#maki for winning too many prizes

[hiltomi]

Lowkey, I think they’d be banned from most amusement parks

Also highkey had to ask discord what they’d wear casually 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

[strawberri-elixir]

First Date Headcanons Pt. 2

Characters: Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Toge Inumaki, Yuuta Okkotsu

Warnings: None.

A/N: I felt like I had to include part 2 to be able to include them in future headcanons (and cuz I really enjoy writing these-) THIS IS THE POLL WINNER BTW

ANYWAYS. ENJOY

Requests are coming up next ‼️‼️

First date: Amusement Park

𖤐 You asked him out first

𖤐 Because he’s so oblivious

𖤐 There was a local fair that came up yearly and you thought it would be a fun idea to ask Yuji out on a date

“Yuji!” You ran up to him before pulling him into a hug in front of his classmates “Are you free this weekend?”

“Huh? Yeah I am. Why?” He quickly reciprocated your hug.

“Let’s go to the fair!” You had a small blush on your face.

“Sure!” He happily accepted. He loved spending time with you and really wanted to go to the fair together.

“Great! It’s a date then. I’ll meet you at your house at noon!” You waved goodbye and walked off.

He waved back before turning back to his friends with a huge grin. “They’re such a great friend, aren’t they!”

They just looked at him dumbfounded. How could this boy be so oblivious?

𖤐 It wasn’t until right before you knocked on his door that he realized you asked him out romantically

𖤐 You offered a small smile and Yuji continued to struggle processing the information

𖤐 The two of you walked in silence towards the fair grounds

𖤐 It was the middle of autumn so it was getting quite chilly outside

𖤐 You thought you’d be okay so you left your gloves at home (You weren’t)

𖤐 But as you walked, you felt a warm hand encompass yours

𖤐 He was holding your hand

𖤐 The first thing he did when the two of you arrived was buy you your favourite hot drink

𖤐 You guys wandered around for a while, going on rides, taking pictures, and doing all the fun offered activities

𖤐 Eventually, you found yourself in the game area of the fair

𖤐 You found yourself staring at one of the prizes for a little longer than you would’ve liked to admit

𖤐 Yuji noticed and gave you a smirk

“Hey… let’s play a few games.”

𖤐 The two of you ended up blowing most of your money on those games

𖤐 And Yuji, having quite the immense amounts of physical power, ended up destroying winning most of the games

𖤐 You guys got kicked out after winning too many of the prizes

“Hey you two, we’re gonna have to ask you to leave. We’ve gotten a few complaints already about you guys winning too many of the games.” A security guard placed a hand on both of your shoulders.

“Is that even possible?” You look over to Yuji, who’s already looking back at you, suppressing a laugh.

“Well its never happened before, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be the first.” The guard chuckled. “Why don’t we buy you a hot chocolate or something and let you be on your way.”

“We’ll take you up on that.” You laugh.

𖤐 So, the two of you got your free hot chocolates and walked away with your prizes.

𖤐 And it was quite the haul

𖤐 Yuji won most of the brute force games but you managed to win a few of the luck based ones

𖤐 He walked you home and helped you organize them neatly in your room

𖤐 Since your date was cut short, you asked him to stay over and the two of you watched a movie instead

First date: Museum date

᯽ You had to ask him out first

᯽ The two of you had some very obvious pining going on between you since day one

᯽ He had been meaning to ask you out for a while, but would always fumble with his words

“Hey Megumi, how’s your day going?” You’re seated on the stairs, taking a break from sparing with Maki.

“Good.” He gave you a curt nod. “Speaking of… I have a question.”

“Oh? What’s up?” You flash a small smile.

He was done the moment he saw your smile. To him, it was the brightest thing, he would argue that it could rival the sun itself. Any and all attempts at asking you out just fizzled away.

He stood there in complete silence, staring at you. When he saw your smile morph into a look of confusion, he knew he had to say something. “Uhh… Lovely weather we’re having… right?”

“Yeah! The suns out today but there’s still a cooling breeze out!” You respond. He’d ask you that very question every time he approached you. “I actually have something to ask you as well.”

“You do?”

“Yeah! I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me.”

The question was so straightforward, he honestly thought you were messing with him for a second. Nonetheless, he agreed but absolutely insisted that he’d be the one to pick you up and everything.

᯽ He also told you about his plans to ask you out

᯽ So you found yourself being dragged out to a museum (Not that you complained)

᯽ It was one of those really big, really fancy museums

᯽ Honestly one of those Pinterest worthy ones

᯽ While most of it was just quietly admiring the pieces, you had your moments of immaturity (mostly you)

᯽ Like you’d be looking at one of those nude sculptures and you’d find yourself trying so hard not to laugh when you looked lower

᯽ And Megumi would just walk away like he didn’t know you

᯽ But the overall experience was worth it (To you, and to him)

᯽ After the two of you decide to call it a day, he takes you to a cafe

᯽ One of those cozy, family owned ones with lots of cute decor

᯽ You took a lot of pictures for your social media (Most of which had Megumi as the main focus)

“Megumi! Look over here.” Your camera covered your face. The boy looked over to you, a blank look on his face.

“Don’t you think you’ve taken enough pictures?” He takes a sip of his drink.

“Never.”

᯽ You guys talked for hours, consuming questionable amounts of caffeine in order to stay in each other’s company for longer (He bought most of them)

᯽ Needless to say, neither of you slept that night, but you didn’t care

᯽ He insisted on calling a taxi or an uber for you

᯽ The two of you took the train home together after you kept declining his offer, insisting that you can walk home on your own (Big no no)

᯽ He walked to up to your doorstep and gave you a small kiss on the cheek before letting you go

᯽ Later at night when you were asleep, you feel your phone buzzing on the table beside you

᯽ Megumi sent you all the pictures he took on your date when you were distracted (There were a lot)

First date: Picnic date

✰ He asked you out first

✰ You assumed that his heart was closed off due to his history with Rika, so you never dared to cross the line between friendship and something more

✰ So imagine how awkward you were when he finally mustered up the courage to ask you out

“Say, Yuta. Have you ever thought about dating again?” You were worried about being seen as insensitive, but it was too late to take it back now.

“ Well… not up until recently.” He pondered for a moment. “But I’d like to say that i would give it a try with the right person.”

Hearing him say that peaked your interest. He was thinking of someone already?

“That’s great! I’m proud of you.” You give him a slap on the back. “But we have to approve of them.” You gesture to Maki, Panda and Toge who all stood a little ways away.

“Ah- well i’m sure they already approve.” He awkwardly scratches the back of his neck.

“Oh? That’s even better!”

“Mhm… so will you go out with me?”

“…” You stared at him. “Huh?”

✰ He ended up spitting out a whole confession out for everyone within a ten foot radius to hear

✰ None of the second years let him live it down (Ever)

✰ The only thing he told you before he rushed off, was to meet him at your favourite park later at night

✰ When you arrived, his eyes lit up as he greeted you at the entrance

✰ He led you to a hidden area in the park by the lake under the willow tree

✰ He set up a blanket, pillows, and those little fairy lights around the base of the tree for the two of you

✰ You saw all of your favourite things scattered around the blanket

✰ He seriously went through all the trouble to find your favourite snacks

✰ And he even found a cute plush of your favourite animal to give to you

✰ You saw a little basket of food in the corner, he really thought everything through

✰ There were even little crafts for you to do

✰ One if the first things he wanted to do was make little flower crowns for you (He doesn’t know how to)

✰ So you teach him

✰ Or at least tried to

“No… you’re supposed to tie it the other way Yuta… to keep the flower in tact.” You watch the boy decapitate another poor flower.

“There’s no way this should be this hard.” He grumbles, tossing yet another flower stem into the pile.

You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Who knew one of the strongest sorcerers would be so bad at crafts. “It’s fine. Just do whatever feels right.”

And so, Yuta gave up trying to be gentle with them and just tied a bunch of flowers together. The results were about as good as a toddler’s attempt, but you loved it.

✰ It became abundantly clear to you throughout the date that Yuta was not one for arts and crafts

✰ At least he tried his best

✰ You helped him a majority of the time

✰ The two of you spent hours sitting there, watching movies, playing games, doing crafts, etc

✰ When the date ended, he asked you if you’d like to go on a second date in the near future while he drove you home

First date: Aquarium

ꕥ He asked you out first

ꕥ Well, it was more like a note

ꕥ Since he chooses to only talk in rice ball ingredients, he gives you a piece of paper because he wants to be able to get his feelings across properly

“Ready for another mission?” You grin. Toge had been sent on a week long mission and would probably end up staying for longer to tie up any loose ends.

"Salmon." He gives you a nod.

"Well then I guess I'll see you in a week!" You continue walking with him to the school entrance. When you got to the gates, you knew it was your sign to leave. "Stay safe."

You begin to walk away when you feel a hand around your wrist. "Salmon cod roe." He used his other hand to reach into his pocket, grabbing a folded note and handing it to you.

"For me? What is it?" You shoot him a confused look.

He just gives you a blank look before turning around and walking away.

ꕥ And so, you were forced to wait a whole week to give him your answer

ꕥ It's not like he was doing any better, poor boy kept losing focus, his thoughts drifting back to what your answer would be

ꕥ When he finally got back, the first thing he did was look for you

ꕥ You were already patiently waiting for him

ꕥ His eyes lit up when you said yes

ꕥ That following weekend, he officially took you out to the aquarium

ꕥ Since he avoids most conversations due to his cursed speech, he thought that something like the aquarium would be the best option

ꕥ And it went well! You guys got to see all sorts of exotic fish as well as other sea creatures

ꕥ There were quite the handful of activities to do like a petting exhibit, cardboard cutouts for photos, and even a scavenger hunt

ꕥ The two of you turned that little scavenger hunt into a competition (Which was made for literal children might I add)

"Toge! Look!" You dragged him over to a table with colorful maps spread across the surface. 'Scavenger hunt!' written in big bold letters on the sign.

The boy just lets you drag him along over to the table as you look at the lady standing behind the table. She offers a small smile and hands you one of the little maps. "Come back if you end up finding all the fish."

You were supposed to find each fish listed and take a picture of it. But the further down the list you went, the harder it was to find the creature.

"Just one more." You pointed to the little striped fish shown in the picture. "Probably won't find it since it rarely comes out of its hiding place."

"Tuna tuna." He lightly pats your shoulder, pointing to an ugly looking fish swimming along the aquarium floor.

You turn your attention to where he's pointing and low and behold, there it is. The ugly little fish was aimlessly swimming around.

ꕥ When you returned to the desk, the lady looked at the two of you, shocked

ꕥ Apparently there's been barely any winners since they started the whole scavenger hunt activity

ꕥ So you guys got your picture taken and hung up on the wall of fame

ꕥ And you got a little fish plush

ꕥ You insisted for Toge to take it since he's the one who spotted the fish in the first place

ꕥ The two of you got something to eat at a local ramen joint afterwards

~ Please do not repost on other platforms! ~

[the-silver-peahen-residence]

Holy crap, Yuji. Is that true? You threw cars at Mineta? Can you tell us what happened that lead up when you got to Class 1-A??

@demon-blood-youths

"Huh? Yeah it's true I mean i was pissed off knowing that little thief stole from the girls..AGAIN!" he grumbled. "So yeah, I threw cars at him to try and stop him. Though, he was a slippery little snake and ended up getting away." he said to cross his arms.

"Though, as to what happened...It went like this.."

"Alright guys, seems we did pretty good tonight. The mission was a big success. So good work." Megumi said seeing Yuji and Nobara laugh happy for a job well done.

"Yeah, that was pretty cool! I can't believe we did it!" Yuria and Miko smiled with Taz hugging them both. They did so well on their first mission, well a easy one to help them know much on the field.

"it's true. You guys did good!" Daichi smiled proud as everyone was happy. "Though thanks to this, it deserves a party back at the dorms! But lets go home and give the report." he said as everyone agreed going home. The ride home was not too long but within the shadows, someone was watching before following after it.

Everyone did get home, give the report to Gojo who was proud of everyone even Kinie and Sukuna was proud of their hosts Yuji and Taz. Even if they still saw the others as lower forms. They are getting to it.

"You know that mission was crazy but I'm glad it's over with though." Nobara said.

"True! I can't wait to get back and get a nice hot shower and sleep." Taz smiled happily to her with Kinie proud of her.

'True, pup. You all did pretty good. So good job..' Kinie said in her thoughts making Taz smile.

"I think it worked I can't wait for our break too. We can sleep in and relax on our days off." Miko said happy but Yuria nods proud too.

"Girls, I say tonight was a big win for us." Nobara said seeing the girls cheer giggling and laughing now. Though for now, they wanted to get some rest. So they would.

'Ohhhh the same pretty girls again.....so cute..I have to try this again. Just gotta be more careful..' the voice thought while waiting for everyone to get some sleep. After a while, he would strike.

~~~~~~~

"So...while everyone was sleeping, I think that's when that creep came through.." Yuji said grumbling.

~~~~~~~

Later that night, everyone was asleep while dreaming peacefully without a care in the world. Though, during this time, someone was sneaking into the girls dorm building wearing a mask and some other things holding a empty bag.

"Okay, I'm in..Just gotta find my targets.." he snickered now sneaking up to the rooms. He could see it was pretty big but he was looking for the ones he knew of before. As he sneaked through the hallways, he saw the target room area. Nobara, Taz, Miko, Maki, and Yuria. Giggling he quietly goes to sneak in through the window to look inside.

Nobara was sleeping soundly in her bed while facing away from the window. He looks to work on unlocking the window and gets in carefully. He saw that she was knocked out sleeping to herself. He saw she was pretty when she was sleeping but goes to quietly see her dresser. Opening it, he saw his prize. Her panties and bras.

"Jackpot.." he smiled now getting a few of them or a bit too many while dumping them in the back. However, he was quiet but stuffed it full. When he did. He goes to close it and sneaks into the next room.

He got into Maki's room and stole some of her own panties while she sleeps soundly in her own dorm. Her glasses rest on the side table by her bed while Mineta was giggling when stealing some of hers. "Ohhhh, these are black and white silk. Nice.." he snickered stuffing them in.

Then he got to the last three's rooms. He goes to sneak into Miko's room and heads to her dresser getting some bras and panties too. This was way too easy but he gets as much as he could that he also had his backpack. He then goes to take some of Yuria's own who was sleeping curled up. She turns and yawns to make MIneta stop for a moment thinking she would wake up.....but she rubs her eye to still remain asleep.

"..." He sighs in relief before going to the last one. He saw Taz sleeping where she was but he was giggling seeing her. Still was cute. He goes to her dresser and steals her panties now while she was sleeping with him giggling.

~~~~~~~

"So yeah, he did steal through out the night but me and the guys found out when it became morning......"

~~~~~~~

The morning started to rise, showing the sun in the horizon. Mineta's backpack was stuffed full as he was slowly sneaking out of the school grounds with his treasure. "Ahhh a good steal complete. I got every bit I can carry but this was worth it. Now, to make my escape." he laughed going off.

During this time, Yuji and Megumi were getting up but was getting ready to do some exercises with seeing Kisho awake too with Eito yawning.

"Morning guys, your off to your daily jog?" he asked seeing the two nod.

"Yes. Why not come with us? It could wake you up pretty well?" Yuji said smiling though Kisho thinks about it.

"Hmmm, I could. Might do me some good with working my legs.. "he said laughing while Eito chirps flying and lands on Megumi's head.

"Then come on, lets hurry and...huh?"

"What's wrong Yuji?" the other two blinks seeing someone sneaking out near the stairs. "Who the heck is that?" he asked seeing the other getting to the stairs.

"Just about ready to go...I think I'm in the clear-"

"Hey! Who are you there!" he tenses seeing Yuji, Megumi, Eito, and Daichi rush over to see him. "Uh oh.." he said but he tries to run only for Totality to show up growling at him. He yelps falling back for the guys to surround Mineta. "Uhhhhhh morning gentlemen." he said.

"Who the hell are you? Why are you in the school grounds?" Megumi asked but mineta sits up nervous holding his backpack.

"I..I'm just..passing through.." he said nervous but was scared. "I'll just...be on my way if that's fine!" he said quickly trying to run but Yuji catches him but quickly yanks his mask off to see Mineta!

"YOU!!" the guys said with Eito squawking at him angry.

"Oh hell no! What are you doing here!?" he said angry to drop him.

"Look I can explain! I'm not doing anything wrong!" he said nervous.

"Then what's in the bag?" Megumi said glaring at him. "Yeah! What do you have!?" Kisho said. Before Mineta could answer....

"WHAT THE HELL!? SOMEONE STOLE MY BRAS AND PANTIES!" Nobara shouts from the girls dorm when getting ready.

"HEY MINE ARE GONE TOO!!" Maki said angry.

"G..GIRLS!! SOMEONE STOLE MY BRA AND PANTIES TOO!!" Miko said crying.

"ME AS WELL! WHAT THE HECK!?" Yuria said.

"AND ME TOO! MY PANTIES ARE GONE AGAIN!!!!"Taz cries out. The boys looks to the hear that then slowly glares at Mineta who sweats.

"....YOU STOLE FROM MY SISTER AND MY FRIENDS AGAIN!!!" Yuji shouted that Mineta kicks him and begins running away screaming.

"HEY GET BACK HERE!!" Kisho shouted as the boys quickly rushes to try catching him.

"NOOOOOOO!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~

"After we found out, the guys along with Nobara came alone to try catching him. I ended up throwing cars and things to crush him and Sukuna helped. But that is what lead to us getting to the UA that day. Stupid brat being a pervert." he said mad.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Rage Fire Institution

Finalising. 40.

Tatsumi had gone and done it now. He’d told himself he would be stronger. Would be the more mature one. That he wouldn’t keep being strung along by Maki’s pace. That he wouldn’t be swept up in his own developing feelings for an alpha who’d leave anyway. Then Maki had kissed him. Maki had kissed him and he’d been captured by the alpha and his clumsy form of confession. All his energy should have been being used on the competition, yet… Yet despite being a mess, crippled with a migraine, and stuck talking Maki who kept on pushing him, he’d slicked as they kissed. Maki’s lips as soft and warm as his soul. If he hadn’t sent Maki away from him it would have been too easy to let himself fall right into the bed with the alpha.

Showering and dressing, Tatsumi didn’t want to face the day. He and Maki had agreed to talk it slow, yet now came the added burden of guilt. Until the competition had finished, he’d have to keep the pheromone therapy to himself and he’d have to leave Maki alone while he went through his estrus. Then would come the end of the end of the year and the rush to get everything organised in time, as well as figuring how to work Maki into his life without upsetting him by not using his pheromones. He didn’t know what he was going to tell the alpha, nor how he was supposed to face him now that they’d progressed to this point. Tatsumi still firmly believing that there was a high probability that with time Maki would find him not all that appealing.

With too many things on his mind, Tatsumi headed to the running track. Maki had said he was alright with keeping what had happened a secret between the two of them, yet, with any secret, there was always a chance someone would slip up. Until knew what way this new direction in their relationship was going, Tatsumi wouldn’t tell his closest friends. There was no point in sharing the development if it didn’t work out and everything fell apart before the competition. Once the competition was done, he’d have to sit down with Suzu and confess his secret. Skylark couldn’t be told at all, lest he be stuck in the awkward position of Maki winding up in the principal’s office again due to allegations. If Skylark knew then plausible deniability went out the window and he could even lose his job given he was the one hell bent on Tatsumi being at the institution.

Finding his pilots waiting for him, Tatsumi straightened his back. He couldn’t let a little thing like suddenly finding himself in love with Maki throw out everyone’s training regime… Even if he’d acted totally embarrassing and emotional the night before. Ugh. He’d shown Maki such an uncool side of himself. And Maki had been far bolder about it all than he thought he’d be, in his cute clumsy way.

“Good morning, guys. Who’s ready to run?”

Met with all three of his pilots groaning, Tatsumi snorted as he tried not to make eye contact with Maki. He didn’t want Maki suddenly asking if he was alright, and he definitely didn’t want to show favouritism

“Don’t be like that, you’ve got 12 days left and I’m not about to let up. Stretches first. You know how it goes guys. First one to 5kms this morning wins the prize”

Stella rubbed her hands together trying to get warm

“Is it a day away from dumb and dumber here? I could use a day away with intelligent people”

Anthony rolled his eyes

“If anything we could use a day away from you”

“Me? I’m wonderful”

“It’s too early to be this delusional. Tats is probably going to make whoever wins talk at the school assembly. By all means take first place at that”

“Nope. My job is to be the best and the best looking. I didn’t sign up for public speaking. I’ll sit down here and protest if I have to”

“We have to talk at the school assembly?”

Maki sounded mortified. Tatsumi covering his mouth to hide his smile, as Stella and Anthony crowded in on the alpha

“Don’t you know? We have to give a big long speech about we’re so fortunate and blessed to go here and what this competition means to us. Actually, they’re probably going to ask you seeing you’re the second year taking on the big leagues. A lot of important people will be there and other schools have been known to send spies in the past, you know, because they want to know your battle techniques. It has to be at least ten minutes too. And you totally get chewed out if you make a mistake”

Anthony had tried too hard to sell it. Maki shoving him off him

“I know that’s a load of shit”

Anthony glared at his friend

“Hey, man. I’m just trying to give you the heads up”

“Tatsumi would have already. You had me going at first, but you talk too much, and Tatsumi’s smiling so I know you’re trying to mess with me. Can we start now? My balls are freezing”

Anthony threw up his hands

“I liked it better when you two were fighting. Fine, fine. First one who finishes wins the prize”

Acting casual, the alpha turned on the spot and took off running, both Maki and Stella only needing half a moment before chasing after him. Tatsumi was glad that Maki had managed to make friends with the pair of them, yet he was sure that until the competition every day was going to be a lesson in patience.

***

Maki had the weekend on his mind. Tatsumi was giving them weekend off as it was their free Sunday and had noticed since his announcement of “the prize” that Maki had his head in the clouds. In reality the omega had only given them the two days off as he intended to go home for the weekend and spend some quality time with his mother. While he found Maki’s daydreaming kind of adorable, it wasn’t so adorable when they still had an afternoon of training left. Maki had tripped over his own feet trying to shape his barrier, and then barrelled into Stella when she’d helped him up. He’d told Maki that his training had to come first and now the idiot alpha had seemed to forget even the most basic of mech movement was to remain upright. Tatsumi ready to start yelling just as his own thoughts hit him. Maki was his idiot alpha. Technically neither had asked each other out, but he couldn’t deny they’d kissed… meaning… he had a boyfriend.

Groaning to himself, Tatsumi couldn’t take it any longer as Maki let himself be caught by Anthony. A drop in the alpha’s performance affected the team and both Stella and Anthony would be asking questions if Maki didn’t get his act together. It was still half an hour early for lunch, and while it pained him to lose half an hour training time, he had to deal with Maki sooner rather than later.

Blowing his whistle, the omega brought the three mechs to stop. He’d skipped getting in the TC in order to watch from ground level, and sorely regretted it as the three mechs looked down on him. He wouldn’t have put it past any of them to pull some dumb prank like picking him up just because they could

“We’re breaking for lunch. Stella, Anthony, you two go ahead. Mister Sato and I need to have a word. We’ll meet back here at 1pm. I’m locking the door so if you’re late you’re excluded from this afternoon’s training”

On the comms both Stella and Anthony teased Maki, Maki telling them both to piss off in a huffy tone, still, Tatsumi could hear the small amount of joy from his alpha at the idea of being alone with him. Waiting patiently for his students to climb out their mechs, Stella patted Maki on the back

“Try not to take it too personally. Tats is mean because he cares”

Yeah. Maki was taking it personally, smiling once Anthony and Stella had their backs towards him. Tatsumi biting down sighing. He got that Maki wanted to be excited, but he also wanted to shake him within an inch of his life and tell him to grow up. Still, a good boyfriend wouldn’t do that, no matter how tempting. Waiting until the two other pilots had left, Tatsumi pinched the bridge of his nose. He was not going to get swept up again. He had a job to do and smiling cutely wasn’t going to make Maki a better pilot

“Do you think maybe you can tone it down?”

“Tone what down?”

Maki sounded confused. Tatsumi was confused over how a man with such a sharp mind hadn’t automatically realised what he meant, explaining bluntly

“The day dreaming. I can tell your mind’s on the weekend and it’s affecting your performance. I wouldn’t have told you this morning if I’d known it would affect you this much”

Dropping his hand, Tatsumi raised his gaze to his alpha. Maki looked mildly upset… making him feel like an arsehole that had kicked a puppy. God. He was weak for that look. He wanted to ruffle Maki’s hair and tell him it was alright, and that he just needed to focus a bit more, but that wouldn’t get through the same message. Bring his hand up, the alpha scrubbed at his face

“I fucked up a bit”

Ugh. He really was weak. There he was, the mature older adult with enough experience to lay Maki out flat, and all he could think was he was sorry for making the man feel incompetent

“It was more than a bit. I know you’re excited, but we need to keep it professional during training. Stella and Anthony would have noticed too that your mind is elsewhere”

Maki huffed at him. He knew that huff. That huff was Mami’s trademark huff when he was blamed for something he felt unjust towards him

“It’s not my fault”

Given Maki had kissed him first, Tatsumi could only snort out a laugh

“I’m pretty sure it is. Of course, I’m only assuming it’s related to the weekend, if it’s not, then I’m sorry”

Relenting, the alpha looked down to the floor, now reduced to mumbling

“No. No. It is… I… This is totally embarrassing. I don’t know how to look at you now”

Ah. The same problem Tatsumi had faced that morning. An imposing alpha shouldn’t be this damn cute

“If it counts, I didn’t know how to look at you either…”

“See! So you get it! I didn’t think it would be this hard…”

Tatsumi was pretty certain Maki it meant it in a good way. That he was trying to contain himself for both their sakes, yet the little voices in his head latched on to the slight chance that maybe his alpha had reconsidered. He wasn’t exactly anything special, no more special than any other omega out there. The omega’s stomach knotted at the thought that Maki may have spent the night seriously regretting what had happened and didn’t know how to tell him

“So you don’t want to look at me?”

Maki quickly shook his head, yelling turning to an embarrassed mumble

“No! I like too much… I know I need to train but I can’t keep my head in the game when you’re right there. I didn’t even get the chance to ask if you’re feeling better or if you’re okay, and I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it in front of the others. Then you mentioned this weekend and I thought maybe you didn’t want to see me, then I was wondering if you did and if you did if we should do something. I don’t know what to do. How do people like people this much?”

Sighing, Tatsumi pinched the bridge of his nose again. He didn’t know the answer to that either and Maki being frank about his feelings made it hard to be mad

“Alright. Okay. Yes, I’m alright. No headache so far. Yes, your performance today had been absolutely abysmal but I do take responsibility for that. And about the weekend, I’m going to see Eve Friday night, then come back late on Sunday. For now we need to get you focused again”

“How can I focus when I feel like we still have a lot to work out? I’m serious here, I can’t fuck this up now”

“Alright. Different approach time. You said you can’t stop thinking about me, then think about me. Put on a performance that you think will make me proud. You alphas love your pride. So this afternoon I want you to act like you’re not just piloting, but your piloting to show off to me without actually showing off”

No. The omega had absolutely no idea if that would work, but he couldn’t get into Maki’s mech and pilot for him. Maki had to develop his own technique. His alpha nodding once he’d finished talking

“That’d be better than falling over. God, why couldn’t you be ugly? Or be a total arsehole?”

“I’m sure plenty of people find an omega this tall unappealing”

“As long as they find you unappealing that’s not a problem for me. How are you so calm? I’m freaking out over here”

Dropping his hand again, Tatsumi moved closer to his alpha. Taking Maki’s hand, he placed it on his chest

“I’m not calm. I’m freaking out too. I need you to be ready for the competition and I know you’re off today. This continuing was what I was worried about”

“I’ll do better. I don’t think I could do any worse”

Tatsumi snorted

“No. I mean you could, but for both our sakes don’t. I’ll mech up after lunch. You need to eat”

“So do you. Man, I feel so uncool right now. I totally want to kiss you again”

“Let’s save that for later. If you manage not to fall over for the rest of the day, I’ll kiss you”

Maki pouted at him adorably. Tatsumi trying not to show how much the idea of kissing him panicked him. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to, but to want to was the scary bit when he was terrified that it’d all end in a mess

“That feels like bribery”

“I’m not above bribery if it means you don’t trip. Everyone has off days, we’ll just let the others think that”

“Okay… but… one more thing before food, can I see you on the weekend? I want to talk to you more”

So Maki could take a clue, Tatsumi turning to leave, airily saying and daring not to look back as he headed towards the door

“I’ll be with Eve all weekend, and I’m starving”

His alpha taking until he reached the door to call out of after him

“Wait?! Is that a yes?! Tatsumi, is that a yes?”

[iisasarcasticlittleshite]

Iwaizumi x GN Reader drabble

Iwaizumi lets kids beat him in an arm-wrestling match. This was also suggested by a commenter over on AO3 and too dang cute not to write! Tried to keep it as GN neutral as possible, no pronouns mentioned

Iwaizumi lets kids beat him at arm-wrestling. It's not something many knew about him, even those that had been his friends for years would doubt your stories unless they saw it with their own eyes.

So far, you and Tooru have been the only ones with the honour. Maki and Mattsun are convinced you're both running some elaborate ruse, because there is no way that ruthless bastard lets anyone win. They played volleyball with the guy, they would know.

It's not until they come to visit your family home in your absence that they get to see it for themselves.

Hajime leads his friends into the living room, it's a summer barbeque and they just happen to be the first to arrive.

'(Y/N)'s just gone out to get some stuff we forgot, should be back any minute.' He explained, about to ask if they wanted a drink as they continued into the garden, when his eldest son came barreling into the room, his favourite toy robot in one hand.

'Papa papa papa papa!'

Hajime can't help but smile as the boy crashes into his thigh in his rush, absolutely bursting with energy. 'Bud, have you said hi yet?'

Sheepishly, the boy waves his non-robot hand up at the two adults. 'Hi uncle Mattsun and uncle Maki!'

'Woah, when did you get so tall?' Mattsun teases gently. 'You'll be taller than your dad next time I see you!'

Giggling at his father's disgruntled face, the boy declares loudly. 'Papa! Arm wrestle!'

Iwaizumi is in full dad mode and doesn't give a crap that his friends are watching. He groans dramatically. 'Already?! My arm's still sore from when your sister beat me last week!'

Said sister is three, currently napping in her room because she can't bring herself to stay awake as long as the sun is up. Hajime is convinced she got that from you.

Just like your son got that cheeky eye-roll move. 'You'll live.'

Maki cackled, smacking Mattsun's shoulder. 'Dude, he sounds just like (Y/N)!'

'Tell me about it.' Iwaizumi huffed, allowing the boy to drag him to the coffee table. 'Fine, but I'm gonna beat you this time!'

Delighted giggles leave your son's lips as he drags his father to their usual battleground. You walk through the front door just in time to watch your little boy's chubby little fist plant his father's hand against the table, right before his former teammate's eyes.

'I won! I won! Mimi I won again!' Your son cries, zooming around the living room in delight. Your parental instincts catch the rogue glass he nearly knocks off the TV stand before it can hit the ground, managing to stay upright with the wine box balanced against your hip when he barrels into you to hug you before racing off again, screaming.

'Ladies and gentlemen, hurricane Iwaizumi had left the building.' You declared dryly, setting the glass down somewhere safer before realising that Mattsun and Maki are gaping at your husband, who's stood up to take the heavy stuff off your hands. 'What's up with you two? Never seen a six-year-old on a warpath?'

'He... he let him win.' Maki mutters quietly, shock painting his features. 'He freaking let him win!'

Hajime returns from the kitchen, having set down your shopping before you'd even realised he's taken it from you, wrapped both arms around your waist and set his chin on your shoulder, wearing a smug grin. 'If your consolation prize was this smokin' hot, wouldn't you? Besides, I didn't let 'im win, he's got good genes is all.'

'Oh hush!' You huff exasperatedly but do nothing to free yourself from your loving husband's arms, grinning smugly at your friends, declaring without words, that you'd told them so.

[geminiamethyst]

Limitless. Chapter 25: The Fun Fair

Chapter 1: click HERE

Chapter 24: click HERE

Chapter 26: click HERE

Maki looked up at the scene in front of her. The bright lights shined down on her and Kaito as the sound of screams and laughter filled the air. Spinning rides, a small rollercoaster, a Ferris wheel, a helter skelter, bumper cars and many other rides were the source of the bright lights. Many stalls were also set up, half selling food and drink or housing games to play. The faint smell of food made itself known to Maki's nostrils, reminding her a little but that she was starting to get hungry. She didn't know if Kaito was going to treat her to a meal or not, so she took a risk in not having something to eat back at the apartment. She didn't have much of a chance to eat anyway, since the girls took their time to get her makeover looking perfect. People were on the rides and queuing up to get on them. They also waited to play games and get food and drinks. People came in and out of the illuminated gateway. There wasn't that many people, probably because it was a school night and they didn't want to stay out too late.

"A fun fair? Seriously?" Maki asked, looking up at Kaito.

"Well, yeah! What better place to have fun than at a fun fair?" Kaito grinned like an idiot. Maki looked back up at the fun fair. Kaito's grin vanished as he watched her shift with uncertainty. Maybe this was too soon for her. "If you don't want to be here, I had other places in mind. I don't want to make you uncomfortable tonight." Maki was glad that Kaito was giving her a choice, something that was rare for her to be given by anyone. She couldn't remember the last time that she had been to a fun fair to enjoy herself. The only times that she ever went to the fun fair was to do a hit for her job. However, that was the past. She didn't have weapons, or intentions to use her powers to hurt people. And she was with Kaito, someone that she started to consider a friend. He did whatever he could to make her feel welcome and like she belonged somewhere. He went out of his way to celebrate her birthday and do his best to make it as fun as possible for her. He was making sure that Maki was herself, with no mentioning of her past and what she was. Maybe...she'll give this a chance. And if she didn't like it, Kaito said that he had other places in mind for her.

"I'll...I'll give it a try. Just don't be too disappointed if I don't feel comfortable or want to leave early." Maki finally said after taking a deep breath. Kaito smiled again. At least she's giving the fun fair a chance. Wrapping an arm around her, he carefully led her to it. After paying the fees, they went in. Maki eyed at everything around her, as if she had stepped onto another world. Some of the rides she had recognised before she was locked away. Others however, she didn't even know had existed or could be made. Times had changed, the outside has changed. While time had been frozen in the Facility to her, the world kept on spinning. It felt so alien to her. She just felt glad that Kaito was next to her to help her out if she needed it.

After asking Maki for what she wanted, Kaito got them both some hot drinks to have before they got on any of the rides. A tea for Maki and a coffee for Kaito. Kaito wanted to see if Maki was comfortable and give her a chance to look around first. That way, if Maki wasn't comfortable, they could leave without having any problems. However, a game caught Kaito's eye as he handed Maki her drink. It had large buckets tilted at an angle and various plushie animals hanging on the wall at the back. Gesturing for Maki to follow him, Kaito went up to it. He knew that it was rigged, but he still wanted to give it a go.

"Hey, could I have a go please?" He asked, grabbing the attendant's attention

"Sure, kid!" The attendant smiled, probably excited for another person to fail at this game. After Kaito paid for a game, he was given two balls that were quite heavy. "Get both balls into the bucket and you win a prize." As Maki held his drink, Kaito weighed one of the balls in his hand. When he was sure that he got it right, he threw them ball into the bucket. However, he seemed to have put too much force into it. The ball went in, however it bounced right out of it since the bucket was at an angle. Wondering if he might get a small prize, Kaito tried again with the second ball. However, the throw was too weak, making the ball bounce on the floor.

"Damn it. Oh well, these things are always rigged anyway." Kaito hissed, ready to go for something else.

"Try again." Maki whispered, causing him to stop in his tracks. Kaito looked at Maki questioningly. "Try again." Kaito wasn't sure, but he decided to humour Maki a bit. Maybe one more try won't hurt.

"Hey, could I have another try please." He said, getting out his money again.

"Of course." The attendant smiled, greedily taking Kaito's money. Sighing a little out of determination, Kaito threw the ball again. Like the first time, the ball went in the bucket and looked like it was about to bounce out of it again. However, before it reached the edge, it was like something had stopped it. It rested at the bottom of the bucket, causing the attendant to whip around in surprise. Kaito looked at Maki. Was she using her powers? Just to be sure, Kaito threw the second ball with the same amount of power that he gave the first. It just wanted to make sure. Again, just as the ball looked like it was about to bounce right out, an invisible force stopped it. It rested at the bottom of the bucket with the first one.

"I believe that I'm owed a prize." Kaito smirked, just able to hold back a laugh as he looked at the baffled look on the attendant's face.

"Oh...um...yes...take your pick, kid." The attendant said, just barely able to get the words out. Kaito scanned the wall carefully. He wanted to pick out a good one.

"I'll take the cheetah." He said, pointing at the said plush. The attendant hesitantly grabbed it and passed it over to Kaito. Kaito smiled gratefully as he and Maki walked away, Maki giving him back his hot drink. When they were far enough away from the stall, Kaito suddenly offered it out to Maki.

"I know what you did. Besides, I was trying to win it for you anyway. Happy birthday." Kaito grinned as Maki looked confusingly at the toy. He wanted to win it for her? That was...really sweet of him to do that. As far back as she could remember, no one had ever done that for her before.

"You didn't have to do that." Maki said, looking up at Kaito

"I know, but it's the thought that counts right?" Kaito shrugged, still holding out the plushie for Maki. After a moment's hesitation, Maki gently plucked the plushie from Kaito. As Kaito carefully took her drink from her, she looked down at the plushie's cute little face, it's stitched in black and yellow eyes looking back at her, as she felt how soft the fur was. She couldn't remember the last time she had a toy to play with, or if she ever had one. Feeling an uncontrollable urge, she held it close to her chest and gave it a tight hug. She was unable to hold back a smile. It was small, but noticeable. Kaito smiled himself. This was the first time that he had ever seen her smile. Maki was finally starting to be more like herself. Her old self. The person she was long before she became an assassin.

"Come on. Let's pick out a ride to go on after we've had our drinks. Your choice." Kaito smiled as Maki loosened her hug on the plushie. After passing her drink back to her, he continued to walk Maki around the fun fair.

"Okay." Maki said, still holding the plushie close to her like it was a lifeline for her.

"Just don't pick the Ghost Train." Kaito grumbled, suddenly spotting the dreaded ride that he knows that he won't like.

"Why?" Maki asked, her eyebrow arching in confusion.

"Ghosts and I don't mix." Kaito grumbled again, rubbing the back of his neck. He suddenly heard something. Something highpitched and very close to him. He looked down, seeing Maki burying her face into the plush cheetah. She was shaking a little, but it wasn't from the cold. Was she...? "Maki Roll? Are you...laughing?" Maki's head snapped up in surprise as Kaito asked that. Her cheeks went a light shade of pink. She suddenly sped on ahead of Kaito. "Hey, where are you-Maki!" Kaito sped up his walking to keep up with Maki. As he did so though, he couldn't help, but laugh himself. He hoped to see Maki smile or laugh tonight. Getting both was a blessing in itself. Maki was finally more like a normal girl, not a weapon that the demons in human skin made her to be. And that was all that mattered to Kaito at this moment.

[weeb-writor]

Babysitting Aizawa’s 6... no 10 Nieces and Nephews

Hey There! Today we have the second part to the Aizawa fic I posted a few days ago! It can act as a stand alone so don't worry if you haven't read the first one! Ill try to post it here but I'm new at this. Also isn't much Shouta x you in this, just domestic fluff! More a set up for the loving in the next work, I hope you'll still read it anyway. Reader is neutral and I hope you all enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aizawa Shouta x Reader

Aizawa’s mom goes into the hospital for an emergency surgery and all his siblings turn to you to watch their kids, but you don't remember there names let alone their kids.

Words: 2610

Part One  Part Two  Part Three  Part Four  Part Five

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You look a bit of mess currently. You were sitting at home in your pj’s with about 20 pictures scattered around you and 20 pieces of paper. You looked like one of those crazy conspiracies theorists. When in reality you were only trying to learn your boyfriend's family’s names and likes, in preparation for Christmas of course. It was not going so well all you could remember was Saika was the eldest sister but which sister was she exactly? You looked between the two pictures on the table. None of the Aizawa’s age so that didn’t give away and you couldn’t remember if she had the long hair or the bob. 

“God help me.” You mumbled with a sigh as you threw your head back. By some great miracle a phone call pulled you from the task. Surprised to see it was Aizawa you picked it up with a smile.

“Hey baby.” He said

“What’s up love? Aren’t you in class?” You said a tiny bit concerned.

“Should be but my mom’s going in for some emergency surgery, so me and my family are going up there.” 

“Oh, are you alright?? Do you want me to come?” You rushed out to him

“No, and I’m fine. It’s a fairly low risk surgery from what I’m told. There is of course something you could do for me.” He said lowly

“And that would be?” 

“My siblings need someone to watch their gremlins and I had the perfect person in mind.” He said with a light chuckle. You knew right away who this mysterious person was. Part of you wanted to say no because it was a lot of young kids but the other part of you knew you were gonna say yes.  Even if he didnt say so, Aizawa was worried and he didn’t need to be stuck watching the kids, none of them did.

“Yes, of course! Tell your siblings to bring them to my place. I got a few toys from babysitting years ago.” You said getting up to get ready.

“You're a lifesaver.” He said fondly

“Says the hero, I love you babe, everything is gonna be fine and of course be safe.” You told him

“Love you more, kitty cat. You’ll be great, see you when I get home.” He said hanging up. Well now you were panicking. How many kids were there again? What about their parents? You couldn’t even remember their names. How are you supposed to greet them? Holy shit what did you get yourself into is all you could think as you rushed to clean your house. You were barely finished when the first knock came, you opened the door with a small smile.

“L/N!” A tall black haired man said. He looked like Shouta no doubt but he had an undercut and was taller.

“Please call me Y/N.” You smiled at him.

“Aww, you're too sweet! Seriously, how did Shouta end up with you?! Anyway, This is Haru and Jun, they are gonna be good little boys for you, right?” He paused as the boys nodded. “Thank you so much we should all be back to pick the kids at 10!” He said as he started to leave. You waved him off and showed the boys in.

“Alright! So I’ve got a few toys and I think i've got all the cartoon channels. I want to make sure we get all your cousins here first before we do something really fun.” You said to the little boys who immediately went to sit on your couch and watch the cartoons that were playing. You let out a huge sigh of relief. It was done prematurely as a knock at the door was heard. You opened it to reveal his two sisters which was which you didn't know.

“L/N you sweet little lifesaver! This is the rest of them except Rei, Daisuke, and Maki. They all walk together from school, we let them know to come here so don't worry about walking to go get them. Also, only two of them are still in diapers so you should be fine! Thank you so much, love.” The shorter one rushed out before she left, pulling her sister with her. You looked done at the baby that had somehow got into your hands.  Alright this one was obviously in diapers, the one grasping on to your pant leg barely standing up was probably the other one in diapers. Okay you were now surrounded by um.. 6 six kids, maybe more you weren't sure. 

“Okay, now that we're all here, wanna play a game? It's really fun I promise.” You said with a cute little smile but you were lying. You only wanted them to introduce themselves and say who their parents were. You had no idea how to make it fun.

“What kind of game?” A little girl asked, wait you knew this one! She was the only young girl when you first met all the siblings, it was Nozomi, right?

“A umm…. A… A scavenger hunt! Yeah! We're all gonna introduce ourselves and then get into groups by who your Mama's and Papa’s are and see who can find all the treasures first! Whoever wins gets a super cool prize.” You said hoping they didn't ask too many questions about the game you just made up. Which they didn't they all were giggling and saying incoherent things excited to play.

“We’ll go first since we're the oldest. Im Haru.” The tallest one with his hair pulled back into a ponytail said. “I is Jun! Our papa is Shiori! Can we play now??” The cute little blonde one said. Okay 2 down, Tall and hair pulled back is Haru, Small and blonde is Jun, they are both Shiori kids. 

“Oh us next, us next! I'm Tetsuya, that's Umi, my lil sister, and Yukio is the one on your pants. My mama is Shizumi!” The boy said. He was a cute pudgy boy with black hair that covered his eyes. Umi, the little girl had her dark blue hair in two pigtails on top of her head.  Lastly the little boy holding on to your pants also had black hair but it was super curly.

“L/N, Oni-chans at school and Taiyo is too small.” Nozomi said with teary eyes. Okay so the one in your hand is Taiyo, another one of Saika kids. Okay you got this. You made it through all 7 kids, you would worry about the 3 at school later.

“Its alright me and you can be a team okay?” You said as she beamed up at you nodding. Alright with that you went to place the sleeping Taiyo on your bed. You left the door open so you could hear if he started to cry or moved around too much. You took a sheet and made a makeshift sling for… Yukio, right! 

“Okay so there are 3 hidden treasures around the house! One is a pink treasure chest filled with jewelry and prizes. The other is a huge blue fluffy whale, be careful it may bite! Lastly, there are 2 little lions wandering sound, we gotta catch. I'm gonna get you guys nets of course! First one to get all of these things and show me them gets a super cool prize!” You said as they erupted into cute tiny roars!

“Okay here are your nets! May the best team win!” You smiled at them as they took off. You felt a little bad for the Aizawa cats you had just set up to be chased but something told you they wouldn't mind. They were always so attention hungry this would probably please them.

“Okay then, lets go Nozomi!” You said grasping the young girl's hand. You knew where everything was of course so you just followed her around. Only helping her when you heard kids getting close to the hiding spots or helping her try to catch the cat. You guys had been playing for about an hour now, only needing to catch the cats who caught onto the game and were running for their lives.

“Kitty cat c’mere!” Jun said as he chased the gray cat around.

“Yeah! We jus wanna win.” Haru said following his brother. You laughed as the cat gently pawed at boys. Now that you were thinking about it there were so many boys in this family. Only 5 girls out of all these boys, Aizawa’s genes were strong for boys. You didn't get long to think before you saw a flash and heard a camera click. You turned to see 3 older children one with a camera.

“Oh man, Uncle Shouta is gonna be so happy.” The girl said with a smile. She looked to be about 12 and was blonde, if you had to guess she was Jun and Harus’s older sister. There were two boys next her one was probably the oldest of all the kids.

“Sorry for letting ourselves in, we were just knocking for a while and you didn't answer.” The older one said as they bowed.

“No no it's quite alright! Sorry for not answering, my hands are a little full!” You said as you had Taiyo still slung around your back and Umi squirming in your hands. 

“Yeah, we can see that!”

“Daisuke! Rei! We gotta catch the kitties so I can win a prize.” Nozomi said, rushing off to her brothers. You made a mental note of who was who.

“Oh no problem! Uncle sho’s cats are easy to catch.” Rei said and he was right, you just had to know how. He went over to the counter and got the cat treats and sprinkled a few on the floor. The cats came running and began eating as fast as they could. He then took the blanket/net and put it over the 2 cats and picked them up, they compiled so easily it was almost comical.

“Oh! Yay! I wins right?? I get the prize!” She said dancing around you.

“Yes you do! I should go get dinner ready but you can pick anything you want to take home.” You said booping her nose. She did a little gig before taking off like she knew what wanted.

“Alright, who wants to help with dinner!” You called to the kids you roared with agreement, racing to the kitchen

“Oh you three would you mind helping and introducing yourselves?” You asked as you took out a few different ingredients.

“Oh yeah! No problem! Im Daisuke, the eldest of all the Aizawa’s cousins. First year in high school actually! This is my little brother Rei, he is a middle schooler. Then the girl snapping pictures is Maki-chan she’s the closest to my age! Oh, Saika is my mom and uncle Shiori is Maki’s dad. What can we do to help out.” He said with a smile.

“I think they said introduce yourself but whatever.” Maki mumbled kind of chest fallen. You only laughed and pointed out what they could do while you helped the kids and before long boom, dinner was done. You might have to convince Aizawa to have kids soon cause they were actually helpful. You all set the table and sat down to eat, almost forgetting about Nozomi.

“Can I have this!” She rushed to you holding a black cat plushie that had red eyes. Aizawa had given it to you when he went on a mission that pulled him from home for a month. You gave a small smile to her.

“Of course! I said you could have anything you wanted, I meant it. Let's eat right now then you can go snuggle and lay down.” You said moving to pick her up and help her to the table. Your table of course wasn't big enough so the big kids were in the living room, the younger kids ate with you and the babies you fed first were now napping. You let out a breath, it was 7:30. They should be done by 10:00 at the latest and the younger kids would be asleep by 8:30, so you could say you had this in the bag. Dinner was peaceful to your surprise and now you were all washing up and laying down on the makeshift beds you made in the living room. Maki was taking pictures as you had put all the younger children into your shirts, it was quite a sight to behold.

“Alright everyone lay down!” You yelled as you grabbed the youngest and began rocking him back and forth. 

“We is ready” Umi said as she snuggled into her blankets

“Ready for what?” You asked cautiously.

“When we visit uncle Sho’ta he tells us ‘tories at nighty time.” Tetsuya slurred to you.

“Oh, okay then…. Um. Once upon a time there was a pretty Pink cat, who lived in a kingdom full of all kinds of cats. One day he got curious and left the safety of his kingdom. He went into a forest and everything was fine until he bumped into a big huge black wolf. He wanted to run back into the safety of his kingdom but the icy glare of the wolf kept him still. The wolf slowly opened its jaws…. Showing off its rows of bone crushing smile. The pink cat thought it was over for him until the Wolf smiled at him. ‘Your a little far from home, huh? Its okay I get lost sometimes! I can take you home.’ The wolf said, her tail starting to wag. The cat didn't know what made him say yes but he did. He continued to say yes time and time again, long after they had become friends. He said yes so many times to the cat he thought he might run out of yes’s to give. But when the wolf asked him to leave the safety of his kingdom behind and run around the world with him, though it frightened him. He said yes again without hesitation. And that's how the pretty pink cat learned to fly.” You said, it was a cheesy story with no real plot but it worked. You looked around to see everyone sleeping even the bigger kids. You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. You looked at the lot one more time before you went to work on something you had been meaning to all day. You continued to work on it even as 10 o’clock hit and you said goodbye to the kids one by one. Only stopping when a familiar set of hands wrapped around your waist. 

“What’s this, kitty?” Aizawa asked as he kissed your neck sweetly.

“Ahh, nothing much! Just a family tree with pictures and the things about your family.” You said as you stated proudly at your work.

“Oh that's sweet. I saw the pictures Maki took and that you let Nozomi have your cat, I know it was special to you.” He said nuzzling further into your chest.

“It's fine, I told her she could have anything and to be honest, I'm wrapped around every single last one of them’s thumb and I would do anything for them so it really was nothing.” You said playing with his hands.

“God, I love you, how did I end up with you? I mean god I just love you. Let's get in bed. I wanna cuddle you, Right. Now.” He said turning you around and picking you up.

“Yes, sir.” You said clinging to him like a koala.

“Oh and babe, you got Shizumi and Saika mixed up.” He said into your hair.

“GOD DAMMIT”

[koganegawasimp]

Hi! I saw that you were taking hq requests! So can I request some pumpkin picking/carving with the seijoh 3rd years? Separate or as a big friend group is fine! Whatever you’re more comfortable with!🤍🤍

So I tried writing this so many times and I kept accidentally making this into poly headcanons dbsbdbsdbs (that being said please send me poly Seijoh third year requests I love them so much) and I tried to write this as like...what they would do as like a group friend outing but with smaller sections of headcanons about how they would be individually?? I hope you enjoy!!

Word Count: around 1300

Gender Neutral Reader

First of all, Oikawa is definitely the one who convinced dragged everyone to go pumpkin picking

Oikawa: “Come on it’ll be super fun and we can all spend time together :D!”

Iwa: >:/

You definitely all carpool there, with Oikawa and Hanamaki singing along to the radio as loudly and off key as possible until Iwa yells at them to shut up

Once you all get to the pumpkin farm, Mattsun and Maki just zoom straight to the pumpkins the second you’re parked (they’re both determined to get the weirdest looking pumpkin there)

They definitely try to make you laughs by holding up all the oddly shaped pumpkins and making weird faces

“Hey look this one is kind of shaped like a snail” “oh yeah? Well this one looks like a blobfish” “this one looks like a di-“

Hanamaki uses the goofiest Halloween themed pick up lines and puns on you to try and make you smile. Matsukawa spends the whole time jokingly booing him (haha booing because like ghosts and Halloween get it haha)

Maki: “I can't find a Halloween costume, can I just go as your boyfriend?”

Mattsun: “BOOOOO”

Iwa is also trying to keep his eye on everyone else because they’re literally all over the place and he doesn’t want to have to go looking for everyone later

The whole time, Oikawa is running around trying to take nice pictures of everyone (I feel like he’s that friend who’s constantly taking candid photos of everyone whenever he’s hanging out with his friends??)

He would also spend wayyy too much time trying to take a bunch of group pictures with all of you included but every time someone takes the picture someone’s looking the wrong way or making a weird face or he decides that he doesn’t like the pose, and everyone kind of grumbles about it but they indulge him because they all know that he just wants a nice group photo of all of you together and happy 🥺🥺🥺

He would take SO many pictures of you, like he’d obviously take the cute sweet ones but he’d also take so many goofy candids and selfies with stupid filters too

If there are any kinds of games or activities there, Maki and Mattsun are definitely trying to rope everyone in to play them

If you get dragged into it they 100% spend the whole time goofing around and trying to make a big joke out of it all! They’re just trying to make everyone else laugh fjbdfjjfdfjdf

Matsukawa absolutely tries to win you a prize at one of the games 🥺🥺 he probably goes apple bobbing (even though that’s kind of gross as fuck) to win you a little stuffed animal or something fjsbfbbsbfdn

Chances are Iwaizumi ends up having to carry pumpkins for at least one other person and he pretends to be annoyed but he really doesn’t mind that much

(Ok so like now these are the individual headcanons, these are all character x reader relationship headcanons I know the formatting is kind of weird)

OIKAWA

Oikawa definitely wants to try and find the prettiest and smoothest pumpkins there

He’s sooo excited by all this and the autumn *vibes* that he’s practically glowing nffnfbfdnnf

He’s also convinced that he’s waaay better at picking out pumpkins than he actually is so he’s constantly butting in and trying to give you advice

I also think he would love those really tiny decorative pumpkins that fit in your hand so he would absolutely get like five of those (“one for each of us!”)

He probably made you dress up in a matching outfit with him or something snsbdbdbfd

He insists that you have to hold hands “to keep you warm” (but he really just wants to be close to you)

He would probably whine until you carried his pumpkin for him but he promises to repay you later with some hot chocolate

IWAIZUMI

Iwaizumi (basically the only practical one) is looking for one that’s pretty big and relatively smooth without being too heavy to carry

He’s the one who would give you actual helpful advice about picking out a pumpkin, and genuinely wants to help you

He would also offer to carry your pumpkin no matter how heavy it is 🥺🥺

If the weather is on the chillier side he would offer you his jacket to make sure you stay warm and to keep you from getting sick

He thinks you look so cute when you’re picking out a pumpkin so he’s just looking at you with the softest facial expression and the sweetest smile the whole time

He can’t hold your hand because he’s holding too many pumpkins but he leans down to kiss your forehead every once in a while

HANAMAKI

He’s still on this quest to find the weirdest looking pumpkin (and he’s doing a surprisingly good job?)

He is so goofy literally the whole time djsbdbsnf

He’s trying so hard to make you smile and laugh the whole time y’all are there

He’s really soft for your smile and your laugh so every single time he makes you giggle he just stops everything and stands there like 🥰🥰

You probably end up playing tag and running all over the pumpkin patch and almost getting kicked out

He also probably has his arm casually around your shoulders as long as his arms are free

He will absolutely make you carry your own pumpkin but he will also carry his own so it’s all fair

MATSUKAWA

He’s also being super goofy and funny, but in more of a teasing, flirty way if that makes sense??

Absolutely holds your stuff over your head to watch you try and grab at it while he teases you for “being short” (no matter how tall you are)

He also tries to take candid photos of you making weird faces

But two can play at that game

Y’all end up spending so much time running around and taking goofy photos of each other that you barely have time to actually pick out a pumpkin

He also probably picks you up and carries you around at some point (I feel like he’s the type of dude to randomly pick up his S/O in public and carry them around and shit)

Mattsun is also weirdly sensible about picking out a pumpkin?? Like he might’ve picked out some weird ass one that looks like an actual ass but he gives you actual good advice

Now that you all have your pumpkins you head back to Matsukawa’s house to carve pumpkins!

Iwaizumi and Matsukawa clean out the pumpkins while you, Hanamaki, and Oikawa set everything up on the dining room table.

Matsukawa definitely has a Halloween playlist that he blasts while you’re all working on carving the pumpkins

Oikawa probably saves the pumpkin seeds so that he can bake them and you all can have them as a snack later

He probably carves a pretty generic jack o lantern face (he wanted to do one of those super fancy carvings where you scrape part of the pumpkin off so there’s more dimension but he realized that it would be waaaay too complicated last minute) and he paints little faces on each of the five smaller pumpkins to match everyone’s personalities (and actually does a surprisingly good job???)

Hanamaki carves a super goofy jack o lantern face and says it looks like Oikawa NDHHDFHDH

And as soon as he’s finished carving the pumpkin he definitely starts dancing to the music Mattsun put on and tries to get everyone else to do it too!

Matsukawa tries to make his super weird and grotesque and it actually turns out surprisingly well??

After you’re all done carving pumpkins you all set up a blanket fort and eat pumpkin seeds and drink hot chocolate and watch Hocus Pocus 😌😌😌

[itsa-lie]

The Birth Of A Liar Part Four

||Part One||Part Two||Part Three||Part Four||Part Five||

I can’t believe I’ve written four of these already... but now is when things get a bit more interesting.

Trigger Warning: Kidnapping,ne*dles,and mentions of past Daganronpa executions.

It’s six years later, Kokichi and some of his orphan friends are in an orphanage. They had been found out. The building that they used to use, all the things that they stole and all their shared happy memories were now collecting dust in a damp abandoned brick structure. The men in the uniforms were very thorough in their orders. All the children wearing the clown masks and costumes that Halloween night were to be brought in. The Tokyo law enforcement building was now up to the brim with rowdy children calling for someone named “Kokichi Ouma”, the child who disappeared so many years ago. Who was to know he was housing orphans or children from bad homes. Even the father killer Maki Haruwaka was found. Kokichi refused to talk, afraid to trust adults after what he’s seen them do. They’ve murdered three people, two of which were his own parents. Who’s to say these people won’t hurt his new family?

Though all they did was gather them up, give them a big dinner to eat (even bigger than the meals that DICE usually gives), before taking them to the local orphanage, Kokichi included. One would think that he would be a bit happy, he and the other Co Leaders didn’t have the weighted responsibility of the lives of over a thousand children. Though Kokichi was not relieved. He was even more worried. Especially since one of his ten Co Leaders didn’t come back. A day didn’t go by where Kokichi didn’t worry about Maki. Where did she go? Why wasn’t she caught like the rest? Did she and Goro go back to their real home? And what about Hanako? So many thoughts preoccupied his head that he almost couldn’t get himself awake that morning. Luckily the younger kids were able to wake him up, placing his hand in cold water and pouring water on him to make it seem like he had wet himself. The cold water wakes him up instantly, his body jolting out of bed in the sitting position. “Wha-?” He pulls his covers noticing the wet spot. “Oh great...”

The eruption of laughter from the children woke him up even more. Grogginess made it hard for the leader to realize but after seeing the cup of water, the squirt bottle in one child’s hand, and the small evil Kokichi Ouma like grins behind poorly drawn clown masks he notices that his pranking skills have been passed on to the future faces of his club. “Nyhehehe, you got me good. I’ll be down for breakfast shortly.”

Once he shoos the kiddos off, he puts on his boring school clothes and heads downstairs. Once he got there, a roar of laughter and chatting filled his ears. It was by the television set in the living quarters...what kind of event would warrant such a joyful response from the others? Perhaps a new anime show had aired? Curiously he approaches only to hear that God awful song in his ears. The wretched rock intro to one of his most despised shows on television. Danganronpa. The black and white bear character comes close to the camera, smiles evily, then cuts to scenes of...well...violence. Violence and death. And the kids were eating this up like candy.

“Hey! The next season of Daganronpa is heading to you this year, and we want YOU to be apart of it!” A cheesy announcer cheerfully gloats as the children watch with happy giggling. This made Kokichi feel sick. “We’re accepting audition tapes to find the next ULTIMATE. Do you think YOU can be the last one standing in the Killing Game? Then send a video to ———————- and tell us why you think you’re perfect for Daganronpa! You must be eighteen or older to register. Wearenotresponsibleforanymemoryortraumawhenyouapply.”

That last comment went a bit too fast and it was very hard to hear the announcer over the loud music, but all of this did sound fishy.

“If I was in the killing game, I’d kill everyone and no one would even know!” Exclaimed one boy, a boy from DICE given he has a drawn clown mask in his hands. Being the leader Kokichi had to step up.

“That’s MURDER. Killing is MURDER. You’re a member of DICE. You should know better.”

The boy rolls his eyes. “Relax, Koki. It’s all fake. Do you really think a talking robot teddy would kill anyone?”

“Or turn them into butter? Or deep fry them alive? No that would be too horrible to be real but on television they can work their magic~!” Chimes in a girl, another one of DICE’s orphans. How could they like this?! Each time he saw another “body discovery” or even the way they executed the killers just....it was horrible! Probably edited with special effects and music for the audience but if you were there the music wouldn’t be and you’d be hearing every bit of pain they were experiencing. Why watch that? WHY give money to that!?

“Eighteen huh...oh yeah! Koki is turning eighteen in a few months! Why doesn’t Koki apply?”

“Yeah! Kokichi is the kindest bestest leader of our group! If anyone could win it would be Kiki!”

All the eyes were on him now and he...froze up? Even if he was a leader and the founder of an organization, being the center of attention for such a large audience not of just his members made him fill with anxiety. Watching his every move, listening to his every word, it was enough pressure as it was to have all these kids look up to you. “Uhh...sorry. I don’t kill. And I don’t expect to be killed anytime soon thank you very much.” What sort of leader would go back on his own word? Death was horrible. Glorifying death, glorifying grief and pain...he didn’t want to have anything to do with that sort of philosophy.

“You don’t have to kill! You can just uncover the mastermind! And with the prize money for winning we could build back up the headquarters and leave this place!”

Wait...prize money? There was prize money for a game about killing people? Or is it for the one who survives? The children continue to root for him to apply not understanding the real consequences of him doing so. The purple haired boy put his hand to his head to massage the ever growing tension that was slowly rising. “I-I dunno...I-I’ll see.” That wasn’t a very satisfactory answer for the children as they cried out in disappointment. This was a big deal...he couldn’t just decide to do this right away. His quick to act intuition had failed him before, and he tries to take what Maki said to heart to not make the same mistake twice.

All the children gathered around the table to eat breakfast. Honestly Kokichi wasn’t hungry at that moment. He would only nibble a little on his eggs and toast before telling the workers he was full. The others wouldn’t stop begging him to join and it made his stomach feel sick. He quickly left for school.

Walking through the halls of his high school, he spots a peculiar poster hung outside one of the AV Room. It had that bear on it. That grinning bear that so gleefully sends those people to their deaths. What was his name? Mononucleosis? Monogram? Meh. Who cares. The poster however had the words “Daganronpa Audition Sign Up” in big letters above the smirking ursine. Blinking a few times, Kokichi weighs the situation. If he doesn’t do something about this, more stupid kids will be sent to their death in front of millions of people. However if he somehow RUINS the game, maybe he could stop it entirely!

There it was. His new goal! A purpose to save everyone before they’ve tricked into this horrific trap!

“Are you here for the audition? Hellooooo? Excuse me?”

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a girl with glasses, her uniform wasn’t the same the girl’s wore here however...maybe she worked for Daganronpa? No...she was definitely a high schooler. Even her bag mentioned an “anime club” which was featured right across it. There was definitely no anime club here but he knew other schools had them. Kokichi turns to the female, his words stuck in his throat.

“Umm y-yeah. Yes I am.”

“You’re really short for an upperclassman. Are you eighteen?”

“Yes, I-I mean close to it. My birthday is in two months...” Shit why was he being so shy now? Yeah the blue haired girl was pretty, but he wasn’t attracted to her! Maybe it was the fact she works for a big television company and that intimidated him?

“That’s fine, the next season won’t start for three months anyway so I think you’ll be fine...” The girl then holds out a clipboard with many forms on it and a pen to use. Kokichi stares at it confused. The girl gives him a reassuring smile and waved her arms in front of her. “Oh no need to be alarmed by that, it’s just tv speak. You know, that we’re able to use your name and face and everything.” The girl explains. Well...she didn’t say anything about risking their real life...so maybe it was okay.

He signs in every page that needed it, hardly reading the fine print. The girl smiles and places the forms in another folder to make everything neat. However from the corner of his eye he could see a familiar sign of someone on one of the forms. The name “Maki Haruwaka” written on one form in the folder. His eyes went wide. No...it couldn’t be the SAME Maki Haruwaka right? She hated death as much as he did! Still knowing that she was still out there gave him a small amount of relief. Maybe he really shouldn’t have done it, but Kokichi spoke up.

“Maki Haruwaka signed up too?” The blue haired girl tilts her head looking curiously up at him. “Oh? You know her? Why yes! She goes to my school so I see her a few times in the halls. Oh that’s right! You two were running an orphanage together, right?” Kokichi nods hesitantly. He hasn’t seen her for a good six years, what could she be doing right now? Were her siblings safe as well? What about the other DICE members? “Aww that sounds like a good anime plot. I’ll have to look into if anyone has already done it.” she pushes up her glasses. “Anyway you want to use the AV room to record your video, right?”

“My what now?”

“Your audition tape!” She takes one video tape from a box to show as an example. “Don’t worry the tapes are private and the camera won’t start recording until you press the button on its control panel.”

Well that....was sort of comfortable he guesses. He nods and hesitantly made his way inside. The AV room looked a lot different then he thought it would. Most chairs were put up to the side, a square made of white tape stood on the wooden floor in front of a large television set and a camera mounted to the top of it. Gulping to himself, Kokichi gets closer to the camera. His shiny blueish purple hair illuminated the television screen as his pale face hides his features behind his bangs.

He reached up both hands and quickly slapped his face. Now wasn’t the time to be timid and scared. He had to do this. For his friends, for the children of the world, for Maki, for DICE.

Clearing his throat, Kokichi puts up the biggest smile he could.

Then moves the bangs out of his face a little, and finally presses the record button.

“Hello adoring public, the name is Kokichi Ouma of Tokyo Japan! That’s right, the kid who hid away with a group of orphans for so long!” They should remember the story, after all it was worldwide news when it happened. Then he places his hands behind his head in an attempt to look more laid back. “I’ve led a whole raid on Tokyo, though we didn’t do anything illegal...yet.” He does his famous evil smile, his finger to his lips. “I’m an AVID fan of the Killing Games and who better to be in it than me~? I promise I will be the most interesting contestant you’ve ever had~!”

And with that he stopped the tape. That lie hurt to say, it felt gross even coming out of his mouth. But he had to. He had to for the sake of his family. Now it was done. He won’t even tell the kids back at the orphanage he did it. If he gets in he gets in.

Now all there was to do was to go back to his classes like normal. Though he could have sworn he saw the blue haired girl watching him closely as he leaves...

——————

Days went by and there was nothing out of the ordinary. No announcements, no more audition try outs or blue haired glasses girl, just normal every day school day. Again the children woke him up by pranks, this time a bucket of cold ice water, making him scream high pitched before laughing and taking the joke. Then downstairs there were breakfast and the kids watching the Daganronpa rerun, and then it was off to school.

The day was normal. There was nothing odd.

Weeeelll...except for that black car following him. He could have sworn he heard someone ask if “that was the guy” and the other one affirming with a “yes”. Oh Lord legs don’t fail him now.

He tries to leg it but was quickly swooped up by...grey people?! That’s as much as he could see before he was grabbed. As he struggled for freedom, he could feel something get shot into him, like the booster shots they get. It did hurt for a second, and Kokichi did twist and thrash for dear life, but suddenly his body felt...sleepy. He lets the exhaustion overcome him before he’s knocked out like a light.

[knchins]

Hi Ally!! Hope you’re well today; I saw you were doing match ups and thought i would send u one :3 My pronouns are she/her; I’m okay with either gender! I’m a pisces and ISFJ personality type. I really love playing games, hanging out with my partner, and trying new snacks, LOL. I’m a bit introverted so I tend to need a lot of alone time too. I have like an athletic but not slim build with hazel eyes and brown hair medium lengthish hair and that’s all I can think of to tell you JSJSJD You can do the fandoms: BNHA, Fire Force, and Haikyuu! Any single one or all, whatever you’re feeling! Have fun! :)

eee Lily!! I was so excited to get a message from you uwu

I have found your matches!! I pair you with...

Eijirou Kirishima!!

Okay BNHA was kinda tough because there were so many that came to mind when I thought of you. Ultimately though I decided on the boy with the best dye job!

Kiri absolutely loves your hazel eyes. He thinks they’re just so unique and he swears he sees a different color every time he really looks at them. He also quite adores your athletic build, find it very appeasing to the eye.

He favorite way to spend time with you is to play games with you and your friends. Him and Bakugou get a bit too competitive, but you don’t seem to mind. Of course if he notices your social battery is about empty, he quickly makes an excuse for you both to go home so you can recharge and not get overwhelmed.

Of course, he understands your need for alone time and totally respects that! When he sense that you would like some space, he is perfectly capable of occupying his time doing something else. He knows that you’ll reach out when you’re ready to be social again, and doesn’t worry or get upset by the distance. If he gets lonely and wants company, then he’ll go hang out with Bakugou or Denki to pass the time.

Your defender personality type is perfect for pro-hero Kirishima! Your kind heart and lovable personality makes it easy for anyone to fall for you. Kiri knows he hit the jackpot when you agreed to go out with him and he cherishes your relationship very much. He is extremely protective of you and if anyone hurts your feelings then he’s quick to problem solve.

A perfect date I feel like would be a nice night in! He’ll order your favorite foods for takeout and you can stay cozy at home while you eat before playing some co-op video games together. Kiri knows he doesn’t have to do anything super extravagant to convey his love to you, which is another thing that makes you so great for him!

Maki Oze!!

Gorilla Cyclops Girlfriend!

Maki was honestly surprised that you even wanted to date her. Her poor self image makes her believe that she doesn’t deserve you, despite how many times you tell her that’s simply not true! You are both kind hearted and caring. She definitely is a hopeless romantic though and is unafraid to show you love for you both in public and in private.

Her favorite thing to do for you is to find new snacks for you both to try! Whether its a limited edition flavor and a special seasonal treat, she’s become a pro at hunting down even the rarest of foods. She loves watching your face as you try them, and gets a good laugh if you don’t like it because of the expression you make.

Maki is very fun loving so she definitely would want to take you out around the town. She likes to keep you to herself mostly, so she probably wouldn’t invite anyone else. Though she would definitely try to buy you anything you want, even if you protest.

That being said, if she senses you want some alone time, then she knows to distance herself. Though she’s not as good at being away from you, she knows that being too clingy isn’t good for any relationship. During those times she tries to train or maybe hang out with her coworkers at the 8th. Anything to distract her from how much she misses you.

The perfect date for you both I believe would be a carnival! You both play games to try to win the other prizes, and you love to try all the different foods that are available. Both of you have a lot of fun and its not something you’ll ever forget!

Kenma Kozume!!

Okay but having a pro-gamer rich boyfriend would be such a dream

Kenma also adores your eyes, though he never really says it. You just often times catch him staring, lost in thought of how you ended up with a guy like him. He is incredibly grateful to have such a loving girlfriend with the same interests as him, one that he knows for sure isn’t just after his money.

Though the go-to couples activity is game playing, Kenma is extremely competitive which can sometimes be a bit annoying. He is not the best loser in the world, but he won’t throw a temper tantrum if you win. He’ll just see it as a reason to get better and try again. He’s always looking for a rematch and you’re more than happy to oblige him!

Luckily, with his incredibly busy schedule, it is easy for you to find alone time. Kenma is the type to also need time to himself to recharge, though occasionally he doesn’t mind sitting in the same room as you. You are the kind of couple that can be content with sitting next to each other but doing two entirely different things. Just your presence is enough to bring him peace.

Kenma doesn’t show a whole lot of emotion, but that definitely doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel any. You are able to read him perfectly so he doesn’t have to say exactly how he’s feeling all the time. You naturally pick up on when he’s feeling down or maybe needs some extra love and encouragement. He’s very happy to have a partner that is able to do that for him, as others simply though he was cold and distant.

Perfect date? I’d say going to the arcade and playing on retro machines together! You can do fun co-op games or even verses. He’ll rent out the entire arcade so that no one else will be there to bother you besides staff. Unlimited game play with your boyfriend? What could be better than that?

Event Page

[imaginedanganronpa]

Can you please do some headcanons of Shuichi and his s/o going double dates with Rantaro and Kaede?

Part of this is an imagine because I got carried away, whoops. I promise I get to the Headcanons as well, I just love this idea.

Saihara Shuichi & S/O Going on a Double-Date with Rantaro Amami & Kaede Akamatsu!

It would be Rantaro and Kaede’sidea, but specifically Kaede’s – she had been friends with Saihara for so long,and he was always the third-wheel on their dates. When you came into his life,she saw an opportunity that was never there before, and one she didn’t want topass up.  

They had been together for much longer than you and Saihara, and it was acasual way for him to introduce you to some of his closest friends.

After all, he is the one who got Rantaro and Kaede together.

A bit apprehensive, neither of you had gone on a double-date before, and youcould sense that Saihara was a bit nervous as well. Still, you did your best tocalm his nerves.

The first time the four of you went on a double-date was the classic ‘dinnerand movie’ scenario – a bit old-school and cheesy, but Rantaro is the one whoorganized it and he’s more of an old-fashioned romantic. 

He also made sure topick a horror movie, not because he was particularly fond of them but becausehe wanted to give Saihara a chance to make some moves on you.

The Detective was becoming increasingly anxious as the date grew closer, whichcaused you to giggle. “It’s not like you’re dating all three of us. It’s me andtwo of your friends that you’ve known for years.” Unsure of why he was sonervous, you did your best to coax him out of the stress.

And you were right, he was getting himself worked up for no good reason.

The meeting spot was in front of the restaurant the four of you picked together– one that all of you thoroughly enjoyed. Although, you and Saihara arrived much earlierthan anticipated.

That was normally how it went though. On all of your double-dates, Saihara insisted on getting there early - he was punctual.

During the actual dinner, you could sense that the Detective was still on edge.Truthfully, he was only nervous since you hadn’t been dating for too long norhave you gone on very many dates, and he really wanted his friends to like you.

You and Kaede ended up bonding very quickly, while the boys remain somewhatquiet, especially Saihara. Rantaro would jump in during some of Kaede’s stories or ruin the punchline of her jokes, which caused her to scowl at her partner.

During the movie, Saihara notices that Kaede jumps and then leans into Rantaro’schest; the taller man would wrap his arm around her and pull her close. Wantingto impress you, Saihara tries his hand at doing the same.

Saihara isn’t nearly as smooth as Rantaro, though…

He sighs and casually leans into the seat and wraps his arm around yourshoulder. You watch him narrowly from the corner of your eye since this isn’t amove he made very often, but still ease into his embrace. Right around thattime, though, a jumpscare shakes the audience and causes Saihara to yelp sincehe wasn’t paying attention, coiling his arm back into his chest defensively.

With Saihara now blushing furiously, you rest your head on his shoulder tocomfort him. This doesn’t go without receiving quiet laughter from Rantaro and Kaede,though.

It started raining on the way back to the car, so Rantaro gave Kaede his jacketand pulled her close to shield her from the weather. Saihara tries doing thesame but ends up getting his arm caught in his sleeve. 

Muttering under his breath, he stares at the ground silently with disdain andstomps back to the car, loosely holding your hand.

From inside the safety of your vehicles, you roll the window down as Kaede doesthe same and started talking about your date. “We really need to do this againsometime!” Kaede cheers with a wide smile, and Rantaro nods in agreement as hepasses you a warm grin from the driver’s seat.

The four of you go on several more double-dates, and as your relationship growsstronger, Saihara also becomes much more confident.

Kaede insists on planning most of them, and the dates she plans are often much more casual and easygoing. 

Once, the four of you went to a local Carnival. The boys tried endlessly to win you two a prize, which resulted in Saihara losing most of his money and Rantaro winning Kaede a giant stuffed bear. Saihara was a bit jealous, to say the least. 

A lot of your dates also consist of going to different restaurants none of you have ever been to before and trying new things. It’s Rantaro and Kaede who want to get you all out of your shells, as Rantaro is the most adventurous out of the group. 

Your double-dates wind up being a semi-weekly occurrence, whenever you’re all free. Thankfully, your schedules seem to line-up so they happen frequently. 

You are welcomed into their little friend-group very quickly, both Rantaro and Kaede approving of you to the Detective. It warms Saihara’s heart to see you and his two closest friends getting along so well.

Although you do have your own individual dates, you and Saihara agree that it’s just more entertaining with more people. Kaede is also the resident photographer, and is always capturing the moments you all share.

Rantaro and Kaede typically walk in front of you two, whilst you and Saihara hang back a bit. He’s gotten smoother as time has gone on, thriving to be more like Rantaro in that sense. 

Rantaro will usually walk with his arm around Kaede’s shoulders, whilst Saihara is a bigger fan of hand-holding. He says it’s because it feels much more intimate and childlike.

One of your favorite moments came from when you all decided to try a small ice-cream shop downtown. Both couples got milkshakes to share and set them down on the table. 

Saihara, wanting to do something cute for you, took a sip without looking and ended up accidentally drinking out of Rantaro’s and Kaede’s cup instead, locking eyes with the green-haired man, drinking out of the other straw mere inches away from his face, who simply smirked and made jokes about it relentlessly. Their noses were nearly touching and Saihara almost fell out of his seat when he realized it wasn’t you that he was staring at.

Neither you nor Kaede could contain your laughter and Saihara simply blushed and hid his face under his hat.

You’ve thought about inviting Kaito and Maki out as well, and have once before, but that didn’t go so well… you’ve come to the conclusion that double-dates are enough.

- Mod Rantaro

[natsuhikoshidou]

A Tale Of Six Trillion Years And A Night - Chapter 5: PANDORA VOXX (Part 2)

Chapter 5: Part 1 | Interlude: Zero

“-----I lived. And I became happy.”

3. The Place Where The Old City Lies

“…This must be the first time we’ve met face to face. 【The Grave Sinner Imiko】, Riku.”

The wind was thunderous.

The sound of billowing winds blowing the window of the tall building was made.

The woman’s shoes rubbed against the sandy ground.

“My name is Chloe. Lieutenant Colonel of the City Military’s Special Forces Unit.”

Her black soldier equipment that seemed to melt into the night fluttered in the wind.

Chloe brushed her hair up with her left hand.

In her left hand, she held a strange black object.

The men that stood behind Chloe, also prepared long and narrow black pipes similar to the one she held.

It’s the military.

The military finally arrived.

“…You followed after me…”

“Don’t move.”

Pan!

There was the sound of a small explosion, the knife I gripped broke.

“!”

“Riku.”

Ai’s face became pale in shock.

The black thing Chloe held emitted smoke, it destroyed my knife.

It was like some kind of magic.

“This is a gun. One from the ancient world’s civilization. When I pull only the trigger, a bullet will shoot out from the muzzle like just now. If your head or your chest is hit by the bullet, you’ll die immediately.”

Chloe’s indifferent explanation.

When I looked at the muzzle pointed towards me and my destroyed knife, I got the impression she was telling the truth.

“If you move, I’ll shoot.”

In a low voice, I couldn’t go against her.

“…What’s your goal? Why did you follow me?”

I asked without moving even a little.

“Why? I should be the one asking that. Why did you abandon your peaceful life?”

Peaceful life?

Could Chloe somehow know about us living in the settlement?

“…Why are you now searching for the 【Device】?”

“What is that?”

“You fool…!” Chloe spat out.

  “【Grave Sinner Imiko】, Riku

If you wish with the 【Wish Granting Device】,

I’ll have no choice but to return you back to that room----….”

  “------!?”

  That room.

The room that Chloe is talking about, is without a doubt, that oppressive room that I grew up in.

“Why….”

I muttered in shock.

I’ll be taken back to that room again?

I’ll be taken back to those days again?

Just imagining it made my mind go blank.

Chloe was telling the truth.

“That’s…”

The one who objected was Ai.

“Why must Riku suffer like this?! For what reason are y---“

“The purpose of us soldiers, is world peace.”

Chloe answered in a cold voice.

“World peace? What does my confinement have to do with that.”

“Because you are an 【Imiko】, Riku.”

“Kh, that word again…!”

Even though I don’t understand the meaning the word I’ve continued to hear, I clicked my tongue.

I can’t comprehend it. The reason why I’m called an Imiko, and nevertheless the reason why I was confined.

Ai glared strongly at Chloe.

“…What is an 【Imiko】? How is Riku connected to the world? If you don’t explain then how are we supposed to understand?!” Chloe furrowed her brow. Like she gave up, she sighed.

“…There’s a lot that I know.”

“About 120 years ago, in the former world----… when the remains of this city were prosperous, there was a professor.”

A professor?

I wonder if she means ‘a doctor’ or something else.

Ai probably thought the same thing, “Professor---?” she muttered.

Chloe turned her gaze to Ai with a blank stare.

“Nothing about their name remains. But they were just a professor. The professor, celebrated as an extraordinary genius, gathered together the best of outstanding engineers in the old world, and made that device. That is 【The Wish Granting Device】.”

“---!”

The 【Wish Granting Device】 must have existed 120 years ago.

I wonder if the soldiers held back behind Chloe knew of this story, they didn’t seem to be surprised.

“…Does a device so amazing, really exist?”

It seemed like Ai hadn’t heard the words 【Wish Granting Device】 until not long ago, she furrowed her brow.

Chloe shook her head.

“We don’t know the detailed structure of it. Because we don’t even know if it actually exists.

Essentially, the professor made an announcement about the device.

The world noticed.

Many people came with their wishes.

It was only natural. Even I would bring my wish to a device that could grant anything.

…The professor didn’t deny any of the wishes.”

“None of them?”

“Yes, none.”

Chloe nodded to my question.

But, I found that strange.

“…Isn’t denying any wishes impossible? There had to be some contradicting wishes.”

Ai pointed out. I agreed.

Because, what if I wished to have more money than Chloe, for example.

But then Chloe wished to have more money than me.

If that happened, what would the 【Wish Granting Device】 do?

“The professor was a genius.

The 【Wish Granting Device】 was able to grant all the contradicting wishes.

Any and every kind of wish.

Two people who hated each other and wanted to kill the other one would both die,

If A and B were competing against each other and both wanted to win,

Then they would multiply, creating a Winner A and a Winner B, and a Loser A and a Loser B.”

“Huh!?”

So basically, using my metaphor from before, two Chloes would end up existing, one who was richer than me, and one who was poorer than me.

The two people’s wishes would then be granted, but doing that is reckless.

“Money infinitely increased, lives infinitely increased, but lives were also infinitely taken. Since people’s wishes were infinite, the realities that the 【Device】 granted, also became infinite. The genius professor, who didn’t even do any research, expected too of the people and their wishes. They never expected so much chaos to happen.”

Ai gasped.

“So 120 years ago, you don’t mean, that was the 【Catastrophe】---!?”

Catastrophe.

I shuddered at that word.

I remembered the explanation Ai gave to me before.

『Less than a century ago from now, terrible chaos struck around the world. Money overflowing, people transforming into giants, flooding, angels coming. It seemed like the world was going to end. Somehow only a single boat survived. That was the origin of the city today. The people who boarded the boat are the citizens of the city today. 』

  “Cities were ruined, the world became a wasteland.

All that remained was a boat --- the people riding it chose to live in the 【City】,

But there were a few who survived in the wasteland.”

Chloe’s lips curved.

  “Those people cursed the Professor as a 【Grave Sinner】 ,

Who was the one who made 【The Device】 that caused the 【Catastrophe】 that is said to have ruined the world.”

  -------Huh?

Grave sinner?

That means--------.

  “The Professor, a 【Grave Sinner】 who brought the 【Catastrophe】 upon the world, who created 【The Wish Granting Device】,

They are your ancestor. -----….Riku.”

  I was captured, in Chloe’s gaze.

“The professor who made the wish granting device was Riku’s ancestor? That’s like a story from a dream…

The people to blame in that story are the people who wished in the first place, aren’t the---“

“Listen. I don’t know the truth. It doesn’t interest me.”

Chloe interrupted Ai’s words.

“All I understand is that because Riku is the 【Gravelly Sinned】 Professor’s descendant, he is treated as an 【Imiko】.”

“-----!” My arms and legs shook. I was becoming cold.

A cold chill ran through my whole body.

“Immediately after the catastrophe, the apprentice of Riku’s ancestor, the professor, limited the people who could wish with the 【Device】 to the professor’s blood relations. Since the professor’s genes were recorded in the 【Device】, it was easy to set them apart.

It scanned and searched every genetic relation on land, we hypothesized that it can speak directly to their minds.”

“Th, that’s….”

It was just like Maki-chan said.

『Maki-chan is only granting wishes for the XXX’s XXX. Maki-chan told you, Maki-chan’s searching out everybody’s genes in the whole world. Isn’t it cool? 』

The XXX’s XXX.

Could that be.

------ The ‘”Professor”’s “Relatives”?

“It isn’t just Riku that can wish using 【The Device】. But 【The Device】 is dangerous. Because it means something like the 【Catastrophe】 could happen again.”

  Maki-chan’s words spun round my head.

  『…Even though right now, Maki-chan is only granting Riku’s wishes... 』

  “In order to not aimlessly encourage Riku, since the professor is your ancestor, the 【City】 kept you in confinement until death, monitored you and controlled you. So you wouldn’t wish for anything, or grow self-aware, we secluded you from the world.”

My eyes opened wide at Chloe’s words.

“You did that!? Then that place- the village I stayed in, only existed to keep me locked away!?”

“That village was given food and water by the 【City】. In exchange for confining you, Riku.”

“…”

I heard Ai gasp next to me.

“Is that why… nobody starved, even though the village was so small…? Was that the reward, for treating Riku like that…!?”

I wonder if that’s what it was.

…Yes, I wonder if it was that.

  I remembered Fumi.

  Fumi, she obtained food from her work that used Ai and other women.

The villagers, they obtained a reward from the city for tormenting me.

Everybody uses others for themselves.

They oppress other humans for obtaining a prize.

  “-----Why, we’re human just like you.”

  Ai’s expressed her pain.

Why.

I already knew why.

  Because after all, we’re only things to them.

We’re nothing more than things they can use to oppress and slaughter.

  The dark world.

The dark night.

The faint moonlight lit Chloe up.

The gun Chloe held shone.

  “You were supposed to die naturally, without wishing anything. But the villagers failed. The city was afraid you’d wish with 【The Device】, and I was sent on command to capture you. We’ve been pursuing you, ever since you left the village.”

  I didn’t know that. But when I tried to say that, something came into my mind.

The night that we ran out of the village, that was the night a huge fire happened in the village.

When we descended the cliff, that was the first time I saw Chloe.

All I thought she was back then was just a soldier, but I felt like Chloe saw me.

It wasn’t my imagination.

Chloe seemed to realize that.

“…I realized you were chasing us, but why didn’t you catch us? Why now?”

“Because I wanted to overlook it, so you could live peacefully in that settlement.”

Chloe answered in a flash.

“---But you ran away from the settlement.”

“Kh.”

When she brought that subject up Ai made her hands into fists.

“It’s my fault.”

“It’s not.”

I denied her small whisper, in a hushed voice.

Unaware of what we both said, Chloe came closer.

“...There was even a controversy in the city that 【The Device】 might be in this 【Former City】. We don’t know its accurate location though.”

Click, click, click.

Her footsteps made a satisfying noise on the stone floor.

“Riku, if you’re planning to use 【The Wish Granting Device】, I can’t allow that.

As soldiers, we cannot overlook such a risk.”

Chloe was coming even closer.

As she readied her gun, Chloe pronounced this.

“I’m doing this out of kindness. ---Riku, surrender quietly. If you do not ---“

Grab!

Chloe suddenly closed the distance between us.

“Wha---“

I immediately tried to protect Ai.

But I wasn’t fast enough.

In less than a fraction of a second, everything became obvious.

Chloe’s hand shot out like an arrow and grabbed Ai’s chin.

I tried to slide my arm between them to protect Ai, but I was thrown back with force.

“Too slow---“

“!”

It was a nimble, yet overwhelming power.

Don!!

Ai’s body was thrown to the floor.

Chloe sat on top of Ai.

The same time that the shock shook the floor, there was a metallic sound.

“---If you do not surrender, I’ll take this girl’s life!!”

“!”

Chloe pointed the gun to Ai’s forehead, as she lay on the floor.

“Let Ai go!!” I grabbed at her.

Chloe frowned in frustration.

“I told you not to move.”

---PAN!

The sound of a shot.

“Tch!?”

I felt like my eardrum tore in half.

Since it was such a large noise.

But I was wrong.

“Ah, my, ear…..”

A thick spray of blood.

Wet cheeks.

The colour red fell.

It scattered in my vision.

“Hic, Ri, Riku……..!”

Ai screamed.

“………..!”

“Your left ear’s next. You’ll be useless if I hit both your ears.”

Chloe spoke, as she readied her gun. Ai remained pushed down by Chloe’s limbs.

There wasn’t much different between Ai and Chloe’s builds.

If Ai was a bit taller, or a bit heavier, it probably wouldn’t make much difference.

Yet Chloe’s legs, elbows, hands.

Ai was completely unable to move.

I was familiar with the feeling, of being held down by someone until I couldn’t move.

But it wasn’t possible for me to surrender at something like this.

“…..”

“Your resistance is futile.”

“…..Let go, of Ai…..!”

I picked up the knife, which was now just a handle, and ran forward.

“Stop, Riku!” Ai screamed out.

I shouted, as if to drown her out.

“Let gooo-----!”

I ran.

I brandished the knife.

I swung it down towards Chloe.

“Lieutenant.” “Don’t move!”

Chloe shouted quickly as her subordinate tried to fire his gun.

Her subordinate jumped back, and stopped moving.

“----------nh!”

Ban!

The knife sliced the air.

“It’s pointless.”

The gun fired rapidly.

“Kh, ah….!”

Basu, basu, basu, basu.

They pierced me.

My right wrist that held the knife.

The joint of my right arm that swung up.

My ankle that ran forward.

And even my other ankle.

“Riku-----!!” The bullets opened holes in my body.

My body jumped from the shock. They pounded into me.

But I didn’t stop.

I ignored both my ankles which no longer had the power to stand, I think my tendons must have been struck, and crawled on my knees.

I was slow, but if I get close enough then I can get to Chloe.

  “LET GO OF AIIIIIIIIII!!”

  “You’re still going…?!”

Chloe didn’t use her gun.

I knew it.

Guns use bullets.

But those bullets probably aren’t infinite.

It seemed like there were six chambers to put bullets in her gun.

I could no longer use my right hand, so with my left hand I grabbed Chloe by the chin.

I tried to push Chloe right off Ai by doing that.

My hand, on Chloe’s face, it----------

  “…….Didn’t I tell you, it’s pointless.”

  Slash!!

  I was pierced, in a red flash.

  “NOOOOOO, Riku, Riku, RIKUUUUU!!”

Ai sobbed.

I didn’t understand why Ai was crying like that.

Deep crimson danced before my eyes.

Who’s blood is that?

  It’s, my blood.

  In Chloe’s hand, was a sword.

A sword that held a dull light colored by fresh blood.

Oh, she cut my arm off, with that.

  The blood that fell to the ground looked like petals.

Dancing through air. Glittering. Gushing out.

There were so many flowers.

So many petals.

They were redder than the evening.

They were more than red, they were deep crimson.

  I thought they were beautiful.

Just like when I was in that jail-like room a while ago.

When my room turned red then, I thought it was beautiful.

But now.

If it decorated Ai’s hair, I’m sure it would look beautiful.

Because Ai could be decorated by anything, and she’d still look beautiful.

“Riku, no, Riku, Riku… I’m so sorry, this is my fault, I’m sorry……!”

She’s crying.

Ai’s crying.

I wanted to comfort her, but I couldn’t do anything.

I couldn’t even stand on my knees, I couldn’t get even closer.

Chloe stepped off Ai in order to attack me when I rushed to her, she stood and readied her blade.

“--- You’ve given up, Riku. I’ll imprison you now.”

I heard Chloe’s emotionless voice.

Chloe looked mainly unchanged.

She must have avoided the blood straight away.

The proof of that is that red blooms scattered not just on Ai underneath Chloe, but even on the wrecked pillar behind Chloe.

They were beautiful. So beautiful.

“Do you understand? I can’t release this girl. Now that I’ve ended up with this girl, Riku, you can’t oppose me. Now you can quietly return to confinement.”

“Riku…..!”

Ai was crying.

“You’re sending Riku back because of me, because I’m here? No, that’s…..”

  In the end, it was too much.

I couldn’t do anything at all.

There wasn’t a single thing I could do.

The people that held me down with everything they had, I ended up on my hands and knees to them.

Just slaughtered, used, oppressed.

I just…

  “Riku…”

Ai called my name, like she’d decided something.

  “Ai…?”

I was too overwhelmed.

There was too much of a difference.

There was too much I couldn’t do.

Ai smiled to me, as I began to feel foggy.

  Softly.

  Ai showed me a smile that I’ve seen so many times before.

“Huh…..?”

  “Riku, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being selfish until the very end. I’m sorry, for being dirty and unfair.

But I can’t bear it anymore.

I can’t bear becoming apart from you, Riku.”

  What’s happening? What do you mean?

  “To me, dying was the same as not being by your side.

Being apart from you, was the same as dying.

I know it’s selfish, but nonetheless.”

  Nonetheless, Ai said.

“…I don’t want to be alone again…!”

No tears came out.

Ai told me, with a cheerful face.

  “Thank you for all the happiness, thank you for all my freedom.”

  Ai spoke with a strong, dignified gaze, she didn’t look like she was going to cry.

What is this?

Even though I wanted to ask that, I didn’t.

Just like when I believed I didn’t have a tongue, my throat wouldn’t move.

  “I always believed that dying would free me. But then Riku, you cared about me.

You gave me true kindness.

…You were always by my side.”

  Chloe was wary about Ai, she readied her sword and slowly came closer.

  “I said so before. …Losing you Riku, it really was the thing I hated most.”

  So, Ai said.

  “-----I lived. And I became happy.”

  She expressed the happiest smile in the world.

Then Ai held her hand out to Chloe’s sword.

“ ! What are y-“

Chloe’s sword. Ai grabbed its blade with her bare hands, and snatched it off her.

“Ai!?” “Lieutenant!”

When he saw Ai steal Chloe’s sword, one of Chloe’s subordinates, who was quiet for the whole time, shouted out.

At the same time.

  The echo of a heavy gunshot.

  The bullet bounced.

The colour red danced.

I watched Ai’s body slowly sink to the floor.

  “A……..”

  The light from Ai’s pupils.

Disappeared.

The red from Ai’s body.

Scattered.

  It might have just been a moment.

It felt like forever.

Slowly, slowly.

The gold-coloured chain swayed from Ai’s neck.

Jingle jingle, there was a noise like a bell.

  Her silver hair fluttered.

Every last strand looked beautiful.

It shone in the sun rising little by little.

  Ai, more beautiful, than anything.

  “You idiot, why did you shoot her!?” Chloe shouted out in panic.

“Lieutenant, your life was in dange-“

“I didn’t give you permission for that… Shit, we don’t have any more time now.”

Communications team! She shouted.

“I’m declaring a state of emergency, after that our objective is now beginning the capture with consideration of killing Riku. Take away all of his ability to fight back. ------That’s a warning to those guys in the city!”

  As she spoke quickly, Chloe raised her sword.

I reached out to Ai’s hand.

“Ai---….”

I edged over to Ai, since my ankles were attacked I couldn’t even crawl to her.

I can’t get close to Ai like this.

I can’t hold Ai’s hand.

I promised I’d never let go.

“Riku, it’s over…..!” Chloe jumped over.

She loomed behind me.

A little more, a little more.

I saw Ai’s face covered in blood, she was a few steps away, her face remained beautiful.

Ai’s face, as she smiled happily.

  I want to touch her.

I want to be close to her.

  I didn’t give up, I frantically clambered over to her.

The wreckage of a pillar covered in blood splatters cut between us.

This pillar is so in the way.

Yeah, the pillar.

I’ll destroy it.

  “Riku….. I can’t say that I completely understand your pain. But I understand, that it’s hard.”

Chloe said something.

  Even though she’d been slashed at so many times, Chloe still didn’t have a single drop of blood on her.

Nonetheless, there was certainly some pain in Chloe’s eyes.

  --- But even so, what will come of it?

  “I’m not asking you to forgive me. It’s alright if you hate me. You have the right to. It seems like I don’t have any right here. This doesn’t even seem like my duty.”

  She said something strange.

I don’t hate Chloe, or any of these people.

I don’t have the energy, for that.

I smiled scornfully towards Chloe without thinking.

“-----!!”

I looked up at Chloe as she gasped.

Tightly pursed lips.

Furrowed eyebrows.

Black eyes shaking with a sense of duty and guilt.

…This woman, probably isn’t a bad person.

She’s probably making a difficult decision for the things that she herself wants to protect.

  --- But even so, what will come of it?

  “I’m not different from you. We’re the same.

When I saw the room you were confined in, I remembered when I was young.

Living in a filthy place, without enough food or water. Spitting violence, scornful gazes.

If that was your life, then I understand it well.

Obviously it wasn’t as bad as you. But nonetheless, you resonated with me.

The way you were treated resonated with me.

That’s why I wished that happiness would come to you, and you’d be treated like a person.

I prayed with another God, not with that fake God, 【The Wish Granting Device】.

When you tried to run away from that garbage village, I loosened my defenses on purpose.

I pretended to search for you, while I watched over the settlement that you lived in.

I thought I could just try and watch over you. Please---

--- Don’t look for the 【Wish Granting Device】!”

  Chloe’s dark past. Her living conditions were similar.

Maybe this person understands me.

Maybe if this person wasn’t a soldier. Maybe if I wasn’t an 【Imiko】.

Maybe if Ai wasn’t killed by these people.

    --- But even so, what will come of it?

    There are probably a lot of people in pain.

There are probably people that have been treated worse than I have.

I probably can’t help that lots of people will have to make a little sacrifice for my happiness.

Because that’s probably just how the world is.

          --- But even so, what will come of it?

          WHAT WILL COME OF IT?

          What will come of it?

          Nothing will.

          Nothing.

A I   I S   G O N E.

      “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH”

  A laughing voice that sounded unlike mine echoed out.

  “You…”

Chloe widened her eyes and looked at me.

“Hahaha, ahah, hahahahaha, haaaah.”

My throat felt strange from laughing too much.

Breathing mixed with coughs came out.

“Haa, haa, haa… hahah…”

“What’s wrong with you?”

  What’s wrong?

  I mean, isn’t it funny?

It isn’t necessary for Chloe, this person, to feel guilt.

    I don’t hate anyone.

Neither Chloe nor Fumi nor the villagers.

I don’t despise anything.

Neither pain nor life nor fate.

  I only, only had a wish.

  Only only.

  Had.

  A wish.

  “Riku, what are you---?”

  I smiled at Chloe’s terrified face.

I couldn’t move my arms.

I couldn’t move my legs either.

  There wasn’t a single thing I could move.

  But earlier.

In the destroyed pillar.

I found something in the cavity.

  A hole opened after I hit it.

  Shining in there

Was a single

      ---------- VOXX.

Despite the fact it was buried under rubble for a really long time, the curious box emitted a dull light.

I touched it with my tongue.

I had no choice to use my tongue to become free.

As I remembered Ai tell me the truth about the lie that I had no tongue, which I believed for so long.

  Yes please, please, please.

  I will wish.

A strong wish.

An endless wish.

  『-------- What’s your wi~ish? 』

  I remembered Maki-chan’s voice.

Hey, Maki-chan.

If you really are a God.

No, whatever you are.

  There’s only one thing      I wish for.

There’s only one thing      I’m thinking about.

  Wouldn’t it be nice        if everybody disappeared.

Wouldn’t it be nice    If everyone       Disappeared.

          『Hey, do you not want anything? Or do you? 』

  Maki-chan asked me that before.

But.

  Nothing, nothing, I wanted nothing.

There wasn’t a single thing, I wanted.

Nothing.

  Because I had everything I wanted in my hands.

A name.

Myself.

Ai.

  Me, who never even thought about what I wanted, I found what I didn’t want to lose.

I found what I didn’t want anyone to defile.

I had those important things, in my hands.

  I remembered. Those words I thought I’d forgotten. The conversation of the mother and child in the sunset.

  『…Mother, your hands are so warm. 』

『Because I’m holding yours.  And also, because I love you. 』

  Right.

Holding hands with Ai, was warm.

I never knew of warmth.

But I was really really really really cold.

She warmed me up then.

Ai did.

Only Ai.

  Aah, that must be what “I love you” is.

That warmth must be the feeling of “I like you.”

The feelings that I could never put into words.

  The feelings that I was never able to say.

  Isn’t that awful.

  That’s why I don’t want it.

I don’t want any of those people, that stole Ai away from me.

  I don’t want any humanity, apart from me and Ai.

I don’t want.

  Anyone.

  Can you hear me, Maki-chan?

Please, if you can grant it.

Please, if I can wish.

  “It’d be nice, if everyone disappeared……..!”

      “----------------Yep, Maki-chan heard you!”

“!”

She spoke.

Her body appeared.

Purple phosphorescence gushed out from the faintly shining box.

Maki-chan appeared there.

The light took shape, and produced Maki-chan.

Like she was standing there from the beginning.

  Maki-chan. It’s Maki-chan. Maki-chan’s here.

This isn’t a dream. It’s Maki-chan in the living flesh.

  “We finally meet.

You finally came.

You finally wished.”

  Maki-chan expressed a smile of happiness itself as she spoke.

  “Maki-chan can finally be useful to Riku.”

  Floating around Maki-chan, were several small boxes.

One of the boxes that circled around her turned red when Maki-chan reached out to it.

It’s just like.

I imagined I was in that room.

Like it was painted with blood.

A red, box.

  “Ok, Maki-chan will remake the world.

Didn’t Maki-chan say so, Maki-chan can grant a~anything?”

  A light broke out of the red box.

Consumed by the light.

  Red, red, red, the world was wrapped in the red sun.

In order to destroy everything in the world apart from me and Ai.

In order to create a new world just for me and Ai to live in.

  Whether it was daybreak, or dusk, or even the color of blood, I didn’t know.

Simply.

    『---I want to know your name. 』

    It was beautiful, like the sunset on the day I first met Ai.

        Interlude: Zero --->

[ryqoshay]

How to Handle a Nico: Consolation Prize

Primary Pairing: NicoMaki Words: ~1.5k Rating: T’ish Time Frame: Some time during Maki’s 2nd year and Nico’s 4th year in college. Story Arc: Stand Alone

List of all HtHaN scenes

Author’s Note: Inspired by this Anon’s Ask.

“Ha! Nico-nii wins!” Nico cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

Maki shrugged, unimpressed. “It was just our first race.”

“Yup. Our first race. And what place did Nico come in again?” The raven-haired girl put a finger on her chin as though trying to remember something difficult. “Oh, that’s right, first.”

The redhead rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Let me try a different character and we’ll see what happens.”

“It will be the sa~me.” Nico sang.

“Just start the game, you’re Player 1.”

“You mean the No. 1 Player in the Universe.”

Maki grumbled something unintelligible as she selected a new character.

“Nico wins again!” The twin-tailed girl cheered a little while later. “That’s five in a row!”

“I think I got the hang of the controls now.” Maki stated. “Start the next match.”

“Hey! That’s not fair!” Maki protested as her vehicle was sent careening off the course, allowing all of the other racers to overtake her.

“All’s fair in love and racing, Maki-chan.” Nico replied with a smirk. “And this is both. Hee… Nico wins again.”

“Start the next race.” Maki growled.

Nico gave a sidelong glance at her girlfriend beside her. With each progressive race, the redhead was getting quitter and her expression dourer. Maki was certainly improving and had even managed to come in third, once. Back in high school, the two of them were on fairly even ground when it came to arcade-style rhythm games, what with Maki’s prodigy level musical knowledge and Nico’s drive to become a professional idol and all. But home console games were an entirely different gaming experience. And, with as much practice in racing games, or really console games in general, Nico had from playing with her siblings, the redhead just didn’t stand a chance.

And now Nico found herself at a crossroads of sorts, though it was no illusion. The longer her win streak continued the more upset her girlfriend was becoming. However, Nico was certain that if she let Maki win, that would upset her even more; she had her pride after all, and undoubtedly wanted to win by her own merit. Of this Nico was certain because her own pride would dictate the same were the situation reversed.

Still, she had to do something. As much as Nico enjoyed teasing Maki and getting her worked up, it was seldom her intent to actually make her angry. But what to do?

Suddenly, an idea hit her like one of the many weapons in the game. She smiled to herself and hoped it would work as intended, though she was pretty sure it would.

This time, instead of cheering for herself as she crossed the finish line, in first again, she leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Maki’s cheek.

“N-N-Nico-c-chan?!” the redhead spluttered, almost forgetting that she still had to hold the accelerator button for a few more seconds to ensure she finished the race. As soon as she crossed the checkered line, she turned to face her girlfriend. “What the heck?” She demanded, trying unsuccessfully not to blush.

“A consolation prize.” Nico replied as though it should be obvious.

“O-oh… I… uhm… I don’t… get it…”

“Maybe it will bring you good luck in the next race?”

“Oh… uhm… alright.”

Another win for Nico and another loss for Maki. The raven-haired girl leaned over once again and placed a kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek. This time, however, Maki wasn’t blushing and actually pushed into the kiss just a little.

Nico started the next game but couldn’t help thinking that something wasn’t quite right. This was the sixth or seventh consolation prize she had given Maki in hopes of encouraging her to do better but the redhead wasn’t improving at all. If anything, she was getting worse.

Was Maki… losing on purpose? No. That couldn’t be. Her pride wouldn’t let her do that… would it?

Nico blinked as she caught Maki make a move that any racer worth half their salt would avoid at all costs, and in doing so, dropped back several places. Maybe, just maybe, she really was losing on purpose.

But was a kiss really worth throwing away one’s pride? Would Nico do the same for a kiss from Maki? The thought turned over in Nico’s mind for the duration of the next race.

Yes. Nico suddenly realized as she issued another consolation prize, she would do exactly that. She loved kissing Maki. And she really loved the rare occasions when Maki took the initiative to kiss her. After all, what was a little pride when compared to getting a kiss from a girl like Maki?

So, this meant that Maki apparently felt the same way; she valued a kiss from Nico over her own pride, even if she couldn’t bring herself to admit it openly. With this realization, Nico felt a swell of joy fill her to the brim.

But to be absolutely certain, Nico had to test her theory.

Nico waited patiently for her girlfriend to finish the race, barely avoiding coming in last. Without a word she held out her controller as though to make it obvious her finger was reaching for the button to start the next round.

“Uhm…” Came a soft voice from beside her.

Nico smirked. She had been right. “Yes, Maki-chan?”

“Wh-what about my consolation prize?” The redhead seemed hesitant to admit her desires.

“So~rry~ Nico forgo~t.” She sang, setting down the controller and leaning over to give the requested reward. The teasing tone earned the intended effect as the redhead’s cheeks quickly matched her hair. There was no question that Maki realized she was being called out. “But it seems Maki-chan cares more for the consolation prize than actually trying to win.” Nico couldn’t help grinning widely as she watched her girlfriend lower her head and hunch her shoulders. “If Nico didn’t know better, she would almost think Maki-chan was losing on purpose.”

“N-no… You’re j-just that good, Nico-chan…” A feeble attempt to deny the truth, and they both knew it.

Nico laughed and launched herself over to tackle hug the redhead. “Awwww! Maki-chan’s not being ho~nest!”

“Mohhh… fine.” Maki said after a moment, though far quicker than Nico would have otherwise expected. “I was losing on purpose to get more kisses. You want to fight about it?”

“Ah, you said it. Was that so hard?” Nico asked, dropping her teasing tone.

Maki pouted.

“And as a prize for such honesty…” Nico slid a hand up to her girlfriend’s cheek so she could guide her into a full kiss on the lips. After a moment, she pulled away. “How about that?”

“I think I liked that prize better…” The redhead admitted.

The raven-haired girl giggled in response before her expression turned mischievous. “Ma~ybe if Maki-chan puts more effort into the ga~me and gets first place, she can win a prize that’s worth mo~re than just a ki~ss.”

Maki’s eyes changed, just for a moment, before returning to their previously shy and nervous state. Nico found herself confused. Did Maki not understand her allusion? Or, worse, did she not want it? But then when Maki’s gaze drifted to the door, she understood.

“Didn’t I tell you?” She asked rhetorically. “Nozomi is spending the night at Eli’s. We have this place all to ourselves.”

And just like that, Maki’s expression regained the look of lust from before, or at least a portion of it.

“Ready for the next race?” Nico grabbed her controller again.

“Bring it on.” Maki replied, deadly serious as she turned her attention to the screen.

It was immediately apparent how much Maki had learned over the last hour or so and how much she had been intentionally holding back. However, Nico was still convinced that her girlfriend would not want an easy win, so she gave it her all as well.

“Too bad…” Nico said, sneaking past the checkered line barely half a car length before her opponent. “Nico wins again.” She leaned over. “I guess it’s another consola… mmph!?” She was cut off as Maki unexpectedly turned into the kiss, reached a hand up to the back of her head and pulled her in. Though she didn’t actively resist, Nico still pulled away at the first opportune moment. “That’s cheating, Maki-chan!” She accused.

“All’s fair in love and racing.” Maki breathed.

Nico pursed her lips as she tried to think of a way to reply to her own words being used against her.

“Besides.” Maki leaned towards her girlfriend. “Don’t you want a prize as well, Nico-chan?”

“What?” Nico felt herself draw back until she was leaning on her hands behind her.

“For winning all those matches as the No. 1 Racer in the Universe.” Maki continued to push forward, practically crawling on top of the older girl.

“Oh…” Nico’s pulse felt faster than cars she had just been racing.

“And like you said, it’s more than a consolation prize.”

“I’ll take it.” Nico smiled before craning her neck up so she could meet Maki for another kiss.

This was not a side of Maki she was used to seeing, but Nico loved it and decided she was going to take full advantage of it. As such, before she gave in completely, Nico made a mental note to start seeing if she could find more ways to persuade her girlfriend into initiating things.

Author’s Note Continued: Woo! My first scene based on a prompty asky thingy! ＼(￣▽￣)／

And as a bonus, I have a joke I can make in another scene that is slowly being cobbled together and I may get around to posting... someday... maybe...

[yoshi4sushi]

(purupurupuru) (purupurupuru) (click!) (COO!) (COO!)

 Happy Monday, minna-san! I hope everyone had a good weekend. It’s time to say sayonara to September and enter the autumn and spice season. I hope everyone is ready for spooky and haunts in October. Still pondering what costume to wear? You got plenty of time before HALLOWEEN! Be scary! Be funny! Today, we got plenty of news and goods to share with you so know the drill. First off, last week’s chapter was going from bad to frightening! The gang mourn for the loss of Pedro, but Jinbei perks them up reminding that instead of mourning, they must honor him his sacrifice by escaping Totland w/o hesitation. Meanwhile, Sanji, Chiffon, and Pudding are almost at Cacao Island so they can rush into making another wedding cake. At the end, poor Luffy is struggling his fight with Dogtooth who keeps throwing back everything w/ more brute force and size. How in the world is Luffy gonna defeat a billion bounty pirate who has similar powers as him? Let’s cheer him on this week with heart and soul. GO LUFFY! Next, this past weekend’s episode finally put an end to biscuit munchies. Luffy kept eating and eating until he finally uses his new gear 4th technique, Tank Man. With that, he finally send Cracker flying all across Whole Cake Island. His defeat has angered his siblings so they’re ready for revenge. Next week, Luffy and Nami finally reunites with Sanji, but it will not be friendly nor heartwarming. Luffy must now put with Sanji’s brute attacks. I hope everyone have the strength to hold off their tears to see these two friends fight. It’s a one hour special. DON’T MISS IT! Now on with the goods. FIGURINES! FIGURINES! Who wants to collect more? We some new figurines! First off, this week, tomorrow, arcades will be stocking the last Grandline DX Vinsmoke figurines. This time, it’s Niji and of course, Judge. Got your coins ready? ZIP IT! BEAT THAT CRANE! Next, Figure Arts Zero will release this new figurines of Reigu and Pudding. Websites will now take pre-orders for Reigu for those who live overseas. Try Amiami, Amazon, or any other official English hobby website. She will be released in March. Pre-orders for the figurine of Pudding will be updated soon. She will be released in February. Next, OP game app, Thousand Storm is having the Whole Cake Island campaign where you can now get Luffy and Sanji in their outfits from this season. If you get a lot points, you will get Shanks in his Strong World outfit. Next game is Treasure Cruise. They’re having the Dressrosa campaign. Win levels and see what characters you win. You can download the games on Apple Store. It’s available in English as well. Next, look who came over to visit. It’s none other than the coolest tower mascot of Japan, the one, the only, Tongari-san! He’s got some awesome and spooky news to tell us. Take it away my friend. Tongari-san says that more spooky stuff popped up at the tower. First, the Tongari Shop in the park are selling these cute Halloween badges of your fave characters. Next, the café will also have some ghoulish menu for everyone to enjoy. The café will be serving sparkling cola with orange sauce that will include a Straw Hat pumpkin picture. It will be random. Next, Sanji’s restaurant will be serving a special Halloween dinner. You must make a reservation ahead of time. This meal will only be served 10 days throughout the month. The meal will have a Halloween Macedonia fruit cocktail or sparkling wine. Appetizers will have pumpkin soup or salad. The main dish will be Mellorine Love lobster or tenderloin steak. You can only choose one, and you can’t make last minute changes. For dessert, you’ll be given some pumpkin sweets with some sweet cream, cookies, and fruit along with some chocolate powder pumpkin and ghost stencil. What a spooky yet fancy meal. If you order this meal, you’ll receive a free gift along with it. Also, the café has another new meal added to the menu. Franky and Luffy’s energy charged Gear second cola with super meat flavor French fries. For beverage, it will be coke with sweet red framboise syrup flavor on top of a metal mug with smoke coming out like Luffy’s gear mode. For the dish, it will have star shaped French fries with some fried chicken bacon & pepper. YOWZA! A SUPER meal you really can’t pass on. GUYS! You’re soaking the carpet. Sorry about that. They seriously can’t control their hunger. Anyway, if you order this dish, you’ll receive a free bromide card of Luffy with Franky. October birthday dishes has been leaked out, but we’ll announce it next week with better image quality. Last, but not least, take a pic with your fave characters from the show. Buggy and Puggy will be making their appearance again on Oct.6th and 20th. Luffy and Anne will be there on Oct.13th and 27th. The third floor will hand out photo tickets. It’s first come, first serve. Website has details on time and rules. Also, guess who’s birthday is approaching fast? I’ll give you a hint. He’s sexy, popular among the girls, and bad ass. You got it. It’s none other than the hottest pirate with a big heart, and my all-time fave, Trafalgar Law! His birthday is on Oct.6th. He will show up at the tower as well for photo shoots as well. Same, the tower will hand out tickets to get a photo with him and his loving friend, Bepo. He will show up on his birthday, and weekends until the end of Oct. Birthday button of him will be released soon. Don’t miss it! Moving on, to celebrate the OP Wano event in Kyoto, the Mugiwara Store will be open from Oct.11 to 16th. The store will sell these Kyoto themed goods at this store such as this eco-friendly tote bag, a long tengui handkerchief, and a mug that has Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. Also, with Law’s birthday approaching, they will release new goods of him this week and also his birthday button. Also if you purchase goods over 1000 yen, you’ll get a free birthday bromide card of him. Next, last week, Samantha Thavasa has released new purses and goods of another OP collab. They also included new purses, wallets, etc. of Law, Sabo, Ace, Franky, and Brook. They also have more new stuff of Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Chopper. They will take online order from overseas I think. The store will have a small statues of mini Merry boat and Ace at Harajuku. Next, websites will now take orders for a set of cool tattoos of Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Chopper, Law, Ace, and Hancock. It will be released in Dec. Next, with the one hour special approaching, the Japanese Yahoo website will have Luffy and Sanji on the main screen and you’ll get to hear their voices saying 10 phrases when you use the search link. GUA! What will they say? Tune in this Sunday. Next, we mentioned last week that Nippon Ham is having an OP campaign, and to commemorate it, they’ll give away some prizes including a set of delish meat groceries worth 5000 yen. Other prizes we mentioned will include a set of plates and an alarm clock. Sunday will commence the campaign. This involves in playing a game where you can play and win many points as much as you can on your smart phone. You can participate if you reside w/in Japan. Overseas is not possible. Next, DMM VR Theater is yet having another OP hologram show early next year. The gang and I went last year in Dec. It was really fun. They’re having a campaign. Retweet their post, and 20 winners will be chosen to win a prize. The event will have decorations and photo spots. Menu and ticket price will be updated later on. They will also have a mini store where they’ll sell original OP goods from Mugiwara Store. Title is The Metal: Memory of Marineford which hints we will see pirates and marines from the Marineford war season, and Bartolomeo will be joining the fun. The theater is located in Yokohama. We’ll leave a link. Moving on, for those who want to look cute and stylish, Peach John are restocking more pajamas and swim wear of your fave OP characters. Same like before, if you buys goods over 10,000 yen, you’ll get a free limited ed. folder of Nami and the others in their Peach John brand. They’ll accept overseas orders. We’ll leave a link. Next, reminder that the special OP episode of East Blue will be released in DVD on Nov.24th. Also, Here’s the new cover of the 2nd vol. of Whole Cake Island that has Sanji doing Diable Jamble attack. You can order it on Amazon. It will be released on the first week of Oct. Last, but not least, last week, the great pirate mangaka, Oda-sensei, held a takoyaki party at his house inviting his fave pals, the Mugiwara seiyuu, including Tomoko Naka (Ms. Father’s Day), Kotono Mitsuishi (Hancock) Katsuhisa Hoki (Jinbei), and Toru Furuya (Sabo). He also invited Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, and Maki Otsuki, who sings the first and second ending theme songs of OP. Ha ha ha ha! She and Tanaka-san (Luffy) are riding the mini train. GUA! Who knew his house could be a playground. Kappei-san (Ussop) really had too much to drink that he’s all over Tanaka-san. He really must be a heavy drinker. Ha ha ha ha! Them and Nakai-san (Zoro) with Naka-san (Ms. Father’s Day are hugging a giraffe statue. Hmm… Could it mean that it’s Oda-sensei’s fave animal. Kirin? Where’s Kaku when you need him as a hugging pole? HA! Phew! I think we covered everything. Before we end, Jump Festa will be held on Dec.16-17. Only 2 day event. News will be updated later on. That’s all we got for now. Tune in next week for more upcoming events and goods. Have a good week, and don’t stress yourself. Special thanks to Tongari-san for joining with us. We’ll see you next week, my friend. Kikko! Momon! Excellent job, boys! Let’s get some shut eye.

 Halloween Tower events: https://onepiecetower.tokyo/op_20th/halloween2017?lang=en#area_04?lang=en

Figurines: http://p-bandai.jp/item/item-1000117753/

Peach John: https://www.peachjohn.co.jp/pjitem/list/?_al=170412onepiece&count=60&outlet=include&sort=6&_dm=2&bid=170925opcom

Holographic show: https://vr-theater.dmm.com/schedule/onepiece-vr?utm_source=theater&utm_medium=twi&utm_campaign=0925

Samantha goods: https://online.samantha.co.jp/layout/feature/one_piece_2nd.html

[toudou-jinpaching]

The Official Novel - Moments (For You, Kryzza)

Makishima and Toudou - The Two's Promise: A Compilation

WARNING: I’m pretty sure I just spoiled the whole novel, so...

"Kuha! What do you want?" "Are you well, Maki-chan? That's the one thing that's been on my mind."

Makishima looked furtively to his side. Hakone Academy’s Toudou kept glancing back at him, his face bursting with anticipation as he kept perfect pace with him. Toudou was yearning so badly to have a one-on-one against Makishima that he could barely contain himself; a fight between just the two of them, to determine who won the mountain prize.

By switching to heavier gears and putting more power into his pedaling, he would be able to climb this hill faster than anyone else on the team. And only Toudou would be able to keep up with him. With a look of pure joy on his face, Toudou would chase him. If he were able to do that now, he would in an instant… but Makishima was the only one who could pull his team right now. He couldn’t afford to act on his selfish impulses.

Kinjou knew that Makishima had been secretly pleased at the prospect of being able to compete against Toudou this year, without having to hold himself back for the team. Because they had Onoda…

“I can’t wait! My heart feels like it’s dancing! You feel the same way, don’t you, Maki-chan! You’re a climber too, after all!”

Makishima couldn’t bring himself to look where Toudou's finger was pointing. Instead, he brought up a hand to pull his helmet over his eyes. His heart hurt. I’m sorry, Toudou. I’m the only climber my team has right now… I can’t leave them…

“That Toudou is so persistent. He knows that I’m coming but he keeps calling me anyway.” Even as he grumbled, Makishima’s mouth widened naturally into a smile.

Just when he’d found a reasonably-sized hill in between the houses and was about to climb it… a hand suddenly touched his back. He whirled around in surprise and, just as he had expected, found Toudou.

“Oh, Maki-chan, you’re perfectly fine! Now this is something to look forward to. My heart soars! It pounds!! Today will be the day that I win and tilt our tie of 7-7 in my favor!”

As he watched Toudou accelerate soundlessly up the hill, his spine straight, his body supple and arched beautifully like a statue, Makishima felt a tiny bit of joy at being able to race this man again.

Toudou, who had been by his side during the opening ceremony, had vanished at some point. Makishima looked around for him, thinking that was strange, but couldn’t pick him out from the crowd. It wasn’t like Toudou at all to disappear without a word. Well, either way, it’ll just be me and him near the goal line anyway, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

He had just accepted that he would stay where he was when— “Maki-chan! Where did you go?! I saved a spot for you, over here! Come here!” Hearing Toudou’s loud voice from the very first line, Makishima’s eyes went wide. He shot a quick glance ahead of him. Toudou was looking behind him, his head moving back and forth and his gloved right hand waving wildly in the air as he searched for Makishima.

“Here you won’t have to worry about wiping out because someone slipped and fell on the starting dash. It’s best to start at the front on rainy days.” Ah..., Makishima thought. He couldn’t deny that Toudou was right. He knew that. That’s why he snuck away, so he could grab a spot first… Realizing Toudou’s good intentions, Makishima gave him a small nod that he meant as his way of showing gratitude.

“The hills have a 14% incline with continuous hairpin curves. I want to climb them so much, I’m itching to get started.” “Can’t say I blame you,” Makishima murmured. Then he added casually, “So am I,” and turned to face ahead of him. Small groups of people, in teams of twos and threes, stood along the roadside, and the motorcycle that would be leading the pack came trundling out onto the almost empty road. Even Makishima could tell that within the comfortable feeling of anxiety, his heart was racing. Toudou had also closed his mouth and was gazing ahead of him. Makishima, glancing secretively at Toudou, noticed the sparkle in Toudou’s eyes grow brighter and this, for some reason, lit a flame in his chest. I can race against this guy again. I get to race him now. — That feeling was setting his heart ablaze.

“Still… There are too many of them who broke away. I’d hate it if there were any nuisances around when it’s time for us to race.” Toudou’s eyes turned serious and he gazed at Makishima. “This race is only supposed to belong to the two of us.” “…Y—eah.”

Watching Tobukuro’s back, Toudou’s eyes turned serious. He brought his mouth closer to Makishima’s ear and whispered, “…I quit. It’s a waste to just watch how things turn out. Maki-chan, how about we get this guy revved up and bring the ten people in the pack ahead down to half? We’ll make him do the work for us. Then we can be alone together a little quicker.”

Makishima and Toudou both shifted gears at the same time and lifted their hips, their breathing matching each other’s naturally.

As Makishima lined up his bike next to theirs, he agreed with Toudou’s words. While it didn’t show in his face, he made his agreement known by flicking away the rain dripping down his bangs and looking at Toudou.

The delicate man raised his shoulders in an overly-affected swagger and said in an obnoxious tone of voice, “But I know you, Toudou and Makishima. I’ve seen you in other tournaments. You two only care about each other. I bet you don’t remember the face or even the name of the guy in third place, let alone pay any attention to those who didn’t even win a prize. It’s like you treat the rest of us as background decorations to help yourselves stand out.”

“My chain came off.” He said it matter-of-factly. When Toudou turned back to look at him, Makishima shouted. “Go ahead of me! Do you want to let Musashigawa get away?!” But Toudou unclipped his left cleat and pulled the brakes on his bicycle hard enough to come to a full stop. “Maki-chan…” “Do you think that I won’t be able to catch up with you?” Makishima’s voice was slightly rough, which was so rare coming from him that it made Toudou go quiet. He thought he heard Toudou gulp. “…Be quick about it,” Toudou said.

The light green jersey was Musashigawa. And there was one more person. He was there. Toudou was there up ahead. There were several meters between him and Musashigawa. He only saw Toudou for a split second before he disappeared around the curve. Musashigawa looked to be sidestepping him, unhurried. I’m here!! His heart danced. 5.2 kilometers left to go, and he was here at last. It had gone almost exactly as he had anticipated.

There weren’t many people who could keep up with Toudou like that. It was clear evidence of Musashigawa’s skill. I’m here, I’m here, I’m here! The mud that had splattered onto his face had dried, and as he wiped it off with his middle finger, Makishima could feel his lips forming naturally into a smile. His aching throat, his constricted breathing, and his thundering heart straining to pump his blood were like a thing of the past. Power surged through him as if he had only just begun to cycle. Here’s where it all begins!

Then he asked something surprising. “…By the way, I have just one question. Are you and Toudou together? You always seem to be with him in races.” “Huh?” Unable to understand right away what he meant by “together,” Makishima questioned him in return.

“Yo, I’m going ahead of you,” Makishima spoke to Toudou as he passed. “You’re here, you’re here, Maki-chan! I’ve been waiting for you this whole time! I believed that you would catch me, fighting for the top without rest!” His eyes sparkling, Toudou sat up in his seat and spread out his right arm like a wing, speaking joyfully.

“Thanks for that. Then I guess I’ll have to get past you to pay forward on my hard work.” Makishima lunged ahead of Toudou, attempting to break away from him. He could feel passion roiling in his chest. Kwah, what’s with this heat I feel inside of me? He felt as if he would give a yell of delight, which was completely out of character for him.

“Wahahahaha!” With loud laughter that sounded truly happy, Toudou turned to look at Makishima. “How’s that, Maki-chan?!” “I’ll just have to get past you again.”

“It’s two against one! Makishima, you liar!” Makishima raised an eyebrow and scowled. “I wasn’t lying. Seriously, we’re not that close.” From behind Makishima, Toudou’s voice piped up in agreement. “That’s right. We just end up being together when fighting for the top. Like we are now.” “It can't be helped.” “…What do you mean, it can't be helped, Maki-chan?! Take that back!! Are you saying you want to compete with someone other than me?! I’m the only one who can satisfy you!! Fine then, go and enjoy yourself with this snob!” “Haah?” Toudou quietly picked up speed, moving a bike’s length ahead of him… then, still facing forward, said with humor in his voice, “You didn’t think I’d actually mean that, did you, Maki-chan?” “Not a chance.” Makishima smiled wryly, wiping away a fleck of mud that had landed on his cheek.

“You’re not getting away from us! Come on, Maki-chan!” That right there is exactly the reason why people get the wrong idea, Makishima grumbled, but he made to match Toudou’s acceleration.

Makishima dodged the question with the first thing he could think of. Toudou looked at him worriedly, his brows furrowed. He kept staring, so Makishima looked away.

Eventually, Toudou whispered, still quiet, “Let’s have our race, just the two of us, before reaching the goal. No matter what.” “Yeah…” “Otherwise, you catching up to me would have been for nothing.” Toudou looked at Makishima, his expression serious. “A climb that doesn’t have the two of us competing together isn’t a climb at all.” It was clear from looking at Toudou that he was upset and irritated.

“The road’s too narrow, I can’t.” “Then get behind me.”

He was looking into the distance, his expression heartfelt. “Maki-chan, do you remember when we first met? It’s been one year, one month, and twenty-three days since then.” “…You said something along those lines to me over the phone last month. About an anniversary date or whatever. What are you, a girl?” “There’s the day when I beat you for the first time… and then the day I first turned the tables on you and won within the last 100 meters… And then—” “Oi! You really are a girl!” “It’s rather nice, keeping your memories close and talking about them together as we are now, while riding the course.”

As Toudou rode slightly ahead, he began talking about the past with rapt, satisfied relish. “That day took place in Saitama too. Last year in spring, at the Okuchichibu Hill Climbing Tournament.”

“After that, we met constantly in other races and fought for the top! In the courses that tested our true abilities, we clashed! Isn’t that right, Maki-chan?!” “…I wonder why…” “There’s no why about it!” Toudou lightly slapped the stem of his handlebars. “We were born under the same star that brought us to this fate. A fate written as ‘worthy rivals’ but read as ‘best friends,’ written as ‘best friends’ but read as ‘rivals’!”

“Since when did we become best friends/rivals?” “When I acknowledged you and started calling you Maki-chan. That was… a month after we first met, at the Mt. Okutama Hill Climbing Tournament. The fourth race that we competed in on the weekends.” Makishima didn’t deny that. It was true that back on that day, when they were racing for the goal and Toudou had told him “You’re Maki-chan!” before speeding ahead, he had accepted it and chased after him.

“No matter what they try now, no one from behind will be able to catch up to us. That one nuisance guy that’s in front of us, we’ll drop while climbing these hairpins. This is the start of a fierce fight that’s just between the two of us, what do you say? Once we get through the hairpins, it’s three kilometers left to the goal. It’s going to be a heated, heated journey for the two of us!”

Toudou probably wouldn’t accept a win obtained on his own. Between the two of them, their contest stretched from whatever point they were on the course to the goal line. I don’t want to disappoint him. I don’t like this either… Having to abandon a contest over something like this? I can’t do it.

If he let the distance between them grow any further, Toudou would suspect that something was wrong. Toudou was still there, in front of him. When he saw Toudou’s back… The memories of how he had chased him so many times before arose vividly in Makishima’s mind. In the moments that counted most, he climbed with Toudou. He competed with Toudou. It’s because he is there that I climb. I wanted the goal, the summit. That’s how it had always been, always. It’s because I compete with him that I yearn for the top. That was how it had been for Makishima this past year. Even he was aware. I’ve decided, I’m going.

His breath coming in hot gasps, he pulled out the water bottle attached to his frame and swallowed from it in one loud audible gulp. His eyes on Makishima, Toudou wiped his mouth and grinned.

Makishima stole a look at Toudou’s profile. He had his head ducked and was looking down so that he would face less wind resistance while going downhill. The sweat that he’d worked up was dripping from his chin and the tips of his hair. “…Is there something on my face?” Makishima hurriedly looked away.

I want to go with Toudou to the goal… if I can. Makishima looked at Toudou once more. Then he averted his gaze and asked on a whim, “…Why do you always invite me?” Toudou seemed surprised by the sudden question because he asked back, puzzled, “Why what?” “Why is it always me?” Toudou blinked several times and pouted. “Isn’t that obvious? Because you’re Maki-chan.” Makishima fell silent, confused, and Toudou took on a pleased expression, laughing loudly. “Listen, Maki-chan. Stuff like this, it’s based on feeling, not logic. You don’t need logic when you’re pursuing pleasure. Leave it all to instinct.”

“What do you mean, you don’t get it, Maki-chan! Was it not fun for you?! Do you not feel anything when we compete?!!” “I have no idea… why it’s you, or why I climb… But I can say this—” Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Makishima cut himself off and he turned to gaze far into the distance. Then he whispered, “I’ve never experienced anything else as fun as this.” Toudou’s cheeks turned a bit red at Makishima’s answer.

“Right, Maki-chan?!! I’m so glad I invited you today. If I leave you alone, there’s always a chance that you 'll forget to register or you'll think it’s too much trouble. If I don’t call you, I get so, so worried…” “…Are you a girl?!” “Hey, whose fault do you think it is that I worry this much in the first place?!! You’re always forgetting our anniversaries, for one thing.” “Oh my god, you are a girl!! You’re female, aren’t you?!!” As he made retorts against Toudou with fervor, Makishima remembered the phone call when they had talked about those anniversary dates.

The minute he picked up the phone, Toudou kept repeating to him “the last Sunday of May.” “Huh?” “See, I knew you’d forget! I bet you even forgot what today is.” “…It’s Monday.” Is there something else? Makishima wondered. “One year ago, on this day, was when I beat you for the first time! Last year, it was a Sunday.” “…Oookay.” “Don’t ‘oookay’ me! That time, our score was one win, one loss, and it was also when I awakened to the joy of competing with you. Although I only figured that out after the fact. The moment I truly understood was when my score of one win, two losses became two wins, two losses at our fourth race. That was when I acknowledged you as my best friend/rival for the first time!"

"The deadline for registration is this Friday for Saitama’s Mt. Hiromine tournament. You know, the one that’s going to be held on the last Sunday of May." “Y—Yeah.” It wasn’t that he had forgotten. He just hadn’t been sure. There was going to be another tournament on the same day at Kanagawa, and he had been wondering which one Toudou would be participating in. But he also hadn’t wanted to ask him. There was just something about that idea that annoyed him.

“…Kwah, so that’s it, huh?” He smiled wryly and sighed in spite of himself. “What, do you have a problem with that? Or are you certain that you’ll win? You did register for it, right, Maki-chan? If you forgot, then do so right now!” “…We’ll see.” “I’ll be waiting!” Toudou sounded as if he was going to say more, but Makishima took his phone away from his ear and hung up. So that’s why he chose Saitama… I see. Makishima headed to his bookcase and started up the computer that rested on an empty shelf. After searching for the homepage for the Mt. Hiromine Climbing Tournament and checking that they were still accepting applicants, he searched for the application form and began to fill it in.

“We’ll bring him down no matter what before heading to the goal. No way is he going to bother us.” But the winding road delayed them, and they still couldn’t see a trace of Musashigawa riding in front of them. “Hey, Maki-chan. Since I’m going to climb at full speed up ahead, I want to ask you this now while I still have the chance.” As he pedaled easily in a sitting position on this downhill slope, Toudou talked while keeping his face forward. He really is energetic, Makishima thought as he looked at Toudou. His back was straight, without any heaving, as if Toudou had just begun to ride.

Toudou grabbed with his left hand the “NE” part on the right arm of his blue “HAKONE” jersey and turned for just a split second to look at Makishima. His eyes were quiet but they had a fierce light in them. “It will be the last time we compete while wearing these jerseys.” Still facing forward, Toudou pointed his right hand directly behind him at Makishima’s yellow jersey. “Maki-chan’s Sohoku jersey…” Then he brought his hand up to stroke down his left shoulder, so that he was hugging his upper arms. “And my Hakogaku jersey.” As if he were trying to control his rising emotions, Toudou paused, then said each word carefully but significantly. “On the road where these two ride side by side, where the words Hakogaku and Sohoku compete and gallop over the hills, we will have our last race.” His voice seemed to tremble slightly. Makishima felt Toudou’s strong feelings vibrating from his back and was unable to speak for a while. “…Y…Yeah, that’s right. That’s… how it’s been…”

“Does that mean… that I can hope for a positive response?” “Who knows.” No matter how much Toudou pressed for answers, Makishima didn’t intend to give him any more. Our last race wearing these jerseys, huh… If our teams could fight for the top like this, that would be great. But… when it comes to competing just between the two of us... Makishima looked down at his yellow jersey. Written across his chest were the words “Sohoku High School Road Racing Club.” I want to hope for a positive response too.

“Pant, pant, Maki-chan, even the road is dry here. Come at me harder.” “Yeah.” Makishima’s breathing was also fast. With every second, it got faster.

“You have… a beautiful friendship. But it was Makishima… who told me that… a climber is always alone.” Toudou pointed two fingers at Musashigawa’s face. Musashigawa’s fine eyebrows knit together in displeasure while he kept breathing heavily. Toudou’s breathing was also labored, but he spoke without stopping. “There are two types of loneliness. One is the wretched kind of loneliness, the kind where you can’t put faith in anyone and no one can put faith in you. The other kind is loneliness you can endure because you have someone you believe in, and they in you. You probably only know one kind.” They climbed. As they climbed, Toudou grinned and placed a hand over the left side of his chest. Right over his intensely beating heart. “We know the second one. We know it here, with our hearts."

Toudou took another deep breath and continued. “Even if you gain a comrade in arms and become faster by competing with him… that’s only an outcome. A fortunate outcome, but not something to be sought or made an objective from the very beginning.” He paused, took another breath. “But, as it so happens, we were lucky enough to gain that fortunate outcome.”

“The idea of me being close to the climb’s goal without Maki-chan? That’s impossible.” As oxygen traveled through his body, as he moved his muscles and breathed in and out with agonized gasps, Toudou said, bluntly, what he believed. “Maki-chan will come. He’ll come so that the two of us can head for the goal. So that the two of us can fight for the goal.” Musashigawa’s uncertainty became more apparent in the face of Toudou’s unshakeable confidence.

Toudou didn’t look back. Even though his breath came in quick gasps, he wouldn’t stop talking. “Maki-chan will come. It isn’t me you’re most afraid of. You’re afraid of the one who’s tough on bad roads, who can handle irregularities. It’s Maki-chan you’re afraid of. Isn’t that right?” “…He isn’t coming. Toudou, haven’t you realized? Makishima is—” Musashigawa’s mouth was twisted into a triumphant grin when a figure that bent noticeably from side to side rose up over the bottom curve of the hill. Musashigawa held his breath. Toudou, relieved, turned back to look. Sweat fell from the figure’s swaying hair, and with every bend of his body, he advanced a great distance. He was climbing up. He was approaching them closer and closer. “See?” Toudou said, his chest puffed up with great pride, and he extended his arm out to Makishima as a greeting.

Makishima had come, just as Toudou had believed he would. He hadn’t gotten tired nor had his body stiffened from the cold. Toudou believed they could still ride on and on. This green-haired man whose meager expressions made it hard to tell what he was thinking had chased after him on this difficult slope and smiled. That was enough to make Toudou happy. He felt his heart grow warm.

“I won’t be played by such underhanded methods,” Toudou said, and began his pursuit. Makishima followed. He didn’t want to lose. His last race with Toudou was close. Because of that, he wanted to enjoy all of the remaining races they had together. Because he knew that their races, between just the two of them, weren’t going to last forever. The air in his rear tire had leaked out completely by this point. It carried on turning heavily, unsteadily. Even so, he wasn’t going to hesitate anymore. He didn’t want to throw away his race with Toudou here.

“Pant, pant, having someone with, pant, bite around sometimes can sure change the look of the future. This gives me shivers.” “Oh? Smooth words make for smooth ways, I see.” Toudou seemed to panic at Makishima’s words. He looked as if he didn’t want Makishima to think that he was making excuses. Or so Makishima thought. “Maki-chan, this doesn’t mean that I’ve gotten bored with competing against you, okay! I’m sure you already know that, but I’m just saying!” “That was your concern?”

Makishima and Toudou nodded at each other. “I’ll distract him,” Makishima said to Toudou. “Ah? You’re telling me to go ahead? What will you do?” “…You already know,” Makishima said without pause, and Toudou roared with laughter. “Naturally.”

“Makishima? So Toudou has given up already. What a disgrace to the mountain god’s name.” “Don’t look at me, I don’t know about him. I’m just going where I want to go. He just happens to be there too, sometimes.” “Is that true? I know you guys are close.” Musashigawa was looking at him suspiciously again.

Not changing their pace after leaving Musashigawa behind, the two of them silently, without any words of confirmation, surged right into the competition that they had been preparing for. All they did was look at each other. With that, they knew everything that the other felt and thought.

I can still go on! I can still ride! He could no longer feel the rain hitting his cheeks, nor even the water sliding over his thighs. Toudou was beside him. That was all he felt. I can still go on, with him!! He could still climb. All the way to the peak.

With his awareness on Toudou, as he fought with Toudou, he pedaled to advance himself ahead so that he could be even faster than Toudou. I’ve come this far. I want to race with Toudou, to the end! Go, go, move, move move, I don’t care if everything breaks, as long as it takes me to the goal, move, pedal, ride!!

By sharpening his senses, he could feel the other’s harsh breath against his earlobe. He could feel the other’s heat with his own skin. Right by my side is another guy who’s trying to go faster. No matter how many times I shake him off, he will ride by my side — overtaking me, being overtaken, and then overtaking me again — until we reach the top. He is what drives me on. It’s because he’s here, that I am going to climb this slope faster than he does!

There was no way he’d brought a gravure magazine with him to a race. If only Toudou would at least laugh at his pathetic joke and be exasperated by it. If only it would exasperate him and make him give up… Makishima’s poker face slid into place. He was not going to show his bitterness, his sorrow, and his self-pity. Never. If he did, it would make Toudou sad as well. He wanted Toudou to accept his victory without being bothered by this. Toudou’s eyes quieted. He looked to have regained his composure. “I see… You must be more frustrated about this than I am.”

Yeah… At Inter-high. The last time we’ll get to race each other wearing these jerseys. Makishima grabbed the front of his own jersey. Our last race. “You got it,” he said to Toudou’s retreating back. Toudou’s form, hazy from the rain, disappeared around the curve. We made a promise for the first time. Until now, we’d never made a promise to fight each other. Because you were always either in front or behind me. For the first time, Makishima made a promise with Toudou.

“You idiot…” His reproachful words weren’t aimed at Makishima… but at the mountain god who had brought about the flat tires. He bit down hard on his lower lip… then let out a deep breath. He took off his helmet and gloves and laid them beside him. Shaking the water from his hair and sending it flying in all directions, he fixed his hairband back into place. Raindrops pattered heavily on the sheet-iron roof above Toudou’s head. There were sounds of cheers rising up and down like waves as other climbers crossed the finish line. But Toudou didn’t hear any of it. Instead, he just stared vacantly through the eaves of the dripping roof, at the gray clouds rolling quickly through the sky.

Makishima Yuusuke and Toudou Jinpachi. They made a promise. For the first time, the two of them made a promise. A very important promise…

After traveling far enough to be sure that neither his team nor his rival could hear him, Toudou gripped his brackets tightly enough to dig his nails into them and screamed. “You idiots… You should have come prepared, you idiots!! Damn it!” Something that wasn’t sweat came close to pouring out from the corners of his eyes.

Arakita looked at Makishima, who broke into a slight grin. “…Did this guy just… laugh?” “I don’t care about the mountain result. As long as I get to race Toudou, that’s all… If it’s within three minutes, I can still catch up…”

This is a first... There’s a huge crowd watching me. I’m riding all alone at the top, and it’s a race in my hometown... And yet I wish it was over already… This wasn’t how things were supposed to be. Ever since they had made their promise, he had been looking forward to seeing it fulfilled. He even called Makishima over and over again, to be sure that their promise still held.

Hearing Makishima’s voice say “What” curtly on the other end made Toudou so happy that he spoke rapidly. “How are you, Maki-chan, are you well? You aren’t injured or sick right before Inter-high, are you? I want you in your best condition, so I called because I got worried!” He heard a faint sigh in his ear. “…This is the third time this week.” No matter how many times it was, he couldn’t help wondering. This promise was important to him.

He had been waiting for this day for so long. Now that promise was cruelly broken. He was certain that their promise had been mutual. Had it only been Toudou who had been looking forward to this? You idiot! What are you hoping for, Jinpachi?! Throw away your hope. He isn’t coming. “Throw it away!!” Pedal harder, so that you forget everything. Your hope, your promise, your friendship, your motivation, just throw them all away. Forget everything and keep moving until your head is empty inside. Throw it away, throw it away, throw it away!!

Underneath the full summer sunlight, he could see, with perfect clarity, the long tail of green hair streaked with red swirling through the air. Every time his bike swerved, the spokes of his wheels glinted in the light. If this is a dream, don’t wake me… The commotion from the spectators grew louder. “That dancing’s incredible! I can’t believe he made it all the way out here like that." Toudou couldn’t stop the pounding of his heart.

Hair that was the color green... The guy I know would always… come up from behind me with his hair waving in the breeze and a smirk on his face… Spotting Toudou, the rider raised his head. Sweat flew off him and glittered in the sun. “Yo, Toudou. How’s your condition?” Toudou couldn’t speak. Even though there were a billion things that he wanted to say, his heart was overflowing.

“My condition’s better than it ever has been before.” He looked Toudou right in the eyes, the corner of his mouth curved up in an expression of happiness.

“…Maki… chan… I…” A drop of liquid fell down Toudou’s cheek, glittering as it splashed to the ground. It could have been sweat. Could have been. To that guy— To Makishima, who had chased after him to keep their promise, Toudou cried out. “All of a sudden I'm in my best condition!!”

[thrilla-in-mcgilla]

THE FINAL POST

To everyone who thought that this blog was dead, you were mistaken. Yes, I have risen from the emotional shambles that was moving out of residence, and as I [start to] write this post I will be sleeping in my bed in BDot for the first time of the summer. Essentially, with this post, I’m hoping to hit some of the highlights of the year, but mostly it’s just going to turn into one long [and I mean looooong] sappy post dedicated to all of the friends that I’ve made along the way. So buckle your seatbelt ladies and gents and let me walk you through my first year of university.

One of the things that always gave us something to look forward to was going to Arvind’s concerts. If you remember, Arvind is my friend who is in the music program at McGill, and he plays the flute [most of the time at least]. The first concert of his that we went to was on November 2nd, but we went to many more throughout the year. In second semester, Arvind wasn’t placed in one of the major ensembles, which was very upsetting, but also meant that we got to see him perform in the university chorus, yes that means singing. All of us marked it down in our calendars, and I thankfully captured the song with hand motions on video [Come Sweeeeeeeet Death]. Despite being constantly challenged by his teachers, Arvind definitely pushed through first year and is no doubt on his way to becoming the best flutist at McGill. 

Towards the end of our first semester, we started having frequent game nights, where uno was by far the most popular pick. Through our game nights, many new catchphrases were created, such as: “oh is that not good for you?”, “cAn’t gO?”, “don’t trust Michael, don’t trust Michael [to the tune of frere jacques]”, “eeYEAHHH”, and many more that I’m probably forgetting. This was especially helpful to help us all deal with the stress of final exams, and “uno in 503?” was a question that would often appear in our group chat [503 was Anna and Sayaka’s room number]. I know, I know, really? You guys stayed in to play uno instead of going out to some party? Most of the time, yes. I can’t believe it either.

Soon after first semester was over, the Owl’s Nest realized that our residence’s dining hall was just not going to cut it for the rest of the year, and we started eating at other dining halls much more frequently. Speaking of food, group outings became a defining feature of my friend group, and we would often plan dinners or brunches at our favourite restaurants weeks in advance [so that we could save our money haha]. Universel was definitely our favourite breakfast place, and I’m pretty sure all of us took our parents and friends there whenever they were in town. Fisshu, although we only went twice, was a delicious sushi restaurant, oh my goodness I can taste the maki from here, yum. Moving on to the more classic university experience, late night trips to Tims, or orders from  Chef on Call [their veggie burger gets an A+ from Michael, Sena and I], were probably a little too frequent than we’d like to admit. Yes, that’s right everyone I am still not eating meat, and I’m quite proud of that fact so please try not to eat chicken wings in front of me or I might cry (I won’t eat them though, Michael stop judging me). 

As I mentioned in my last post ions ago, I was a part of Hall Council this year. After the Halloween event, we had many more successes. We hosted two coffee houses [like mini talent shows], a winter formal, another beer pong tournament, a residence wide month long elimination game called Gotcha, a free food event, and a “Flashback to Frosh” event. I’ll insert videos of my friends and I performing at coffee house, I have some talented pals let me tell you! While hall council meetings were almost always a little bit chaotic, and we had our fair share of drama, I wouldn’t give up my experience on it for the world. We had so much fun running events for our peers, and I got to spend so much more time with my friends doing things that we love [i.e. being in charge haha]. Our council advisors said that we were one of the most cohesive councils that they’ve ever worked with, and I think that our ability to work well together really showed. Even though we were a group of almost 30 people, which was challenging at some times, we really made things happen. Between running our own events, and going to the events hosted by other councils, we all had a really good time within the residence community and I’m really thankful for that. 

(Sena helping me set up the photo booth for the winter formal)

(A VERY low quality photo of Sena, Anna, Myself and Emma [wolves], at IRC’s Blackout, Whiteout event)

(Kaya and I tabling for ERC’s sustainable eating initiative)

(Anna and I at the Flashback to Frosh event)

(Emma [wolves], myself and Anna at IRC’s Wine and Cheese night)

(My delicious beverage and I at our final council outing)

(The entirety of Hall Council at the Halloween event)

(Coffee House performances)

Moving on to RezWarz, which I mentioned in one of my very first posts, there were several events throughout the year that contributed to the accumulation of RezWarz points. The first notable one is the IronChef competition. A team from each of the residences [or most of them], competed against each other in a cooking competition, where they had to cook both a protein and a vegetarian plate within a time limit, making sure to incorporate a few of the mystery ingredients. My friend Anna [who you should recognize from previous posts] competed alongside my friends Himanshu and Flemming, and they WON! It was very exciting for everyone involved, other than them who were actually competing because they didn’t even want to win! The winners of the first round would represent McGill in the next level, which was taking place at the University of Massachusetts. While they were very reluctant at first because of the time commitment that competing would mean, they decided to go, and they even got third place! Winning the IronChef competition was pretty remarkable for a few reasons. For one thing, C4 does not have any kitchens for students to use, so Anna, Flemming and Himanshu had to practice for RezWarz in another residence’s kitchen, and only for a few hours. Additionally, winning the IronChef competition meant a TON of RezWarz points, putting Carrefour Sherbrooke in FIRST PLACE. But this was not the last competition, so we had to fight really hard to try to stay on top. 

(Anna, Himanshu, and Flemming holding their prizes!)

Our final RezWarz challenge was to create a lipdub, which, if you’re unfamiliar, is basically a crazy upbeat video where a bunch of people dressed in funky outfits lipsync to the camera in one take. C4 had managed to hold its lead in RezWarz up till this point, but it was really important that we made a really awesome video in order to secure the win. I had always wanted to make a lipdub video, so I kind of made this project my baby, with the help of wolves [that’s what we call my friend Emma if you haven’t caught on by now]. After making the track that we would be lipsyncing to, creating a shotlist of where each song would take place, and assigning the people who would “sing” each part, it was time to film. Filming, while very tiring, and not quite as crisp as I would’ve liked it to be, was a success. I then poured the rest of that night into editing and after probably around 15 hours total working on the lipdub, it was complete. The winners of RezWarz were to be announced in a couple of days at council dis-orientation, as well as the highest scorers for the lipdub. As it turned out, we won the lipdub, and as a result, WON REZWARZ! I’m sure it doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, but it really was for us. This was so ridiculously exciting for myself, all of my friends, hall council, and C4 as a whole. I hope I haven’t talked it up too much, but attached below is the C4 Lipdub. I know that this will be something that my friends and I can look back on for years to come, so I’m really happy that it turned out so well. 

Next up on my list of bullet points, birthdays! The Owl’s Nest knows how to celebrate a birthday. After Emma and Michael’s birthdays which I already mentioned, we celebrated 4 more birthdays throughout the year [Sorry Arvind and Sena who have their birthdays over the summer]! We celebrated Anna’s birthday on November 15. Anna booked us an airbnb for the night, so that we could cook ourselves a meal, and bake some desert to boot! Overall the night was a lot of fun, between screaming the lyrics to every ABBA song, to Michael blaming the tomatoes for the mediocre pasta, to eating a delicious brownie with ice cream, to playing board games, to trying to make eggs in a pot in the morning, we had a blast. Next up on the 30th was Jonathan’s birthday. For his birthday I collaborated with his girlfriend to hold a surprise party for him in my room while she was in town. We went out and bought all the decorations: streamers, a banner, balloons, noisemakers, glow sticks, the whole nine yards. I spent a couple of hours setting everything up in my room, and I gotta say it looked pretty good considering it was just me [for the most part, that’s right Michael, you barely helped]. I swear he almost peed his pants so it was all worth it! 

The next birthday was actually none other than yours truly! As you might have seen on facebook, for my birthday I decided I would like to go skating in old Montreal. But first, we stopped at A&W so I could grab the beautiful beyond meat burger with sweet potato fries hehe. After a treacherous walk in the cold we finally made it to the rink, which was stunning. I had to reteach myself how to skate for the first while, but once I got it, all was good. The walk back was much less pleasant, all of the owls had to defrost when we got home, but it was worth it [right guys?]. Writing this has reminded me that I’m the old lady of the group, and now I feel weird, but that’s alright, admire the photos.

Finally, the last birthday that we celebrated of the year was Sayaka’s! For her birthday we all went out to a Japanese restaurant [she’s the tiny Japanese one if that wasn’t obvious], and then we came back to rez and had a little party. By little party, I mean we got a little too drunk in my room, but that’s fine. We already have plans to visit Sena and Arvind for their birthdays so they won’t feel left out, don’t worry! 

Before I move on to the really sappy stuff, here are some various photos of various fun things from throughout the year that didn’t really fit with the topics above.

(Myself, Michael, Sena, Anna, Arvind and Sayaka after the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, heading out to the Irish bar)

(Wolves, Michael and I went to the Montreal Youth Climate March that was observed by hundreds of thousands of students around the world)

(Wolves, Anna, Sena Lili and I at our first [and only] frat party)

(Sena, Michael, Arvind and I before heading to upper rez for a party with Michael’s friend from home)

(A photo taken on the walk home from karaoke. It was around -25 degrees and also the middle of a snowstorm [and also the night that Arvind and I ended up taking Michael to the hospital for a stomach bug])

(You can’t really tell, but a few of my friends from rez went across the street to protest the protestors who blew airhorns everyday at 10am and 3pm for months)

(From when Sena, Michael, Arvind and I met up in Toronto over the Christmas break)

(A picture of Arvind, Sayaka, Jonathan, Anna, Michael and I with the head chef of our dining hall at the holiday banquet)

(Self explanatory)

(Sena and I counting worms for our biology project)

(An awful photo but an incredible night. We had just had “camp council” which is basically just code for hall council getting drunk with the floor fellows. We were going to go out to a club or something, but instead we ended up having a massive snowball fight on McGill’s lower field, which was definitely 1000x more fun)

(From the night I climbed Mont Royal to take some photos)

(Michael and I at what turned into our favourite bar, McKibbins)

(Taken on one of our last nights together in Rez)

(It’s always snuggle time)

(My roommate Delal and I, right before I moved out of residence)

Okay here comes the really sappy emotional stuff, so feel free to skip ahead if you’re not up for it. I want to write little open letters to the people who made my first year away from home so incredible. So here it goes. 

To Sayaka:

Our little Japanese! It’s so hard to believe that at one point you were just the crazy roommate of twin #1 that was moving into 503. You are definitely nothing like what those twins said you would be. What we gained instead was a caring, sweet, GIGGLY new friend that we could adopt into the owl’s nest. Whether it was scream-laughing too loud in the dining hall [I can still feel Ahmed’s intense gaze], or singing a little tune, or looking at anyone with those big eyes, you’ve always had such a positive attitude, and I think we could all learn from that. I will always remember standing in line for warehouse and you asking if you could touch my hair hahaha. A few things to clarify: no you are not 6 feet tall, I live east of you not “up”, the easter bunny has nothing to do with jesus, and so on. However, if you ever need anything, I will always be around to support you, how could anyone abandon the little one and make her japaNESE MAD. I have lots of love for you, and you don’t have to ask to pet my straight hair anymore, I give you eternal permission!

At the end of all these little open letters I’m going to say the song that reminds me of each of the owls, and since musical theatre is something we could always bond over, the song that makes me think of you is Poor Unfortunate Souls. While I was barely in The Little Mermaid AT MY HIGH SCHOOL, I’m so mad I missed you performing as Ursula. Although, I totally cannot imagine little ole you performing as the big nasty sea witch. I guess that’s just some Disney magic for ya. 

To Jonathan:

Obviously, our friendship started with quite a few boulders to overcome. It definitely was not easy all of the time, but I’m really glad that we both stuck to the nest, because it just wouldn’t have been the same otherwise. We all know you as drunky jack, or white bread, and I truly hope those nicknames stick around, they’re just too funny lmao. You were one of the first people that I ever felt comfortable around in residence, ever since that night that you, Arvind, James and I walked around in search of an SAQ before we landed in Tims. From the way that we stayed up just talking for hours that night, there was absolutely no way that we wouldn’t remain friends. Don’t lose your spirit. Sometimes throughout the year it was clear you were a little down, but whenever the white boy dance moves were busted out, everyone had the chance to smile for at least a second. Try not to be a stranger. 

A song reminds me of you [and obviously first year in general], is Body. There was something about drunky jack in the first week of school that just screams body, so I think it’s a perfect fit [the video of you at beach day, yikes].

To wOlves:

I remember thinking that I would never even get the chance to meet you. What crazy struggles getting that study permit (or whatever it was hehe). I also vividly remember meeting you for the first time and thinking “damn it this girl knows more memes than me”. You literally started flossing in the middle of the room and I just - wow. And you already know how impressed I was that day that you gave that man directions, not in french, no, in SPANISH. We definitely got a lot closer throughout second semester because of our favourite men [who helped us find the aREa of the potatOID]. I see a lot of myself in you, from our taste in bOys, to our taste in music, to our taste in sporcle quizzes, we’ve got a lot to talk about. You’re always there to laugh at my sarcastic side comments, and let me tell you I will always be there to laugh at yours. Some days I swear our minds are linked together. You overcame a lot this year, and I’m proud of you for that. As soon as we get back to Montreal, you, Sena and I must have a cuddly movie night, okay?? I absolutely loved screaming harmonies with you every chance we got, we gotta jam more now that Shelby is fixed and ready to play more Billie. I swear we’ll give you a better birthday party this year, but come on, we tried. One day, ONE DAY, you will perfect the mOve, and I will be there to capture the moment in all of its essence. We have many more inside jokes to create [haha eh :P] so I don’t know what you were planning buuuut you’re not going anywhere. You’re also the only one in the nest who’s movie taste I trust [come on Sena, you want to watch an action movie again??]. We need to do a day where we watch each others favourite movies, even if it’s a lot of them! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our movie dates over text message and we better keep doing that all summer, it makes me feel less lonely! I love you like you’re my child and I will keep screaming at you not to eat timbits during shabbat [shabbafe bampus hehe]. I swear one day we will run into linear algebra boy and simultaneously confess our love for him, but until then we can only dream. Don’t forget your worth. I love you so much my little wolf.

Sis, you already know what your song is. No Flex by our favourite boys TMG. I feel like this doesn’t need any more explanation. [my body count up in the double digits (11), I got a TEXT, that’s all, no further comments thank you].

To Avinash Arvind Krishendeholl [the Indestructible Lotus]:

Wa-ow, what a year it’s been eH? First of all, thank you for being everyone’s emotional support dog, you’re probably one of the most dedicated friends that I’ve ever had. I probably would have cried myself to sleep many times this year if it weren’t for you. I don’t know what it is about you, but I think that everyone can just automatically sense that you’re trustworthy even when they first meet you. I felt instantly heard by you, and that’s a very special quality to have, and I mean it. I know we kid all the time, but I actually want to take the time to be completely honest with you in this little message because I feel like I don’t tell you enough how much I appreciate you. Arvind, you’ve really felt like my partner through the year and I know that a lot of the nest feels the same way. You’re the safety patroller 1 to my safety patroller 2, and I feel like it works for us. That first crisis really bonded us, I think it became evident to both of us that we are both the type of people who won’t just go to sleep if we feel that any one is in danger that we can help. We’re problem solvers my dude. I know everyone says they don’t know what they would do without you, and that’s just become something that people say casually, but seriously. You were a grounding force for all of us, someone that we could go to for actually anything. Whether it be conflict within the group, conflict with someone else, just a bad day, a big paper due, or even wanting a good laugh and a bite to eAT, you were there. You were there if I just wanted to sit in a room with someone else, or if I wanted a shoulder to cry on, and I hope you feel that I can be the same for you when you need it. Beyond all of this sappy crap, you’re seriously a force to be reckoned with. I know this year was tough for you in music [seriously why would they put a flutist in a choir, Schulich wyd??], you have the ability, and the perseverance to do absolutely anything that you want. I actually can’t wait to see what the future holds for you because whatever it is you end up doing, you’re GOING to dominate, no doubt in my mind. Your section would be incomplete without a mention of all of your catchphrases so here we go: what are we gonna eat NOW, wait why’d the mood change, L-O-L, sAAAd, I have received communications from Mr. McIntosh, you want some cUHrry, im JOKING im joking, gUUUYS, senAAAAAAH, waaow, in FAAAACT, the power of seven theorem states, that’s a fallacy, what’re you gonna do gIRL, OPE, wait why’d you look down, I’m on a diet, let’s get the gOO, knowing me knowing you ahah, chef?, I’m in mUsic, now wHaaat are you doing, bwaaaaaah, ooooozgayyy, weeeeeelll??, heeeeet [hoot hoot], schWWIIING, the sweet meats, motion, notice, stOP gUYS, eeeeeYeaaah, Kaaaaaasssidyyyy Michael saaaaaiddd, heLLO, just a petit quelque chose, I am holding a notice in my left paw, proceed in B flat minor. Nest don’t punish me for forgetting a bunch, he’s a very quotable boy. 

Your song was already mentioned in this post, and I believe it is very fitting Knowing Me, Knowing You [ahaaaah]. Anything ABBA will remind me of you and Michael instantly, for obvious reasons, but I chose this song because it became one of your catchphrases and I think it suits the two of us the best [you know me all too well]. 

To Shishtar:

I get to tell you all of the things I love about you everyday next year in our cute little apartment hehe. But of course I will give you your space here as well. I am proud to be the first fluent speaker of Sennish [other than the creator herself]. I know Arvind and Michael give you a hard time, but they just don’t get you like I do. I hope you don’t mind that I totally latched to you during frosh, but I think it worked out well for both of us, what do you think? If you go back and read some of my first posts, it was all Sena all the time. I can’t wait to live with you in just a few months. It going to be like having slumber parties every night, and oh my the DECORATING! I had so much fun every single time we went out together [that might be trouble hehe] you’ll always be my best dance partner. I know that no matter what I’m feeling I can go to you and trust that you’ll feed that emotion back to me. If I want to laugh, you’re in, if I want to cry, you pull up the audition videos, it’s really a good set up we’ve got going. I want you to know I will always always always be here for you. If a shishtar is in need, a shishtar is here for her, those are the rules. I just know we have so much in store for us and our friendship and I can’t wait to do it all. I feel like you’re the friend that I can adventure with, you’ll never turn down a good time [unless you’ve already drank too much and can’t make it out lmaoooo]. I’m so happy that we raised our worm babies together, even if that experiment was VERY questionable! I wonder how they’re doing now actually, probably thriving. Let’s not carry soil back from across the city again though, that was not too much fun. I will now go into some roommate vows. As your roommate I pledge to always repeat myself when you say wait..WHAT?, and only get annoyed at it sometimes. I promise to cook you breakfast when I get the chance, and more importantly, teach you to cook some things other than “thin meat” and “cubed chicken” because that has to be a crime. I promise not to force you to every bafe tuesday [only some], and to help you study when you need it. There’s more, but I’m sure we’ll cross those bridges when we come to them. I can’t wait to take the next step in our friendship, even if our landlords are trash. We’ll manage. [AND I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE JONAS BROTHERS WHAT THE HECK]

The song that I chose for you may be surprising, because it is not a Sena song. I picked Electric Avenue, because of that one Cafe Campus tuesday that we went to. One of the first songs that came on that night that got us bopping was electric avenue [which I captured on video]. I just know that I’ll never be able to hear that song without thinking of you and that night, even if it ended with us running full speed in the wrong direction! 

To Michael:

We all know how much I love you, but I guess I’ll try to scratch the surface with words. Not that your ego needs to be stroked any more than it already is, you are definitely one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. You somehow just know so many things and you are able to talk intelligently about virtually anything. I don’t know why, but you seem like a completely different person now than from when I first met you. I still remember us wandering around together at RezFest, going back up for more samosas [eyeeeah], but to be completely honest I didn’t think that we would really become friends. That day I kind of felt like I was a placeholder until you found the people who you actually wanted to be friends with, which sounds sad as I write it, but I was happy to be that. Much to my surprise, you stayed with me the whole day, and we hung out with almost everyone who would soon become the nest [first the dean’s list though hehe]. I’m absolutely honoured to be your friend, and honoured that we’ve shared so much with each other starting with beach day. You’re passionate. That’s something that I really admire. Even if nobody wants to hear it sometimes, there’s not a chance you’re shutting up about wave particle duality, and that’s something I respect [even if sometimes it drives me crazy] about you. You don’t give up easy either. Not getting into McGill didn’t stop you from coming here [yes I had to bring it up hahahaha], and that mentality drives you, which I have mad respect for. The fact that you can’t sing doesn’t stop you from spewing nonsense about the circle of fifths [hehehe right @Arvind?]. In all seriousness, you are more than aware that you mean so much to me, and I appreciate that you standby for my moments of existential crisis. You don’t give up on me even when I act insane and I am very thankful for that, because lots of friends would take a step back, but you persist. Your sarcasm and sass makes me laugh like no other. I know you’ll never stop making fun of me for knowing so much about astrology, but that’s so libra of you. Try not to be as much of a doormat living with Arvind as you were living with Grant [yes, you were a doormat, even at the end], although I’m sure Arvind won’t try to see how high he can pile his clothes, so you’re already ahead of the game. Oh I almost forgot! Thank you for helping me in my pescatarian adventures. Having someone else so close to me live the same lifestyle really helped me out, especially every time Arvind ordered chicken wings. Along the same lines, thanks for always backing me up on my environmental speeches to not only the nest, but in council too. Just like I said with everyone else, I can’t wait to make even more memories with you, and I hope that you’re in my life for a long long time, because I don’t know what I would do without you!

No surprises here, the song that reminds me of you is The Chain, although this might as well be any Fleetwood Mac song. This is unrelated but just so you know, my gramma just said “there’s chippy” as a chipmunk ran around the backyard and I thought that that was an odd coincidence. But yes, listen to the wind blow [insert incredible bass line]. 

To Anna:

My dear sweet Anna. I’m not crying you’re crying!! You have kept my life interesting from literally the moment I met you. Please go back and read one of my first posts from the first night when you went on about your boy troubles, what a night. From that moment on you’ve filled my life with so many interesting and emotional moments. I think that everyone remembers the night that you said that this friendship probably won’t even last a month, and look at us now baby. We all have gone through so much this year as a group, and I know that a lot of that had a huge impact on you. You may be small, but by god are you tough girl. The amount of bullshit that you have gone through this year is remarkable, but you’ve never given up on any of us. You and I have gone through our fair share of trouble, but never once did I question that we would resolve whatever it was and be stronger than ever. We both confront problems the same way, so that means that whatever the problem is, it will be solved in record breaking time. You’re the one person who I always go to with the hot gossip and I feel like we could actually talk for hours about nothing. But for real back to the toughness thing, you endure so much. You’re very independent by nature, but it always surprises me that you are able to stay alone so far away from everyone. You have done so much for me this year and I doubt you even know it. I feel like you always understand whatever it is that I’m going through better than anyone else. I won’t forget the time in my room that we literally just read each other our poetry and cried on each others shoulders. You can sniff out when I’m upset and you’re so good at comforting me and making me feel loved. Okay I was joking before, but I seriously am crying now. It was so hard for me to leave your room particularly because I feel like I was safest to be myself in there. We spent so much time in 503 that it was my home away from home. You also always gas me up?? Like thank you girl because you know that sometimes I need that validation! I always trust you for that fashion advice because you shop so much that you must know what looks good by now [hehehe]. For real though, you’re so incredibly beautiful inside and out and I’m so proud to call you my friend. You’re simultaneously like my daughter, sister, sometimes my mom and always my best friend and that’s quite remarkable I’d say. Stop doubting how smart you are! You are doing great just where you are, you’re meant to do this, don’t let anyone tell you different. You’re strong. I literally can not wait to share every single little thing with you the moment it happens, so if you don’t mind, I would love to do just that for a long long time. 

My song for you is one from our girl dodie, it’s Human. Every time I hear this song it brings me back to the two of us sitting in your room just feeling the feels. The lyrics are true. Paint me in trust, I’ll be your best friend. Love you so much my tiny little friend. 

Okay that concludes the sappy letters to my best friends. I’m sure you’re tired of reading at this point, and I’m tired of writing, so to finish off this blog post I thought I would let a video fill in the blanks. For those of you who don’t know, I have been taking a one second video every day since October of 2017. This has turned into an amazing way for me to look back on the memories made throughout the years. So here is my collection of one seconds for my year in Montreal, starting with move in day!

Thank you for keeping up with me this year, even though I totally slacked on writing these posts. Long story short, I’m absolutely in love with Montreal, and with McGill. So thank you for caring and staying tuned for the Thrilla in McGilla, catch ya next year!