#if there's one thing i always forget about her is that Ayame has a surprisingly refined speech pattern

[laugtherhyena]

I am by far Ayame's biggest fan in this whole ass fandom but even i am not without fail.

[heyhellohihowareyou]

Friendship That’ll Last Forever

Day 1 of Maeiso Week: Childhood

AO3 Link Song Rec

“Hiroto!”

With that, Maehara was brought back to reality. He was playing with a bunch of dolls and other stuff he found around the house when his mother came in.

“Oh hey, mom” 

“Hey, um, why are you playing with your sisters’ dolls?”

“Oh, I read one of the books you wrote and wanted to make my own story, too! I didn’t have enough of toys so I had to, uh.. ” 

“Improvise?” 

“Yeah that! So basically, this princess got captured by this knight who betrayed the royal kingdom so the prince has to come and save her but the thing is that they’re in some ultra confusing dungeon that has dragons, snakes, firepits, even more dragons and stuff and also-“

“Okay, okay I get it.” Hanami should’ve known better than to question her son’s creative prowess.This wouldn’t be the first time she walked in on Maehara playing pretend with his dolls. Although, it is different seeing him playing with his sisters’ dolls as well. She also can’t believe that he managed to read one of the books she wrote but doesn’t know what the word improvise is. “Anyways, get dress.”

“Huh, why?”

“Remember? We’re going over to greet our new neighbors today.” 

“Can’t we just do that another day?”

“Come on, I’m close friends with one of the neighbors and besides, they have a kid your age. Maybe you and him could become friends.” 

“Nah, I’m good”

Hanami sighed

“Well, it’s either you go or it’s no desserts for a whole week.”

“A whole week!?”

Hanami nodded, “A whole week.”

Maehara thought for a while, “Fine, I guess I could go.” He mumbled

“Great, now get ready.” Hanami left out of the room and Maehara, reluctantly, started getting ready.

Hanami on several occasions tried to give Maehara opportunities to make friends like signing him up for daycare and taking him to the park every weekend but they never work. Most likely, it’s because of his, um, “explosive” personality. Maehara’s a very extroverted child. Definite emphasis on “very”. Surprisingly, that sort of characteristic is a pretty big turn away for most kids. Not that Maehara really minded. If he couldn’t find a kid that matched his energy level, he’d just go on and play by himself which Maehara had no problem with. “Are you ready, Hiroto?”

“I guess.” Maehara said with his arms crossed.

“Okay then, make sure to be on your best behavior.”

“I’m always on my best behavior!”

Hanami raised her eyebrow

“Mostly.”

Hanami sighed,“Let’s just go.”

And so Hanami and Maehara traveled next door to greet their new neighbors. Hanami knocked on the door a couple of times until it finally opened.

“HANAMI! Nice to see you again. How are you?” An enthusiastic woman with black hair and golden eyes opened the door and rapidly shook Hanami’s hand up and down

“Good, I suppose. Nice to see that you’re as excitable as ever, Ayame.” Ayame stopped shaking Hanami’s hand and turned to look at Maehara.

“And you must be Hiroto. Aren’t you an angel.” Ayame said as she pinched his cheek a bit.

“Debatable.” Hanami murmured.

“Now, how about the two of you come in. Don’t forget to take your shoes off. You can put them in this cubby.” Ayame motioned over to some cubbies that we’re labeled “Mom” “Dad” “Yuuma” and “Guests”. Hanami put her shoes into the the Guests section and Maehara did as well.

“So how’s little Yuuma doing?” Hanami asked

“He’s an absolute angel. He’s always trying to help around the house. He’s our little gentleman.”

“Where is this little gentleman exactly?”

“Upstairs. I’ll go get him but be warned, he’s a bit shy.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem. Right, Hiroto?”

Maehara just shrugged

“Alright, be right back.” Ayame went up stairs to get Isogai while Hanami and Maehara stayed in the living and sat on the couch.

A few minutes had past when Ayame came down the stairs but without Isogai.

“Come on down sweetie! There’s nothing to be afraid of!” Ayame was at the bottom of the stairs patting her knees like she was beckoning some dog.

The creak of the stairs could be heard as Isogai came down slowly. Then, he quickly hid behind his mom.

“There you go! That wasn’t so hard was it?”

Hanami and Maehara looked at them both concerned and confused.

“Well, I did tell you he was shy.”

“Shy seems to be an understatement.” Isogai peeked his head from behind his mother’s back.

“Say hi, Yuuma.”

Isogai waved and let out a quiet, “Hello” and Maehara waved back.

“Come on, he doesn’t bite.”

“Well, there was this really annoying kid who-”

“Hiroto, hush.” Hanami whispered towards him.

“I’m going to make some cookies in the kitchen. Yuuma, would you like to take little Hiroto to your room and play with some of your toys?”

Isogai nodded and motioned to Maehara to come follow him upstairs.

Maehara wasn’t sure what he was expecting exactly but based on their contrasting personalities, it’s very unlikely that they’ll end up being friends no matter how much their mothers want them to.

They made it inside of Isogai’s room and sat awkwardly on the rug. Maehara took a look around and found a bunch of posters and action figures of stuff he liked. Did this mean that Isogai liked this stuff as well. It took all of Maehara’s restraint to not get excited over this realization. Isogai was a shy kid and Maehara didn’t want to overwhelm him with his excitement like he did with other kids. So instead, Maehara sat there quietly looking at all the stuff in Isogai’s room while patting his knees.

At first, Isogai wasn’t sure what to do exactly but then he got up and walked towards some sort of box. Nervously, Isogai beckoned Maehara to come towards him.

“Well, um, here are my toys I guess. Mom did tell me to bring you up here to play with them so…”

Maehara looked inside of the box and was absolutely astonished. There was building blocks and action figures galore.

“Wait, can I actually play with all of these?”

“If you want to. Hopefully that’s not to boring for y-”

Maehara immediately dug through the box, pulled out every interesting thing he could find, and immediately got himself to work.

“Oh, okay then.”

Isogai just sat on the rug for a while and watched Maehara do his thing.

“Hey, aren’t these your toys? Come on and join in!”

“Hm? Oh, I’m not used to playing with other kids so, uh…”

“Come on, I’m trying to build a castle. I could really use the help.”

“Uh, I guess I could help.”

“GREAT! I’m trying to make a castle with this HUGE dungeon that has dragons, snakes, firepits, even more dragons, and lasers and stuff and and-“

“But, how are we going to do all that with a couple of blocks and some other toys?”

“Easy, all we have to do is, uh, what was the word? Inpra…imbro… eh, I forget. Anyways, we just have to make use with what we have.” “How?”

“First, let’s try to build the castle. Then, we’ll find things around the room we can use, okay?”

“A-alright, I guess.”

“Great! Let’s get to work then.”

The two of them got to work on the castle. It’s surprising what two kids and some blocks could do.

“Okay so now what?”

“Hmm, we need dragons. You got anything we could use?”

“Um, they’re not dragons but I have these dinosaur figures we could use.” “THESE ARE PERFECT!!! Dinosaurs are basically dragons just without the fire and stuff!”

“Wow, I never thought of that before! You’re so smart Hiroto-kun!”

“I am? Uh, I mean… YES! I am!”

“But, these dinosaurs don’t have any wings like dragons do so how are they supposed to fly?”

“Easy peasy uh….” Maehara paused to think for a while “Ooh! These dragons don’t need wings to fly they uh…. FLOAT! Yeah, that’s it! They float!”

“Ooh, I never heard of floating dragons before.”

“Well, now you have! These dragons can also spit out lasers and fire and stuff!”

“So cool! What else are we going to add to the castle?”

“Hmm…you got any paper and scissors?”

“Uh yeah but I only have safety scissors.”

“Those might still work.”

Isogai went to open a drawer which had contained a bunch of arts and crafts stuff. He pulled out some paper and a pair of scissors.

“Here ya go!”

“Perfect!” Maehara took a piece of paper and started to cut it.

“What are you making?”

“Hold on.” Maehara continued to cut the paper until, “There! Do you have any glue?”

Isogai went back to the drawer and pulled out a glue stick. “Here!”

“Perfect!” Maehara folded his work into a circle and glued the two end pieces together. “Aha! Look!”

“Is that a crown?”

Maehara nodded, “This castle is in desperate need of a prince. Luckily, we have one right here!”

Isogai looked around the room for a bit until it hit him, “Wait, me!?”

Maehara nodded, “I, Hiroto Maehara, will now pronounce you as the Prince Yuuma of uh…”

“Uh…Bloclandia?”

“Ooh good one! Ahem, I now pronounce you as Prince Yuuma of Bloclandia!” After finishing his whole pledge, Maehara placed the paper crown on Isogai’s head.

“But, do you think I’m cool enough to be a prince?”

“Uh yeah! I don’t just think you’re cool, I think you’re super ultra mega cool!”

“Wow really!? I’ve never been called cool before or even super ultra mega cool!”

“Ah and since you’re a prince, I guess that makes me uh…” Maehara took a look around the room and saw a paper towel roll sticking out of the trashcan and took it out, “Ooh, that makes me your trustworthy knight!”

“That’s great and all but that doesn’t look like a sword at all.”

“Just use your imagination.”

“Alright.”

“Anyways Prince Yuuma, I’m here to protect you from all harm for all of eternity!” Isogai giggled then all of a sudden, “What’s this about princes?” A tall man with glasses, brown hair, and hair antennas that matched Isogai’s standing outside of the bedroom door.

“DAD!” Isogai ran to him and gave him a big hug.

“Hey buddy, what’s going on?”

“Ah dad! This is Hiroto and we build this castle that has dragons and stuff and also I’m a prince and he’s a knight!”

“Oh really? If you’re a prince, I guess that makes me a king.” Isogai’s father turned to Maehara, “And since I’m a king, I trust you, sir knight, that you will stay by my son’s side for as long as he needs, alright?”

Maehara waved his “sword” in the air, “Right!”

Isogai’s dad laughed and patted Maehara on the head. “Alright, so the queen has made some royal cookies but she needs a prince and his valiant knight to eat them. Are you two willing for the challenge?”

The two looked at each other and then looked at Isogai’s father. “YEAH!” They said in unison.

“Come on and vengeance forth for the sake of cookies!”

All three of them ran out of Isogai’s all the way downstairs into the kitchen chanting “Cookies!” all the way. “Hello boys, cookies are done!” Ayame said as she put the cookie tray down.

“YAY COOKIES!!!” Isogai and Maehara immediately sat at the kitchen table where the cookies were placed.

“Careful boys, they’re still a bit hot.” But the boys didn’t care and already started to eat some of the cookies of off the tray despite how hot they were.

Isogai’s dad sighed “Kids and their cookies.”

“Yuko, you want some cookies don’t you?”

“Yes, most definitely.”

“Well, you better get some before those two eat them all.”

“Nah, I’ll think I’ll be fine.” Yuko thought for a while “On second thought, save some for me!”

Ayame and Hanami giggle “So boys, what did you two do while you were upstairs?”

Maehara immediately gulped down the chewed up cookies that was in his mouth. “WE BUILT THIS COOL CASTLE THAT HAD DRAGONS AND STUFF BUT THE DRAGONS DIDN’T HAVE WINGS SO INSTEAD THEY FLOAT AND-”

”Hiroto, inside voice please.” Hanami interjected

“Oh, sorry mom.”

Isogai then finished his cookies “Look mom, I’m a prince!” Isogai said as he pointed to the paper crown on his head.

“And I’m his trustworthy knight!” Maehara added on. “Aww, isn’t that just wholesome Yuko?” Ayame turned to look at Yuko only to see him tearing up a bit “My baby boy made a friend. Quick Ayame, take a picture! We must preserve this memory.”

“GAH! YOU’RE RIGHT! SHIT, WHERE’S MY CAMERA!?”

Yuko quickly covered both Maehara’s and Isogai’s ears,“Ayame, there’s children present!”

“Oh you’re right! You didn’t hear anything you two.”

“Don’t worry, my mom says that word all the time. She also says a whole bunch of words that I’m not supposed to hear. Ooh! Tell them the word you called dad yesterday over the phon-”

“Ayame, um, the picture?”

“Right! Let me find that camera.”

After searching for a while, Ayame managed to find the camera to take a picture of the boys with.

“Alright you two, say cheese!”

Maehara put one of his arms around Isogai’s shoulders and did a peace sign while Isogai did the same and both of them said “cheese” while flashing their brightest smiles.

Ayame sniffed, “Perfect, absolutely perfect.”

“Not to be the bearer of bad news but it’s getting late so we should start heading home.”

“Aw man, really!?” Ayame patted Maehara on the head, “Don’t worry Hiroto-Kun, you can come over again tomorrow.”

“Really!?” Maehara looked at his mom with excitement, “Sure, I don’t see why not.” Hanami responded

Maehara shook his arms up and down while kicking his feet with joy, “Yes yes yes! Best day ever!!!” He hugged Isogai tightly “I can’t wait to hang out with you tomorrow!”

Isogai giggled and hugged him back, “Me too!”

“We’ll come on Maehara, let’s get going.” “Alright mom!” Maehara hopped off the chair he was sitting on and ran over to the front door to put his shoes on. “Bye bye Yuuma! Bye bye Yuuma’s parents!”

“Bye Hiroto-Kun! I’ll make sure that Bloclandia is still up when you return, our trustworthy knight!”

“Alrighty! See you soon our humble prince!”

“Ready Maehara?”

“Mhm!” Maehara waved goodbye one last time before leaving out of the door with his mother.

“Do you think we could come over everyday?”

“What’s this now? Earlier you didn’t want to come over at all.”

“Well that was then and this is now so can we, can we!?

Hanami sighed, “ I’ll think about it.”

“Yes! Oh! Do you also think I could have a sleepover at their house!?”

“Now you’re pushing it.”

“Please?”

“Hiroto…”

“Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

Hanami sighed again, “Fine, as long as you stay on your best behavior, promise!”

“Yay! I promise mom! Thanks so much!” Maehara jumped and gave her a hug.

Hanami patted his head and let out a small smile, “Your welcome.”

Hanami wasn’t to keen on the idea of coming over every single day but considering Maehara has actually managed to make a friend, she’ll go through it. Who knows, maybe Maehara will actually learn something from this new friend he has. Either way, this was the start of a beautiful friendship.

A beautiful friendship that could last a lifetime.

[megagingertron]

My @furubasecretsanta gift for @dutiifully!!

Title: Put a Little Love on Me

Pairings: Mayu x Shigure, One sided Mayu x Hatori, hinted Mayu x Hatori

Words: 5.5k

A/N: Timeline? What’s a timeline? This is somewhat canon compliant, but strays in some places. Basically a character study of Mayu and filling in the blanks the manga didn’t cover. Had to dig deep down to write about characters I don’t think about often and it was a great challenge that I really enjoyed!

I really hope you like it! :D

Title from Niall Horan’s Put a Little Love on Me

Mayu decides from the very beginning that she’s not going to put too much stock into someone like Shigure. She decides this as her eyes meet his and he cocks his head to the side, a slight bend to his waist as he bows. There’s a slant to his smile and a turn to his chin that displays a small portion of the underside. She grabs onto her will to not visibly sneer at the insincerity in his posture and snarky expression, one side of his hips higher with his hand placed on it. Kana had given Mayu what she can now see was a sugar coated, pillowed warning of Shigure’s nature, one that raised an eyebrow but didn’t think it was anything that would get the best of her.

It doesn’t take long for him to challenge that. She catches on quick enough to Shigure and how he speaks to others. He likes to stick in subtle pokes at people—a comment about their opinion or about their personality right in front of their face, but to some disguised enough to be overlooked. She calls him out on it, one of the few who doesn’t let Shigure get away with saying whatever he pleases, Hatori surprisingly complicit with his comments, and their other friend Ayame too much of a lover of chaos to stop it.

Even then, sometimes she is bitterly reminded of his lack of boundaries.

“Ah, Mayu-chan.” They sit outside of Kana’s house. It’s late in the evening, the slow stagnant heat of the day bleeding into a comfortable cool. They each have a lit cigarette in their mouth, the soft orange of the embers rising and falling with each inhale. “How do you feel about love?”

Mayu raises an eyebrow, the question fitting oddly between them.

“Love? Like between partners and family? Friends?” She asks.

“Sure,” Shigure says. “Anyway you want to view it.”

Mayu blinks down at the cigarette in her hands. As she’s beginning to find out, love is complicated in all its facets. Her mother’s dogmatic whining about needing to find a husband was out of love, for love, but her nerves could only take so much and the question loomed over her head. It was all too persistent when her mother asked for her help at the bookstore, which was often during the summer months. She endured it, though, believing helping her mother was more important than her comfort on the matter. Meeting Kana gave her another sense of love, feeling protective and affection for someone who she wanted the best for. She found a friend who she melded with on the same level. They had the same drive and looked for the fun and absurd where they could. She always figured one day they would meet a man, but it was never going to be a problem. Not like this anyway…

“Regardless, I think it can be powerful. It makes you the happiest you’ve ever been, like a high that doesn’t fade. But it can also make you the most miserable you’ve ever been, or the most jealous, the most mad. All of that stems from love, even it’s hurtful.”

“Astute observation, Mayu-chan.” Shigure looks pleased with himself for some reason. “I completely agree with you. Love does make you do foolish things for its sake. How about for yourself?”

“What about myself?” Mayu’s finger flicks at the burning cigarette in repeated motions. Talking about foolish feelings of love stirs a suppressed, more recent emotion that conflicted within her, thoughts acerbic as they rallied back and forth. The want to be selfish and the resulting guilt didn’t settle well and only served to polarize her already disquiet thoughts. Stuffing that feeling into nothingness had become habit, but she can’t say it’s benefited the level of love she has for herself. Not when looking at Kana and Hatori felt like a searing knife in her chest, her fantasies her only reprieve.

Shigure never responds, letting her sort through her thoughts, seemingly unaware of her inner turmoil. She snubs out her cigarette in the ashtray placed between them. Shigure’s continues to hang off his lip, arms crossed comfortably as the silence stretched on. He breaks it.

“You should love yourself.” He injects. “What’s the point of any of this,” he gestures with arms, “if we can’t love ourselves. What a sad life.”

“That can’t be helped. Not everyone’s dealt the same cards.” Mayu says. She wishes she’d brought out her whole pack of cigarettes. “How someone views themselves is objective. Whether it’s based on life experience or you just think of yourself that way. It’s not always easy to pinpoint and sometimes you need someone else pointing things out for you.”

“So do you love yourself?”

“Yes, I do.”

She responds quickly enough even she believes her answer for a second. Shigure just ends up humming in response. “How is such a thoughtful woman such as yourself unable to find a man? Surely men ask you out.”

It’s not what she expects. The scoff Mayu releases resembles more of hack, turning to Shigure in incredulity.

“Mm what? I’m just saying. You have the brains, looks. Your frame is slight, but that can be overlooked.”

A rapid burst of heat rises to Mayu’s face, mortified and livid at the same time. “Yeah, because you have such a great personality yourself.” With a huff she stands from her sitting position on the engawa and steps towards the closed shoji.

“I never said I wanted a great personality,” Shigure says. It takes all of Mayu’s will power not to open and slam the shoji shut with all her might. Kana’s house doesn’t deserve her ire. Shigure certainly does, but his tactless comment had taken any words from her mouth without regret, leaving her running away from him. What a bastard. Talking and having an actual conversation had put Shigure in a more thoughtful light, one she wondered if he just hid away until he felt like revealing it, then promptly shattered the illusion by making some wayward dig at her body and single status. His rottenness could peel paint.

She walks into the kitchen where Kana and Hatori are bent over a cookbook, both with their sleeves rolled up and wearing aprons. It’s a cute sight to see them corresponding over how to make dinner, but there’s always a twinge of longing that comes with it.

Hatori sees her first, nodding his head in greeting. “Shigure still out there?”

Mayu tries not rolling her eyes, having for a single second forgotten about that guy and his unhinged mouth. “Oh, yeah.”

“Oh. Did he say something?” Hatori asks. Kana’s attention is on her now too, smiling and curious at the same time. Both of their eyes are on her, willing her to admit what they already know based on her response and the look on her face. But for a brief moment she forgets about Kana and focuses on Hatori and his attention on her. He never looks at her fully when Kana’s in the room, too blinded by his love for her. His attention leaves her warm and wanting, desperate for those veiled covered eyes see her as more than an accessory to Kana. She realizes she’s just staring and forces out a laugh.

“He just thinks he’s a funny guy. I don’t agree.”

Hatori momentarily looks regretful. “I apologize about him. He doesn’t know when to stop.”

“Don’t worry about it. You can’t control everything about him. He’s manageable.”

“I hope so. He won’t get away with upsetting you, not with me.” Kana says with the wave of a wooden spatula.

Mayu smiles. “Ah thanks. I know I can count on you.”

Ayame soon shows up, late to the time they set for everyone to arrive. Shigure comes through the kitchen walking and greeting everyone as if he hadn’t just embarrassed Mayu. Shigure and Kana follow Ayame to the main room, leaving Hatori and Mayu to themselves.

“Honestly, did he say anything to truly upset you?”

Mayu takes him in, wearing slacks and a button up with that stupid apron. It’s probably the most relaxed she’s seen him in the few months she’s gotten to know and understand him. His genuine concern is almost surprising to her, as if she already made up her mind what his reserved and quiet nature meant about him. Everything about him felt like a breath of fresh air, a calm that settled over her before she even knew what it meant. But now it’s become clearer to her in the last ten minutes just how deep she really is, and ignoring it doesn’t make her feel any better about herself.

She crosses her arms and sighs. “He just needs to be put in his place. As if I’d let someone like that think they have a one up on me.”

Hatori responds with an amused “ah”.

“I have to ask though.” She lowers her voice. “Why are friends with him? You know how he acts, you don’t seem to like it, yet you do everything with those two. Is there something you see that I don’t?” It’s harsh, she knows this and sees it in the dual raise of Hatori’s eyebrows. He contemplates the questions for a short moment before responding. He too crosses his arms then leans against the counter.

“I guess you could say circumstances, with our families being so close. And despite how he is with other people he doesn’t treat Ayame and myself the same way. I could try and keep him more in line but that doesn’t matter much to him.”

“Hm.” Mayu agrees. The conversation is over when Kana steps into the kitchen, apologizing for walking away when she’s supposed to be helping with dinner. The rest of the evening goes smoothly. What happened with Shigure isn’t forgotten, but she doesn’t let it interfere with the rest of the night, Shigure also tame and uncombative. Maybe it had to do with talking to Hatori one on one, having given herself just a slice of what it was like to be the full center of his attention. The guilt is more palpable now.

--

Summer turns into fall, which turns into winter. Finals have been a dreaded and all-consuming thought that almost drove Mayu to rip all her hair out. She only had a until spring of next year until she obtained her degree and could finally say it was all worth it. But she hadn’t reached that stage yet and standing in line for coffee was the only thing that kept her going in the time being.

She doesn’t care much for the winter months, not finding any redeeming qualities in the biting cold and shortened hours of light. It seemed no matter the time of day her energy drained before she could get started, the kotatsu more welcoming than any invitation out to eat. But classes called, coercing her out of bed and dressed in whatever she pulled from her laundry, hair sloppily pulled into a high pony-tail. She’s not the paragon of messy-cute, however that works, but it’s enough to ger her through the day.

“Mayu-chan, is that you?” She turns before she registers who said her name, but it’s too late and Shigure stands in front of her, his own cup of hot liquid held in a gloved hand.

“Oh. Shigure-” Mayu starts.

“Let’s wait ‘til you’ve ordered,” he says briskly then walks towards an empty table, mind made up with a wordless invite following him. If she weren’t in public she would’ve groaned her displeasure of running into him. She entertains him though and heads to his table once she has her drink, sitting down stiffly in her mild irritation.

“It’s been awhile Mayu-chan. Even Kana-chan says you’re not available lately.” Shigure starts conversing, sounding and acting like old friends. She pauses for a moment. She decides to answer honestly.

“I’m just trying to get through classes. With finals coming up I haven’t put much time towards anything other than studying. I feel like my head’s gonna burst.”

“Is that what the coffee’s for?” He nods towards her still hot coffee.

“It’s the only thing keeping me going some days.”

“That’s not healthy, you know.”

Mayu huffs. “If you can find any other alternative, I’m all ears.”

“Put down the books and go to bed. Nothing beats a good night’s sleep.” Shigure’s smile is too pure and aloof, unaware of the inexhaustible pressures of classes and thesis’ and the spiraling self-doubt that accompanied it all. She doesn’t know if he’s had any formal higher education, but the empathy is apparent.

“I can’t just not study.” She says.

“Of course you still study. But is it really worth it when you’ve ran yourself into the ground?” Mayu studies his face. She can’t decide if he has an angle with his sudden advice, or if he’s making a genuine attempt to help her improve her daily life. It’s not unlike Shigure to say whatever pleases himself at the expense of others, manipulating their feelings to get his desired reaction. She wouldn’t dare exclude herself from that list of people.

“I don’t know. I’m just trying to get through this anyway I can.” She ends up saying.

“Well, why don’t I act as a distraction, a way to get you to put down the books and relax for a bit,” he states as if he planned to use this line on her. Mayu’s laugh doesn’t have much humor in it, disbelief a more prominent tone.

“Like hang out as friends?” She says, almost mocking him.

“Go out with me.”

Mayu jerks in surprise, eyes wide at the left-side comment. “Like dating?”

“Like dating.” He doesn’t follow up right away, waiting a moment to gauge her reaction, she guesses. “I mean, with Kana and Hatori together, that makes him unavailable to you.”

She conceals her expression to not show her surprise at the statement. She doesn’t bother with a response either. If he already knows there’s no denying it, but that doesn’t make it any less humiliating to be called out like that. Shigure only continues to smile as he waits for her response to his novel idea, and she wants to wipe it off his face. But she looks him in his eyes. She doesn’t see Hatori in them. They’re two completely different people with contrasting personalities and different standards of life. One of them has a girlfriend who happens to be her best friend. The other is sitting with her at a café, listening to her school woes and even offering her advice. She wants to say the answer is obvious and that a cold stone “no” is going to be the first thing out of her mouth. Instead, it’s “sure”. She’s not confident in her response, but Shigure doesn’t seem to mind and only looks more pleased that she’s agreed to it. Mayu doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into, but after Shigure and her part ways with a wave goodbye, she’s not sure if she’s making the right decision.

--

It’s easier being with Shigure than she expected. He doesn’t start arguments over benign disagreements, doesn’t demand her time and attention all day, and he’s, so far, pulled his punches where he used to run his mouth despite the backlash. Kana, Hatori, and Ayame are the only ones they’ve told so far, Shigure’s “Some times it’s more dangerous not to,” hanging over her head like some ominous foreboding. She doesn’t bother telling her mother, feeling only slightly guilty when she brings up the dreaded topic of marriage and Mayu acts as though her life hasn’t changed in the slightest. She even forgets she’s dating Shigure herself with his presence feeling more like a ghost, tethered but unreachable. Cold even. She doesn’t try and explain his actions away or make excuses for him, that’s a rabbit hole she doesn’t want to fall into, all they really do is show up for each other and make conversation. No spark, no keen interest in the other. Just two people being in the presence of each other to make up for another absence. At least, that’s why she agreed to this at all really, she tells herself.

Some days are lonelier than others, Shigure not a reliable presence when she feels she needs it most. Requests to see him are on his time, not hers, and she puts up with it, telling herself this never started out with intent, just a mutually beneficial relationship. She hasn’t worked out how just yet as she’s still unsure of what Shigure wants out if their time together. Helping with her studies was too weak of an excuse and not something that helped with her studies at all. When she’d asked once, he stated he had been bored. She thinks she should’ve been more offended by his patronizing words, but her intentions weren’t exactly honest herself, stress and desperation her own motivator. She goes back and forth in her mind if he has another lover on the side, undecided if he’s the kind of person to do that. She still doesn’t know.

One thing she finds herself being surprised about is his total lack of initiating any physical intimacy. A guy like Shigure she expected him to pull some suave moves on her to woo her into his bed, but any presumed opportunity that presented itself went untouched. She’s tried to rationalize to herself that he wasn’t attracted to smaller frames, his last comment on her body coming bitterly to mind.

Kana’s birthday is a catalyst for those feelings. It’s a weekend and Mayu expects herself to drink in celebration, not giving up alcohol entirely despite her long stint of sobriety for the sake of her grades. She made those mistakes early on.

It must be that the planets had aligned and aimed in their direction, giving Mayu the energy to laugh and sync up with everyone in the group. Shigure and Ayame tone down their usual antics with Hatori peeking out of his usually hard shell. Alcohol helps him loosen up, gradually becoming more flushed and vibrant as his speech opens the door to his other side. It’s endearing to Mayu, to see someone so outwardly impassive and not show any explicit emotion be reverted to a soul that doesn’t look burdened by their life, like he’s someone who actually sees the joy in what’s around them. Through it all, it spikes her adrenaline and forces a soft rouge to her face, making her more aware and susceptible to Shigure’s heat that’s next to her. He’s had enough to drink himself, being the sole reason any of them were this fucked up as he kept pulling bottle after bottle of sake out with no regard to limits.

Her, Shigure, and Ayame leave for the night, stumbling their way through town and to the metro, laughing at anything and everything. It’s as if she’s forgotten manners and everything her father and mother have dug into her head, the sound of her voice echoing off the walls and tunnels of the station far more entertaining than keeping quiet. Shigure and Ayame guffaw absurdly, causing her to join in without a care to the uneasy stares they receive.

They drop Ayame off with a theatrical goodbye between him and Shigure and walk back to her place with intent in mind, the heat only rising in her, forcing her legs into each step over the undulating sidewalk. Shigure keeps a steady pace beside her, neither straying nor meandering into her path. Her vision weaves and stutters, managing to old herself upright all the way up until she reaches her door. It takes a few stabs of her key for it slide into the bolt, clicking as it unlocked. She turns and holds Shigure’s gaze, hoping he can see what she’s presenting for him, the open door an encouraging invitation.

“Come in.”

Silence stretches as Shigure stands unmoving, hands in his pocket. Mayu can’t tell if the alcohol’s making it hard to process what she said or if he truly is standing there with no intention of coming inside, posture his rejection.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why’s it not a good idea?”

“We’ve drank quite a lot. It wouldn’t be right.”

“For who? You?” She snorts. Shigure doesn’t smile.

“Look,” Mayu feels the floor shift under her as if on a pendulum going back and forth. “I’m a grown woman, and if it’s my honor you’re so worried about—don’t. I don’t need to be treated or looked at like some delicate flower who can’t make her own decisions. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t want to.”

Shigure does smile at that. “I certainly don’t view you as a delicate flower. Delicate flowers don’t make drunken commands on their doorstep.”

“Then why?” Mayu doesn’t register his backhanded comment. “You don’t touch me. You don’t kiss me. I know you said you were bored, but how fucking bored are you?!” She doesn’t mean to spill it all at once. Insecurities of past combine with present, forcing her built-up thoughts out into the open. She’s brushed it off over and over, started making excuses and kept going about her day, but the clear dismissal hits her open and festering nerves. Sure, the alcohol is a boost, but her emotions are real, her thoughts are real, and the words that came out of her mouth are real. Shigure has the gull to look surprised at her outburst, as if she was going to continue staying silent on the subject, letting it slide like she has over the course of their time together.

Shigure’s head lulls up and to the side, revealing glassy and wandering eyes. “I think if that’s how you feel we—”

“No!”

Shigure startles.

“No! You don’t get to say that! You don’t get to be the one who does it. I’m doing it right now, we’re breaking up!”

All that’s heard are the distant cars driving on the street below them. Shigure’s eyes are still wide with his jaw unhinged, a look she’s going to revel in for the rest of her life. A shiver runs through him that brings him back to a more neutral expression.

“I was going to say I should go home and we can talk in the morning.”

Mayu shakes her head. Of course he was going to suggest that, of course he would make her feel like the irrational one. It doesn’t matter. Whatever was going on between them was nothing, and is nothing. In reality, he served no purpose to her, never went out of his way for her and never displayed any sort of romantic affection. Desperation may have driven her to this moment, but she realizes now the increasing disappointment she felt as time went on was only driving her to latch on to Shigure more, dreading having to acknowledge the parts of her that have been rejected.

She doesn’t fault Kana or Hatori for how things worked out between, she still cares for them deeply, but she can fault Shigure for suggesting this while she had her guard was down. Feeling inferior, turns out, allows people like him to seep into their cracks and nestle there, leaving no room for healing. She’s surer now than she’s felt before. She’s glad she’s drunk.

“I meant what I said. I’m done.”

Shigure just nods his head like he’s agreeing where to go for dinner. “Alright then. Have a good night, Mayu-chan.” He walks away. She doesn’t bother watching him go.

--

Besides the hangover the day after breaking up with Shigure, the days following are smooth and dreamlike, waking up without the doubt and increasing anxiety over a relationship that never cared about her. Kana’s called to see if she’s okay, trying to get out of Mayu why she bothered with him in the first place. Her response of “just wanted to try it out” is lackluster even if slightly true. But her switch has been flipped and it takes her being away from Shigure to see how much her desperation allowed her to wallow in her self-pity and make excuses for herself.

Mayu doesn’t see Shigure for some time, going to classes and seeing her parents, not bothering for half a second to look in the direction of another man. She’s sure at this point she would just bite his head off and feed his headless corpse into a garbage compactor. Maybe just Shigure’s.

All of that changes when Kana gets sick.

With cheekbones sunken in, pallor splashing across her face, eyes empty and cracked with red lines, Kana’s entire being looks worn out and rattled. The Sohma family head, Hatori’s eye, Kana’s guilt over what she couldn’t control has manifested itself through possession of Kana’s mind, bringing her to her knees and restricting her outlook. Mayu’s heart only breaks for her, sitting delicately by her side unsure of what else to say or do, all her words and actions preceding having no effect. She tells herself, and Kana, that it just takes time, although she thinks it more often than says it as a way to keep herself grounded every time Kana breaks into another bout of tears. Guilt starts to settle in when she starts excusing herself early, needing fresh air and distancing herself from everything. She can’t begin to understand what Kana’s going through, and she wouldn’t even scratch the surface to understand the Sohmas and how their family head is protected after doing what they did.

Mayu doesn’t see Hatori during any of this. It doesn’t feel appropriate to engage with him in any manner that would cause him upset in regard to Kana. He’s going through this as much as Kana is, and more.

Mayu continues checking on Kana, until one day she walks in and Kana is out of bed. She looks exhausted, the emotional turmoil having taken an obvious toll on her body, but she’s upright and moving about and then she smiles at Mayu. Mayu smiles back, catching a glimpse of the old Kana she’s known for so long now. Then Kana opens her mouth and everything she says, everything she emotes contradicts what she went thru. She talks about Hatori formally, like they didn’t spend the last several months spending every waking moment together. She’s stunned into silence, doesn’t comment on it or try and deny anything. It’s all too fresh and sending Kana back to how she was before would wipe all this progress away. Mayu’s unsure how she got here, considering maybe Kana blocked the memories out as a way to save her soul. Mayu leaves feeling confused and uncertain of this new approach Kana has taken. She’s not going to school to become a psychologist, but she knows this can’t be beneficial for her health, despite Kana’s sure smiles and optimism of returning to full health. Something’s not right.

“Mayu-chan.”

Mayu looks up to see Shigure standing only several meters in front of her. She hadn’t seen him as she walked out of the Sohma estate, her drunken break up proclamation the last time she saw him at all. She doesn’t get a sense of needing to feel proud and march by him with her head held high, too drawn in with clouded thoughts to care about any of that.

“Visiting Kana?” He asks.

Mayu swallows. “Yeah.”

“And?”

“She’s forgotten. Everything. Like it never happened, and Hatori-san was only her boss. I don’t get it…” She trials off, nearing despondent. It’s nearing the end of February and it’s still frigid and stale outside, breath appearing between them.

“Hmm. That is peculiar.” His expression betrays him through his words. It doesn’t seem at all peculiar to him. He tries to excuse himself and continue his way back to the Sohma estate but Mayu blocks his way.

“What do you know?” She demands.

Shigure doesn’t appear bothered. “I don’t know anything. People don’t normally just forget things. That’s why it’s odd.” He tries to move again; she continues blocking him. Now he’s starting to look irritated with a slight slant to his eyes.

“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to get back to the main estate.” He says, terse.

“Not until you tell me what happened. You know.” Mayu stares him down, Shigure maintaining a strong front. It takes a moment until Shigure scans their surroundings then gestures for her to follow him. It surprises her that he caves, expecting him to ditch her without any answers, leaving her severely unsatisfied and frustrated. They had been by the entrance of the Sohma estate and watchfully step out into the open public.

Shigure looks more serious than she’s ever seen him. “Mayu-chan. Not everything can go as planned, or as wanted. There are some things meant to be kept as secrets, never for anyone else’s eyes. Sometimes those secrets get out and those involved are to never let those secrets be known. There’s a tradition within the Sohma where certain individuals are selected and trained in a type of hypnosis. It’s memory suppression, a way to put those secrets to the back of the mind. It’s never truly forgotten, but it’s harder to remember. After everything, Kana couldn’t handle having those memories and chose to have them suppressed. She no longer remembers Hatori as a partner, only as a colleague.” After he finishes, Mayu’s mouth flutters for something to say but nothing ever comes out, caught up in wrapping her mind around Kana choosing to forget everything, no longer wanting to live with those memories.

She gathers her composure and finds her voice. “Thanks.” She has no other words for what he’s told her, turning and walking away, her default mode switching on and taking her back to her place.

--

Mayu roots herself to her studies over the next couple of weeks, finals and graduation just around the corner, and simultaneously using it as a proper distraction from her meltdown not too long ago. What Shigure had said shook her more to her core than she could put into words. Two people who suffered from a tragic incident, and one chose to forget while the other was left with those memories and the knowledge that the other forgot. It makes her heart heavy in her chest, the burden of the fallout almost too much to bear as she looked back to Kana being sick, and then not. She didn’t mean to break down in front of Kana the way she did, curling into herself and being comforted by the person who indirectly pushed Mayu to that point. She’s not mad, never could she be mad, but putting distance between herself and the black hole that constantly threatens to pull her in helps ease her anxiety.

Mayu still hasn’t seen or spoken to Hatori. She misses him and his calming presence, his pleated pants and pristine button ups, his baritone voice that carries over her, lulling her right where she wants to be. It becomes increasingly clear to her that her only connection with Hatori was through Kana, the one median they had. She only ever got to know him as a friend, and as much as she dreamed about more, knew it was never meant to be that.

When she’s home and not occupied by anything she always manages to end up with him in her thoughts, wishing him well and hoping that he heals. It’s all she can do. Kana’s bounced back, finding another doctor’s office to work for and retelling happy memories that make them both smile. Kana will be fine, but Mayu will never know about Hatori and if he was able to find a light spot in all the darkness he had to go through. She wonders if it follows him the way it’s followed Mayu, where her mind projects images through her dreams, or she sees their forms from behind in strangers, causing her to shake her head and push the illusions away. She finds her emotional involvement lingers to the side, ready to strike where it fancies.

But time goes on and Kana’s there to celebrate with her at her graduation ceremony, diploma in hand parents pouring their praise for her. She thinks about it less as she gets situated with her job at Kaibara High, still seeing Kana a few times a month to catch up, only feeling a small sting when Kana mentions other men she’s interested in. She never mentions her conversation with Shigure to anyone, feeling it’s in everyone’s best interests to keep it to herself. The Sohma’s are an anomaly, her opinion only becoming exacerbated when she ends up with two of them in her class, reintroducing Shigure back into her life by association and bringing her experiences full circle.

It’s a hard pill to swallow acknowledging what happened in years passed while still maintaining a front of being put together and unbothered. There’s a small part of her that holds out for seeing Hatori at some point and seeing who he’s become since she knew his past self.

All it takes is one summer, and one glance, and it’s as if the years haven’t passed.

[armour-of-fafnir]

Brothers Conflict - Passion Pink Prologue part 3 + more

PLEASE TELL ME WHICH ROUTE I SHOULD FOLLOW FIRST

Is Fuuto alright? Because I surprisingly lowkey like him, even though many seem to hate him (I can definitely see where this is coming from). So would you please be kind enough and let me know which route I should follow first?

*Notes*

I have finally, and I cannot stress this enough, finally been able to translate. Though I read somewhere that there is a translation of BroCon already and I got a bit disheartened. Anyways, let me know if I should keep translating like this. So, in this part a lot of things happened. First and foremost, WE GOT OUT OF THE PROLOGUE. We also got to make choices, and I chose Tsubaki ( I tried all the options but Tsubaki’s reaction was the most rewarding, so I went along with that). There was also the schedule mode, so if you have any activities to suggest please do so. I’m not sure how this will work but I imagine that it will be more or less similar to the Dandelion activity system? Let’s hope for the best. Now, proceed!

Kaname

[ Well, it’s whatever about Yuu-chan. More importantly, won’t you just once call me “Big Brother” ? ] Ayame

[ Eh? Uhm… B-Big brother…? ]

Kaname

[ Ah, that truly was somewhat nice. ]

Tsubaki

[ Eh, wait a sec, do you think that’s fair Kana!? Me too! I also want to call me “Big Brother”-! ]

Azusa

[ Aah, Tsubaki finds little sister characters moe, so… ]

Ayame

[ …He finds little sister characters moe… WHAT!? ]

Tsubaki

[ Why don’t you call Azusa too? “Big Brother”, like that-♪  Come on★ ]

Kaname

[ No, lil’ sis will only call me like that! ]

Ayame

[ Eh…? Eh…?? ]

Juri

[ What’s wrong with these brothers… Well then, Chii. What are you going to do? ]

Juri

[ I’m sure they’ll keep begging you till you say it. ]

Ayame

[ I… ]

/Choice being made here/ (1) Say it to Kaname (2) Say it to Tsubaki < -- (3) Say it to Azusa

Ayame

[ B-Big Brother!]

Tsubaki

[ …Wha! So cute-!! That’s bad ★Now, I can feel the tension rising up! Hey- Hey-, would you say it again? ]

Ayame

[ I- I can’t…! ]

Tsubaki

[ Eeh, why not-!? ]

Ukyo

[ *sigh* Problematic  from the very first day, these children are. I’m sorry. ]

Ayame

[ No, being able to meet my brothers, it makes me absolutely delighted. ]

Tsubaki

[ Is that true? Then say “Big brother” for me once more★ Please! ]

Kaname

[ It’s just as Tsuba-chan said! Come on! ]

Ayame

[ ( Uhm, did I just say something unnecessary, I wonder…?  ) ]

Ayame

[ ( After this, I’ll end up having to say “Big Brother” a lot more but… ) ]

Ayame

[ ( the warmth of my new family reached my heart ) ]

Ayame

[ May 22nd… ]

Ayame

[ ( Meeting my new brothers for the very first time was a day I’d never forget. ) ]

//May 23rd//

Juri

[ *yawn* Is it alright to go to the living room this early in the morning? ]

Ayame

[ I guess. The key is hidden under the flower pot next to the entrance so that I can enter freely. ]

Juri

[ Under the flower pot…  Really!?  Hey, wait. ]

Juri

[ Is it okay to have security this poor nowadays!? Does this family have no knowledge of crime prevention!? ]

Ayame

[ I was also surprised by that. ]

Juri

[ Impossible. Supposing that something happens to you Chii, what are you going to do? We absolutely have to get Kenko Security… ]

Ayame

[ Now now, the elevator requires a special key and so do the auto-locks, so it’s okay. ]

Ayame

[ …And, huh? It seems to be unlocked. ]

Juri

[ It must be that one of these brothers gets up really early. ]

Juri

[ By the way, Chii. What do you need to do there? ]

Ayame

[ I was thinking of preparing the breakfast. I can at least do this much… ]

Kaname

[ Huh? Lil’ sis, good morning ]

Subaru

[ …Mornin’.]

Ayame

[ Good morning. Both of you are up early. ]

Kaname

[ Yeah, we went for a run. Suba-chan never loses his morning run. I, on the other hand, just went along for some company. ]

Ayame

[ ( I wouldn’t say that Kaname seems like the healthy type, but surprisingly he keeps fit. ) ]

Kaname

[ Ah, just now, you thought that this was surprising, didn’t you? ]

Ayame

[ Eh…!? T-that’s not…! ]

Kaname

[ Haha! You’re so easy to read lil’ sis~. By the way, why are you up this early? ]

Ayame

[ I… Thought I’d make some breakfast but… ]

Kaname

[ Eeh. A woman in an apron, that would be quite the sight~! ]

Ayame

[ W-wait Kaname, that’s… ]

Ayame

[ ( Huh? ) ]

Subaru

[ … ]

Ayame

[ ( Just now, Subaru’s eyes met mine,  but… It seems like he, looked away? Indeed, Subaru’s the silent type... ) ]

Kaname

[ I’m looking forward to your breakfast. ]

Ayame

[ Yes. Well then, I’m off to the kitchen... ]

Ayame

[ Huh? There seems to be someone in the kitchen…? ]

Ukyo

[ Good morning, Ayame-chan. ]

Ayame

[ Good morning. Ukyo, you’re up early. ]

Ukyo

[ I am the one preparing the meals. Would you mind helping a bit today? ]

Ayame

[ You do? I’d like to help but I hope I won’t cause any trouble. ]

Ukyo

[ With so many people to feed, your assistance would be of great help. ]

Ukyo

[ Well then…, is it okay if I leave the miso soup to you? ]

Ayame

[ Miso soup? Got it. ]

Ayame

[ ( I started chopping the miso soup ingredients... ) ]

Ayame

[ ( Then for the soup stock ) ]

Ukyo

[ Just now, what did you use for the soup stock? ]

Ayame

[ Eh? The soup stock? I used a pack from there, but… ]

Ukyo

[ Does it contain dried bonito flakes and such…? ]

Ayame

[ Dried bonito flakes…? ]

Ukyo

[ Ah… Pay me no mind. ]

Ayame

[ Eh…? ]

Ayame

[ ( Perhaps, Ukyo likes to add dried bonito flakes in his soup? I, have never done this before… ) ]

Ayame

[ Kya…!? ]

Ayame

[ ( Just now, it felt as if something brushed my hair…? ) ]

???

[ Orange… Very good. ]

Ayame

[ …!? U-uhm… And you are…? ]

Ukyo

[ Ah, I haven’t introduced you yet, have I. ]

Ukyo

[ He’s Subaru’s older brother, Louis. He got home late yesterday and thus he was not able to meet you with the others... ]

Ayame

[ Nice to meet you. I’m Ayame. ]

Louis

[ Yes. ]

Ayame [ ( Is he going to keep touching my hair…? ) ]

Ayame

[ U-uhm…? ]

Louis

[ Beautiful hair. It seems like it may frizz easily though. Let me tell you a good treatment another time. ]

Ayame

[ W-Wha…? ]

Louis

[ Ukyo, I’m hungry. ]

Ukyo

[ It will be ready in a while, so please wait in the living room. ]

Louis

[ Yeah, I’ll do that. ]

Ayame

[ Uhm… Louis is…? ]

Ukyo

[ Ah, pardon me. Louis is a hair stylist. Even outside of work, he’s always interested in people’s hair. ]

Ayame

[ Ah, I see. That makes sense. ]

Ayame

[ ( How should I put it, he seems like a “my pace” mysterious guy… ]

Ukyo

[ Ayame, it’s about time for everyone to wake up.  Let’s bring out the food to the table now. ]

Ayame

[ Yes. ]

Tsubaki

[ Let’s dig in! Ah, today’s miso soup is delicious! ]

Azusa

[ Indeed, it’s delicious. Kyo, did you make the miso soup differently? ]

Ukyo

[ …!! ]

Ayame

[ …!! ]

Tsubaki

[ Kyo, for some reason your face’s all frowned. Is something the matter? ]

Ukyo

[ …No. ]

Ayame

[ ( Stone me… Ukyo’s face! It’s grim!! What could be coming next… ) ]

Ayame

[ U-uhm, why don’t we turn on the TV. Ahaha! ]

Azusa

[ …? ]

Ayame

[ …Ah, it’s Asakura Fuuto. ]

Ayame

[ ( On the screen was the popular idol Asakura Fuuto. ) ]

Ayame

[ ( Lately, the young idol has appeared in dramas, and many of my friends were his fans. ) ]

Tsubaki

[ … That sure is a smile full of lies-. ]

Azusa

[ As always, his song is not that good. ]

Ayame

[ …? ]

Ayame

[ Considering the fact that you two share a similar line of work, that was rather harsh. ]

Tsubaki

[ Was it. ]

Wataru

[ But, his dancing is cool! ]

Ayame

[ Isn’t it? I also like Asakura’s dancing. ]

Wataru

[ Right, right? ]

Ayame

[ ( Wataru seems kinda happy. I wonder if he’s a fan of Asakura? ) ]

Iori

[ Now that I think about it, I think I haven’t seen him around in a while. ]

Iori

[ He’s on tour, if I’m not mistaken… ]

Kaname

[ Where is he now? In Hokkaido?? ]

Azusa

[ Perhaps he’ll bring me crab? Though sea urchins would be nice too… ]

Louis

[ Both. … Then, melon too. ]

Ayame

[ ( Eh…? Why did the suddenly start making such comments upon seeing Asakura Fuuto? ) ]

Ayame

[ Maybe… Everyone in this family is a fan of Asakura? ]

Kaname

[ Haha! Not in the slightest. ]

Iori

[ Huh? Could it be that no one has told her? ]

Ayame

[ Eh? About what? ]

Iori

[ Listen. Fuuto is the second youngest of us brothers… What I’m trying to say is that he’s your younger brother. ]

Ayame

[ Eh, EEEEH!? ]

Iori

[ Asakura is just a stage name. ]

Ayame

[ Ha, haha… Seriously, you guys. ]

Ayame

[ ( A celebrity being my brother… ) ]

Ayame

[ ( Now that I think about it, this is truly an incredible family I have joined in. ) ]

Ayame

[ ( Will I manage to fit in, I wonder…) ]

Ukyo

[ What is the matter? You haven’t eaten anything yet. ]

Ayame

[ N-no! That’s not the case, uhm… ]

Ukyo

[ …? ]

Ayame

[ I thought I had done a good job with the miso soup. …But... ]

Ayame

[ Ukyo. I had never known of a method using the dried bonito flakes. ]

Ayame

[ I hope you’ll be able to teach me again in the future, would that be alright? ]

Ukyo

[ Yeah, of course. That’s fine. …Though, know that my teaching is strict. ]

Ayame

[ I’ll do my best!]

Ayame

[ ( It’s only the first day, but I hope we can all get along as a family... ]

Ayame

[ ( …By the way, when he said “my teaching is strict”, it gave off a feeling I cannot identify... It might be a bit scary… ) ]

Ayame

[ *yawn* Well then, I guess that’s about it then? ]

Juri

[ I guess. The large furniture has all been moved. Now it’d be good to get the smaller things in order. ]

Ayame

[ In the end, this weekend concluded the acquaintanceships and tidying up. ]

Juri

[ That’s moving in for ya. ]

Ayame

[ You’re right. ]

Juri

[ Chii, don’t tell me, you’re still nervous? ]

Ayame

[ No, I’m fine now. Every acquaintance has been a real heart-throb. But I’m glad everyone is so kind. ]

Juri

[ Even on stage one, everyone seems to have a strong personality. ]

Ayame

[ Ahaha… You’ve got a point. To have so different kinds of brothers, I was really surprised. Eleven people, it’s really incredible. ]

Juri

[ What do you think? Are things going smoothly with them? ]

Ayame

[ I wonder…  ]

//Choice being made here// (1) I believe things are going smoothly < -- (2) Honestly, I’m uneasy

Ayame

[ It’s fine. I think everything’s going smoothly. ]

Juri

[ I see. Well that’s reassuring. ]

Ayame

[ I know it’s just the start, but I hope I can get along with all of them. ]

Juri

[ That’s good. You still have school tomorrow, right Chii? ]

Ayame

[ Yeah. ]

Juri

[ If that’s the case, you’d better prepare a schedule for tomorrow. ]

Ayame

[ Schedule? ]

Juri

[ That’s right. You can decide your weekday schedule for each week. ]

//Schedule mode opens//

Juri

[ Every week on Sunday night you make your schedule. From the next day on, you’ll follow that schedule. ]

Juri

[ To set up the schedule, select a week day first. ]

Juri

[ Then, you’ll choose what activity you want to do with whom. ]

Juri

[ You can either select an Asahina brother or family. For the family option, click on me. ]

Juri

[ You can also do things on your own if you select yourself, Chii. ]

Juri

[ First you decide “with whom” you want to hang out and then “what to do”. ]

Juri

[ Apart from the days off and when it’s an item you don’t possess, or if things are incomplete, so be cautious! ]

Juri

[ Also, once you have decided on a schedule, it’s not possible to re-enter, so I want you to be careful. ]

Juri

[ You can see the schedule you’ve decided on by checking out the calendar screen. ]

Juri

[ Whatever the status of the schedule, once you hit the “Set” button, the selection will be complete. ]

Juri

[ Again, you have your parameters too. First, “Family Love Meter”. ]

Juri

[ This is an indication of your relationship level with the Asahina brothers as your family. It will increase each time you choose something to do as a family. ]

Juri

[ …By the way, you can also see your relationship with a particular brother on the “Likeability Screen”. ]

Juri

[ Chii, I believe you know this already, but YOU’RE BECOMING WAY TOO CLOSE WITH THEM!!! ]

Juri

[ Let’s talk about something else. Next is, “Fatigue”. ]

Juri

[ This indicates when you, Chi, are tired. If it accumulates, you can’t do regular activities. At times like this, you can play a game alone as to relieve your stress. ]

Juri

[ Another thing is “Money”. ]

Juri

[ This is how much you have. ]

Juri

[ It will increase by working part-time. ]

Juri

[ If you’re short on money, you can’t buy presents like DVDs and other items, so be sure to remember it! ]

Juri

[ What do you think? Do you understand? ]

Ayame

[ You bet! Thank you, Juri! ]

Juri

[ Great, well then for tomorrow, will you wake up early or rest? Also for tomorrow, will you help Ukyo prepare breakfast again? ]

Ayame

[ Yeah, that was my intention. ]

Juri

[ Chii. Tomorrow morning I want to eat rice and natto. ]

Ayame

[ ( A squirrel that asks for rice and natto… ) ]

Ayame

[ Yeah, I can do that. Well then, good night, Juri. ]

Juri

[ Yeah, good night. ]

//Chose schedule//

[murasaki-murasame]

With the recent info about how the Fruits Basket reboot is apparently going to be exactly 63 episodes long in total, and the recent leak of what seems to be the outline for most of season 1′s story, I think now’s a good time for me to finally get around to laying out my detailed thoughts on what I’m expecting from the long-term pacing and plot structure of the reboot.

I’ll put it under a cut since this is gonna get long and very spoiler-y.

I initially didn’t know if I should put much stock into what I was hearing about the reboot being 63 episodes long, but it seems to come straight from one of the main voice actors for the dub, and he sounded pretty specific and certain about it. Usually dub VAs and whatnot are very out of the loop on stuff like this, but Funimation seems very connected to the production of the reboot, so they might know info like this.

I was hoping that the reboot would be 75 episodes across three sets of 25-ish episode seasons, but it sounds like it’ll probably be two 25-episode seasons, and then a final 13-episode season. Which could be fine. They’d have to speed things up a bit near the end, but it could work. At the very least, the way the scriptwriter for the anime has talked about it makes me think that they worked out a concrete outline for the entire series very early on, so I trust that they have a specific plan in mind for this. I’m still a bit worried that the slow and leisurely pace we’re getting thus far might lead to them having to rush it later on, but I think they’ve planned it out enough to avoid that.

Recently we got an unintentional leak of sorts, with how apparently in the video Funi posted about the reasoning for Momiji’s accent in the reboot, you can see some sticky notes on Caitlin Glass’ computer [the dub voice director] that seem to be notes on the episode by episode plot outline for most of season 1, up to around episode 21 or 22.

Combining the vague glimpses of that we saw with what’s already happened in the anime thus far, and a bit of my own speculation for how they’ll handle the last few episodes of season 1, I think it’ll end up like this:

Ep1: Chapter 1

Ep2: Chapters 2-3

Ep3: Chapters 4/8

Ep4: Chapter 5

Ep5: Chapter 6

Ep6: Chapters 7/9

Ep7: Chapters 10/12

Ep8: Chapter 11

Ep9: Chapters 13-14 [Haru’s intro]

Ep10: Chapters 15-16 [Valentine’s Day]

Ep11: Chapters 17-18 [Hot springs trip]

Ep12: Chapters 19-20 [New school term]

Ep13: Chapters 21-22 [Ayame’s intro]

Ep14: Chapters 23-24 [Grave visit and Momiji’s backstory]

Ep15: Chapters 25-26 [Lake house trip]

Ep16: Chapters 39~41 [Uo’s backstory Part 1]

Ep17: Chapters 39~41 [Uo’s backstory Part 2]

Ep18: Chapters 27-28 [Kisa’s intro]

Ep19: Chapters 44-45 [Ritsu’s intro]

Ep20: Chapters 37-38 [Hiro’s intro]

Ep21: Chapter 29 [Yuki fan club visiting Hana’s house]

Ep22: Chapter 51 [Hana’s backstory]

Ep23: Chapters 30-31 [Tohru getting sick and setting up the Kyo arc]

Ep24: Chapters 32 and part of 33 [Kyo arc Part 1]

Ep25: Rest of Chapter 33 and Chapter 34 [Kyo arc Part 2]

Everything up to Hana’s backstory was laid out in the notes we saw, so everything after that’s just my personal guess. It seems pretty likely that since they don’t seem to be planning on doing the Kyo arc earlier in the season, they’re probably planning to end season 1 with it. There’s a few different ways it could go, but I think that combining chapters 30 and 31 together would work really well, and it’d let them spend two whole episodes on the actual meat of the Kyo arc, which would let them pace it out nicely and have it feel less abrupt.

I’m not sure if the two Hana chapters are going to be adapted into two back to back episodes, or combined into one, though. I’m also not sure if season 1 will be 25 episodes long or 26, but I’m leaning toward 25. Either way, it’s possible that they might fit in chapters 42 and 43 before the Kyo arc starts, but they might push that to near the start of season 2.

And on that note, I don’t really have a specific outline in mind for all of season 2, but if it’s going to be another 25 episode season that leads into a final 13-episode season, I think it has to at least cover up to chapter 99, which is the whole climax of us finding out the truth about Akito once and for all. They’d have to at least get that far in order for season 3 to be able to adapt the rest of the manga in just 13 or so episodes. And I think it could work.

To start with, if season 1 goes the way I think it will, season 2 will probably immediately start out with chapter 35, since that’s the immediate aftermath of the Kyo arc, and how Yuki feels in response to it. They might fit chapter 36 in there too, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they incorporate the trip to Ayame’s boutique into his intro episode in season 1. After that, I think they’ll move into adapting the second half of volume 8, plus maybe chapters 42 and 43 if those aren’t in season 1. I think it might actually work pretty nicely to move those chapters into season 2 so that there’s not as huge of a gap between when Kakeru and Machi get teased at, and when they actually show up for the first time. [Fake edit: I’m also curious to see if they might bring up Rin during Haru’s intro episode, which might let them get away with skimming over or cutting out elements of chapter 43 later on, since that’s where we first properly hear about her in the manga]

And on the note of Kakeru and Machi, one structural change I want season 2 to make is that I want them to have those two only show up for the first time at the start of the new school year after the vacation arc, along with the other student council members. I’ve always thought it was a bit awkward how in the manga they just kinda vanish for like three volumes after the chapter they first properly appear in. So even if it means waiting longer to see them, I’d like them to show up a bit later so the pacing feels more natural.

Similarly, I think it’d work nicely if they move that one chapter near the end of volume 9 with Tohru and Kyo visiting Kazuma to later on so that it happens at the same time as the chapter where Tohru talks to Kazuma about the curse after the vacation.

I also want them to move the other chapter from volume 9 where we see Uo and Kureno first meeting into season 1, probably in the second episode focused on her, just so that we properly get to see him before season 2.

So basically I want the reboot to shift things about so that we go straight from the end of volume 8 into the summer vacation arc, which I think would work out for the best.

If season 2 is gonna get up to at least chapter 99, I think they’ll have to start speeding things up a bit, so in particular I think they might trim down the summer vacation arc to just 4~5 episodes rather than 6, and they might go through stuff like Kyoko’s backstory faster than the manga did. That whole part’s like four chapters long, but I think it could be trimmed down a fair bit, and the way it’s bookended with the present day scenes with Kyo would make it work nicely as a single episode. I think they could also go through some of the stuff in volume 15 with Yuki’s big talk with Kakeru and the culture festival fairly fast as well.

Season 3 would be a bit tricky if it’s 13 episodes long, since even if season 2 gets to chapter 99, that still leaves nearly 40 chapters for s3 to adapt. But I think there’s a lot of parts in the final volumes the anime could go through surprisingly fast, since there’s a lot of moments that are really heavy on the lengthy internal monologues and stuff. I could also see them trimming down the final volume to two episodes. And there’s always the possibility that they might have a double-length finale, which would give them a bit more room to fit stuff in.

Even though there’s a fair bit of stuff I want them to shuffle about in season 2, I can’t really think of anything I want them to change in season 3, based on the material it covers. It might be good for them to move the Machi-focused chapter from volume 16 so that it happens in the same episode as the other Machi-focused chapter a bit later in the manga. But other than that I dunno.

All in all I think that the reboot will probably be able to faithfully adapt the entire manga in 63 episodes. It’d just require them to focus more on trimming it down rather than fleshing it out later on. I think the pacing of the first eight episodes isn’t going to be very indicative of the rest of the reboot’s pacing, and it’ll probably get faster from here on out.

As the reboot gets further along I’ll probably post more detailed speculation about seasons 2 and 3, but they’re just too far away at the moment for me to want to think too hard about it.

Before I forget, though, I’m also still wondering if they might be planning to do a short 12-ish episode adaptation of Fruits Basket Another once the reboot’s done. It’s something I could give or take, but even though it’s a short series, I think they could probably work with Takaya to flesh it out into a full anime. I haven’t read it yet, but I’ve heard that it’s split into 12 chapters across three volumes, so it might fit pretty neatly into a 12-episode anime.