide world even if it ain’t with me.”

Though these moments are bittersweet, it feels nice to know you’ve grown up. You’re not that same 17-year-old sneaking out to meet someone your parents didn’t know about. You’re not the same 17-year-old saving money to buy Tooru charms, little bouquets, and keychains for his bag. Now you’re 21. You’ve learned how to deal with idiots, stand up for yourself and others, manage deadlines at work, and made new friends. A journey everyone makes, and just like that, you hope he is doing the same. Learning, experiencing the little joys of life, the hardships, and battling each one with grace. Though a part of you wished you could be by his side when he plays his first match in university to cheer him, to be part of the audience when his serve hits the opponent's court—you’re glad he can experience these moments.

“So long to the summer.

You were always my friend.

So long to my lover.

You were there till the end.”

And now summer’s almost gone, marking the third year without you, friend, lover. The sunlight slowly fades as the sun begins to set, making the park chilly. Walking out of the park, you knew this wishing well would not bring him back into your arms, but maybe, just maybe, you will keep wishing.

[pred1059]

Runaway Wind Chapter Forty Five

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After Mickey left, it wasn’t too long before they had gotten Riku’s tent set up. Although Sora couldn’t say how many hours passed while the King was gone, time seemed to fly. Mostly on account of telling Xion what all had happened on Sora’s journey. Though Jiminy Cricket popped out to add a few of the details. 

But as time went on, the stories ran out. And soon the sun started to dip beyond the horizon and  the clouds began to take the darker hue of night. Sora crossed his arms as it seemed more likely they’d need to wait another night for word from Mickey. “Should we set up a fire?” 

Riku shook his head with a sigh, “You heard Donald and Goofy. There’s no wood out here.” All the kindling they could ask for but no fuel for the fire. And without protection from the gathering wind, there wasn’t much that would stop it from being blown out.

Though Sora soon realized that there was a sound growing with the wind. The familiar sound of an engine. “Hold on, is that..?” Sora looked to the sky, and saw the last light of the day illuminate the approaching vehicle. 

One that Donald and Goofy were quick to recognize. “The gummiship?” 

The question of its pilot was answered easily enough with the distinct silhouette of Mickey’s ears in the cockpit window. The group watched as the ship touched down, the hatch opened, and Mickey quickly hopped out. “Master Yen Sid’s expecting you. I’ve set the autopilot to take you to him.”

Riku furrowed his brow as he saw the king start to take the path leading to Castle Oblivion. “You’re not coming with us?”

Calling his keyblade to his hand, Mickey continued on past the group. “I need to keep an eye on things here in case Maleficent comes back. Or the Organization.”

Kairi crossed her arms as she asked, “What Organization?”

Pausing, Mickey turned back and admitted, “Things are worse than we thought with the people in black robes. They’re a whole Organization, but that’s just scratching the surface of what they are.” He gestured to the gummiship. “Yen Sid can explain it best.”

Nodding, Sora led the way with everyone else fitting in. As the door shut and everyone buckled in, Sora saw the ship take off and head to a glowing light in the sky. As they passed into the portal, he couldn’t help but put words to something that had been gnawing at him more by the day. “We’re going to have to fight them, aren’t we? This Organization.” 

Goofy adjusted his collar as he offered, “Well, let’s see what Yen Sid has to say before we start worrying.” However, he couldn’t quite meet Sora’s eyes. Their previous encounters made it clear the Organization was far from amicable.

Grimacing, Sora shook his head as he looked to the stars hurtling by. “Before I went into Castle Oblivion, I thought all we had to do was find Riku and the King but…” His voice trailed off, just as the end of his journey home seemed even further away. Whatever this Organization had planned, there’s no way Sora could just turn a blind eye to it.

“No matter how long it takes,” Kairi answered back as she got up from her seat. “You won’t have to do it alone.”

“Not if we have anything to say about it,” Donald continued as he moved to Sora behind Kairi.

Having joined them all at the pilot’s chair, Goofy put his hand out in front of them, “Yep. All for one, and one for all.” Donald joined in, then Kairi. Soon, Sora put his hand on top of them. It was a phrase Donald and Goofy gave as they started their adventure. Now it felt like it had a bit more meaning.

“Not a bad way to put it.” Glancing over, Sora saw Riku had gotten up. He hadn’t quite made his way over, but even so the hint of a smile was on his face. 

Xion however, wasn’t quite as cheerful, looking aside and fidgeting. “I’m sorry. I’d like to help, but I’m not sure what I can do without fighting. But if there’s any way I can lend a hand…”

Sora nodded as he looked back at her. “I’d say that’s all we can ask for.” As soon as he answered Xion, the ship slowed down as it approached a rock adrift. Though as they got closer, Everyone saw a tower standing high on the piece of land.

“This is the place all right,” Goofy confirmed as the ship came to a rest next to the Mysterious Tower. Walking over, the six of them got out of the ship and Sora knocked on the door.

With a turn of the handle, the door opened. And as Sora, Kairi, Riku and Xion saw the animated broom holding it open, They were left speechless for a moment. Sora chuckled and gave a small wave as he passed by. “Er…Thanks.” The familiar waved back as they all began to ascend the tower. Stairs after stairs that seemed to wind up in ways that seemed impossible. But in time they reached the top and opened the door.

In the study filled with books and artifacts with windows overlooking the stars, a desk sat with a wizened man in blue robes with a long gray beard. As everyone approached, Donald and goofy bowed, the former greeting, “Master Yen Sid, it’s an honor.” Kairi and Riku began to follow their lead and gave a small bow…

“Hey there!” “Hi, I’m Xion! This is Sora, Kairi, Riku, Don—”

“Enough! You need to show some respect!” Only for Sora and Xion to not quite follow the same decorum, much to Donald’s frustration.

Yen Sid however, held up a hand with a small smile. “Donald, calm yourself. In the times we find ourselves in, we gain little by standing on ceremony.” The smile soon faded however as he looked over the group. “Mickey told me about you all when he came here. Did he mention anything else to you when he brought you your ship?”

Shaking her head and crossing her arms, Kairi answered, “Just that the people in black robes are part of some organization.”

Nodding, Yen Sid closed his eyes. “Very well, it seems the task of instructing you falls to my shoulders. However, when it comes to the Organization, it is not a matter of who they are, but what.” The wizard waved his hand and looked to the image of a shadow heartless that appeared beside the group. “You know of the heartless, born when one yields their heart to darkness.” Everyone nodded at Yen Sid’s explanation, though Xion’s was a bit less quick.

“At times, if someone with a strong heart and will, be they evil or good, becomes a heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own.” The illusion of a shadow was replaced by a writhing gray creature as Yen Sid continued, “A will that persists even without its heart, that is the nature of a Nobody. With sufficient will, such beings might retain their form and memories.” The strange creature was replaced by a man in a dark cloak. “Such beings make up the Organization.”

Riku rubbed his chin and pondered, “So they don’t have a heart to feel anything?”

With a sigh and a gesture, Yen Sid dismissed the image. “That is what I first surmised when I heard of them, that any such emotions are mere imitation. But the truth seems more complicated.” Folding his hands, he went on, “I have received reports of nobodies acting in strange ways. Acting as if their heart still lingered, or being influenced by the hearts of those around them. I even know of one that even seems to have a very strong conscience.”

Kairi furrowed her brow and asked, “Who are they? Do they work for the organization”

With a wave of his hand, Yen Sid showed the image of a blonde girl in white, blue, and green. “She is Naminé, and she is one of a few that has taken arms against the Organization.” 

Yet Kairi was fixed on Naminé’s face.

Her face.

“And she is your nobody, Kairi.”

Kairi slowly covered her mouth, Sora, Donald, and Goofy let out a cry of surprise. Xion looked between the two with fascination. Riku took a step back and shook his head. “Her nobody? But her body didn’t move when her heart was lost.”

Sighing, Yen Sid dismissed Naminé’s image and admitted, “I am not entirely certain, as such beings have never appeared before. But while animation of the body might be one method the will might be manifested, it is possible sufficient power might be enough to splinter off the will itself.”

“That keyblade,” Sora realized with a snap of his fingers. “Back in Hollow Bastion, when I figured out Kairi’s heart was with me, I took a keyblade made with the hearts of the princesses to set her free.”

“That much light in one place,” Yen Sid mused as he stroked his beard. “It is said that all things were given form by the light. So it might be enough to help manifest a body.“

Goofy held up a finger as he pointed out, “Hold on, if anyone with a strong will can have a nobody when they lose their heart, wouldn’t Sora have one too?”

It made sense, and that worried Sora. Kairi’s light had given him a body, one that seemed to work just as well as his original. If there was a nobody out there, one that had Sora’s power, or worse his keyblade, “Do you think they’re with the organization?”

Shaking his head, Yen Sid held up a hand. “The time for conjecture can come later.” Standing up, Yen Sid made his way around his desk. “Though the challenge before you is great, you need not face it alone. There are others fighting in the universe you might ally with. Naminé travels with another keyblade wielder, Ventus.”

Sora couldn’t help but muse as he summoned the keyblade to his hand, “So it’s not just me, Kairi, and Mickey?” 

Yen Sid nodded as he continued, “Keyblades have had a long legacy, and that boy is part of a particularly old tale. One that seems entwined with the Organization.” He turned to Sora and put a hand to his shoulder. “However, to explain what happened in detail, you must learn about his friends. Terra, and…”

The door to Yen Sid’s chambers opened, and at the sight of black cloaks Xion yelped and hid behind Kairi. Kairi and Riku called on their weapons at the sight of the four strangers. Though they weren’t sure who the blue haired woman was, the Organization’s uniform meant trouble.

But Donald and Goofy held their weapons with a bit of hesitance, and Yen Sid held Sora back from charging forth. He looked to the old master in confusion before Yen Sid asked…

“Master Aqua? Is that you?”

[sticky-badger]

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Bungo Stray Dogs: Who's small now?

Summary: Drunk/Tickle fic. A tipsy Dazai ruins Chuuyas evening of high-quality dining, leading to both of them being hopelessly drunk in a park somewhere. Dazai insists on cheering Chuuya up after spoiling his meal.

Ler Dazai, Lee Chuuya.

Tw: Alcohol use, long fic

I swear I didn't mean for this to turn into an entire bleddy episode 😭 I just love them so much, I can't help going off when I write about them! Plz don't flop I beg 😭😭😭

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"Chuuuuyaaaa! Come down pwease! I-I swears I di'n mean to make you mad." A half-undressed Dazai slurred, looking up into a tree, his chin pressed against the bark as he made grabby hands up at the angry cat-like ginger who was currently held up in the branches.

"No! You uncultured bean-pole!" He hiccuped in response, clinging to the almost empty bottle of expensive Château d'Yquem, sniffling dramatically. "This was'sposed to be my evening! My time for sophisititated dining, and you, youuuu ruined it!" The short man fussed, taking another swig of his beverage, his legs dangling either side of the large branch he was perched upon.

~Flashback~

"Your Kobe beef main course, sir." Chuuya was presented with a fine four-thousand, five hundred yen meal in his fancy booth. He'd been waiting for this night for months. No work. No worries. Just him and a full-course meal of fine dining. He gave a nod to the server, gleefully looking at his meal, relishing how the meat still sizzled slightly as he poked his fork into it-

BANG!

"Chuuya! Heeeeey! Chuuuya!" His meal was interrupted by the sound of someone banging on the window outside. The voice far too familiar for comfort. Dazai. "Ignore him, Chuuya... He'll leave soon enough." The ginger sighed to himself, not daring to look up from his plate as he started to eat.

"Oiiii! Chuuya! Heeey!" The man outside continued to drum on the window, waving and jumping, just trying to get his attention. "CHUUUUUUUYA!"

"GOD DAMN IT!" Chuuya snapped, standing from his seat and glaring at the fool outside. "Get out of here you damn imbecile!" He growled trying to shoo the stray away. Dazai just grinned back, pressing his face against the window, steaming up the outside. He was clearly befuddled, no doubt he'd been sipping cheap whisky all day.

"I gonna kill him-" Chuuya grumbled, holding his head in his hands, looking up as he was approached by the staff. "Sir, I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to leave. You and your friend are causing a disturbance."

"Haaah?! Me?! He just showed up, I'm not even with him!" He debated with a growl, Dazai still calling him outside, making the couple sitting by the window very uncomfortable as he drew a heart in the fogged-up glass.

Moments later, Chuuya was sent from the restaurant, bottle of wine in hand as he turned to hurl insults at the staff. "You absolute morons! I paid good money to eat here! That man isn't even a friend, he's just-! DAMN IT DAZAI!" He advanced on the taller man, roughly snatching the front of his coat, yanking him down to his level.

"See what you did?!" Dazai grinned, his cheeks warm and red as he placed a finger on Chuuyas nose, almost poking him in the eye. "Ihihi got my buddy, Chuuya to come 'n' join me." He giggled. Chuuya cringed at the smell that came from Daza's lips, shoving him away. Doubtlessly cheap whisky. "I'm not joining you! I'm going home. I'll not have you ruin the rest of my evening." He waved Dazai off, taking a swig of his wine. He left the cork in the restaurant, so didn't want it to get tempered.

"Naww don't be such a widdle pissy baby." Dazai chimed, following him down the street, tripping on the uneven stone slabs. "C'mon, pwease jus' come hang out with me?" He whimpered, grabbing hold of the tail of Chuuyas coat and using it as a tether to keep them close.

"My god you're the worst." Another swig of wine. And another for good measure. "Look, Dazai, you're pissed, and I don't have the patience to deal with you right now. Got it?"

"Soooo, drink up~" Dazai chuckled, tilting the wine bottle towards his friend's face with a wobbly hand, hiccuping again. "We both know tha- hic that you love ya goop juice~"

"Who the hell let you in public whilst you're this toddled?" Chuuya deadpanned, taking a drink anyway. "Now. Go home. I'm not making sure you get there safe after the stunt you pulled last time. Leaving me in the field like that. What kind of asshole-" He took a deep breath, yanking his coat from Dazais hands and kept walking.

For some reason, Chuuya never made it home. Instead, he spent the next half an hour wandering the town, trying to get Dazai off his tail. He probably just wanted to go sit somewhere quietly without the brunette bothering him, maybe find another restaurant or bar too relax in. This plan did not happen.

"Hey, hey, Chuuya, you-? Hic Chuuya? H-ave I ever told yous how much I like ya hat? 'S a real cool hat." Dazai's condition had only gotten worse. So had Chuuyas. Constantly sipping away to try distract himself from Dazai's constant rambling.

"Dazai! Y'know what? You-"

"What?"

"Shuddup! You, you are as hic tall as you are sssstupid!" Chuuya slurred, pressing a finger to Dazais chest, leaning right into him for a moment as he lost his balance. "Stupid!" He repeated in a high-pitched tone, pushing himself away. The brunette teared up, sniffling at the atrocious insult.

"I'm not stupid! You're jus' small!"

"Small?"

"Yeh! Small! Small and mean! Like hic like a angry litte, little person!" Chuuya glared up at the four tall men standing in front of him, trying to pick which one to slap, which wasn't easy since they just kept dancing around. "I- hic I'll show you small! You and your friends!" At some point, the two had wandered into a little field with a small play park in the centre, Chuuya squinted, spotting a nice tree, fit for showing Dazai just how wrong he is!

The gravity-defying gang member stumbled his way over to the tree, scrambling up the trunk with his wine tucked under his arm. He straddled a large branch, sneering down at Dazai. "HAH! See? Who's small now? D-azai?" He pointed to the taller man as he stared up from the base of the tree.

"Tha's not fair! M' comin' up!" He shrugged his coat off, fighting to free himself from the tricky sleeves as he let the garment drop onto the grass.

"No! Tsssss-! You stay down hic there! Where stupid little people belong!" Chuuya swiped a clawed hand at Dazai as he tried to scale the tree. To no avail, he was too wasted to even get both feet off the ground.

"But Chuuy-AH!" His ankle slipped from the tree trunk and he landed on his backside in the grass, a shoe flying off, landing somewhere nearby.

And here they were. Two drunken idiots. One hiding from the other in a tree. In a park. In the middle of the night.

~~~

"Youuu ruined it!" Chuuya glared, finishing his wine. Dazai hugged the tree his friend was hiding in, his little alcohol-stricken brain trying to figure something out. A scheme, a plan, to get his buddie down from the tree.

It wasn't a very tall tree. As Dazai soon figured out. Chuuyas dangling feet were just within reach. He grinned, creeping underneath the rambling drunk on the branch.

"And- And you're just always there to ruin my fun! Bean-pole, stupid- Ah?" Chuuya stammered, feeling something grip his ankle. He leaned over, seeing Dazai latched onto his leg, casually pulling his shoe off. "Oi! Get offa me! Damn hobo, these shoes are hic more expensive than your whole, entire life!" He kicked and swiped at Dazai, unaware of the danger he was in.

"Heeeey, Chuuya~ You reeeally don't hic wanna come down?" Dazai chimed, tracing a single finger up and down Chuuyas socked sole.

"Gh-!?" Chuuya tensed up, dropping the wine bottle he had been cradling in favour of hugging the tree branch instead. "Stop that! Dahazai! I-I'm not coming dAHAHA!" He squealed as Dazai clawed ruthlessly at the trapped foot.

"Chuuuyaaaaa~ Still tickly as ever I sehehee~" Dazai giggled, watching as Chuuya leaned over, trying to swat his hand away.

"I sahahaid st-WOAH!" The ginger lost his balance, leaning too far off the branch and tumbling down on top of Dazai, landing against his chest with a thud. Luckily they were both too drunk to feel any pain, the next morning would be a different story.

"Ugh... Damn it Dazai!" Chuuya huffed, clumsily trying to climb off his flattened friend, somehow managing to end up on his back instead, still on top of Dazai. "Tha's it. I'm going... Hic going home."

"Nope!" Dazai suddenly wrapped his arms around Chuuyas waist, holding him close as he nuzzled behind his friend's ear, grinning as he heard him giggle. "You's not going anywhere till I say so." He chuckled.

"Nooo! Dahazai! I swear if, if you don't lemme go I will hic make you, really, very unhappy."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! I'll k-kyahaha!" The smaller man's threats fell silent as he felt a set of eight nimble and experienced fingers start to wriggle into his sides. "Stahap! Dazahai! Shihit!" He beat at Dazai's arms, his legs flailing helplessly. Dazai had that coala grip on him. Banished to tickle prison.

"Coochie, coochie, coooo~ Nahahawww, you're so wriggly~" The tormentor grinned, genuinely happy to be in this situation. Lying on the grass in the moonlight, hugging his best friend, having to put in minimum effort to make him smile.

"Dazai!" Chuuya's cheeks flushed red as his shirt and waistcoat rode up, he hastily tried to pull them back down before Dazai noticed. As if. With Chuuya still trapped, Dazai shot his hands up under the friend's shirt, squeezing and shaking into his bony little ribs.

"Nahaha! Ahaha! Dahahazai!" His feet pressed into the grass as he tried to buck himself free, grabbing hold of Dazai's wrists as his nose scrunched with laughter. His ribs were always a bad spot. And of course, his teen-hood friend knew this.

"I can do this aaaaallll night~" He jeered before sneezing as Chuuyas messed hair tickled his nose. The larger man sat up, still holding his giggly friend to his chest as he rubbed his nose with a free hand. "Heh, s'cuse me." He hiccuped.

Chuuya caught his breath before trying to wriggle free again. "Aight! You've had your fun now hic lemme go. Wah!" He yelped as Dazai flipped their positions, manoeuvring the tiny drunken male with ease. Laying him on the grass and sitting on his waist.

"Indeed I have, my small frien-"

"You're small!"

"Smaaaall, tiny, friend. But have you had your fun?" He laughed at Chuuyas confused, giddy expression before going to town on his sides again, spidering up and down his tiny waist with his professional tickling fingers.

Chuuya threw his head back as he howled with laughter, his hat finally falling from his head, and rolling across the grass before Dazai snatched it up, putting it upon his own head, lop-sided.

"Stahap! Get ohohoff! NAHAHA!"

"How'd- hic How'd ya think I look? Pretty stylish, huh?" Dazai giggled.

"Stupid! You look st-AHAHAAA" He kicked his legs as Dazai shifted up to his ribs again. His hair getting tangled and wild. The alcohol seemed to make all his strength disappear and soon all he could do was lay there and take it, a brave hand occasionally trying to grapple Dazai's, failing each time.

Dazai laughed with him, his cheeks just as red and warm as Chuuyas, almost as out of breath too with the effort of willing his tipsy body to keep tickling.

"Plehease! Okahay! M'gonna peheheee! I'm gonna pihiss myself! Dahazai!" Teary eyed and with a small amount of dribble falling from his lip, Chuuya was finally released. Dazai just sitting beside him on the grass with a huff as he poked Chuuyas nose.

"Ya dead?"

"Hah... Hah... Noho... Buhut... Aha... You're gonna be-" He stumbled to his feet, everything spinning around him as he tried to keep his balance. "Gimme... Hah... My hat..."

"What hat?" Damn Dazai. Too drunk to actually remember he was wearing it.

"My hat! S'on ya noggin! Look!" He pointed inaccurately, his aim all over the shop.

Dazai tilted his head upwards, trying to look at his head. Leaning too far and flopping onto his back, the hat tumbling onto the grass.

"Oh! That hat." He giggled, looking at it upside-down as Chuuya grabbed it, almost falling on his face as he bent over. "Right. I-I have jus' about had enough hic of your silly-ness, Dazai, so g'night-" With his hat on backwards, Chuuya wobbled his way towards the playground, tripping several times on the way.

"Lemme come too!" A groggy Dazai called, giggling to himself as he tried to stand up. It wasn't easy, but he just about managed to make it to the playground.

"No! I'm sleepin' here. You, you go somewhere else!" Chuuya waved him away as he crawled into what he thought looked like a comfy place to crash. Inside one of those yellow plastic tunnels, the kids run through. He slumped down on his front, barely able to stay awake at this point.

"Oi... Scooch over." Dazai cooed, crawling in beside him. It was a tight fit, but it was snug. "Aaaah... Go awayyy." Chuuya whined, batting at Dazais face with a limp wrist.

"Shhh, m'tryna sleep..." Dazai responded, already halfway there. Chuuya didn't have the energy or knowledge to protest anymore and the two were soon passed out inside this temporary shelter, snoring happily.

~~~~

"Good thing we decided to track his phone... Makes my job much easier." An irritated Atsushi sighed, following a tracker that was supposed to lead him to Dazai. The members at the agency were only worried because it was Dazai's turn to pay for their meals today. So they sent the weartiger to hunt him down.

"Let's see... The play park? Oh god, is he stuck in the slide again?" The white haired boy thought out loud, heading the short distance through the field towards where the tracker was pointed.

"Wait... Is this?" He paused, finding Dazai's coat and stray shoe on the ground.

"The hell has he been up to? Dazai! Oi! Dazaiii!" He called, bundling up the coat as he continued walking.

"Da-!" He stopped in his tracks, spotting a familiar face across the way. Akutagawa. Their eyes met immediately, both freezing on the spot.

"What are you doing here?" Atsushi called, eyeing him carefully.

"I'm not here to fight you, weartiger. Not now anyway." The back-clad male called, he too was carrying a single shoe. "I'm just looking for someone. You'd be wise to stay out of my way." He threatened, his shadow-like power surging slightly.

"Really? Me too! I-I'm just looking for Dazai! Truce? Yeah?" The weartiger smiled hopefully.

Akutagawa sighed, his power receding. "Fine. Truce."

With that out of the way, the two started searching for their higher-ups. Until Atsushi came across an unbelievable sight.

"Uh... Hey, Akutagawa." He waved the gang member over, pointing into part of the playground.

"What is it? Aren't you a little old to be wanting to play in-" He stopped mid-sentence, his brain completely flat-lining at the sight. There, curled up together inside the yellow pipe were Dazai and Chuuya. Dazai was sprawled on his back with Chuuya clinging to his side, a small dark patch of drool had accumulated on Dazai's chest where the redhead slept.

Both snoring away, open-mouthed, blissfully unaware of the situation they were in.

Atsushi and Akutagawa gave each other a look before nodding and taking a photo in unison. "Never speak of this to anyone else." Akutagawa said quietly. Atsushi nodded.

"So.... Who's gonna wake them?"

[itjazzbicch]

Looking Out For You

Pairing: Draken x Fem Reader

Summary: Being a girl in a gang is unusual in the readers conditions, but she uses that to her advantage, specifically in a fighting ring between gangs where she earns herself money, but also makes some enemies and when she thinks she’s done for, her friends come to save the day, Draken being the one to take care of her…

Warnings: Swearing, Male x Female fight, mentions of blood

Word Count: 3.6k

I DO NOT OWN THIS GIF:

“You gotta be kidding me!”

All of the guys at the fight were laughing hysterically whenever I stepped up, all of them pointing at me, some small girl, popping bubble gum with my hands in my pockets.

It looked like I was lost, but this exactly what I wanted.

“Who would bet on you, shorty?!” This guy was sure he had this fighting in the bag, poking my forehead to send me back some before going into stance, “I’m gonna get a whole lot of money out of this one.”

“Don’t go easy on me,” Pop went my bubble gum, shooting a smile as he ran after me.

All of these guys were so typical and easy to read. They were just street fighters, the crowd cheering him on as they thought he had the advantage:

“Show her who’s boss! Kick her little a-“

That boy threw his punch and it was so easy to dodge, raising up my knee and spinning to the side with my left, leaving the back of his head wide open for my right leg to shoot up and kick him in the head.

Silence fell as he dropped like a ton of bricks, knocked out cold, slumped murmurs falling out of his mouth with drool onto the concrete.

“What was that about kicking my ass?” I snickered, blowing another bubble, “Didn’t even lose any flavor in this gum yet!”

“Wha- Did she just knock him out?!”

They were all flabbergasted, meanwhile I was smiling, eyes locking onto my next contestant.

“You got lucky! But that won’t work on me, girly!”

Some shaved head idiot started raging toward me and right as he approached me, one kick up right under the chin.

He was tougher than the last guy, that one didn’t knock him out, but it wasn’t done just yet, smashing his head with an elbow and that one did the trick, having him falling to the ground just like his friend.

“Anyone here actually gonna give me a challenge?”

Looking around, all of the guys here we frozen, jaws on the ground with all eyes on me.

“No?” I popped my gum again, shaking my head, “What a shame. Make sure you’re all ready for next time. You haven’t seen the last of me!”

This was such an easy game. Considering my mother worked all night long and still didn’t make much money, I fought in these little tournaments between gangs to earn some money.

No one would ever bet on me because I was the only girl who would stepped up to a man, let alone gang members too.

I was a member of the Tokyo Majin Gang, but I rarely showed my face, so I was a mere stranger to everyone.

But I had a friend on the inside. He’d bet the money, I win the fights, we split the profit and we both get good money from it.

“You never fail, Y/N! Look how much yen we got this time!”

Heading over with Joko down the alley we always took home, he sure had a bright smile on his face and it went right onto mine.

“Oh hell yeah!” I smiled, taking my half, “Just imagine all cash we’ll get if we keep it up!”

“No kidding, sis!” He laughed, cheering as he skipped down the alley, but suddenly coming to a halt as he stumbled into a tall stature.

“Oh, hey Draken,” I nodded up at him, but his face was as stone cold as ever. Something told me that he wasn’t happy with me.

“Excuse me! I’m so sorry, sir!” Joko immediately bowed his head and kept posture.

I was close to Draken, so I didn’t bother, but did stay still whenever Draken commanded to Joko:

“You go on ahead home. Y/N and I need to have a talk. I’ll walk her home.”

“Yes, sir!” Joko bowed once more before waving to me and running off.

“Aww, Kenny. If you missed me that’s all you had to say,” I giggled, joining his side as we began our walk.

“What did I tell you about calling me that?!” He growled, making me laugh more:

“Don’t be so serious, my man! Anywho, what we do we need to talk about?”

“You can wait till we get to your place,” He murmured, hands in his pockets and following me along.

That wasn’t a good sign. Was something happening with the gang that I needed to know about?

Regardless, during our walk I prepared myself. Thank goodness my mother left already, heading in and getting us two colas , sliding on to him over the counter.

“So, we’re here. What’s the deal?” Some cola eased my nerves a bit, and finally Draken spoke his mind:

“So, why do I still keep hearing about a some short girl, who likes to pop bubble gum, showing up at gang fights for money?”

“Uhhh-,” I giggled softly, sipping my cola and clearly lying, “I have no idea! She sounds dangerous.”

“What did I tell you about fighting in those little rings, huh?” Draken wasn’t messing around this time.

Just great.

“That’s what this is about, man?” Why was he so worried about this?! “You know that I’m a taijutsu master! Those guys are so easy to beat! It’s easy money that I put towards the gang and take care of myself with. You know I don’t have it easy, Draken!”

“I get that, but it’s dangerous,” He glared deep into my eyes, he seriously didn’t want me doing this and I already knew why, “You’re a-“

“Girl?” I shot an intense glare right back at him. I hated whenever someone told me not to do something because I’m a girl. It’s such bullshit.

“And one of these days, you’re gonna run into a big dude that you might not take down!” Draken slammed his hands on the counter, already towering over me and that made him feel even bigger, “Or you’re gonna piss them off so bad that they’re going it try and jump you!”

“Like that’ll happen!” I slammed my hands down right in front of him and attempted to size him up, “I get why you worry, but come on! You’ve seen me fight!”

“For fucks sake, Y/N! What would you do if one day those guys get you alone, huh? And you have to fight a whole group of them without Joko or someone else with you? Tell me!”

His scenario did make me think and I truly didn’t know what I would do. Even my cockiness wouldn’t kick in while thinking about it.

“Listen,” Draken sighed deeply, trying to settle the tension between us, “I just want you to be careful, okay? You’re fighting between multiple gangs and I don’t want this to turn into a big issues when it’s stupid.”

Again, I just stayed quiet. I guess there were other ways I could earn myself some money, but fighting is one thing I’ve always known and it was the easiest route.

Coming around the counter, he placed his hand on my shoulder, looking down into my eyes:

“Do you at least understand where I’m coming from?”

“Yeah, I understand,” I whispered softly, staring at the floor till his fingertips lifted my chin so our gaze reconnected:

“I know you can kick ass, Y/N. You are a badass, you just can’t be so reckless.”

“Aww,” I couldn’t stand the seriousness anymore, getting him tongue tied when I twirled the strand of blonde hair in his face, “Who knew you were such a big softy.”

“Softly?! How dare you!” He growled, swatting my hand away, making me laugh more:

“Chill, man! You’re blushing, by the way.”

“Blushing?!” That only made his face more red and I held my stomach from laughing so much!

“It’s kinda cute though,” I just had to keep poking at him, till he booped my forehead:

“Whatever. I’ll see you later, shorty.”

“No hug goodbye? How rude!” I teased, thinking I’d get a cold shoulder, till he wrapped one arm around my shoulder and side hugged me:

“There? Happy now?”

That made me smile, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Draken hug anyone, let alone me!

“Yeah,” I smiled softly, stopping him before he walked out of the door, “And hey, I promise I’ll call it quits with the fighting ring for a while You did make a good point.”

“I always do,” He smiled softly, looking away for a moment thinking, and he made me smile even more, “Tomorrow the guys and I are gonna go for a ride and do some talking. Tag along, I know that bike of yours can ride.”

“Faster than yours,” I giggled, left smiling as he rolled his eyes, shutting the door:

“Whatever you say, shorty!”

*the next day*

Today was as typical as any other. School was easy, I went to taijutsu practice after and on the way out, I got the text to meet up so we could have some fun racing before the meeting.

I wasn’t paying attention while walking out the back door into the parking lot, sending Draken a text that I was leaving practice, but my head jumped up as I heard metal crashing.

My bike! That asshole I knocked out yesterday was smashing it with a bat!

“You dick!” I yelled at him, charging right for him till I felt someone grab me by the hair.

“What do you think you’re doing, huh?! Haha!”

The other guy I knocked out too?! I quickly grabbed his wrist, pulling his arm down and elbowing him in the joint as hard as I could.

That was enough to make him let go, backing away quickly to see that I was surrounded. That guy and all of his buddies were here.

Shit, this was bad. Very bad. To think Draken was right about this.

“You think we were just gonna let you off the hook after the stunt you pulled yesterday, huh?”

This was the first time in a long time I had to take my fighting stance in a real fight. I was surrounded, all of them closing in on me.

In that moment, I thought of what Draken said, what was I gonna do?

Looking around the circle, I was left with only one option. I picked out the smallest guy and punched his lights out to kick off the fight:

“I don’t go down easy! Bring it on, bitches!”

It’s been a while since I’ve been in a situation like this, but I didn’t go down without a fight. I actually took out a good bit of them.

It was just so hard to watch my back, that being the one disadvantage when I felt my hair get gripped up tight.

The grip left a burn in my scalp, but I wasn’t giving up, trying to kick the one guys away, but he kicked my knee out then kneed me right in the ribs.

That instantly knocked all of the wind out of me, about coughing up a lung, eyes heavy and head woozy whenever he picked my head up by the hair again:

“Told ya we’d teach you a lesson! Coming to our fight club and thinking you own the place!”

A punch right to my gut made me collapse, but he kept me up by the hair. All I could try to do in that moment was breathe, but the sound of motorcycle engines caught my attention.

Tires screeching made everyone come to a halt, hearing from behind me:

“Y/N!!”

Baji?

“You get your damn hands off of her!”

There was Draken right in front of me and he sent that dude into another atmosphere with just one punch.

Finally, I was let go and I fell to the concrete, curled up into a ball, coughing and heavily panting. Those punches and knee strikes were so strong I still couldn’t breathe right.

“Wait? She’s with the Tokyo Majin Gang?!”

That sure took them all by surprise. Glancing upward briefly, Draken, Baji, and Mikey were kicking all of their asses.

“Hey, Y/N! You gotta breathe! Don’t worry, I got you,” Mitsuya scooped me up in his arms softly and I tried my best.

Along with his coaching, I was finally breathing right, but damn did I feel like crap.

“You listen to me!” Everyone stopped what they were doing, all of those guys beat up and on the ground while Draken had their leader by the shirt.

I’ve never seen Draken so intimidating and terrifying before, that guy about pissing himself, shaking in fear as Draken growled in his face:

“If you ever even come near her again, it’ll be the last thing you ever do!”

“Now, fuck off!” Baji made sure to get one last hit in, laughing while they all picked themselves off and ran for their lives.

“How is she?” Mikey was the next to come over and I hated that they had to see me like this.

This was the first time someone managed to put me down in a brawl, attempting to stand up as I groaned:

“I-I’m fine.”

The moment I stood up, I collapsed again, but Draken was there, holding me in his arms:

“No you’re not, Y/N. You got a bloody lip and all.”

“And they destroyed your bike?” Mitsuya observed, and I was defeated, just laying my head against Draken’s chest:

“I have no idea how they found out where the dojo is. They completely blindsided me.”

“Baji, Mitsuya! Take care of her bike. I’m gonna take her home.”

“On it,” Mitsuya and Baji both came to my sides, helping me up to my feet.

“Don’t worry, I can hang on to your bike,” Holding my stomach, I limped alongside Draken, making sure to thank them all, “You guys really came in the Knick of time huh?”

“We planned on meeting up here after all, it’s a good racing start,” Mitsuya informed me, “Good thing we came when we did.”

“You know we always have your back, sis,” Baji smiled softly, Mikey smiling at me too:

“Always.”

“Thanks guys,” I said softly, head down as I went to Draken’s bike.

“You sure you’ll be okay for the ride?” Draken was hesitant to hop on because of my condition, but I climbed right on and just nodded.

This pain was like burning in hell. I was clinging onto Draken for dear life during that ride and it wasn’t even five minutes.

I was so grateful that my mom worked nights, if I came home like this and she saw me? Dear goodness, she’d lose her shit.

When we walked in the door, I had my back turned, ready to take care of myself alone, telling Draken:

“Thanks for bringing me home. I’ll take care of myself, I promise.”

“Y/N,” He sighed, shaking his head, “You can’t even walk.”

“Barely, but I’m still walking,” I went to take another step forward, but Draken shut and locked the door, coming and scooping me softly.

“You got anything to clean that cut?” He asked, taking me to my room and sitting me on the bed softly.

“Bathroom on the shelf,” I whispered softly, sitting there trying to hold back tears from how my ribs hurt.

I was so pissed that I allowed this to happen to me, that Draken was right about the bad side to this fighting ring stuff.

I never lost a fight and the fact that they had to jump me? What cowards.

“Alright, I got some wraps for your ribs too. I can tell they’re banged up,” Draken came back to me, kneeling in front of me as I sat on the edge of the bed.

“No kidding, guess I’ll just get it over with,” I went to take the wraps, but I stopped as he instructed:

“Lift your shirt up. It’s gonna be hard to do yourself.”

“O-Oh, okay-“

Why was I so nervous all of a sudden? On top of that, it hurt like hell when I lifted my arms up, biting my lip to hide the cry trying to come out of me.

“Here,” Draken slipped my shirt off like it was nothing, leaving me in my sports bra and when he looked down at me, gosh my cheeks were hot.

“T-Thanks,” No one ever made me stutter like this, I hope I wasn’t being too awkward, but it was like nothing to him:

“You’re welcome. I’m gonna try to be as easy as I can. You should ice this too.”

Running his large hand across my side, his hands were soft, which surprised me a little, the both of us noticing the bruises forming on me already.

“Ready?” Draken looked up to me for assurance before wrapping up my ribs and I just nodded, sucking in a breath, eyes shut tight but it didn’t stop the tears.

Even when he was as gentle as possible, the stings and pains were a lot.

“Hey, all done. It’s okay,” My eyes were still closed, but I felt his thumb wipe away the tears running down my cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Draken,” I cried softly, wiping the rest of my tears, “I should’ve have listened to you. I tried to fight, but there was just too many of them. I would’ve been dead if it weren’t for you and the guys.”

“It’s not your fault those guys are a bunch of punks,” Draken sighed, trying to help just because I was crying but I shook my head:

“You told me to stop fighting before something like this happened and I didn’t listen. I’m so stupid!”

“Listen, all that matters is that, we got you out of that fight,” When I felt him holding the side of my face, I finally looked him in the eyes, his gaze settling me along with his deepening voice, “There’s nothing we can do to change it, but it’s all gonna be alright.”

Nodding softly, I whispered softly, “Thanks again, Draken. I don’t think I can thank you guys enough.”

“Like Baji and Mikey said, we always have your back. Always.”

That put a small smile on my face and it was nice to get a smile back from him. It made all of the bad emotions start to drift away.

“Need anything else? Don’t worry about the little meeting. We can handle it another time,” I was so appreciative of him taking care of me and I did want to ask him something, but I was so nervous.

I always had the, fuck it, mentality, so I went ahead and asked softly:

“Do you mind s-staying the night?”

“Your moms not gonna get pissed, is she?”

Wait, he’s cool with it? That about made my eyes pop out of my head, snapping out of it a bit to reply:

“She crashes in her room as soon as she comes home. Literally always. I’m not worried about it. It’s just-“

“Just what?” No one’s ever seen me like this and I think that’s why Draken was being so understanding, extremely hard to get off my chest:

“That was the first time in my life I think, that I was truly scared. You know how some of these gangs are and what they do to girls. Let alone one who kicked their asses.”

“Now, you know I’d never let anything like that happen to you,” He assured, hugging me softly as he stood up, “Let’s get you laid down, you need to relax.”

That I surely agreed on, fixing my pillows and laying back as softly as I could, groaning through some pain, but relaxation waved over me as Draken turned off the lights, trying not to watch him too much as he tossed off his shirt, left in his tank top and shorts, definitely not admiring his tall, muscular stature.

He got into bed next to me as softly as he could, but the little bounce from his weight made my head hurt more, and he noticed how hard I closed my eyes.

“I’m sor-“

“It’s alright,” I cooed quickly, fixing my hair, “That guy about ripped my hair out and it still hurts.”

Everything came to a sudden halt, the pain I was feeling, my heart, time almost, whenever Draken scooted closer to me, kissing the top of my head softly.

“Hair pulling is such a bitch move.”

I went to speak, but nothing came out, my heart going double time as pet the top of my head softly, slicking my hair back.

“You alright?”

Sometimes he was so oblivious to others feelings, and I managed to get something out when I whispered:

“Is it okay if I tell you something?”

“What’s up?”

Again, completely oblivious. Hopefully, my actions made things more clear as I took his arm that was close to me, placing it over me softly, fighting tears again as I admitted to him:

“I feel so safe with you. Like nothing could ever hurt me.”

“That’s because you are,” Another kiss, but on my forehead, made those tears happy ones, feeling the drowsiness guiding me to sleep along with his whisper: “I’ll always protect you, Y/N.”

[forsworned]

i’m always going to send u reqs because i love you. anyways. kyojuro and his wife going to a dinner together, surprising the hashira that the man can ACTUALLY pull a hot one, and as compensation:

he look kiyoot here my husband ☺️

newly weds

warnings » alcohol, mentionings of getting drunk

word count » 1.1k

categories » f/m, f/f, multi, m/m

relationships » kyoujurou renguko x f!reader

characters » all of the hashira, tengen's wives, kagaya ubuyakashi

author’s note » for u <3

It was rare when the Hashira all had dinner together but when they did it was usually at festivals or whenever Oyakata-sama had wanted. And the Hashira never denied a request from him. Hashira were welcome to bring companions, wives, husbands, and/or family to these gatherings so usually Tengen would bring his wives and Shinobu would bring her girls to enjoy the food that had been prepared for them. This time though, Kyoujurou, wanted to bring his wife, [name], who he had secretly married some weeks ago. They were enjoying their time as newly weds, but Kyoujurou had decided it was time to drop the bomb on them. He didn't want to do it out of shock factor per say, but he wanted everyone to know he was taken by a beautiful woman and to show her off as much as he could.

They walked hand in hand to the Butterfly Mansion where the dinner was being held. [Name] had felt like her heart was in her stomach and Kyoujurou had sensed this.

"It'll be okay, my darling. They will love you. I swear it." He murmured before kissing her on the cheek. She shyly smiled at him as she felt him squeeze her hand. She only nodded as they proceed down the path.

"Caw! Caw! Kyoujurou and his wife have entered the garden! Caw! Caw! Kyoujurou and his wife have entered the garden!" A crow that seemed to squaw out of nowhere at all the gathered Hashira.

Everyone seemed to be in disarray at the mentioning of Kyoujurou having a wife and even more so that he hadn't told anyone as they spit out their drinks.

"Wife?!" Tengen exclaimed getting up from his seat as he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"Since when?!" Sanemi joined in on the hysteria.

"Ooo!! I wanna meet her!!" Mitsuri cheered getting giddy at the mentioning.

Giyuu could only sit there in bewilderment not even knowing how to react. Shinobu scoffed and then laughed. "That Rengoku. He is always pulling a fast one on us."

"How much do you wanna bet that she's pregnant?" Obanai inquired.

"I say 2000 yen." Oyakata-sama puts down the currency on the table.

Everyone grew silent at his sudden mischief. A small innocent smile on his face as he sat there with his hands on lap. Tengen cracked a huge grin.

"Ohohoho, I say 3000 yen." Tengen put down his money on top of Oyakata-sama's.

"Tengen!" His wives scold him to which Tengen only laughed.

"Hmm, I say 3000 she's not pregnant." Shinobu added to the pile. Muichiro ears perk up at Shinobu inserting herself.

He raised his hand. "I second that."

"Oh, yeah?" Tengen smirked at her questioningly. "Than I'll double it. 6000 yen."

"Oh, you are so on."

"Hey, I never agreed to that..." Muichiro voice seemed to lose momentum as Kyoujurou and [name] entered the room.

Gasps were heard from everyone. [Name] had looked so beautiful and ethereal that the Hashira had no idea how to react. They grew quiet as they watch as she gracefully entered the room and bowed at them.

"Hello, it is an honor to meet you all."

"Thank you for gracing us with your presence, [Name], Kyoujurou. Please sit and make yourselves comfortable.

Now, the Hashira were looking at Oyakata-sama with wide eyes.

"You knew?!" Tengen looked betrayed at he glared at the man in question. Oyakata-sama simply laughed at him.

"Yes, I'm sorry--" He chuckled covering his mouth with his hand. "I wish I could see the looks on your faces."

"Ah, Oyakata-sama..." Shinobu relaxed into a laugh and everyone followed suit.

"So, you're not pregnant?" Obanai interjected. Everyone scolded him as he sat their unbothered waiting on Kyoujurou and [name] to answer. [Name] became visibly uncomfortable, but Kyoujurou only laughed heartily out of embarrassment. His cheeks tinged a healthy pink as he wrapped his arms around her.

"No, not yet! We would plan that, of course! Sorry, for not telling you all until now. We wanted to tell you at the perfect time." Kyoujurou said cheerfully as he put a hand on [name's] lap.

Tengen's face relaxed as gently shook Kyoujurou's shoulder and pulled him into a hug. "Well, I'm very happy for you. You picked a real looker."

"I agree! You're very stunning [name]!" Mitsuri agreed smiling at [name]. She was secretly a little upset that Kyoujurou had kept it a secret from her, but her happiness for him overshadowed that. She just wanted to be happy for her friend.

"Yes, [name], you are very beautiful. Your kimono suits you very much. Red is definitely your color." Shinobu touched the small on her back and Tengen's wives audibly agree with her making [name] blush at their compliments.

"T-thank you. You all are too kind." [Name] waved them off as if trying to brush off her agitation. She wasn't so used to others giving her so much attention.

"That's one the reasons I married her." Kyoujurou mused, looking at her lovingly. She flustered under his gaze and giggled nervously.

"Congratulations, Renguko." Giyuu gave him a small smile.

"Are you smiling?!" Shinobu nearly shrieked at him and the Pillars were now oogling Giyuu's softened expression which automatically contorted into humiliation. Mitsuri cannot help but burst out into laughter and it made the silent room fill with mirth.

"Yes, congratulations, Rengoku." Sanemi got up and sat beside him as he bowed his head slightly in respect to him.

"Thank you, Sanemi! That means a great deal from you!" He laughed smacking his back rather hard causing Sanemi to jump at the sheer unintentional force Kyoujurou had just applied.

Tengen laughed as he smacked Kyoujurou on the back just as hard making him jolt.[Name] jumped at his actions and stared at the pair. "You're just full of surprises aren't you, Renguko!"

Kyoujurou shook off the shock and began to laugh with Tengen. "I guess I am!"

"Freaks..." Sanemi muttered under his breath.

"You're not wrong about that." Obanai agreed as he petted Kabamaru.

"We're all happy for you. Let's make a toast to the newly weds." Oyakata-sama raised his soju glass. Every one raised their glasses along with him. "Gokekkon omedetou gozaimasu!"* (congratulations for having just married*)

"Gokekkon omedetou gozaimasu!" The lot cheered in unison and then downed their glasses.

"Maybe you shouldn't drink too much, dear." [Name] puts a loving hand on top of his.

"Don't worry, my love. I can handle my liquor." He smiled and [Name] quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Oh? Well, then I'll take your word for that." She sipped at her water and then playfully narrowed her eyes at him. "For now."

Kyoujurou did not in fact handle his liquor. And Tengen and Giyuu spent thirty minutes just trying to handle the messy drunk as [Name] sighed and smiled at him as he kept squirming out of their grip.

Tengen face palmed as Kyoujurou laid limp in his arms.

"This is why we can't have nice things."

[eeveeeeeee]

Alright, so we all know about the bet the ADA has about Dazai's past job, right?

None of the new recruits have been able to win it so far, but what about Ranpo? It seems very unlikely that he wouldn't know that Dazai used to be the Demon Prodigy (or if not that, at least that he was in the PM).

My guess for how that happened:

Dazai would probably have joined the ADA pretty recently, and asked if anyone could guess what his job used to be before he was in the ADA. Some people tried to guess, but failed - because no one would suspect a Port Mafia traitor to have joined the ADA, surely.

After everyone else gave up, Ranpo would approach him and say something along the lines of "I don't understand how no one guessed your old job,"

Dazai would probably tense, as I'm sure if he was new, he wouldn't know just how smart Ranpo is.

Dazai - "What do you mean by that,"

Ranpo - "Your old job is so obvious, that's what I mean,"

Dazai - "Well, if you're so confident you know what it is, go ahead and guess,"

Ranpo - "You were in the Port Mafia, of course,"

Dazai - "Heh, where did that come from? Obviously not-,"

Ranpo - "Yes you were,"

(more back and forth until Dazai begrudgingly admits it and tells Ranpo not to tell anyone).

Ranpo - "Hmmm, maybe I won't. It won't be for free though,"

Dazai - "...What do you want,"

Ranpo - "Snacks. Every time someone tries to guess your past job, I want 2000 yen's worth of snacks,"

Dazai would be too reluctant for anyone else to actually find out, so he agrees and Ranpo cheers.

Ranpo - "You've got a deal, hehe!"

[host-club-hq]

Indeed: ~The Job of a High School Host!~

➼ pairing: Kyoya Ootori x reader

➼ summary: the hosts throw a fabulous party and you're charged with the responsibility of decorating and managing. you're also charged with the responsibility of setting a certain host hopper's priorities straight...

➼ word count: 11.1k

➼ what to expect: ~Never mind the small, insignificant detail that you're a human being, your standard is perfection, no less.~

➼ warnings: fluff, slight angst

➼ chapter navigation

The school bell chimes loudly through the library. Haruhi is seated at a disheveled work desk, books strewn about messily. The bell catches Haruhi terribly off guard and she straightens, looking desperately at her unfinished homework. She'd meant to leave well before the bell, but she hadn't accounted for the fact that her homework might be more difficult than she had expected... and, she simply wasn't watching the time.

As Haruhi walks toward the Host Club, picking up the pace with each passing second, she continues to anxiously ponder over whatever outlandish punishment she might've just landed for herself.

"I'm never gonna hear the end of it if I show up late." Haruhi worries aloud as she approaches the double doors of the Host Club's abandoned music room.

Haruhi pushes on the golden door handle and heaves open the door... only to be met with... a palm tree?

Tropical plants, insects, animals, and weather conditions decorate the room fully, causing the humidity to rush forward and almost knock Haruhi out of shock. Keyword: almost.

What's this...? Where am I?

Haruhi turns to find all of the Hosts dressed in tropical islander clothing, ready to greet guests... she is most definitely late.

"Welcome." they chorus with rehearsed unity.

When I opened the door... the whole place was decked out like a tropical paradise.

Haruhi's posture is slouched and angry. A snake slithers around a tree next to her as her eyebrow twitches in bewilderment.

Can you see this from heaven, Mom? This is the club I was forced to join.

A toucan lands on Haruhi's hair and settles in for a newfound home. Haruhi grunts and her posture slouches further from the new weight atop her head.

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The Job of a High School Host!

"You finally made it, Haruhi. You're so late." The twins chorus with incredible unison. Just then, you emerge from behind the palm branches, swatting at them irritatedly as you adjust your headband with precision, pushing it out of your eye sight as you acknowledge Haruhi.

"Late, I heard?" You accuse jokingly, poised elegantly near the twins. Haruhi's face falls miffed with unamusement.

I could be wrong, but my calendar says it's still early spring...

Mori and Honey dart back and forth across the room in the backdrop, Honey tightly clinging to Mori's shoulders as cheers of excitement enact the doppler effect as they pass by your ears every now and again. "Huddling under a kotatsu table fearing the cold is nonsense. And besides, the heating system we have is the best." Tamaki flourishes his tropically colored fan and himself under the unnatural glow coming from somewhere in the ceiling, sparkling inhumanly. Come to think of it, you don't remember having a spotlight put in...

Haruhi simply scoffs at his assessment, but says nothing more, as his moronity tends to render one inexplicably speechless. Although, you don't like to think of him as a moron, per say, but rather as a determined person with unreachable goals, and... maybe a bit moronic. You'll have to admit, Tamaki is one to expect too much out of someone or something, but, it's a trait you've learnt to deal with most of your high school years.

"Do you have a problem with the way we run our club, Haruhi? Be careful what you say, you owe us 8 million yen, remember." Kyoya's sly smirk is unmistakable as he glances up from his infamous clipboard to meet Haruhi's uneasy expression. Haruhi yelps unexpectedly, reminiscing over the incident just the other day. She'll have to remember that more often, now, as she's in debt.

Tamaki embellishes his fan once more and assumes a princely facade as he typically does, "Gentlemen, don't bundle up in bulky clothing. It may be chilly early spring out there in the real world, but here at the club, we want to surprise our chilly little kittens with a warm tropical paradise." Tamaki speaks as if he's narrating his very own autobiography. You beam fondly.

"Oh, yes! We've turned his place into Nirvana. A balmy, tropical island of everlasting summer!" Tamaki's enthusiasm is beginning to peek through the cracks of his facade and you sigh tiredly.

"That's funny, cause I feel a massive chill right now-"

"What's this whole ordeal wracking up on the heating bills?" you glance up at Kyoya, who scribbles quickly on his clipboard, God knows what's written there.

"You have no idea." He groans, shoving his glasses up the bridge of his nose haphazardly.

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"What heartlessness. Even with my lustrous skin shinning like brilliant ivory, exposed by my Balinese King outfit, I'm no more but a slave before my Goddess. I kneel before you and swear my loyalty."

It's no surprise to you that Tamaki dreams up such a graphic line without having to give it any second thought. He is the King for a reason, after all. Your elaborate head piece slides clumsily across your cranium and you tilt it back into it's proper place without a word or sound of complaint, as you've grown used to it, having been wearing it since your duties began.

"Tamaki..." the patron sighs breathlessly when Tamaki nears her, no doubt her heart beating rapidly to keep up with her nervous system. The corners of your mouth tug upwards into a small, fond smile.

"Lucky!"

"Oh, wow..."

Haruhi, wordless and quiet, tidies up the table where Tamaki's guests are seated. As Tamaki releases his guest's chin to straighten upright, she swoons back and forth as if Tamaki's index finger was the only thing keeping her grounded into reality.

"Oh, yes. I almost forgot to mention to you ladies; next week, the Ouran Host Club is sponsoring a party."

It's that particular statement that catches Haruhi and, surprisingly, you off guard. A party? You haven't been told of anything of the sort. You're usually one to plan these sort of things, and your heart pangs unfamiliarly in your chest when you think of all of the possibilities- what if they don't need you anymore? What if this is their way of telling you-

"We're throwing a party?" Haruhi voices your thoughts before you can as she swivels to face Tamaki and his guests.

"What kind of party is it going to be?" the question originates from one of Hikaru and Kaoru's guests from where they are seated across from the twins. "Is it going to be formal?"

"Yes. In fact, we've rented the school's largest hall." Hikaru assures, paired with a sultry expression. "It's the perfect place for dancing." Kaoru finishes promptly.

Without warning, Hikaru pulls Kaoru near him by his jaw and stares deeply into his soul, catching their patrons by complete surprise and bewilderment. "But I really wanted to spend some alone time with you, Kaoru." Hikaru's eyes are hooded as Kaoru gazes up at his brother with wide, innocent eyes. "Don't be upset, Hikaru. Oh, I know exactly how you feel." he exhales in return.

Your ears perk at the shrieking of their guests at their performance. One day, you swear you'll have severe hearing loss if you stay here too long. No doubt Tamaki had some already. You do remember having to repeat something you had said quite a few times to him yesterday...

You subtly notice that the guests seem more excited than usual, the decibel levels of their squeals and screams had increased significantly.

"The girls seem even more worked up than usual." You arrive at Kyoya's side at the tiki bar, where he is stood alone, observing from afar.

"Showing some skin proves popular with the ladies." Kyoya's pencil moves with precision; he doesn't spare you a glance with the incredibly nonchalant comment. Haruhi appears near the pair of you, a drink tray balanced in her palm as she observes from where she stands.

"So, are you the one who came up with this tropical paradise idea?" Haruhi turns to you, tilting her head in question. You snort and wave her off gently, creating a gaze of confusion to settle on Haruhi's features.

"I, in particular, have no decision making authority." you place a hand on your chest and Kyoya glances from his writing.

"All of the club's policies are laid out by the club's king, Tamaki."

You laugh dryly and cross your arms over your chest. "Tamaki isn't strategic enough to come up with a scheme this profitable."

"But, I guess there's no harm in admitting to casually slipping a Bali photo book onto his desk." Kyoya's eyes gleam innocently as he adjusts his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Your expressions remains unamused.

"As to be expected. You've always been sneaky like that." You recall fondly. He almost pays you no mind, but he smiles nonetheless.

So he's the real brains behind the operation...

"Tada!" the exclamation pulls your attention from Kyoya to Honey, a lei adorning his neck and draping over his bare chest. His guests fawn adoringly over him. "Oh, you're so cute, Honey!"

"Hi, ladies! I love these Balinese flowers! We had them flown in." Honey grins excitedly. Mori treks slowly to stand beside Honey, carrying a pineapple in his left hand.

"Takashi." Honey leaps and secures his arms and legs around Mori's torso and shimmies up his body until their heads are level with each other. He grunts and tosses an identical lei to his over Mori's neck, whose expression remains emotionless.

"There! We match~" Honey coos cutely, causing an uprise of reactions from their guests. "They're covered in Camellias!"

"I'm still thoroughly confused by the two of them." Haruhi keeps her voice low so that you're the only one within earshot. You chuckle fondly. "I do enjoy them, I think they're an adorable pair." you inform quietly. Haruhi hums in acknowledgement.

"Um, Haruhi?" Haruhi perks in reply and returns her attention to her guests. "Aren't you going to wear a tropical outfit like the other boys?" a guest inquires earnestly.

"I'd like to see that." the second guest chimes.

"Well, no, I-I just don't think it's appropriate to wear anything but early spring attire in early spring, you know?" Haruhi raises her hands in defense, stammering out an excuse.

"But we have one ready for you, Haruhi. I think you'll like it, you and I are a pair!" Tamaki appears from thin air and grins widely at the suggestion.

"No thanks." Haruhi's blunt reply startles Tamaki, and suddenly his presence is forgotten as Haruhi's guests continue to ask her questions and adore her.

"Wow, Haruhi, you're really faithful to the different seasons, aren't you?"

"I think that's great! I hope we're lucky enough that the cherry blossoms are in full bloom on the night of the party."

"The two of us dancing among the cherry blossoms... it's so dreamy." the guests all seem to be in their own little fantasy worlds as you swing by briefly to clear the table of any empty tropical drink glasses. You glance at Haruhi, whose expression is flustered, and you beam. She'll get used to it... eventually. Sooner if not later. You were quick to learn that most anything is impressive to the ladies... even faithfulness to the different seasons, apparently.

"You really think so?" Haruhi finally pipes in. You can practically see the idea forming in her mind. "You know ladies... I think it's so cute when you dream like that." her assessment seems to break the guests out of their cherry blossom fantasies, resulting in flustered staring at Haruhi as she blinks innocently.

The fantasy is soon shattered at the sound of loud heels against the floor approaching their table.

"Excuse me."

Haruhi shakes herself away from her guests and turns to look up at the new guest, whose hands are politely folded in front of her as she gazes down at Haruhi expectantly.

"I hate to disturb, but I think it's time for the hosts to switch clients."

At her statement, you instinctively check your watch- there was a solid three minutes left in Haruhi's session with her current guests before she was to switch- and this client wasn't even on her queue list after these clients. Kyoya peers over your shoulder and takes notice of the time on your watch, then glances at the guest list in your hand.

"Not quite time... and she wasn't even on the queue." Kyoya muses quietly near your ear. Shivers rack your spine and you turn to face him, emotionless. "But are we surprised? It's the host hopper..." You sigh in exasperation. Kyoya hums solemnly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You must be my next appointment. Miss... uh-"

"My name's Kanako. Kanako Kasugazaki." Kanako slots her finger under Haruhi's chin and tilts her head upwards, catching you, Kyoya, Haruhi, and Haruhi's current clients all by surprise. "You're even cuter than I expected. I've decided. From now on, you're going to be my new favorite host, Haruhi."

Tamaki wasn't thrilled with that idea.

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Loud, obnoxious slurping is the only thing that could be heard from Tamaki's sulking corner as he emotionlessly inhales commoner's ramen.

"I can't take this anymore. Hey, Boss? Why don't you eating that commoner's ramen and come over here to help us with the party plans?" Hikaru suggests bluntly.

"Does it really bother you that Princess Kasugaza has taken a liking to Haruhi?" Kaoru interjects.

"He shouldn't be surprised, she's had the illness for a while now, hasn't she?" Kyoya's fingers fly over the keys of his laptop with ease as he speaks. Did anyone see him pull it out? No.

"What illness?" Haruhi voices her concern. You quickly intervene. "It's not a real illness, Haruhi. It's metaphorical." you assure. She breathes out a sigh of relief. Hikaru is the first twin to slide behind Kyoya with the explanation ready.

"She's got the host hopping disease." Kaoru slides out from behind him, mirroring him. "A.K.A. the 'never the same boy twice' disease." he clarifies.

Haruhi glances down at Kyoya for a more logical explanation. He provides it without skipping a beat. "Usually our guests pick a favorite host and then see them regularly. However, Princess Kanako tends to change her favorites on a regular basis."

"That's right! Cause before she chose you, she was with Tama-chan!" Honey smiles widely. You nod shortly.

"Oh. So he's upset because I took her from him?"

"SHUT UP! I COULDN'T CARE LESS!" Tamaki makes a sudden appearance, startling Honey. "Ugh! I'm running out of patience! Haruhi, it's time you started dressing like a girl!" his angles an accusing finger in Haruhi's direction. She is not amused.

"Huh?"

"Tamaki, your jealousy is showing." You cough subtly. That earns a small chuckle from Kyoya, a rare occurrence but still an enjoyable one.

"I don't understand how you could be so popular with the ladies when you yourself are a lady!" Tamaki fusses childishly. You sigh and begin to zone out on Kyoya's laptop screen. "I thought Honey-senpai was the only one who was allowed to throw fits." place your chin on the palm of your hand and watch as Kyoya fills out a spreadsheet. What for? You could never tell, but it's oddly satisfying to watch.

"No one in the entire school knows the truth accept for those of us here!"

"Yeah, she opted out of taking gym classes." Hikaru pipes in obnoxiously from Tamaki's side, his left hand raised.

"And the attendance numbers are all mixed up together so no one can tell." Kaoru is stationed on the other side of Tamaki, his right hand raised.

Tamaki disappears and reappears within a second with a large chest. He throws it open and begins digging inside for something. "That's enough, Haruhi, now you listen to Daddy!" He lifts a large frame from the much smaller chest and presents it to Haruhi- it's a photo of her from middle school- long hair and all.

"DADDY WANTS YOU TO GO BACK TO THE WAY YOU WERE!"

"DON'T GO BLOWING UP MY PHOTOS WITHOUT ASKING ME FIRST!" Haruhi retaliates angrily as she acknowledges the photo.

Tamaki pins the photo to the wall and sinks to his knees pathetically, sobbing. The rest of the host club, you included, gather around the photo and stare at it in bewilderment. "Wow, that doesn't look like her at all. Haruhi, I like your long hair." You lean forward to inspect it further. Haruhi grunts, miffed by the whole ordeal.

"The more I look at this picture, the more amazed I am." Kaoru speaks for all of you at that moment.

"How could this..." Kaoru continues, turning to Haruhi from her photo, "possibly become that?" He probably hadn't meant it to be, but his tone is laced with disgust.

"The day before school started, one of the kids in my neighborhood got some gum in my hair. It's a real pain to get gum out of long hair, so I decided to cut it all off. I didn't care if I looked like a dude, you know?" Haruhi describes nonchalantly. You subconsciously twist a strand of hair between your fingers, shivering to imagine trying to get a piece of gum out of your hair.

"A girl should never refer to herself as a dude! MAMA! Haruhi's using those dirty boy words again!" Tamaki wails pathetically. You let out a puff of air, exasperated.

"I'm sorry, but who is mama?" Kaoru turns to Kyoya with a bored expression. Kyoya sighs. "Well, based on gender I'm assuming it's Y/N..." He groans. You choke on air and and tune into the previously un-amusing conversation.

"Mama? Me?" you point to yourself in question. You would never assume you would be the 'mama' of Tamaki's family delusion. If anything, you were a daughter. Kyoya had to be Mama, based on club position.

"Look, I don't see what you're crying about. Working as a host, I can pay back more of my debt. It'll never happen if I'm just an errand boy." Haruhi plants her hands firmly on her hips and glares at Tamaki where he kneels on the floor.

You shoulders slouch and you hang your head with an exaggerated sigh. "Lucky me." You groan, earning the attention of Kyoya and the twins. "Your debt is much larger in comparison to Haruhi's, anyway." Kyoya enlightens you with a monotone voice. The twins' interests perk.

"Are you ever going to tell us what her debt is?" they chorus in unison, peeking at you cautiously. You glare at Kyoya expectantly, though his expressions remains unfazed. "It's none of my business. I'm only holding her to a standard." Kyoya shrugs indifferently. You let out a hitched breath that you didn't even realized was stuck in your chest. It's good to know that Kyoya's keeping your secret and keeping it well.

"Hate to change the subject, but do you have formal dancing experience? You'll need it at the party." Hikaru interjects as Tamaki sobs. Haruhi's face goes blank and you soon realize that she's had no dance training of the sort- it wouldn't be that hard to assume.

"Hah... no, but the part doesn't have anything to do with my quota, right? I'm not interested in going to events so if I could be excused-" Haruhi's nervous rambling is cut short by Tamaki, materializing out of thin air with an idea forming quickly. "Definitely not. A refined gentleman must know how to dance. If you want to live the life of a host that badly, you're going to have to show us how far you're willing to go, Haruhi."

Tamaki straightens and positions himself as if he were dancing with a partner. "I order you to master dancing the waltz in one week; And you will demonstrate it for us at the party~" Tamaki spins elegantly, and finishes with an accusing finger in Haruhi's direction.

"Or I'll tell the entire school that you're a girl and knock you back down to errand boy!"

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"Quick, quick, slow... quick, quick, slow..."

Tamaki sulks thoughtfully near the window, basking in the filtered sunlight, watching as Kanako teaches Haruhi to dance formally.

"Good work, Haruhi. Now, on the 'slow' you should bring your feet together. Remember, the gentleman always leads." Kanako instructs as Haruhi stammers, flustered all at the many directions being given to her at once. "And make sure to look at the lady you're dancing with." Kanako chuckles as she tries to pull Haruhi away from staring at her own feet.

"Got it!" Just like the calm before the storm, Haruhi exclaims in caution as she trips over Kanako's and her own feet. Before they know it, they're on the floor, Haruhi positioned above Kanako, her legs on either side of Kanako's waist and her hands planted above her head to keep from crushing her under her own weight.

From where you're seated at an empty table, you snicker faintly as you observe. Your homework sits unfinished before you and your pen is immobile in your hand.

"Having fun?" A voice pipes up from beside you and it startles you back into reality. You shift to find Kyoya standing straight by your seat, gazing down at you and your unfinished work. "Just a little." You giggle as you turn your attention back to Haruhi and Kanako, where Kanako seems to have pulled Haruhi into an even more compromising position.

"Are you excited for the party?" Kyoya gently pulls out a chair adjacent to you, the legs faintly scrape the smooth tile floor as it moves. You hum, "Mm, not exactly. I didn't think I was required to attend." you shrug indifferently. Kyoya scoffs haughtily.

"Well, of course you're to attend." Kyoya states like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Your heart pumps loudly in your ears and the corners of your lips tug upwards until-

"We need a waitress to present the hors d'oeuvres." he continues. Your smile falters immediately and your posture slouches. You groan tiredly. "Of course." you sigh.

"I won't need formal dance training, then?" although unfinished, you fold your homework back into your binder and then shove your binder into your book bag haphazardly. Kyoya raises an eyebrow at you, confused. "Why, of course you will." he affirms.

"Coming from a family like yours, I would assume that you already have formal dance experience." Kyoya leans forward slightly on his elbows, expecting an explanation. You breath a heavy exhale through your nose and settle down to clarify.

"Do you really not know me well enough to know I would avoid formal training of any sort?" you simper cheekily. You barely catch the small grin that graces Kyoya's features before your eyes become trained on the table before you.

Classical music echoes in the extensive hallways of your home. You pick irritatedly at your dress and frown with deeply furrowed eyebrows.

"Miss L/N?" a gently voice calls. Your ears perk and your head turns suddenly, finding your head maid at the end of the hallway and rounding the corner, desperately searching for you.

You pick up your dress at your hips to prevent it from dragging the floor and scurry out of sight. It's not the maid that makes you run, it's the thought of your dance classes. You father's brought in a group of boys for you to dance with that are near your age, each boy would be your partner for a different style of formal dance. Your cheeks burn red at the thought of dancing with any of those boys. You wish, sometimes, that you didn't live this life.

There are commoners that would kill for the life you live, you're sure of it. But, it's never been all that appealing to you. Of course, you enjoy the luxury just as much as anyone would, but you often get lost in your large house, and just when you begin to find your way and memorize all the twists and turns and zigs and zags- before you know it, you've moved into a different house. More twists and turns to memorize. You'd have to forget your mental map of your old house, memorized for nothing.

Most commoners must believe that you live your life with everything handed to you, with low expectations as to what you're supposed to be. It's quite the opposite, actually. You're required to live up to ridiculous expectations, being the only child of your single, insanely successful father and all. Every conference held at your home, every dinner party, social gathering, business trip- you name it- you are to be presented as a trophy, a prize, an accomplishment, and are expected to behave as such. The perfectly behaved daughter of a man who expects nothing less from you, and neither do his colleagues. Never mind the small, insignificant detail that you're a human being, your standard is perfection, no less.

And so, you hide from your responsibilities as your father's daughter. Nestled deep in a corner in one of your father's many studies, and you happen to know that this is one he rarely makes good use of. It isn't until you hear clacking footsteps near the door of the study, heavy against the wooden floor that you begin to listen intently. You peek under the door and recognize them as your father's shoes. Your heart drops into your stomach.

"Y/N. If I am the one to find you, you will be in deep trouble, young lady."

You hold your breath until he passes and his thudding footsteps fade into silence. You exhale desperately and trip over yourself to exit the study, scurrying down the hall and around the corner, the opposite way your father went.

You are to be a representation of your father's accomplishments in his personal life. Nothing more.

All details aren't included in your explanation to Kyoya, of course. Disclosing the personal narration of your childhood would be not only humiliating but a waste of time. And Kyoya isn't one to be keen on wasting time. He hums quietly in understanding.

"So, you were as much of a delinquent back then as you are now?" you can't quite tell if he's joking, but the small, playful smile he offers gives you some sort of hint.

"Why so gloomy, Boss?" you notice the twins inspecting Tamaki's sulking aura. They face each other with mischief glistening in their eyes and written clearly across their features.

"I bet it's because he wanted to be the one Haruhi practices with." Hikaru observes. You have no doubt that his answer is accurate, although blunt.

"I think you may be right, but he's way too tall to stand in as a woman." Kaoru adds thoughtfully.

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"Thank you so much for allowing me to practice with you, I really appreciate it." Haruhi beams gratefully.

"Oh, no problem. I heard that you're not seeing any customers today so that you can practice dancing. I'm glad I got to spend this time alone with you." Kanako places her chin delicately on her back of her folded hands and her half-lidded stare bores into Haruhi.

Haruhi tilts her head and considers a response for a moment before her thoughts are interrupted, whatever they may be.

"Oh, my. This is a new tea set, isn't it? It's Ginori..." Kanako lifts a tea cup to inspect it carefully as Kyoya is positioned near her.

"Ginori?" the word that falls from Haruhi's lips is foreign, repeating it as it's said for clarification.

"You have a keen eye, mademoiselle. In fact, we just received them yesterday." Kyoya confirms.

"Y/N decided that it was about time for the club to upgrade it's tea sets." Kyoya adds further. You beam proudly, your decision was quite necessary. You were getting incredibly bored of serving the same tea sets every day and thought the ladies might as well. As fate would have it, you were right, at least with this particular lady.

"I see. What a pretty color... lovely..." Kanako's voice seems to fade as she speaks about the tea set. Her excitement is much less than it was a few seconds ago, though she still seems to be wearing a sad smile.

Tamaki is shaken from his thoughts suddenly, almost abruptly, at this interaction.

"You must really be into tableware, huh?" you don't have enough time to stop Haruhi from what she says.

"Ah! Not really, I mean no of course I'm not! Whatever would give you that idea?" Kanako abruptly places her teacup and saucer on the table as if burnt, or as if she realized her mistake. She giggles anxiously.

Haruhi stands utterly confused. She obviously knows a lot about it... why would she lie?

You glance at Kyoya with concern, and he affirms your suspicions with the subtlest of nods.

"Hello? I'm here with the new teacups your ordered!"

Kanako's nervous fidgeting comes to an abrupt halt and her eyes enlarge with alarm. She doesn't dare turn to face the newcomer.

You take immediate action, striding swiftly to the newcomer with determination. "Thank you very much." You gently accept the box into your grasp and hoist it up so that you're carrying it comfortably.

"Every item that you've chosen for us has been extremely popular with the ladies. I'm quite impressed." Kyoya materializes at your side.

"Well, that's good to hear." the boy simpers.

Haruhi abandons her place next to Kanako, who hangs her head solemnly. "So, do you sell tea sets?" Haruhi inquires curiously.

"No, I'm just a regular student. Can't you tell by the uniform?" the boy sounds apprehensive, but answers her curiosity with no complaint.

An anxious chuckle sounds from where Kanako is seated.

"Oh, Haruhi. You're so funny." Kanako's laughing draws the attention of you, Haruhi, Kyoya and the boy.

She seems out of character, a certain haughtiness to her voice that confuses you. "I can't blame you for not knowing, after all, he doesn't really look like an heir to a first class company." Kanako turns to face the rest of you with a smirk.

Her comment seems to have caught the boy off guard. No one speaks for a moment. "First class company?" Haruhi breaks the silence.

As the boy stares at Kanako in bewilderment, Kyoya begins his explanation. "His family business, the Suzushima Trading Company, deals with primarily in the importing of tableware. They currently have the top market share in the country."

Kanako's eyes cast downwards, seemingly regretful of her words as she cannot maintain eye contact with the boy, her guilty conscious taking over.

"Wow." Haruhi marvels obliviously.

"So, whenever something exceptional comes in, we've asked him to send it our way." You continue with an uninterested monotone, watching as Kanako turns away from the conversation to hide her emotions.

"He has a great eye for fine china, don't you, Suzushima?" Kyoya finishes.

"You think? I've still got a lot to learn. But, thank you." Shuzoshima blushes at the compliment.

Kanako releases a small breath, her eyes glazing over and her eyebrows furrowing.

"Aren't you leaving next month to study abroad in England?" Kyoya bluntly inquires.

"Kyoya." You hiss in a hushed whisper. He pays you no mind.

You look over your shoulder to observe Kanako, her head hanging dismally as she listens to the discussion.

"Yes, I am. Well... I better go now."

Kanako is seated oddly silent in her chair, unmoving as her hair moves to cover her face, still gripping the teacup with both hands.

"So, are you enjoying the host club?" Tamaki materializes at Kanako's table, one hand supporting him as he gazes at her. Kanako is reeled back into reality as she acknowledges him.

"I get the feeling you and that guy are kinda close." Haruhi arrives behind Kanako. You straighten and grip her arm tightly, a warning.

"Ah! Don't be ridiculous! We hardly know each other! What makes you say that, Haruhi!?" she isn't aware of her volume as she spins abruptly in her chair, acting offended at the accusation. Haruhi knows better.

She desperately vacates her seat at the table. "Now, if you'll please excuse me... take care." she scurries out the door without another word.

Haruhi watches her go.

"Haru-chan!" Honey appears from thin air and secures himself to Haruhi's back, catching her by complete surprise.

"Guess what? They do know each other! Suzushima is Kasuga-chan's fiancé!"

"Kyoya. How long have you known about this?" Tamaki's tone is serious as he addresses Kyoya. Naturally, Kyoya knows about this as he does most everything.

"About the two of them being engaged? Well, as you know, I conduct general searches on all of our customers. The two of them were childhood friends, it seems that their engagement was arranged by their parents. I didn't think the information would benefit us so I disregarded it." Kyoya's gaze bores into Tamaki blankly.

"You shouldn't be allowed to do things like that." You sigh tiredly, rubbing your temples in hopes to relieve the sudden, massive headache you've developed.

"I see." Tamaki glares.

"Toru Suzushima. Outstanding grades, fair social status. He's ordinary looking, but he's reliable. If I had to fault him for anything-"

The twins step in urgently. "He doesn't have much presence." Hikaru interjects. "And he's faint hearted." Kaoru finishes promptly.

"In other words, he's painfully boring." you clarify. Kyoya shuts his notebook with a CRACK! Effectively putting an end to his analysis.

Haruhi stands, astonished. Wow, I had no idea they were so merciless towards other guys.

Honey sits with his legs wrapped around Mori's neck atop his shoulders. "Suzushima's a good boy, right?" he inquires.

"Yeah." Mori's monotone reply is quiet.

"Alright, everyone. We'll have to work on our strategy." Tamaki announces.

"Which one?" The entire host club choruses.

"Men, it is our responsibility, as members of the elite Ouran Host Club, to make every girl happy!"

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The Night of the Party

"It is so good to see you here tonight, my little lambs. The Ouran Host Club would like to bid you... welcome."

A magnificent spotlight shines over Tamaki as he bows to the guests elegantly, welcoming everyone to the party.

Chandeliers with multitudes of crystals kindle to life- One, two, then three. An orchestra begins their beautiful composition, all in sync and all perfectly tuned. Only the best for the Host Club and their guests.

The guests awe at the welcome, applauding the performance. Each Host Club member rises from their bow to continue the welcome.

"As always, ladies, the Host Club members are here for your entertainment, so we invite you to dance to your heart's content. Based on her dancing skills, one lucky young lady will be chosen as tonight's queen." Kyoya explains with open, welcoming arms to the guests as they listen intently, hanging on his every word at the promise of a prize.

"The Queen's reward will be a passionate kiss on the cheek from our King." Kyoya announces.

"Good luck to you, my darlings." Tamaki wishes with a sultry wink.

The guests swoon and squeal over his show of affection and the promise of an intimate moment with him and his princely facade.

Haruhi's posture sags with unenthusiasm, capturing the twins' attention. "Haruhi- show some enthusiasm." The scold in unison.

"Well excuse me, you guys, sorry. I'm not used to this sort of thing. I've only ever gone to the festivals held in my neighborhood park." Haruhi gripes with her eyes screwed shut in anguish.

Kyoya, Mori, Honey, and you arrive at Haruhi's side in a quick moment. "I don't know if you can consider that a party or not..." Kyoya ponders a moment.

You place a comforting hand on her shoulder and beam. "Well, since you're already here, you might as well get yourself something to eat. I've designed quite a spread." You're proud of the luscious spread of food that you meticulously designed to be visually and tastefully appealing.

"A spread? With... fancy tuna?"

Your hand placed on Haruhi's shoulder seizes up along with the rest of your body, aghast at her query as were the remaining hosts.

"Fan-"

"-cy"

"tuna?!"

Tamaki vaults over the railing and lands elegantly on his feet with urgency. "Get some fancy tuna here right now!" Tamaki orders.

"Add some deluxe sushi." Kyoya, always one step ahead of everyone else, is already on the phone with your caterer and placing the order. The twins embrace Haruhi comfortingly and caress her beet-red cheeks with their own, cooing assurances in her ears.

Your own cheeks heat up and turn a rosy color, spreading to your ears as you observe the display from afar. The catering was supposed to be your job- how have you managed to mess it up already?

Subconsciously, you bring your nails to your mouth and bite down. What else can go wrong? What if the colors in the hall don't match with the feel of the evening? Were you right to go with the cherry blossom themed colors? Was it too cliche of you considering the cherry blossoms are in full bloom outside? Is there too much pink-

You take a look at your dress and pale- your dress is cherry blossom themed... are there too many cherry blossom themed decorations? Are you one of them?

You're suddenly all too aware of the childishness of your dress. Pink? Flowers? Flowing chiffon? You could've worn this dress when you were 9 years old and it would've fit perfectly with your age, but you're not so sure now... being a second year in high school... you take a cautious peek at the guests, all dressed sophisticatedly and you can't feel your legs anymore. Is it the heels? No, just the mind-boggling, stomach-churning nerves eating away at your self-esteem.

Your catering spread suddenly makes you nauseous, with your stomach turning inside out at your thoughts. You're no longer satisfied with it.

And so you decide to conveniently disappear. You hike up your dress and scurry behind an unsuspecting corner. Although you have a habit of touching your face in moments of intense anxiety, you have half a mind that you're wearing very intricate makeup, which you worked very tirelessly on.

Your father never believed in anyone to help you with your every day routine such as hair, makeup, dressing yourself, or homework. He doesn't like the idea of his daughter being so spoiled that she can't even dress herself. Although your family is extremely wealthy, you've noticed that no one in your family is dependent on a multitude of servants or maids, and you aren't going to be the first.

You let out a pathetic sniffle and gently dab under your nose with the back of your hand. After you definitively decided that you weren't going to sulk anymore, you straighten and pull out your cell phone, ready to dial the number of your caterer and provider of your decorations when-

"What are you doing back here?"

You nearly scream as you spin around to face the voice that's startled you. Naturally, it's Kyoya. He stands, thoroughly confused. He'd been searching for you in the midst of the crowd when he noticed that 1) the table with the spread of food is getting dangerously low on beverages, and 2) he simply noticed that you were nowhere to be seen. However, the first reason is going to be the reason he'll tell you if you so happen to ask.

"I'm just... I was about to call the caterer." you awkwardly pocket your cell phone into your evening hand bag and clasp your hands behind your back. Now that you're under the observation of one of the adamant judges of perfection, your self-esteem seems to be plummeting.

"There's no need for that. The hors d'oeuvres table is running low on beverages and... sushi." Kyoya drags his pen down his checklist and punctuates his sentence with the tap of his pen at the end of his list.

You clear your throat and dust yourself off. "Right. I'll get on that." You brush past Kyoya swiftly, determined to accomplish your task in order to distract yourself from your belittling thoughts.

Much to Kyoya's surprise, you're much too obedient for him to ignore. He was expecting to have to convince you to do your job. Now that he thinks about it, that seems a bit unreasonable.

Although you're wearing heels and a floor length dress, you're awfully quick, especially for someone who is not usually so inclined to do her job.

Before he can even begin to ask, you've disappeared on a determined path to the kitchens where you're going to occupy yourself with your job.

By the time he finds you, you're in the kitchens, hard at work with the chefs and other staff to restore your spread. You weave left and right between bustling staff and reach one of the industrial refrigerators, swinging it open to find spare beverages. Small cups of punch, artificially colored pink to match everything else, sit on a large tray that you carefully slide out of the refrigerator, shutting the door expertly with your foot. You swivel to find Kyoya watching you blankly.

"Could you grab the sushi from the fridge in the back?"

It takes him a moment to even register that you're speaking to him. It takes you clearing your throat exaggeratedly from him to come back into his own, nodding curtly at your request.

You sigh quietly to yourself as you hoist the tray up further to rest against your stomach and you maneuver towards the ballroom past the busy kitchen staff. You sigh a breath of relief when you reach the table, setting the tray down as gently and quietly as possible. You push and shove a few cups to align with the others, taking a step back to admire your work. It isn't long after this that another tray is placed adjacent to yours- Kyoya with the sushi tray.

"That should do it." Kyoya folds his notepad and shoves it behind his blazer into one of those secret pockets you've always been so fascinated about. Why can't women's clothing have those? You'll never know.

"The cherry blossom theme was an appropriate choice. Well done." Kyoya muses from beside you.

You heart swells as well as slows, returning to a normal beat per minute rate. Your lips tug upward in a grin and your cheeks dust a pink color on the apples. "Thank you." You shy away from making eye contact with him. "I thought it might illuminate the undertone of a spring theme." You illustrate. Kyoya hums with a small nod.

"Indeed it has." he shoves his hands into his pockets, his posture stiff as yours remains relaxed- finally receiving some positive judgement to your accomplishment.

There's a long moment of comfortable silence where you and Kyoya partake in a bit of people-watching; you both observe how the guests dance and interact with the various hosts, all of which are occupied with a dance partner.

"Why aren't you dancing?" Your question is more blunt than you intended it to be. Kyoya slightly acknowledges you as he gazes down at you.

"I've been dancing all evening. Besides, most ladies tend to gravitate towards our king, anyways." Kyoya vaguely gestures to Tamaki, who's dancing beautifully with a guest as several other guests wait for the song's end, waiting for a moment to cut in.

"Why aren't you?" Kyoya inquires further, patiently awaiting your response.

You shrug nonchalantly. "Don't know how. Plus, there aren't any boys for me to dance with." you remind curtly, alluding to the fact that he is the one preventing you from catering to boys.

"I suppose you'll need to learn eventually." Kyoya extends his arm, palm facing up in your direction. You raise an eyebrow in genuine confusion.

"Huh?"

"The polite thing to do would be to accept my offer." Kyoya informs you, bending into a modest bow. You didn't know he was offering anything.

Well, if it's the polite thing to do-

"Okay." You don't say much as you hesitantly allow your hand to slip into his, prompting him to lead you to a suitable position in the ballroom.

You find yourselves surrounded by flittering guests and nosy ones as well, peering at you and your dance partner, whispering.

Although, you notice that you're able to tune them out and focus on the man before you, awaiting his instruction- you have no idea as to what you're supposed to be doing.

"Your left hand goes on my shoulder and your right hand goes in my left." Kyoya takes your left arm by the elbow and places it on his firm shoulder, no doubt reenforced by a shoulder pad. You swallow noisily and nod.

His left hand slides up your right forearm, slowly reaching your hand where he places his palm flush with yours. You move to grasp around his palm, in between his index finger and thumb, when he intertwines his fingers with yours and grasps your hand tightly.

Such an intimate act is unusual for him, but you chalk it up to your overthinking- maybe it's not such an intimate act after all.

"And my right hand goes..." on your waist, is apparently where it goes. Your body seizes up and refuses to move, although the placement of his hand is polite and modest, you can't help the shivers that rack your spine.

"Mmhm." you nod again, gazing up as he gauges your reaction.

He times the music in his head and moves according to the tempo. You follow his footsteps in suit and he nods. "Good, good, just follow me. Try not to watch your feet."

Immediately, you move your gaze from your feet and face him with a sheepish smile. "Sorry." You press your lips together. Kyoya smiles, small but prominent.

You keep up with him for the majority of the song, the slow tempo puts your mind at ease as does your dance partner's presence. You notice that he broke out the particularly expensive cologne for this event. You don't know what it is, exactly, but you recognize it as one he only wears for events. His daily cologne, as you've experienced, is less intoxicating and more... comforting; soothing, for lack of better word.

In your lapse of attentiveness, your heel punctures Kyoya's dress shoe. He grunts, stumbling in surprise as you gasp. "Oh, I am so sorry- I was distracted." you clarify, hands covering your mouth as you look down at both of your feet. Kyoya chuckles with an undertone of politeness and raises his hands in assurance.

"It's alright, just surprised me is all." he assures.

"Y/N-chan on the dance floor!" Honey leans back to see you and Kyoya, interacting in the ballroom. Their operation would've started sooner, if you hadn't disappeared to the back and then to the kitchens with Kyoya.

"Alright, men, then let us commence with our operation." Tamaki nods towards Honey and Mori.

"Roger!"

Honey and Mori sweep you up with no warning resulting in your shocked exclamation as you're carried off by both arms. Kyoya is left alone in the middle of the floor, confused but not surprised. "As to be expected." Kyoya adjusts his glasses and mobilizes to follow you. Tamaki only chuckles as he watches his operation in action.

Of course, you were informed beforehand of this operation, but not aware of the intensity of the way it was going to be carried out.

"There she is." the twins scoff in unison, watching as Mori carries you in, bridal style as to not disturb your dress, and sets you down in front of a changing room, where the rest of the hosts are waiting.

"You didn't have to be so forceful!" You seethe, yanking your change of clothes from Hikaru's grasp as he attempts to hand it to you carefully. "Never mind that, go get changed." Hikaru gestures to the changing room behind him.

"But... I like my dress." you turn to Kyoya and pout- one of the biggest pair of puppy eyes you can muster. Kyoya smiles at you fondly.

"My dear, as much as a vision in pink that you are, you are to look completely different to fit the role we've set for you. Are you up to the challenge?"

Kyoya's tone is softer than it normally is. The simplest changes in that man's mood is a dealbreaker for you. You exhale deeply.

"Alright." your shoulders slouch in disappointment.

Honey shoves you behind the curtain, pulling a yelp from you as you stumble forward, catching yourself on your feet. You investigate the packaging containing your clothing and turn it over in your hands.

You unpack it and hold it out in front of you. It's a completely different vibe than what you're wearing at the moment, you cringe visibly as you notice how it will clash with your theme... and your makeup and hair. This dress is seductive, your makeup and hair consist of pinks and a simple updo. That'll have to change.

"I'm gonna need my bag." You stick your hand out of the curtain and gesture for someone to put it there. There's a few moments of silence with only the sound of shuffling before something is placed in your hand. You squeeze it and confirm- it's your handbag.

You shed your wonderful dress that is a "vision in pink", as Tamaki put it, and adjust your undergarments to conform to your new vision. Your vision in red.

You slide it on over your head, zip up the back, and twirl for yourself in the mirror that reaches the floor. You do look wonderful, you might even say sexy, but your makeup and hair don't match.

You dig into your hand bag and pull out your spare makeup. You don't know what it was that prompted you to pack it for the evening, but you're grateful for your gut instinct.

"A little accident towards the end of the night would be quite thrilling. And remember, Y/N, there are only twenty minutes remaining before the party reaches its climax." Kyoya calls to you through the curtain with an urgency in his voice.

"I know, I know. Gimme a minute." You open your mouth wide as you apply a different style of mascara to your now subtle smoky eye. You finish your look off with a swipe of bright red lipstick across your lips and pop them once, twice for good measure. You lean back to gauge your newly applied makeup and smile. You're satisfied with your look.

"Suzushima is already waiting for you in a classroom across the hall."

You pick and pluck out your bobby pins holding your hair in place and let your curls fall to cascade around your shoulders, resulting in a more mussed up, natural look that accentuates your jawline. You nod and fluff your hair for good measure.

You pull back the curtain with your posture straight and confident. Whoever said clothes can change a person was absolutely right. You feel incredibly unstoppable.

The hosts stare at you for a few moments, gathering their composures. The twins are the first to speak.

"Uh, we know this is the boss's strategy, but it's kind of... unsettling." The each settle for a neutral word. Though, it's not the word they would use, nor would the rest of the hosts. Words like provocative, unusual, and seductive were more appropriate. The hosts have yet to see your dressed up like this, especially for an occasion such as this.

Tamaki bursts through the doors not a moment later. "Gentlemen, here you all are, what are you doing?" Tamaki demands.

"The guests are waiting for-"

Tamaki stops mid sentence when his eyes fall upon you. At first, he doesn't recognize who you are, and assume the hosts have brought a guest to their 'super secret' operation. But as he takes a moment to investigate, he realizes it's his little girl, all dressed up in an outfit that, of course, the twins picked for you. No wonder it's... well, it's sensual.

"So, what do you think?" the twins slide to accompany Tamaki on either side, encasing his bewildered form as he stares at you unabashedly. What have they done to his innocent little girl? You aren't supposed to look like this for boys, it's indecent, as he might say.

"Let's get this over with, I have a party to manage." You insist with a glance to the clock on the wall. The hosts lead you in the direction of the room you're supposedly meeting Suzushima in. All return to the party save for Kyoya, who watches you stride out of the room with clicking heels echoing against the walls.

"May I help you?" you crane your neck over your shoulder to catch Kyoya's blank stare, observing you. He seems to break from whatever thoughts that were occupying his mind and shakes his head.

"Just wanted to wish you good luck." He settles for. Key word here: settle. He would like to say something more, but a way of saying it hasn't made itself clear to him, not yet at least.

You thank him with the nod of your head.

"I like this dress just as much as the other, you know." You faintly catch his teasing comment as he disappears back into the party. You beam proudly, turning on your heel to continue your stroll to the room across the hall.

You push the door open gently to find Suzushima stationed near a window, awaiting your arrival. As soon as your make your presence known, he lets out a breath in surprise at your appearance.

"You're the one who wrote this letter? You're totally different than what I imagined." His statement is blunt whether he meant it or not, and your confused as to what letter he's talking about.

"Letter?"

I'm in love love! From the first time I saw you, I've been head over heels in love! ♡  

It's like my heart is stuck in a never ending typhoon! All the feelings of love keep whipping around in my heart like the breaking waves!

When the typhoon's rising waters come, I want to rendezvous with you on Noah's Ark! I do! I do! ♡  

You read carefully over the note handed to you by Suzushima and your cheeks flame up in embarrassment and anger, mostly the latter. Who wrote such a stupid letter?

None other than Hikaru, Kaoru, and Kyoya, apparently.

"Excuse me, have we met somewhere before?"

"Ah! No, uh, this is the first time I've ever talked to you!" You assure rather unconvincingly, raising your hands in defense with a nervous trill.

"I'm sorry. I'm flattered by your letter, but I'm afraid I don't feel the same way." Suzushima's eyes remain downcast, his irises glistening and he reminisces on the past.

"You see, another girl already has my heart." you listen to him carefully, hanging on every word. "Oh, well, I didn't know that you had a girlfriend." You try.

"Unfortunately, she's not my girlfriend, in fact, I think she's completely over me." He turns to gaze out the window once more. "In all honesty, she'd be happier with someone more self confident than me."

You follow his gaze out the window and watch as the petals of cherry blossoms fall gracefully from their branches and onto the ground, symbolizing the peak of spring.

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"Where exactly are you taking me, Tamaki?" Kanako's question is louder than intended in the empty, quiet hallway where her shoes clack loudly against the tile floor.

Tamaki ignores her question. He stops in front of a window where the cherry blossom petals resemble snow flakes falling in winter. "You know, you're not the kind of girl who's good at manipulating others." Tamaki's assessment is blunt, taking Kanako by surprise.

"What do you mean by that?" her voice shakes, unsure.

"I have you figured out, Kanako. I know you're switching from host to host to get his attention. And I've noticed that you've always looked the happiest gazing into a teacup."

Kanako releases a hitched breath, recalling one of the first times she'd ever been taught about teacups by none other than Toru himself, when they were young.

"It's pointless. It doesn't matter how hard I try, he never notices me. And now... he's decided to study abroad without... without even telling me."

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"That's why I decided I need to change. I want to see the world, hopefully to become a better man. I know it's selfish, but I wonder if she'll wait for me."

You listen to Toru in awe with large, widened eyes. His words make your heart clench, such pure, unadulterated love shouldn't be kept inside like this, shouldn't be bottled up.

"Yeah, you're right, that is pretty selfish of you." your bluntness never fails to get the better of you. Toru was obviously not looking for a solution, but rather to fish for sympathy.

"But, maybe she would wait. You'll never know if you don't tell her how you feel. You obviously have strong feelings for her, so why not go ahead and talk to her?" Toru seems taken aback by your words, and continues to listen as you have more to say.

"I think once you decide to change, then you've already begun your transformation."

As if on cue, after your finish your longwinded piece of advice, the door swings open. Kanako is stood in the doorway, watching your exchange and mistaking it for something more intimate than it is. Both you and Toru turn to see her, both shocked.

"Kanako..." Toru whispers, eyes locked with her.

"Uh... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you two, I just..." Kanako is unable to finish her sentence, her head cast downwards as tears roll from her eyes to her chin and drip into the floor. A choked sob rips through her throat and she turns on her heel and makes a break for it. Toru would not let her go so easily.

"Kanako!" He calls, breaking into a run as he follows her urgently. He leaves you alone to watch them go, focusing on the point at which you can no longer see them. You'd completed the operation successfully.

You arrive at the door to the room and observe them as they turn the corner down the hallway, and Tamaki follows shortly behind you.

To the average person, it might've looked like you'd made matters worse, and now they're angry at each other. But, you know better.

"I was going to say this was unsuccessful... but he did go running after her..." You carefully analyze when you can no longer see the pair.

It's our responsibility as members of the elite Ouran Host Club to make every girl happy.

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The hosts have all gathered on a balcony facing outside, watching as Kanako and Toru take chase along the courtyard. Finally, Toru manages to seize Kanako's wrist and as soon as he does, four magnificent spotlights make themselves known and shine brightly upon the pair.

"Ladies, and gentlemen."

The declaration seems to have caught the two off guard as they both search to where Tamaki's voice is coming from.

The doors to the balcony open and out flood the guests in curiosity. "It is now time for us to begin the final dance of this evening's festivities. The last waltz of the night has been chosen by the Host Club for..." Tamaki gestures to Toru and Kanako with his hand and a knowing expression.

"This couple."

Toru releases Kanako's wrist and casts his head down, eyes closed almost as if he were in prayer. He bows slightly and extends his hand in invitation. "Princess Kasuga? May I have this dance?"

Kanako seems taken aback at his request, but smiles nonetheless.

"Yes..."

Almost on cue, the orchestra begins their performance. A slow waltz rings through the courtyard as the couple comes together in a much needed embrace and being to sway in tune.

The hosts all watch from a distance, the twins, seemingly unbothered, each munch on a banana and observe quietly.

"I love you Kanako, I've always loved you. And... I want you to be my wife."

The teacups of Kanako's heart seem to be turning once again as the smile returns to her face, along with tears of joy of course.

"Tonight, marks the end of my host hopping."

"Ah, may this awkward couple be forever blessed!" Tamaki breathes a sign of relief and extends his arms in accomplishment, resulting in you and Haruhi having to duck to avoid being struck.

"And now we'll announce the Queen of the ball!" Hikaru exclaims proudly, banana peel readily in hand.

"Congratulations, Princess Kanako Kasugazaki!" Kaoru continues in turn, also ready with a banana peel.

"And for her reward, a kiss on the cheek from the King!" Hikaru grins mischievously.

"Oh, dear..." You sigh, watching their eyes glint with mischief. You turn to Kyoya and he smiles, not even needing to see you to sense your glower.

"What did you do?" You ask with contempt. He pays you no mind and continues to grin.

"You ready?"

"Haruhi Fujioka will stand in for Tamaki"

"Ah!" Tamaki and Haruhi's reactions are in sync, one shocked and confused and the other shocked and enraged.

"Kyoya did say that a little accident towards the end of the night might make the evening more thrilling for everyone." The twins shrug when Tamaki casts accusing glances towards each of them.

"You said what?!" You smack Kyoya across the arm and he snickers gently. "I did say that." He muses.

"There's no way I can kiss her."

"If you do it, we'll cut your debt by one third."

Immediately at Kyoya's words, Haruhi's mind is altered. She suddenly feels up to the challenge. "Well, it is just a peck on the cheek." She decides.

Haruhi slowly and begrudgingly descends the stairs towards the couple and her intended target. Kanako moves forward away from Toru.

"Hey, you don't think this is Haru-chan's first kiss, do you?" Honey inquires innocently as he watches the scene unfold.

"What?!"

Haruhi cups Kanako's face awkwardly and angles her to the side, leaning in for the peck when Tamaki comes barreling down the stairs with urgency.

"Wait, Haruhi!" He reaches forward and coincidentally slips on one of the twins' discarded banana peels, resulting in a small push to Haruhi's back... which also results in a full lip-lock between Haruhi and Kanako, much to Toru and Tamaki's dismay.

Tamaki freezes mid air with horror and falls to the ground as if he were previously suspending in gravity.

Kanako and Haruhi both hop away from each other as if burnt, covering their lips as they stare at each other awkwardly.

Cue the intensive screaming from the guests above. You cover your ears at the uproar. "That was eventful." You shout over the commotion, your comment directed at Kyoya, sarcastically of course.

Kanako looks in a panic at Toru, who smiles sheepishly, indicating that he has no idea what to do.

Haruhi smiles despite it, leaving Tamaki suffering in anguish behind her.

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The part is long over and the guests have all bid farewell. Being the party planner, you also double as part of the cleanup crew. Although you aren't required to, you're more than happy to help clean up something you created.

You smooth your dress behind you to prevent any unnecessary viewing up the skirt of it as you bend to pick up a stray cup and toss it into the trash bag held in your other hand.

"I thought you would have been gone by now." Kyoya stands in the middle of the ballroom, taking in his surroundings as the rest of the cleaning staff help you. You smile despite his assessment.

"I always tend to help with the cleanup." You shake a small discarded paper plate at him to emphasize your point and toss it into the trash bag shortly after. Kyoya hums, as he often does.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" You inquire curiously as you continue to pick trash from the tiled floor and rub away at scuff marks on the floor left by various heels with your thumb.

"I brought you something." you acknowledge him as he says it. In his left hand he presents you with your dress from earlier in the evening.

"As ravishing as you look in the red one, I thought you might want to wear it once more before you go home." Kyoya knew how disappointed you were to take off your original dress for their operation, and the thought it was only fair to give you a chance to wear it again.

You squeal and let your trash bag fall to the floor without another thought. You snatch the dress from Kyoya and scurry (as fast as you can in heels, anyway) to the back where you change into it faster than you've ever changed into anything before.

You emerge not a minute later, once again a vision in pink and flowers. Kyoya smiles fondly as you twirl thrice and giggle as the chiffon creates a beautiful display with your movements.

"I feel so much better." You exhale, now comfortable.

"I think you've cleaned enough for one night. You worked hard this evening." Kyoya sweeps your trash bag from the floor and discards it in the nearest garbage can. You nod tiredly.

"It would be wonderful to be home right now." you agree on a deep level, your posture slumping at the thought of being snuggled up in your own bed without makeup or hairspray.

"Allow me to walk you to my ride." Kyoya offers you his arm like a true gentleman. You hesitantly accept it and gaze up at him. "How did you know my limo wasn't here?" You smile with appreciation.

"I assumed you'd called it off, since you were staying late." Kyoya keeps his eyes forward as the pair of your exit the ballroom. You thank the cleaning staff before you leave and they wave to you as you disappear.

"Well, my appreciation is immeasurable, good sir." You curtsey in an exaggerated way, dipping your head for an added effect. Kyoya chuckles and bows deeply, imitating you to the fullest.

"Not to worry, my lady, the pleasure is all mine." He lifts his head to meet your gaze, his lips tugging upward against his will when he finds you laughing at him in full.

Nothing could quite compare to a genuine smile on your face after a long day at work.

♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡

Author's Note: Thank you guys so much for reading! I had a lot of fun writing this, even though it took a long time. Now, before I bore you with anything else, I would like to say that I'm open for ideas on my next chapters with our lovely couple, Kyoya and Y/N! The chapters will be following chronological order with the episodes, as you can probably tell, but I wanted to get some outside input! I might be willing to do filler chapters as well, we'll see! Feel free to submit your ideas in my ask box and I'll see what I can do. Take care!

Cue outro

🎵I run and run a thousand miles, and I am barely breathing. Only the fuel of a passionate heart keeps this body strong and moving forward. Could it be I found a place to rest? How far until I'm OK? Trees of the town reveal the time has come once again to shift our shade and colors. 🎵 🎵The world always changes around us but weakness will always remain; Through all the pain, believe in who we are right here and now! 🎵 🎵Raise one hand to the sky; raise them both lift them high!! And you'll cut through the darkness make it go! The time to start is now! And I can show you how. Start with me, and the world will be even bigger than ever before. 🎵

♡Next time, on Indeed...♡

You've completely forgotten about physical exams. You're hoping to merely enjoy the peace of your own private doctor. But, what kind of day with the host club entails peace, anyway?

♡We'll see you then!! ♡

want to read more? here's my ouran masterlist 🌹

and here's my bts blog 💜

want me to write something you want to see? request something 💌

have any questions? talk to my characters! 🙏🏻

Adieu~ 🌹🌹🌹

[kanjukucompany]

【A3! Translation】 Sumeragi Tenma SSR: Blank canvas (3/3)

PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3

(translation under the cut)

(glitch text ignore)

Determining "Value"

Homare: Now for your next question! The theme is 'calligraphy'.

Homare: One of these was written by a famous calligrapher, and the other is the work of Citron-kun.

Homare: So, can you figure out which one is more 'valuable'!?

Tenma: (I don't really know much about calligraphy, but...)

Tenma: ......A. It's unique and visually interesting.

Kazunari: Bummer! That's incorrect, the famous calligrapher's work was B.

Kumon: Sorry, Tenma-san, but bad elegance!

Muku: One more elegance!

Tenma: I get it, so don't need to add 'elegance' to everything!*

Homare: Next question! The theme is 'poetry'.

Homare: One is a poem written by a famous poet, and the other is one I forced Hisoka-kun to write during a lecture.

Homare: Can you guess which is more 'valuable'!?

Tenma: (These are pretty rudimentary poems... Honestly they both sound like Hisoka-san wrote them...)

Tenma: ....B. For some reason, I like this one better.

Kazunari: Wrong again~!! The correct answer was A, the poem written by a famous poet!

Homare: To be fair, he's not nearly as famous as I am!

Homare: Truthfully, I tried to insert one of my own poems as the correct answer, but we decided against it since it would be immediately recognizable.

Tenma: Yeah, you did a real service there...

Yuki: If I'm counting right, he's gotten every single question wrong.

Misumi: This is pretty difficult, huh~?

Kumon: Even I didn't know that last one!

Muku: Tenma-kun, don't mind...!

-

Homare: And now, your final question!

Kazunari: This one comes with a special bonus, if you get it right, it'll undo your incorrect answers! Here's your chance to turn things around~!

Tenma: I'm not competing against anyone.

Homare: The last theme is simply: 'vase'.

Homare: One is a vase from the Arisugawa family collection, and is worth millions of yen. The other was made by Summer Troupe along with Kazunari-kun's ceramic artist friend.

Izumi: You guys made a vase!?

Kazunari: Yep! Didn't ya hear us talking about wanting to try pottery the other day?

Misumi: We hurried over there immediately the next day~. I made a big triangle!

Kumon: Since it was going to be for Tenma-san's test, we all worked super hard to make it.

Tenma: You guys put all of your effort into the most pointless things.

Kumon: Go on, make your guess!

Tenma: (A is definitely the most elaborate one, but it's those guys, I'd be shocked if they were able to make something that serious...)

Yuki: We wasted an entire day making it, y'know.

Muku: But we had fun. I could practically imagine Tenma-kun struggling with the clay.

Misumi: Same~! I wish Tenma could've joined us~.

Yuki: If that was the case, we wouldn't have been able to use it for the question.

Tenma: ...Alright. My answer is B.

Kazunari: Really, are you sure?

Tenma: I just had to choose the one that's more 'valuable'. There's no doubt in my mind that I did.

Homare: The correct answer is...

Kazunari: The Arisugawa family's vase, A!

Yuki: Ah~, he got every question wrong.

Izumi: That's disappointing, sorry, Tenma-kun.

Tenma: It doesn't matter, I knew what I was doing when I chose it.

Kumon: Huh!? You knew we made that jar?

Tenma: Yeah. I was told to choose whichever one was more 'valuable', so I did.

Tenma: Honestly, I don't know a thing about artistic or public value. But 'value' is something you can decide for yourself, right?

Homare: Hm. Tenma-kun is a little like Tasuku-kun in that way, but you're right.

Homare: Wouldn't you agree, Kazunari-kun?

Kazunari: Yep yep! All of your answers were technically wrong, but to me they were all right!

Kazunari: That's why Tenten passes with flying colors!

Homare: Excellent elegance! Tenma-kun, you have my permission to call yourself 'Gentleman Tenma', from now on.

Tenma: No, I'll pass.

Kumon: We're happy you chose the vase we worked so hard on.

Muku: Yeah. Thank you, Tenma-kun.

Misumi: All this cheering is making me hungry~.

Izumi: How about some of my special edition curry? I made a lot for the test.

Kumon: Great idea! Let's have that!

Kazunari: Tenten-approved curry, sounds awesome!

Misumi: Let's eat~!

Homare: Tenma-kun, do you think this Elegance Test was helpful for your role?

Tenma: Yeah, but I think it's a bit more complex than that...

Tenma: It's a bit hard to think of this play as 'a painting' or 'art' but, in our own way, I think we've made something more valuable than anything.

Homare: Mhm, then this was a very successful role study indeed.

*they're mimicking normal phrases you'd cheer in sports lol

[bluelocksource]

Barō Shōei’s trivia (source: twt & Egoist Bible 1 & 2).

"Live the way you want to live. Win the way you want to win. This is my empire." (EB1)

"I will devour the match, including Isagi!!" (EB2)

☆ Character's colour: Red.

☆ Weapons:

High precision mid-range shot & ability to break through the opponent's defense. (EB1)

High-precision mid-shot, Charging Power, Heel Move. (EB2)

☆ Nickname: King of Villains / King of Heel**

☆ Birthday: 27th June.

☆ Current age: 18 (3rd year of high school)

☆ Zodiac: Cancer.

☆ Hometown: Akita prefecture.

☆ Family: Father. Mother. Himself. Two younger sisters.

☆ Visual acuity: 1.5

☆ Current height: 187 cm.

☆ Foot size: 28.5 cm.

☆ Dominant foot: Right foot.

☆ Blood type: A.

☆ Motto: "Organize."

☆ School: Akudou Academy High School.

☆ Team before joining BLUE LOCK: Akudou Academy High School football club.

☆ Starts playing football: At age 6.

☆ Favorite food: Pudding. "When I was a kid, my mom bought me pudding when I got a flu."

☆ Disliked food: Waffles. "No matter how you eat it, it'll end up messy."

☆ Favorite color: Black and gold.

☆ Favorite animal: Nomad male lion.

☆ Favorite season: Around the end of rainy season. “If you’re a Japanese, you’ll get excited for no reason.”

☆ Favorite football player: Mario Balotelli.

☆ Favorite song:Any songs by Utada Hikaru. "Midsummer Rain" by Utada Hikaru.

☆ Favorite manga: Cobra. "Crystal Boy is cool."

☆ Favorite movie: The Dark Knight "I watch it to cheer up myself before the big game."

☆ Mushroom shoots vs Bamboo shoots: Bamboo shoots. "The small packet has just the right size to eat."

☆ What goes best with rice : "I don't add anything. Rice has a taste, idiots.”

☆ Hobby: Cleaning.

☆ Magazine he often reads: 'Gekisaka' (football news website) and 'Number' (Japan's sports magazine).

☆ Ideal type: Someone who likes tidiness and who he can clean together with.

☆ What makes him happy: Be shown legitimate and overwhelming respect.

☆ What makes him upset: Mess and clutter.

☆ What he thinks his strength is: Possessing a self ego.

☆ What he thinks his weakness is:“Ha? Who do you think you're talking to? I’ll end you!”

☆ Favorite/Best subject: P.E. (always placed 1st in all sports for 3-year at Musuo Middle School).

☆ Dislike/weak subject: Art, because it’ll get his hands dirty.

☆ What made him cry recently: He said the only time he cried was at the time of his birth.

☆ Usual sleeping time: 8 hours.

☆ What he usually ends up buying from convenience store: Sponge that cleans well.

☆ Place he washes first when taking a bath: He’s more worried about the cleanliness of the bathroom, so, he’ll clean the bathroom first before he takes a bath.

☆ Fixation: Quickle wiper cleaners.

☆ What will he do if received 100 million yen: A lifetime supply of Quickle Wiper.

☆ At what age he stops receiving presents from Santa: "From the moment I got a soccer ball on my 6th birthday, all I wanted was a field."

☆ What was his last wish from Santa: What I need now.

☆ How he spent his holiday: Clean up every nook and cranny of the house. After that, he’ll treat himself with hot tea and pudding.

☆ What will he do during his last day on Earth: "It doesn't matter what I'll do. By that day, I'll leave proofs that I've lived on this Earth."

☆ Favorite historical figure: "Date Masamune. It’s said that if he had been born ten years earlier, he would have conquered the world. That’s pretty cool, right?"

☆ If he hadn't encountered soccer, what will he be doing: "I’d be some kind of king. I’m only interested in the top."

☆ If he could only take one thing to a deserted island, what would it be: A knife. "First, I’d become the king of the island and command the animals."

☆ If he had a time machine, would he go to the past or the future: The future. "I want to know who I become and live in the present to become even greater than that."

Last updated: 31/10/2024

* The crossed words are the changes made from twitter’s answer to the answer from Egoist Bible.

** In this context, the word 'heel'is used in pro wrestling which means a wrestler who portrays a villain or "bad guy" and acts as an antagonist to the heroic protagonist or "good guy" characters.

note: i want to apologize in advance for any mistake made in the translation!

[heyiwrotesomethings]

A Compulsive Gambler?!

Yumeko Jabami x She/Her Reader

A/N: Could you imagine Yumeko dating someone and they have no idea she’s, ya know, a gambling freak? I bet she would have a hard time pulling back like, she’d still gamble with her SO but in a sneaky, more subdued way. Something like, ‘if you can guess what number I’m thinking of you can pick what we eat for dinner’, or something like that. Seems innocent enough but she just can’t help herself into turning some interactions into gambles. Anyway, hope y’all enjoy! Word Count: 5,170

For perhaps the first time since Mary met Yumeko, the girl was a nervous wreck. The usually carefree gambling addict was pacing around the near empty classroom while she twisted the ring on her thumb around and around again with no sign of stopping. Finally, Mary had had enough. If Suzui wasn’t going to be useful and ask what the hell was going on, she would do it herself.

“What the hell is your problem? Are you going through withdrawals or something?” Mary asked with an annoyed huff.

“Oh Mary-san!” Yumeko practically moaned, the back of her hand raised to her forehead with over dramatic flair, “I don’t know what to do!”

“About what?” Mary asked, accompanied with an annoyed eye roll.

“My girlfriend is coming to visit tomorrow and she’s going to be staying with me over the weekend!” Yumeko blushed cupping her hands over her face at the mere thought of it all. It just made Mary more annoyed.

“And? Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?”

“You have a girlfriend?” Ryota blinked, the poor boy seemed to always be falling behind.

“Yes, we’ve been together since our last year of middle school. We went to the same high school too until I transferred,” Yumeko gushed while she hugged herself, twisting and swaying slightly on her feet, “I love her so much! It’s been hard to be away from her all this time!”

Ryota scratched his cheek. “Then... why do you seem so uneasy?”

“Well that’s easy!” Yumeko cheered, a dazzling smile over her lips. A moment passed by and Yumeko appeared to pale considerably and a nervous sweat dotted her face, her body trembled and yet, the smile stayed in place. Mary and Ryota side eyed each other before staring back at Yumeko, waiting.

“She doesn’t know about my severe gambling addiction!” Yumeko finally disclosed.

“What?!” Mary and Ryota spoke in unison.

“Yes, it’s hard to believe isn’t it?” Yumeko sighed. “I’ve kept it hidden from her all this time because I feared what she would think of me if she found out. That, and I wouldn’t want her to get hurt from tagging along. I love that girl dearly and I can’t risk losing her.”

“How are you going to keep your secret, Yumeko?” Ryota’s worry for his friend was plain on his face.

“That’s where I’m hoping you two will come in!” Yumeko grasped a hand of Mary’s and Ryota’s in both of hers, a pleading pout on her face. “Help me keep her occupied and away from any mention of gambling!”

“Are you an idiot?” Mary scoffed, not waiting for an answer. “This school is all about gambling! Not to mention we’re in the midst of this insane election. You’d be better off just having her wait off of school grounds rather than parading her around for all your enemies to see.”

“Please Mary-san, it’s only for one day!” Yumeko cooed. She tried to wrap the blonde up in her arms, but Mary stood and held her away at arm’s length.

“I’m not gonna go out of my way for this fool’s errand. I’ve got to go meet with Ririka now. Figure it out yourself, but if you want my advice you should just come clean.” Mary said, giving Yumeko one last shove as she made her way out of the classroom.

“Oh yes, do you think Ririka-san would help? Maybe we could get Itsuki in on it as well!”

“You’re on your own!” Mary called from the hallway, making Yumeko whine.

“I’ll help you Yumeko.” Ryota predictably volunteered.

“Thank you, Ryota!” Yumeko bounced giddily, “Hopefully everything will run smoothly tomorrow if we play our cards right!”

***

“(Y/n)!” Yumeko jumped the girl as soon as she saw her approach the gates of the prestigious academy and showered her face with dozens of little kisses that made her girlfriend laugh and try to wiggle away from the continuous onslaught.

“Yumeko! I take it you missed me too then?” (Y/n) smiled, catching Yumeko’s face in her hands so she could land a few kisses of her own.

“Of course! You know it was one of the hardest decisions of my life to transfer here. I need to make up for lost time!” Yumeko grinned in return. She was about to steal another kiss when someone cleared their throat behind her.

“Oh, right!” Yumeko recalled, pulling (Y/n) to her side until they were near flush together. “Ryota, this is (L/n) (Y/n). (Y/n), this is Suzui Ryota, one of my friends!”

“Nice to meet you.” Ryota said. He was no stranger to feeling out of place, but after that intimate display he had never felt more awkward.

“Nice to meet you too, Suzui-san. I hope Yumeko hasn’t caused you too much trouble.” (Y/n) joked.

Thoughts of millions of yen in debt, gambling for nails, house pets, guns in a seedy basement, among other things, flashed almost violently in Ryota’s mind but he managed to keep a somewhat pleasant expression as he answered.

“Not at all! Yumeko’s a model student,” he lied.

“Oh god, I thought you’d be in the classroom by now. So much for a quiet morning.”

“Mary-san! Good morning!” Yumeko pivoted, still holding (Y/n) close, “Come meet my (Y/n)!”

“Hi. Saotome Mary. It’s a pleasure. Excuse us a second.” (Y/n) blinked and Mary was halfway through the courtyard before she noticed Yumeko being dragged along with her.

“Are you stupid?” Mary whispered harshly with no preamble once she found a secluded spot in the trees.

“Mary-san, what are we doing?” Yumeko asked, tilting her head like an inquisitive puppy would.

“How about what are you doing?” Mary hissed back. “The whole school must know you’re dating at this point!”

“Well that’s good isn’t it?”

“It’s the exact opposite of good! Do you have any idea how many people are gonna try to use her against you now? Use your head a little!”

“I thought you said you weren’t going to help me, Mary-san.” Yumeko giggled, “but you really do care about my happiness, don’t you?”

“Shut up!” Mary blushed, pushing Yumeko away before she could hug her. “I just don’t want some innocent girl to get caught up in this crazy school. Just be more discreet from now on. She already sticks out like a sore thumb without the Hyakkaou uniform.”

“I’ll do my best Mary-san!” Yumeko clapped. “It’ll be hard though since she’s just so kissable.”

“I didn’t ask.”

When they got back to the gate, they only saw Suzui looking around desperately while sweating bullets. When he finally saw Mary and Yumeko walking towards him, he ran up to them, breathing heavily.

“Ryota? Where did (Y/n) go?” Yumeko smiled.

“Iki... Ikishima’s girls took her! Tried to.. stop them but—“ Ryota panted and wheezed, stopping the retelling of his account once Yumeko rose her hand to his lips, directing him to silence.

“See? What did I tell you?” Mary groused. “And Ikishima of all people...” Mary shut her mouth tightly upon seeing the look on Yumeko’s face. The pure disgust and hatred that rolled off of her made Mary’s skin crawl.

“Ryota, Mary,” Yumeko eerily called, “it’s time for me to get my (Y/n) back from her visit to the trash heap. You’ll accompany me won’t you?”

It went without saying that Mary and Ryota followed after their friend. Whether out of fear or support, it could have gone either way. Even Mary thought it wise not to berate the usually carefree girl with ‘I told you so’s’ in this state.

They hurried to the bowels of the school and pushed through the beautification committee members. The members didn’t retaliate, one look at Yumeko’s face was enough to make them part their ranks like Moses and the sea. Yumeko approached the big metal door and knocked three times, loud metal echoes rung out over the hum of generators and fluorescent lights.

A wild laugh sounded upon the knocks. An eager cry of, ‘she’s here!’ could clearly be heard from inside as quick steps over linoleum could be heard tapping in rapid succession towards the door before it was wrenched open with a heinous squeak from its hinges that nearly matched pitch with Midari’s own delighted squeal upon being face to face with Yumeko.

“Yu-me-ko!” Midari sang, “so glad you could join us!”

Yumeko breezed past Midari without so much as a glance and went straight for (Y/n) who was tied to a chair in the middle of the room like some crime movie.

“Oh my (Y/n), are you alright?” Yumeko cooed, freeing (Y/n) from the gag and turning her face in her hands to look her over.

“I think so,” (Y/n) shivered, “just what kind of school do you go to where people are kidnapped at gunpoint?!”

The thought of Ikishima pressing that dirty gun against (Y/n)’s head made Yumeko want to curb stomp Ikishima’s head into a fine paste, but the deranged girl would have just loved that, wouldn’t she? Instead she worked on untying the ropes from (Y/n)’s middle, comforting her girlfriend along the way.

“It’s alright my love! The beautification committee is just really serious about following the dress code. They won’t bother you anymore.”

“Yumeko,” Midari moaned from behind her, “I brought her her so you would gah—!”

Mary slapped the girl hard over the back of her head and gave her a warning look. Midari shut up more out of the delight of being hit more than anything else.

“...’Gah’?” (Y/n) flicked her eyes over everyone in the room, trying to get some kind of explanation for what the hell was going on.

“‘Gah?’” Yumeko repeated right back with a smile. “Whatever does that mean, my dear?”

“I don’t know, the girl with the eye patch said it.” (Y/n) replied, finally loose from her bindings, she rubbed her hands over her arms where the scratchy rope had dug in.

“Oh sweetheart, you must be seeing things. I see no such girl here.” Yumeko said, causing a whimper to fall from Midari’s lips. “Let’s get to my class now, shall we?”

“Anywhere is better than here.” (Y/n) sighed, choosing not to question Yumeko about the girl who had taken her. She clearly didn’t like her and after being dragged here against her will, (Y/n) couldn’t say she enjoyed the crazed girl’s company either.

“That’s my girl,” Yumeko cooed, pulling (Y/n) tightly against her side. They walked past Midari as she blubbered and crawled over the floor towards Yumeko only to have the metal door slammed in her face.

“Come on, we’re already late!” Mary griped. “Some of us have scholarships to keep!”

“I just can’t wait to be sitting in a classroom with my (Y/n) again,” Yumeko sighed dreamily, “it will be just like old times!”

“Yeah.” (Y/n) smiled though she was still coming to terms with being held at gunpoint for wearing the wrong uniform. Yumeko hadn’t even seemed to be phased by it. Like it was something that was part of the school policy. We’re all rich people schools like this? Whatever, (Y/n) wasn’t going to let this one setback, no matter how momentarily terrifying, ruin her weekend with Yumeko.

Before they could make it to their classroom, the were jumped by another second year student with literal stars in her eyes as she grabbed Yumeko’s hands.

“Yumeko, I’m so glad I caught you!” She cheered.

“Oh hello Yumemi, what are you doing outside our classroom?” Yumeko asked.

“Waiting for you! It’s been so long since the Dreaming Creaming Sisters have performed and I need you to pretty please join me for a concert!” Yumemi sparkled.

“Dream—“ (Y/n) tried to muffle her inelegant snort with her hand but the action immediately drew in Yumemi’s attention, the idol’s face darkened slightly.

“Oh? What’s so funny stranger?” Yumemi asked with faux sweetness.

“I, um, sorry. It’s just uh, a unique group name you’ve got there.” (Y/n) answered sheepishly.

“Well, I’d like to see you come up with a better rhyme for dreaming!”

“Scheming, beaming, redeeming... meme-ing.” (Y/n) listed the first words that came to her head, making Yumemi’s smile tighten further with every suggestion.

“Who’s your friend, Yumeko?” The idol asked, fake interest rolling off her tongue.

“This is my girlfriend (Y/n)!” Yumeko said with pride. “Isn’t she just so cute and smart?”

‘Smart ass maybe.’ Yumemi thought to herself.

“Anyway, I’m sorry but I can’t perform with you right now. I’ve got class and I don’t want to leave (Y/n) alone.” Yumeko explained, hugging the girl for emphasis.

“I didn’t know you were part of an idol group now, Yumeko.” (Y/n) said as Yumeko guided her towards the doorway.

“It’s just a side hobby really.”

Before they could enter Yumemi pulled (Y/n) out of Yumeko’s hold, hugging her from behind, her starry eyes dancing with mischief.

“You’ve never seen Yumeko preform then, have you (Y/n)-san?” Yumemi asked, still hugging the other girl close as she weaved her trap.

“Yumeko has sang to me before, so I know she can sing very well.” (Y/n) admitted bashfully. “I’ve never seen her act as a full blown idol before though.”

“Isn’t that something you’d like to see? We could have it all set up in a matter of minutes, wouldn’t that be great?” Yumemi coaxed.

“I wouldn’t want Yumeko to do something she doesn’t want to do. Besides, her class is starting soon.” (Y/n) said.

“I didn’t hear a no.” Yumemi sing-songed while (Y/n)’s face buzzed with heat.

“If you’d like to see then I don’t really mind, (Y/n).” Yumeko grinned, pulling her away from Yumemi, “I like the idea of singing directly to you in a sea of people. They’ll all know exactly how much you mean to me.”

“Yumeko..” (Y/n) hid her face in the giggling gambling addict’s chest.

“Oh for the love of— are we going to class or not?” Mary yelled impatiently.

“I’m afraid I have a concert to prepare for Mary-san. Will you come watch with (Y/n)?” Yumeko asked.

“Fine whatever.” Mary bristled.

They all made to leave when Mary halted Ryota with a hand to his chest.

“Wh- what?” He asked, jumpily.

“You are going to stay here and take notes. They better be good ones too.” Mary threatened.

“But—“

“Notes, Suzui.” Mary commanded. The poor boy gave a resigned nod and with drooping shoulders he sulked into the classroom.

***

While Yumeko and Yumemi prepared backstage, Mary and (Y/n) found their seats and made light conversation as more bodies filed into the seats around them. Despite dating Yumeko, Mary found that (Y/n) seemed to have a good head on her shoulders.

“Saotome-san, what is that boy taking bets for?” (Y/n) asked.

“It’s just some weird niche idol thing Yumemite does. Don’t worry about it.” Mary dismissed, though inside she was worried this would become a bigger gamble that she couldn’t possibly cover up.

“This rich people school is so weird.” (Y/n) commented offhandedly.

“Tell me about it.” Mary agreed.

The house lights dimmed and the stage was set aglow. Upbeat music began to play and the crowd around them cheered as Yumeko and Yumemi entered the stage.

They sang their opening song and (Y/n) watched with delight, her heart beating faster every time Yumeko would meet her eyes throw a flirtatious wink or smile her way. (Y/n) would wave the red glow stick she was given in return.

“Now it’s time for the event you’ve all been waiting for!” Yumemi yelled over the crowd, causing them to cheer again. “The rematch of the century!”

“Rematch? What is she talking about Saotome-san?” (Y/n) asked.

“Ah, there just seeing who can do best in various idol based competitions.” Mary responded, truly hoping that that would be it, but Yumemite wasn’t done talking just yet.

“Before you all got here, one lucky seat was chosen for the spotlight! Let’s see who it is, shall we?”

Yumemi swept her hand across the packed auditorium and one light after the other blinked across the sea of bodies while the audience cheered. A bright light shone on (Y/n) and she blinked at the sudden brightness, surprised when the light didn’t immediately flicker back off.

“And there we have it! Our visiting guest from another school, how lucky you are!” Yumemi said with mock surprise as if she hadn’t had the thing rigged from the get go.

“You’ve won the opportunity to go on a date with one of us, the Dreaming Creaming Sisters! How will it be determined who you go out with? Well, it all depends on which one of us wins this gamb—“

“Game!” Yumeko hurriedly interjected, a faint gleam of sweat streaked down her cheek.

“Well, yes, I suppose ‘game’ is also accurate.” Yumemi cocked her head at the strange outburst. Yumemi didn’t really care what Yumeko called the gamble, she just had to win it. What better way to get back at the girl than to steal her girlfriend away for a night.

“The rules to this game are simple Yumeko-chan! There will be three rounds: perfect pitch, name the tune, and choreography memory match. Win two out of three, and you’ll get to go out with our lucky chair holder! Lose, and you’ll be paying for mine and (Y/n)’s night out. I’ll warn you, I’m not cheap!” Yumemi said with a showy laugh.

“But, I’m already dating Yumeko,” (Y/n) frowned, “I can’t go on a date with someone else!”

“Just hope Yumeko wins then.” Mary sighed. At least Yumemi’s way of gambling wasn’t too obvious. Her gambles were big and grand, but to an outsider they weren’t immediately discernible as anything but stage entertainment.

“Let’s make this quick, Yumemi-chan!” Yumeko smiled, hoping she could keep her desire to up the stakes in check.

Yumeko won perfect pitch, matching nearly every note with perfect accuracy. Yumemi won name the tune as many of the songs were conveniently of a western selection. Last was the choreography memory game and (Y/n) was nervous.

(Y/n) knew that Yumeko had a splendid memory, but the girl also detested demanding physical excursions such as this. She was probably already tired from dancing at the start of the show. To (Y/n), it was not looking to good for her girlfriend.

But to (Y/n)’s surprise, Yumeko followed the impromptu routine like a champ. Yumeko refused to let Yumemi outdo her, all for the sake of keeping (Y/n) close.

“She’s going to be so sore after this.” (Y/n) marveled. “You know I used to have to threaten her to make her go to gym class?”

“You could actually make her go to gym class?” Mary rose a brow, impressed. She hadn’t seen Yumeko attend gym class since the first week of her transferring. While Mary was still a house pet, she took great pleasure in watching Yumeko suffer through that class period.

Minutes went by and the two girls each adorned a a sleek sheen of sweat as they continued to dance, matching each other step for step. The fans were going wild at the display, waiting to see how would win the dance battle of a lifetime.

Then it happened in a flash. Yumemi, in her desire to get back at Yumeko for their last gamble against Natari Kawaru, tried to add a very complex step in her next turn and fell to the stage which led to her loss.

“Jabami Yumeko wins!” The MC announced.

Saori appeared from behind stage to help Yumemi back to her feet. Though pissed and embarrassed, Yumemi hid her feelings well and congratulated Yumeko on her win.

They closed off the concert with one final song and then the event was over.

“Have a nice dinner on me!” Yumemi sparkled, shaking (Y/n)’s hand after the show before walking back to her dressing room with Saori in tow. The poor manager was sure to get an earful from the idol once they were away from polite company.

Yumeko practically collapsed in (Y/n)’s arms.

“(Y/n), I’m so tired! Carry me!” Yumeko whined.

“After all that hard work you did? Happily.” (Y/n) hoisted Yumeko onto her back and the sweaty girl squeaked joyfully, wrapping her arms around (Y/n)’s neck.

The trio talked about the show as they walked (or in Yumeko’s case, carried) through the halls, slowly making their way back to the classroom for the next class period. Mary paused in her next comment as loud, purposeful steps were quickly catching up to them.

“Jabami Yumeko!” A voice filled with contempt called from behind them.

“Oh, Sayaka! How good to see you!” Yumeko smiled, sliding off of (Y/n)’s back to try to greet the secretary with a hug.

Sayaka dodged the attempt on her life, zapping her taser in warning as she glared at the demon before her. (Y/n) wondered if all the students were allowed to carry such dangerous items at school.

“You are in violation of school rules!” Sayaka sternly informed. “You did not fill out the proper paperwork to bring an outsider into Hyakkaou.”

“Really Yumeko,” Mary scoffed, “those are like, the easiest papers to fill out.”

“I’m sorry Sayaka, it must have slipped my mind.” Yumeko apologized.

“Your apologies mean nothing to me. Escort the girl out now.” Sayaka clipped.

“All I want is to spend time with my girlfriend. Surely you could make an exception just this once, Sayaka, friend?” Yumeko pleaded.

“Don’t refer to me as your friend,” Sayaka’s jaw clenched, “better yet, don’t refer to me ever.” Then Sayaka’s expression switched from hostile to something akin to a hopeful curiousness. “Did you say girlfriend? Like dating... monogamously perhaps? As in, you aren’t looking to be dating someone else right now? You want to spend more time with her than anyone else?”

“Yes!” Yumeko nodded, smiling obliviously.

Sayaka turned her attention to (Y/n), walking up to the other girl and grasping (Y/n)’s hands tightly in hers.

“Never break up with her,” Sayaka said, the closeness of her face scaring (Y/n) slightly, “please.”

“I um, wasn’t planning on it.” (Y/n) stuttered in reply.

“My, what do we have going on here?” A silky voice called from behind the group. Sayaka gasped and removed her hands from (Y/n) as if they had burned her.

“President! Vice president! What are you doing here?” The secretary asked.

“I’ve been hearing rumors of Yumeko stirring up my aquarium with a new fish.” Kirari’s lips curled in an interested smile as she eyed the unfamiliar girl. “This must be the one, hm?”

“This is (L/n) (Y/n), my girlfriend. She’s visiting me over the long weekend and I wanted to show her around the school to maximize our time together. Unfortunately I didn’t fill out the proper forms, you’ll allow it won’t you president? Please?” Yumeko explained with a cute pout that made Sayaka livid.

“Of course.” Kirari easily complied, tapping a blue nail against her smiling, equally blue lips. “She’ll just have to gamble with me first.”

Oh no. She said it.

“Gamble?” (Y/n) looked at the president questioningly while Yumeko and Mary hosted a silent eye battle between themselves to figure out how to deescalate the situation.

“Yes, dating Yumeko, I can imagine you must be amazing at it to catch her eye,” Kirari produced a pack of cards from her blazer, “any preferences?”

“I’m not much of a gambler, neither is Yumeko. I’m not quite sure I understand.” (Y/n) answered.

“Not much of a gambler, Yumeko?” Kirari’s lips rose into a highly amused smile.

“What she means to say is that I’ve dabbled in some friendly school gambles while I’ve been here. It’s kind of a tradition at this school, (Y/n). All in good fun.” Yumeko laughed.

“Yes, try telling that to the house pets.” Kirari mused.

“Could you just, shut up for like, five minutes?” Mary seethed, turning to the masked girl standing silently at Kirari’s left, “I thought I told you to keep your sister occupied today so this exact thing wouldn’t happen.”

Ririka shyly removed her mask, looking contrite. “I tried but she wanted to know what Igarashi-san was doing.”

“Could someone please explain to me what is going on here?” (Y/n) asked holding her hands out expectantly as she looked over each face in the little group they had formed in the middle of the hall.

“How about this,” Kirari circled the girl, “you beat me in a gamble and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

“And if I lose?” (Y/n) questioned.

“No penalty. This is highly entertaining for me as it stands. I just want to know if I can see what Yumeko sees in you.”

“Then I guess I don’t see the harm in it.”

“Excellent. Let’s take this party to the student council room shall we?”

Yumeko nervously twirled her ring as she watched (Y/n) sit across from the president. Kirari had all sorts of gambling dirt of her, as much as she loved (Y/n), she hoped the girl would lose this one.

“Blackjack?” Kirari asked as she shuffled the deck.

“I don’t know how to play that actually.” (Y/n) said.

“That’s fine. Texas Hold ‘Em?”

“No, sorry.”

“How about gin rummy?”

“Haven’t heard of it.”

“Thirty-one?”

“Nope.”

“Ten card no peek baseball?”

“Is that a real thing?”

“What card game do you know?” Kirari tried instead.

“...Go Fish?” (Y/n) replied.

“A woman after my own heart.” Kirari said, causing Sayaka to pout severely.

Kirari dealt the cards, spreading the remaining deck face down between them and the game was set. The pairs flowed evenly for the first couple minutes until (Y/n) had to go fish and Kirari obtained a small lead on her. (Y/n) just as quickly turned the tides a few turns later with a good guessing streak that landed her five more pairs.

The casual luck and easy going attitude (Y/n) presented while gambling with the president made Yumeko even more attracted to her girlfriend by the second, but still she hoped Kirari would turn it back around somehow.

It appeared luck wasn’t on Yumeko’s side however, as (Y/n) won the game with three more pairs then Kirari. The president smiled, mildly impressed by the outsider’s victory.

“Well then, what questions do you have for me?” She asked, shifting in her seat to cross her legs the other way.

“So this is some crazy gambling school, right?” (Y/n) asked with no preamble, not pulling any punches.

“Crazy would be subjective, but gambling is as important in this school as breathing. I’ve made sure of that.” Kirari answered.

“And Yumeko gambles.” (Y/n) said, mostly looking for acknowledgement that clarified the validity of the statement.

“Yes, one of the best in the school.” Kirari praised.

“It’s not dangerous though, right? She hasn’t done anything too drastic?”

Yumeko bowed her head, twisting her ring with a bit more force. A blush coated her skin as her heartbeat pounded in her chest. This was like a gamble in itself and oh, how intense it felt!

“Mm, hard to say.” Kirari shrugged, “I feel as though our definitions of these terms may differ.”

(Y/n) turned to face Yumeko who looked every bit the part of a scolded puppy. She didn’t need to ask any more questions. Not for Kirari to answer anyway.

“Yumeko, just what have you been up to?” (Y/n) asked, covering Yumeko’s hands to cease their twisting.

“(Y/n), I’ve been hiding something from you.” She sniffled, “I’ve been hiding it from you for a long time!”

“What is it?” (Y/n) asked gently, patting the girl’s silky hair.

“I’m, I’m a compulsive gambler!”

“Really?” (Y/n) was stunned.

“Yes, it’s true. I’ve had so many gambles I know you wouldn’t approve of.” Yumeko blinked her tears away as she allowed the truth to be out in the open. “I’ve gambled myself into millions worth of debt just so I could gamble even more, I’ve bet my finger nails, I’ve played Russian Roulette, I’ve bet my free will against become a pop idol and never being able to date again... I’m sorry you had to find it all out like this.”

“Yumeko...” (Y/n) was speechless, she didn’t know what to make of all this. Her sweet, adorable girlfriend had an intense gambling addiction that made her put herself in harm’s way on the daily?

“Please don’t break up, please don’t break up, please don’t...” Sayaka mumbled quietly to herself, rolling something that looked suspiciously like prayer beads in her hands. All the poor secretary wanted was for the snake to have a keeper that would pull her attention away from her president, was that so much to ask for?

(Y/n) sighed through her nose and pinched Yumeko’s arm harshly.

“Ow!” Yumeko whined.

“That’s for keeping secrets.” (Y/n) huffed, pinching Yumeko’s other arm, “that’s for putting yourself in dangerous situations. And this,”

Yumeko closed her eyes, waiting for another stinging pinch. Instead, she received a sweet kiss on her cheek.

“This is an apology for making you feel like you had to hide from me. I love you.”

“I love you too!” Yumeko sniffled, knocking her head into (Y/n)’s chest as she hugged her tightly.

“This doesn’t mean you’re getting a free pass anymore though, no more life changing gambles!”

“...how about three a week.” Yumeko asked shyly.

“Once a month max. You’ll kill me, my heart won’t be able to take the stress.”

“This day has been exhausting.” Mary groaned. “I thought I wasn’t going to let myself be dragged into this idiotic mess.”

“You’re a true friend, Mary-san!” Yumeko clapped.

“Ugh,” Mary ignored her, “come on Ririka, we’re running late for our next election gamble.

Ririka hurried over to the blonde and they exited the room together. (Y/n) and Yumeko followed after giving a cheery goodbye to the amused president and her disgruntled secretary.

“Lessons are over for the day,” Yumeko grinned, hugging (Y/n)’a arm as they walked towards the front gates of the school. “I bet you’re hungry, we didn’t even have time for lunch.”

“Food sounds awesome right now. Any suggestions?”

“I know a few places that might be good. We can go over them while we get ready in my apartment.”

“Sounds great.”

“Don’t let money discourage your final decision. Remember that Yumemi has graciously agreed to pay for our date tonight!”

“Oh yes, how could I forget my almost date with a pop star. How are your legs feeling by the way?”

“They’re so sore (Y/n)! Every step hurts!” Yumeko whined.

“Alright,” (Y/n) bent forward, “up, up.”

“Yay!” Yumeko cheered hopping onto (Y/n)’s back.

Yumeko refused to get off of (Y/n)’s back until they got home... which made taking the bus a little awkward.

~~~

Bonus Scene

Ryota sat stalk still in his desk, watching the hours tick by in the darkened classroom only lit by the soft light from the street lamps outside. He looked down at his notebook, filled with notes, two identical hand written copies for Mary and Yumeko. He looked back at the door, waiting for it to slide open.

“Yumeko, Mary-san,” Ryota weakly called, “please come back soon, I’m so hungry.”