#no but really daisuke hiding dark is daisuke running away from others is running away from himself

[dnangelic]

one thing about my mental folder of related chara inspos is that i do connect dark and daisuke to howl surname moving castle like im sure ppl think it's sooooo easy it's right there with the dramatic pretty boy bit but what nobody knows is that the stronger association in my mind is actually the way that howl decides to stop being a coward and consistently running away from all his problems, which is also the core of daisuke's character. i connect howl to daisuke more than i do to dark and it makes me feel like this ┌(。Д。)┐ so i never bring it up

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS GRAND EDITION Sofmap Tokuten Situation CD ”Date Escapades ~ Ayato・Laito ~

Original title: デートハプニング ~ アヤト・ライト ~

Source: Diabolik Lovers GRAND EDITION Sofmap Tokuten Drama CD

Audio: Ayato / Laito

Seiyuu: Midorikawa Hikaru & Hirakawa Daisuke

Translator’s note: Who’s ready for another round of mindless date scenario fun with the Diaboys? I’m not a huge fan of the triplets (although Ayato does have his cute moments) so this doesn’t make me go uwuwu, but I’m sure all the Ayato and Laito stans out there will enjoy it! :3

Ayato’s side: Huddled Close at the Fireworks

The two of you are at a festival.

“Oi, Chichinashi! Where do you think you’re goin’? It’s this way, come on! You better follow me!”

You walk up to Ayato.

“I mean, you gotta hit up the food stalls at a festival, right? Then we can eat them while walkin’ ‘round. Come on, let’s go buy some takoyaki already!”

You walk towards the food stalls together. 

*TIMESKIP*

*Rustle rustle* 

“...Hahn...Mmh! Delicious! There’s somethin’ special ‘bout the takoyaki they serve at festivals! ...Come on, you should try some as well.”

You seem surprised. 

“Geez, don’t stand there spacin’ out. Open your mouth, come on. What’s so embarrassin’ ‘bout it?”

You explain.

“...You can’t while there’s so many other people ‘round? ...Excuse me? You’re gonna say no to my takoyaki?”

You try to make an excuse.

“Stop makin’ excuses and open your damn mouth already!”

*Rustle* 

“And? It’s good, isn’t it?”

You nod.

“Geez. You should have just tried some right away. Don’t let yourself get bothered by the crowd.”

*Rustle*

“ーー My cravin’ hasn’t been satisfied yet. ...Oh! There’s another takoyaki vendor over there! Oi, Chichinashi! Snap out of it! Let’s go hit up the next place!”

You tug onto his arm.

*Rustle*

“Hm? What’s wrong, Chichinashi? Don’t pull onto my arm all of a sudden. “

You tell him that you want to watch the fireworks. 

“Fireworks...? What’s the issue with that?”

You explain.

“A secret spot with a great view? You know a place like that?”

You nod.

“Well, I honestly don’t care where we watch the fireworks. But I guess this quiet place you mentioned wouldn’t be bad to enjoy my takoyaki in peace. I’ll go buy some from that vendor over there before we head over there.”

Ayato walks away.

*TIMESKIP*

The two of you are on your way to the secret spot to watch the fireworks.

“Hey, Chichinashi. Are you sure we’re goin’ the right way? There’s no lights or anythin’. I know you said not many people know ‘bout this place, but there’s literally not a single other person ‘round.”

You insist that it’s the right way.

“...We’re almost there, you say? Are you sure?”

You speed up.

“...Ah! Hey! Don’t run in the dark! ーー Hey, you little! Don’t try and get ahead of me!”

You trip and fall. 

*Thud* 

“...? ーー Oi!”

Ayato runs up to you.

“...What are you doin’? ...Geez. You really smacked right ‘gainst the ground, didn’t you?”

You toughen it out.

“It hurts but you’re fine? You don’t look ‘fine’ to me at all...”

*Rustle*

“Oi...Hold this for a sec.”

Ayato hands you the bag with takoyaki before lifting you into his arms. 

*Rustle* 

“Don’t thrash ‘bout, idiot! You really think you can walk in your current condition!? ーー Anyway, tell me where to go. You know the way, right? If you want to get there before the fireworks are over. Don’t even think ‘bout droppin’ my takoyaki though!"

He carries you to the secret spot.

“Oi, why do you keep tryin’ to hide your face? Don’t tell me...Bein’ carried like this makes you embarrassed? Hehe...Interestin’. Come on, move those hands and give me a good look at your expression. If you don’t do as I say, I’ll immediatelyーー”

You tell him you’ve arrived at your desination. 

“...Wait, haah? We’re here? Is this the hotspot you were talkin’ of?”

The fireworks go off in the distance.

“Wow, amazin’...! You can see the fireworks hella clear from here!”

You nod.

“Heehー It’s true there’s no other people either. I’m honestly surprised you knew ‘bout this location. I have to give you credits for once.”

You ask Ayato to put you down.

“Put you down...? Don’t tell me what to do. I will do what I want, so I’m not putting you down.”

*Rustle rustle*

“Ah, hey! Don’t make a fuss! If you won’t calm down, I’m gonna suck your blood and kiss you right here, right now, Chichinashi!”

You stop struggling.

“What’s that? You’re done fightin’ back already?”

You change your mind.

“Ah? You’d rather stay like this? Hehe, then maybe you should have behaved from the start. ーー Anyway, Chichinashi. Feed me some of that takoyaki already.”

You tilt your head to the side.

“Don’t tell me you forgot ‘bout the plastic bag in your hand?”

*Rustle*

“Come on. My hands are tied right now. You said you’d do as I say, don’t forget ‘bout that.”

ーー THE END ーー

Laito’s side: Rainy Date

Laito approaches you.

“...Hey there, Bitch-chan~ If you’ve got nothing better to do, how about the two of us head outside for a bit?”

You ask him why.

“Oh come on! I’m asking you out! On a date! ...So, what do you say?”

You nod.

“Okay! Let’s not waste any more time then! We don’t go on dates every day, so make sure to change into your cutest outfit, okay~?”

*TIMESKIP*

The two of you are walking in town.

“I’m so happy to be able to head out with you at night, nfu~ Want to hold hands, perhaps? With our fingers intertwined, of course! (1) Nfu...~”

*Rustle*

“Well then...I just felt like taking you out on a date, but I don’t have a specific location in mind or anything. Where shall we go?”

You ask if you can make a suggestion too. 

“Sure! We can hit up all the places you want! ...Not for free, of course~”

You complain.

“Eeh~? Isn’t that only obvious? I’m granting your wish, so it only makes sense you do the same for me, right? For example...Letting me suck your blood, okay~?”

It starts raining.

*Drip drip*

“...Huh? Rain? It started pouring out of nowhere...Why don’t we go take shelter at the park over there? We’re going to have to run a bit, but don’t let go of my hand, okay?”

The two of you run towards the park.

*TIMESKIP*

“Ah-aahー We’re pretty soaked. ...Nfu~ But I suppose that isn’t entirely a bad thing. You’re looking really hot right now after all.”

*Rustle*

“I mean, look. You’re wearing white, so you can see the lines of your underwear through the wet fabric.”

You try to get away from him.

*Rustle rustle*

“Eeh~? Why are you scooting away? It’s just the two of us, so why get all embarrassed? It kind of hurts to see you get away from me like that. ...Come on, the roof doesn’t stretch all the way to the corner of the bench so you’ll get wet if you sit there. Scoot over, okay?”

You hesitate. 

“No need to be so guarded. It’s kind of lonely to sit apart like this when we’re supposed to be out on a date, don’t you think?” 

*Rustle*

“Hm...All I wanted was to have some quality time with you. ...I wonder if you no longer like me or something?”

You slowly move closer.

“Nfu~ ...Gotcha!”

Laito wraps his arms around you. 

*Rustle* 

“Hehe...You really are so adorably naive. All it takes is a little acting to fool you.”

*Rustle rustle*

“Oh? Seems like someone still doesn’t it, trying to escape my grip like that. Let me tell you, I don’t plan on letting you go in a million years. ...There’s something incredibly erotic about being soaked by the rain, don’t you agree? Whether it’s your damp hair sticking to your nape, or your skin vaguely visible through your clothes...It’s all so lewd.”

*Rustle*

“Just by running my fingers across like this...Nfu~ Your body reacts naturally. How cute~”

*Rustle* 

“I wonder if you’ve cooled down a little? Usually you’d feel warmer.”

You try to move away.

“Ah, you can’t, Bitch-chan. I have no body temperature to share with you or anything. But your warmth is transferring to me, so we have to stay close, or else you’ll catch a cold.”

You stop trying to get away.

“Mmh, just like that~ Now keep still, okay? ...Nfu~ I’d honestly love to stay cuddled close like this forever but...Unfortunately, it seems like the rain has lifted. I guess it was just a short shower.”

You ask if you should head home. 

“Hm? Home? Well...I guess both of us are pretty drenched, huh? But I kind of want to keep cuddling like this, honestly.”

You sneeze. 

“...Ah. You sneezed. Did you actually catch a cold? ...Oh! But if you get sick, we can play doctor without having to fake it! ...Don’t worry~ I’ll get you back in tip-top shape in no time~”

You shake your head.

“...It’d only make your temperature rise even more, you say? Oh geez, Bitch-chan~ I wonder what you’re imagining~? ...Heh. They say that one way to get rid of a cold is to give it someone else, right? So perhaps we can kiss until I catch it?”

*Rustle rustle*

“What do you say? We should test just how many kisses it’d take to get me sick~”

ーー THE END ーー

Translation notes

(1) The Japanese language has a specific word for the way couples hold hands called 恋人つなぎ or ‘koibito-tsunagi’ which literally means ‘lovers’ connection’. 

[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!

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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”

[swimyghost]

Uniforms

This is a Lupin III High School AU that no one asked for but me and some friends made anyway. This AU will include OCs they haven’t made an appearance just yet. Also this high school is a blend of American and Japanese high schools since I’m, unfortunately, more familiar with an American setting. I hope you enjoy.

---

The ICPO Academy’s name was a joke. Not to say the academy itself was a disgrace to the name of education seeing as the school produced several graduates that went on to become lawyers or doctors or more artistic jobs such as famous actors or architects. ICPO Academy was well known for its reputation as the hub for international learning and cultural acceptance, having the school built in Japan but accepting students from everywhere. Many would question why someone would call the academy’s name a joke with high test scores, amazingly well-funded athletic and arts programs, and a spotless background all being well-known facts.

ICPO: International Criminal Police Organization. The name was outdated and, as mentioned before, a joke, especially to the students who attended the school. The once militaristic educational institution was originally assembled by the Japanese government as a way to train the most elite future members of the police force; the international part only added later once other countries noticed how well the Alta maters excelled in their field. Time, however, was an ever-flowing river and soon more programs such as the arts were added to the school. The need for highly trained police officers was in little demand and the school’s talents for training the best were need elsewhere. The name never changed due to stubborn tradition, also due to the idea of the students needing to “remember their roots”.

Horrible naming aside, the school was strict with everything, from grades to clubs to sports, including school uniforms. That was how three students ended up in the principal’s office one early morning.

“Arsène Lupin, Daisuke Jigen, and Goemon Ishikawa,” the principal, a heavily balding middle-aged man, sighed. He looked like he hadn’t received any proper sleep in weeks. “You three realize the school year only started a month ago and yet you consistently end up here.”

“Sir, I think you are missing the point!” a tall dark-haired man shouted. He stepped forward, shoving aside the three students. The red armband on his left arm was labeled “Head Hall Monitor”. “These three have broken one of the school’s rules, one which is mentioned on the first page of the school handbook so they clearly know what they are doing!”

One of the students, a sophomore with a cocky grin and an even cockier look in his dark brown eyes, laughed. “Pops, you should know I never read any of those dumb manuals!”

“It’s paramount that you read the handbook! And quit referring to me by that ridiculous nickname!”

“Whatever you say, Pops.”

“Mr. Lupin, Mr. Zenigata, I order you to stop this nonsense!” the principal shouted over the arguing pair. “Mr. Lupin, despite you lacking in understanding the school’s policies, you are a sophomore, you should already know that wearing the school’s uniform is a requirement, that goes for you too Mr. Goemon, and especially you Mr. Daisuke, you’re a junior, for Pete’s sake!”

“Jigen.” a gruff-sounding teen muttered. Shaggy black hair covered the teen’s eyes. Unlike the well-dressed (although still against the rules) Lupin, Jigen chose to wear baggy clothes such as a worn hoodie and ripped jeans instead of his uniform. 

“Fine, Jigen,” the man said with an exasperated sigh. “Look, I’m going to cut to the chase since you already know what’s going to happen. I’m going to have the front desk call your parents so they can drop off your uniforms. Mr. Lupin, Mr. Jigen, you’ll be sent to detention for today and tomorrow and will have to use half of your lunch period cleaning the school along with the regular cleaning hours. Mr. Ishikawa, you will have the same punishment except you won’t have detention.”

“What!?” Zenigata cried.

“Is there a problem, Mr. Zenigata?”

“Sir, forgive me for my insolence, but I think this is highly unfair,” Zenigata turned his gaze to the last of the trio, a blue hakama-wearing boy with long but slightly uneven cut hair. “Goemon here is equally as guilty as the rest of them! Therefore, he deserves the same punishment!”

The principal let out a long groan. “I wish I could, Mr. Zenigata. Unfortunately, Mr. Ishikawa is a part of our Judo Team and we’re about to have a match against Cagliostro Academy so-”

“So it’s favoritism!” Zenigata bellowed, slamming his hands on the principal’s desk.

“It’s not favoritism, it’s about securing our school’s reputation! Besides, Mr. Ishikawa isn’t a criminal for refusing to wear the proper garb.” the principal nonchalantly waved his hand.

“We will become one if you don’t punish him accordingly!”

“Do not insult the Ishikawa name like you, you bumbling gorilla.” Goemon spat, keeping a cold expression on his face.

“What did you say!?”

“ENOUGH!”

The room went deathly quiet. The principal, who was suddenly standing tall with an enraged expression on his face. He glared at the four students with a newfound fire in his dark eyes. 

“Mr. Zenigata, this is not up for discussion. If you have a problem, take it up with someone else!”

Zenigata looked like he was going to blow up due to how red his face was. Lupin was frightened, but he kept a small grin on his face. The other two were suddenly extremely interested in the wall.

“Now, all of you, out of my office. I have important work to do.”

Zenigata took several deep breaths before replying. “Alright, sir. I shall take these troublemakers to the front desk to make sure they don’t try to run away.”

“That won’t be necessary, Mr-”

It was too late as Zenigata swiftly herded the group outside of the office, slamming the door behind him. 

The trio shuffled down the hall with only Zenigata walking with a powerful stride. The halls were silent with only the muffled chatter of teacher’s going over their lessons breaking that silence. Posters advertising out of school and in school were taped on walls or pinned to one of the many corkboards that lined the walls. Freshly cleaned windows allowed light to enter in. Jigen grunted as a line of sunlight pierced through his thick locks and entered his eyes. Lupin leaned over Zenigata’s shoulder and smiled.

“The head really chewed you out, huh?”

“Quiet, you scum!” Zenigata snarled, glaring back at the shorter man.

“Wooooooow, is that how all upperclassmen speak to their juniors? I thought we were starting to become friends.”

Zenigata scoffed. “You are not one of my equals, neither as a student or a member of society.”

“Really?” Lupin said with fake surprise dripping from his words.

The senior stopped, leading the rest of the group to follow suit. “I know who you are, Lupin, and I know what your family is.”

“You do?” Lupin glanced over at his companions, who kept measured expressions on their faces, then back at the older student. “What is my family, Koichi Zenigata?”

“A bunch of liars and thieves,” Zenigata said with an icy chill.

The stillness held nothing but tension. Jigen and Goemon silently moved to Lupin’s side. One a slight glimmer of Jigen’s eyes could be seen through the curtain known as his hair; meanwhile, Goemon’s eyes were studying the situation, ready to strike if necessary. Zenigata stood tall with his dark blue and white suit barely hiding the muscles bulging through the cloth. Time ticked away until Lupin broke out into laughter.

“Never knew you hated me that much, Pops!” Lupin patted his shoulder, causing Zenigata to flinch. “C’mon, let’s not fight. Especially since it won’t be a fair fight since your little buddy isn’t here and your reputation would be hurt more than mine.”

“Little… Buddy?” Zenigata looked confused, both due to Lupin’s actions and at the nickname he gave to this unknown person.

“What was his name… Goro! Goro Yatagarasu! That poor boy follows you are like a puppy.” Lupin said.

“Do not insult him like that! Yata is a good student and a better person than you’ll ever be.”

“You’re starting to sound like his boyfriend, Pops,” Jigen spoke up, enunciating the word ‘Pops’.

“Wha- Yata is a freshman and a minor!” 

“That hasn’t stopped seniors before,” Jigen muttered.

Goemon stepped between them with his hands raised. “You wanna get in more trouble?”

Jigen grunted and turned his head away. Zenigata just glared at the trio before starting back on his quest to the front desk. Lupin just pretended to wipe the dust off his crisp white dress shirt and followed the upperclassman with his friends following close behind.

The rest of the walk was uneventful since Lupin stopped trying to press his senior’s buttons. Jigen was more interested in his old sneakers than a conversation with Goemon adopting a similar attitude. Once they reached the open front lobby, Zenigata turned his gaze to the lady who sat behind the circular front desk. Her hair was tied up in a lazy bun with her glasses hanging close to the end of her nose. She looked as interested in her computer work as the principal had looked. She lifted her gaze when Zenigata cleared his throat.

“Can I help you?” her tone was low and bored.

“Yes, these three have broken school rules by deciding to not wear their uniform! I assume the principal has alerted you about the situation?”

“He has.” the receptionist said.

“Then I believe you need to-”

“I’ve already contacted their parents, Mr. Zenigata.” the lady cut off Zenigata with a pointed stare.

“Um, uh, yes,” Zenigata cleared his throat, more awkwardly this time. “W-Well I assume you have the situation handled then?”

“I do.”

“Great! I need to return to class! Please make sure they don’t try anything suspicious.”

“I will, Mr. Zenigata.”

Zenigata bowed before turning to look back at the trio. Lupin stuck out his tongue with a goofy smile plastered on his face. The senior frowned deeply then took off towards an adjacent hallway. The group looked at the front desk lady who already went back to typing away at her computer.

“Wait by the benches over there.” she pointed at the set of benches that were poised by the front doors made entirely of glass. 

“Thank you, ma’am!” Lupin replied in a cheery tone with a wink. The woman just made a noncommittal hum of acknowledgment. Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon all sauntered over to the benches and sat with Lupin in the middle and Jigen and Goemon sitting at the far left and right respectfully. Goemon closed his eyes and lowered his head in mediation with Jigen scratched at his kangaroo pocket. Lupin noticed his not-so-subtle scratching.

“You need to smoke already?” the sophomore whispered.

“Nah,” Jigen replied in a matching soft voice. “Just need to know they’re there. Get anxious if they’re not.”

“That’s a sign of addiction, my scruffy friend.”

Jigen scowled. “Like you’re any better.”

“I can handle being away from cigarettes for a few days, you cannot,” Lupin pointed out. “I’ve even seen you smoke bent ones!”

“A smoke is a smoke.” the junior shrugged.

“Both of you have bad habits.” Goemon chipped in at the same time side-eyeing the pair.

“Like you’re any better. You even said that cigarette you had felt nice!” Lupin countered.

Goemon looked down. He enjoyed the feeling that one cigarette gave him but he’d never admit it, especially since it would most likely lead to his athletic career being cut short. 

Lupin turned his attention back to the older of the three. “Is your mom or dad gonna drop off your outfit.”

“Doubt it,” Jigen snorted. “Ma started taking double shifts to make up for all the new books I had to buy.”

The leader of the group stared at Jigen for a few moments before pulling out his cellphone. He tapped away before raising the phone to his ear.

“Hey, dad? Yeah, it’s me, did you leave already? No? Good!” Lupin said. “Listen, along with my uniform, can you get the bigger one that’s in the drawer next to all my other ones? Thank you!”

“No using any electronic distractions during class periods.” the front desk lady said, still not looking up from her computer. 

“Got it, ma’am!” Lupin replied, saying a quick goodbye to his father before preceding to smile at Jigen. Jigen knew something was up.

“What did you do?”

“Called my old man, of course,” Lupin said.

“No duh, but I know what your family… Does. I need to know if you didn’t just secretly hire a hit or something.” 

“Do you really think that lowly of me, Jigen?” Lupin pretended to look hurt.

“I think you can do some nasty shit if you felt like it,”

“He’s got you there, Lupin,” Goemon added.

“You both are so cruel!” Lupin dramatically placed a hand on his chest. “All I did was ask my father to bring a junior uniform and you’re accusing me of murder!”

“Junior uniform, why would you-” realization hit Jigen. “You bought one… For me?”

“You’re my best friend, you wheezy chimney,” Lupin let out his signature grin. “Someone’s gotta pick you up when you’re down.”

Jigen stared deeply at Lupin before making a tsk sound and whipping his head towards the window. Lupin just chuckled and leaned backward.

Suddenly, the bell rang throughout the school. Students immediately started to flood both the hallway and the front of the school. Couples were walking with their arms linked while others congregated in large groups, laughing about the latest episodes of their favorite shows or lamenting failing a test. Lupin watched them walk by as if he were looking for-

“Hey, Fujicakes!”

Jigen and Goemon both groaned as a long-haired brunette with highlights sashayed over towards them. She wore the standard dark blue, gray, and white uniform but it was clearly altered in some minor but still noticeable ways. The shirt was smaller than it needed to be and the skirt was shorter. Black tights completed the outfit. The freshman carried books and a binder in one hand and a phone with a fake diamond keychain in the other. She stopped only a foot away from the trio before glancing up and down.

“Was dressing like clowns really necessary?”

Jigen and Goemon’s preexisting frown deepened but Lupin gave her a hurt puppy-dog look. “That hurt Fujiko. The real clown outfits are those gaudy uniforms they make us wear. Not you, though. You look fantastic in anything you wear.”

Fujiko giggled, causing Jigen and Goemon to roll their eyes. Fujiko stopped with a sigh. “In any case, I’m guessing you three are in detention.”

“I actually got-”

“And I’m hoping you’ll be there with me,” Lupin said, interrupting Goemon.

“Are you kidding me?” Fujiko said with a snort. “I have cheer practice. I don’t have time to waste with someone like you.”

“Fujicakes,” Lupin said with false hurt.

“I gotta go, Lupin, maybe I’ll see you later when you’re done making a fool of yourself.”

Fujiko walked away with a purposeful stride, leaving Lupin wanting more of her and the other two wanting less. As the crowd began to grow smaller, Jigen glared at his friend.

“How can you stand that girl?”

“Perhaps Fujiko is right about one thing,” Goemon looked down at the still swooning Lupin, “you are a fool.”

“She may be made of ice, but like all ice, it can be melted.” Lupin poetically answered.

“Oh, please,” Jigen grumbled.

Just as all the people left for their class, two men entered the building. One was a wealthy-looking businessman with well-kept hair and a faint beard. He wore a freshly ironed suit that almost gleamed as much as his well-polished shoes. The other was an equally well-dressed man but this time in more traditional Japanese garbs and sandals. His hair was much longer and had a clean-shaven face. Goemon stood up and made his way to the more traditionally dressed man, bowing once he reached him.

“Father.”

“Goemon,” he replied, thrusting the pile of neatly folded clothes he had been carrying into his son’s arms. “Do not repeat this act.”

“I won’t, Father.”

While that exchange went down, the first man eagerly went over and hugged Lupin. He held a smile that was eerily similar to the boy’s. 

“Arsène! You causing micheaf again?”

“Of course, dad, why else would be here?” his son wheezed, trying to escape his bear hug.

He laughed and clasped Lupin on the back. “Aw, I don’t know, maybe you missed me that much you had the principal call me down.”

“Dad!”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Lupin’s dad chuckled. He looked at the front desk lady, who was watching the whole scene and shrugged. “Kids these days, am I right?”

The lady blinked slowly. “You need to give them their uniforms, sir.”

“Right, right, right,” the man reached into his suit and handed two bags to Lupin and Jigen. “I believe these are for you.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Thanks, Mr. Lupin.”

“Now, I need to leave. Business never gives you a break, I swear.” Lupin’s dad winked at the receptionist before following Goemon’s dad out of the building. Lupin let out a long sigh once he left the building.

“Your dad is certainly a character, Lupin,” Goemon commented.

“Not a word, Goemon,”

“You three go change in the bathroom. I write you a pass to your next class.” the woman at the front desk called over to them. 

Lupin gave the group a smirk. “There’s still a full day ahead of us, gentlemen. Let’s not waste it.”

[stormcrawler75]

The Nerd Egg

From the moment that Daisuke picked up that Digi-egg, he felt like this was a big continuous universal joke that had stopped being funny a long time ago.

Daisuke knew that he wasn’t smart. He knew it, there was no hiding it. He struggled in classes so much that whenever teachers found out that they were going to be teaching him, they got a look in their eyes that said that they had already given up on him. He could never focus and even when he tried to focus (He tried, he tried so much, no one liked being the butt of the joke.), the words seemed to just float right over him. He often didn’t notice how much he had missed until everyone had moved onto the next thing. He barely got enough to pass each semester and he knew that his parents dreaded each report card he brought home.

Everyone knew that he was an idiot. At this point, Daisuke just accepted it. He was the class moron. The one good thing that he was good at was playing soccer. Fine, whatever. He could accept that. He could accept that! Everyone else already had so Daisuke might as well. He was stupid and idiotic and there was no changing that.

Which was why getting the Digi-egg of Knowledge hurt so much.

He had seen the looks on everyone’s face when he picked the egg up. Daisuke had been happy for about two seconds. Holding that egg and knowing what that symbol meant sent a rush of pride through him. Maybe he was smart. Maybe everyone was wrong about him and he had some potential in him after all. Maybe he was wrong about himself.

And then Daisuke glanced back at the others.

Miyako was staring at him in unveiled shock, eyes wide behind her glasses. Iori looked just as surprised at Miyako, blinking hard like he wasn’t sure what he was even seeing. Takeru’s mouth was hanging wide open, large enough that he could probably catch flies. Even Hikari . . . even Hikari, someone who Daisuke considered one of his best friends in the world, had her hand over her mouth.  The four of them were just staring at him in disbelief and Daisuke felt himself tense. He couldn’t even look at what V-mon had Digivolved into because all he could see what those looks of shock. And he knew exactly what they were thinking too.

That moron got the digi-egg of Knowledge?

Needless to say, he didn’t stick around long after that. In fact, they had barely returned to the Human World before Daisuke was picking himself up off the floor with DemiV-mon in his arms and practically running out of the computer room. He could hear Tachi calling after him and Takeru calling his  name. But he kept moving.

This wasn’t funny anymore. Daisuke wasn’t sure that this joke had ever been funny at all.

“Daisuke,” DemiV-mon whispered, staring up at him. The two of them were sitting up on the bleachers in the soccer field, DemiV-mon curled up against Daisuke’s side. Daisuke was staring out at the soccer field, but he could see DemiV-mon’s concerned expression out of the corner of his eyes. “Daisuke? Why’d you run away from the others? Weren’t you happy about what happened today? We won. We beat the Digimon Kaiser again, destroyed a Dark Tower, and we found a new Digi-egg. What’s wrong?”

Daisuke just closed his eyes, curling up tightly and resting his chin on his knees. What a joke. An endless, stupid joke.

“So, you got yourself the nerd crest.”

Daisuke tensed and whirled around, DemiV-mon turning just a second after him. Koushiro was standing behind him on the bleachers and smiling down at him, with an unreadable expression. But Daisuke recognized that expression. The look in Koushiro’s eyes screamed that he didn’t know what to do with Daisuke. Daisuke had seen in every teacher’s eyes that he had ever had. “I don’t want to talk about it,” Daisuke snapped, looking away from him and hugging his knees even tighter than before. “Just go away, Koushiro-san.”

He didn’t go away. Daisuke heard careful footsteps walking down the bleachers and saw Koushiro sit on the other side of him. DemiV-mon was staring at Koushiro in in concern but didn’t move to stop him. “Want to mourn your crest choice,” Koushiro asked, tilting his head. “Trying to figure out which kind of nerd you want to be now?”

Daisuke glanced at him with a scowl but couldn’t resist asking, “There are types of nerds?”

Koushiro nodded sagely. “Oh yes. I am a tech nerd. I specialized in any and all technology. Jo-San is a medical nerd, which is strange when you think about it. Since he faints at the sight of blood. But he’s a complete medical nerd. So, figure out what type you want to be yet? Now that you have the nerd crest.”

The mention of the crest reminded Daisuke just why he was out here in the first place. He glared down at the soccer field, his eyes getting a little hot and misty. “I told you that I don’t want to talk about it,” Daisuke muttered, clenching his eyes tightly.

“Yeah, I kind of got that. Since you ran out of the computer room before anyone could say anything. Your team was pretty worried about you.” Koushiro blinked at Daisuke’s snort. “They. . . they really are. Iori-kun was very confused on why you left so quickly, he figured that you’d be happy about getting a new Digi-egg. And Takeru-kun wanted to run after you but Tachi-san stopped him. Said that you probably needed a moment alone. But, that was before I learnt that I was no longer the only one with the nerd –“

“Stop calling it that!”

Daisuke glared at a very surprised Koushiro, barely seeing him through the tears in his eyes. Daisuke was trembling with the effort of holding back his tears, hands curled into fists. He jumped when a tiny hand landed on his wrist, turning to look at a very concerned DemiV-mon. “Daisuke,” he whispered, squeezing his wrist gently. “It’s okay. There’s no reason to cry.”

There was a long moment where Daisuke just stared at DemiV-mon before his face started to crumble and holding back tears suddenly got a lot harder. He quickly closed his eyes but not before a few tears escaped. “Daisuke,” DemiV-mon whispered, trailing off and curling closer to Daisuke.

“Daisuke-kun. . . I'm sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood. What's wrong?”

“. . . This is. . . this isn’t funny,” Daisuke whispered wetly, gripping his knees tightly. “This isn’t funny anymore. I hate this. It’s just a big joke and it’s not funny anymore.”

There was a moment of hesitation before a hesitant hand landed on Daisuke’s shoulder. “What joke, Daisuke-kun?”

Daisuke laughed, a few more tears leaking out. “This! Me, of all people, getting the crest of knowledge. Not Miyako-san who’s actually smart. Nor Iori-kun who is so freaking curious and wants to know everything about anything. I’m not like them. I’m not like you. I get garbage grades and I’m, I’m just dumb.” His breath hitched and he scrubbed at his eyes, suddenly humiliated that he was crying in front of someone that he barely even knew. “I don’t deserve this digi-egg, Koushiro-san.”

“. . . Who told you that you’re dumb, Daisuke-kun?”

Daisuke glanced up at Koushiro, blinking tears out of his eyes and being surprised at the hard expression on Koushiro’s face. “Who told you that,” Koushiro pressed, squeezing Daisuke’s arm gently. “Did someone in your class? Someone on your team?”

“No. No one has to. I’m not an idiot, even if I am dumb,” Daisuke muttered. He took a shaky breath, wiping at his eyes. “I saw how they all looked at me when I picked up the egg. They were so surprised. Why would Daisuke get the Digi-egg of knowledge,” he muttered. “The guy who teachers know from the moment he walks into the room that he’s going to be the problem student. The one who can’t pay attention no matter how hard he tries.” Daisuke glared at a lone soccer ball on field for a long moment before the anger died in his chest. “I really do try,” he whispered. “I don’t want to be an idiot.”

Koushiro’s hand on Daisuke’s arm tightened slightly. “You’re not an idiot,” he said firmly. “You’re not. Your team doesn’t think that you’re an idiot. Yes, Takeru-kun was surprised but that’s because he had already pegged you for getting you a different Digi-egg. Miyako-chan? She openly admitted that she was a bit jealous of you getting it instead of her, but she was so worried about you that I think she forgot about that jealousy immediately. Iori-kun was a bit surprised but for the same reason as Takeru-kun. And Hikari-chan was proud. She was happy you got your Digi-egg.

“And I’m sure that you do try. You know. . . I was a really bad student for the first few years of school.”

Daisuke straightened, staring at Koushiro in shock. “No way! You?! You’re lying.”

Koushiro smirked and shook his head. “Nope. My teachers hated me so much. Well, not all of them. Some of them really liked me but they all agreed that I was a handful. I was just so bored in every single one of my classes. I liked to read ahead in all my classes. I still do. But my teachers went so slow compared to me that I just got so bored. So I usually stopped listening. But then there would come a subject that I actually didn’t understand easily and,” Koushiro chuckled. “My grades were hit or miss. My parents were so confused. I’d be getting full grades in one class but then I’d barely be passing in the others.”

“. . . I have problems with that too,” Daisuke admitted, slumping a little. “Not the reading ahead part. I hate reading. It gives me a headache. But I just can’t focus at all. I try to focus. I’ll be sitting there, thinking about how much I need to concentrate and then I’ll miss the entire lesson because I was trying so hard to concentrate. And the teachers don’t get it ‘cause they just say to just listen and do the work just like the rest of the students and I’m trying. But the way they’re explaining it, none of it makes any sense.”

Koushiro nodded, eyebrows furrowed in obvious thought. “It could be that the way the teachers are teaching just don’t make sense for you. Yamato-san had that problem in his English class. We did study sessions with him to help him and to make sure he kept up with us. As for your problem having trouble focusing, does it happen often?”

Daisuke snorted and nodded. “Yep. All the time.” He wiped at his eyes and let out a shaky breath. “. . . The others really don’t think that I’m stupid?”

“Of course not, Daisuke-kun. They don’t think you’re stupid at all.” Koushiro chuckled, squeezing his arm gently. “I bet that Hikari-chan would smack anyone who claimed that you are. Daisuke, I had to take some time to learn this, but there are different types of smarts. I’m serious,” Koushiro huffed at Daisuke’s incredulous look. “Listen to me. Mimi-Chan is one of my best friends. She’s amazing. And she’s also the smartest person I know.”

Daisuke blinked in amazement. Mimi? The smartest person Koushiro knew. “I thought that would be Jo-san.”

“Oh, academically, Jo-san has her beat. Heck, he has most of us beat there.  But socially? Mimi-Chan is amazing at that. She looks at someone and just knows what to say. She had problems with it when she was younger, sure, but that’s just cause she didn’t know when to stop. But now? Heck, she’s so smart. And not just there. I can list ten different areas where Mimi-Chan is smarter than me. And what about Sora-san? She may not be the top student but she always knows how to talk to people, especially people who are upset. She has a way of,” Koushiro took a moment to think, “just knowing what to say to help. I think that you’re like her,” Koushiro said, pulling away from Daisuke and giving him a small smile. “Well, from the time I’ve spent with you anyway.”

Daisuke stared at him for a moment. That . . . should feel like a copout. That he was emotionally smart. But the way that Koushiro had explained it, drawing parallels between Daisuke and Sora. . . It didn’t make Daisuke feel less than. It made him feel proud, made him straighten up a little. But . . . “Then why wasn’t I given the crest of Love like her? Why the crest of Knowledge?”

“Maybe you’re smarter than you think,” Koushiro mused, gently bumping his shoulder against Daisuke’s. “How about me and you meet up throughout the week? I can help you with classes, see if I can help any. I have a feeling that you can do well in your classes, Daisuke-kun. Maybe you just need some help. Everyone does now and then.”

Daisuke wiped at his eyes and nodded. He glanced at demiV-mon who nodded encouragingly, smiling at him proudly. Daisuke nodded again, smiling at him weakly. “Okay,” he muttered, glancing at Koushiro. “You’re probably going to get frustrated with me. Every teacher I’ve ever had does.”

Koushiro grinned. “I’ll take that as a challenge. Besides, if I didn’t get frustrated when helping Yamato-san with English, then I doubt that I’ll have trouble helping you. This’ll be fun. Two nerds studying together.”

Daisuke snorted wetly, not getting upset like he had before at being called a nerd. “Sure. Two nerds studying. Sounds like fun.”

[satorisa]

Falling: Chapter 3 - In Which the Boys Have the Best Sleepover Ever

Rating: T

Summary:  "I wanna forget all this burden in my past."

Alternate Reading: AO3

Because the best sleepovers involve watching Studio Ghibli movies, right?

With the May holidays coming up, Daisuke’s parents planned to go out of town to visit their college friends. Grandpa Daiki had left for Italy about a week earlier with a close friend to enjoy wood-fired pizzas, lemons the size of his face, and the beautiful, Sicilian breeze. And so, until Grandpa Daiki returned to Japan the Monday of the holiday week, it was unanimously decided that Daisuke would spend the weekend at the Saehara household.

“What’s the occasion?” Risa asked when she saw the duffel bag Daisuke had that Friday morning. “Running away from home?”

Daisuke nearly protested when Takeshi swooped in, wrapping his arm around Daisuke’s shoulder. “Nope! He’s sleeping over at my place for the weekend! Are ya—” Takeshi began to bounce his eyebrows. “—jealous?”

Risa laughed. “Jealous? Of not being invited to your ham fest? Puh-lease.”

Satoshi appeared on the other side of Daisuke and silently waved at Risa. She returned the gesture.

“Congrats on waking up early again, Hiwatari-kun. You’ve been on a roll lately.”

“Thank you.”

“So,” Risa asked with a grin, “what do you guys have planned for your super special sleepover?”

“I think we’re baking this evening,” Daisuke answered. “Then we’re marathoning Studio Ghibli films.”

“Absolute classics,” Takeshi interjected.

“Tomorrow, we’re taking Satoshi out to buy some clothes and…uh…spend the rest of the evening talking until we fall asleep.”

“For our brotherhood,” Takeshi interjected again.

“And then we’ll spend the rest of Sunday watching Studio Ghibli movies until we pass out.”

Risa blinked before she started laughing. “Actually, I take that back. I’m a little jealous I’m not invited.”

“You can’t sleep over, of course, but you’re free to join us!” Takeshi said, excitement dripping with each syllable.

She just smiled. “I’ll let you know if I can.”

…

Since Risa had lunch plans with Ritsuko that day, the boys decided to eat in Daisuke’s classroom. They needed to meet up before they headed home for the weekend to prepare themselves for Risa’s potential company.

“Boys,” Takeshi said as he sat down, “I shot my shot.”

“Congrats,” Daisuke said as he unwrapped his bread.

“Did you have to invite her over?” Satoshi grumbled, digging into the bento Takeshi packed for them that morning.

“Look, I get that you’ve got issues, but what’s the worst thing that could happen? Is she gonna try to get you alone to finagle information about Dark from you?”

Satoshi looked at Takeshi straight in the eye and knocked on the desk. Takeshi broke out in raucous laugher, and both Takeshi and Daisuke knocked on the desks they sat at in solidarity.

“I don’t think she’ll do that, though,” Daisuke reassured. “I think she was genuinely interested in what we’re actually doing.”

“I know,” Takeshi said with a smug smile. “She was hooked the moment you said we’re baking later.”

“Don’t tell me you tailored this weekend just for her,” Satoshi said.

“What little faith do you have in me?” Takeshi feigned offence. “I tailored this weekend just for you.”

Satoshi shrugged. “Could’ve fooled me.”

Takeshi shot him a quick glare before downing several large bites of his lunch. He chased it with water and, after a loud burp, he met both Daisuke’s and Satoshi’s gazes.

“Alrighty boys, let’s set some ground rules for this weekend if we so happen to find ourselves in Harada-imouto’s presence.” He raised a finger. “1) We do not joke about or discuss my crush on her around her. If she finds out, you are dead to me.” He raised another finger. “2) Satoshi is not to be left alone with her at all. For his safety. And, uh—” Takeshi put his hand down. “—that’s about it.”

“Um…I think I need to add one more rule,” Daisuke said.

“Aight. Add away.”

“3) Risa-chan cannot be left alone with me, either.”

Satoshi focused on his bento, picking at the eggs with his chopsticks. Takeshi leaned in, eyes glistening with curiosity.

“What secrets are you hiding from me, oh dear best friend?”

…

One of the underclassmen from the art club caught Satoshi on the way to the shoe lockers, so Takeshi went ahead while Satoshi talked to them. They quickly chatted about the en plein air social the club had planned during the holidays before going on their merry way with an enthusiastic farewell.

Those cute underclassmen of his were starting to grow on him.

After he switched his shoes out, he spotted Takeshi and Daisuke waiting by the entrance. He expected to leave with them to enjoy a fun evening with the boys when a familiar pink ribbon came into his field of vision.

“Hey, guys!” Risa greeted while Ritsuko, who trailed behind her, waved. “My parents said I could come over for some baked goods this evening! Mind if Ritsuko tags along?”

“The more, the merrier!” Takeshi said. “Welcome aboard the fun train, Fukuda!”

“I’m just here to steal your recipe for Valentine’s Day.”

He laughed, and the group was about to head out when Satoshi’s phone rang. He saw Inspector Saehara’s caller ID and picked up.

“Sorry to ruin yer plans and all, but somethin’ urgent just popped up that needs to be done ASAP.”

“Is it more urgent than baking?”

“I know you’re upset, Satoshi, but—”

“I’m telling Saehara-san that you called me in for work and ruined my youthful sleepover.”

“Satoshi, please don’t call—”

He hung up. The group looked at him in awe.

“Sorry, but something came up at the station. Have fun for me.”

…

Inspected Saehara locked the door to the office behind him. Satoshi glared at the older man, and he just guffawed.

“I’m really sorry, Satoshi.”

Fuming, he ignored Inspector Saehara’s apology and marched back home without him. When he arrived, Risa and Ritsuko were long gone. A half-eaten cake sat on the table, and Takeshi and Daisuke were playing a video game in the living room.

They looked away from the TV and, instead of greeting him, they started laughing at him for being a young professional. Satoshi’s eyebrows furrowed more as he ignored them, chucking his school bag at the sofa (narrowly missing Takeshi) before helping himself to some cake.

Plate in hand, Satoshi sat on the floor by Daisuke before having a bite. (Dark chocolate with ganache. Delectably moist, decadently rich and, most importantly, not too sweet.)

He watched them play while eating his cake, purposefully ignoring Inspector Saehara when he finally arrived with dinner. They all gathered in the living room, digging into the fried chicken as they began their movie marathon. They watched Princess Mononoke first since it was Inspector Saehara’s favorite film from the Studio Ghibli collection but, when the old man began to snore halfway through, Takeshi banished him to the master bedroom, and his muffled snores accompanied Joe Hisaishi’s ethereal score until the movie ended.

Daisuke ducked into the downstairs bathroom to get ready for bed in case he fell asleep while watching the movies, so Satoshi went upstairs to change and freshen up when he saw a text from Risa.

She sent him a picture from earlier; the girls stood to the left, guys on the right, as they framed the cake in the middle. The message underneath read: “had lots of fun earlier! hope we can do this again soon!”

Satoshi blinked, wondering what prompted Risa to text him. They only ever messaged each other to confirm plans with the group or to find each other in crowds: general housekeeping more than anything.

Satoshi: Did Fukuda steal the recipe?

Risa: yup! she’s got it stashed away on her phone! :)

He wondered what possessed him to message her, but the speed at which she replied with was astounding. His phone pinged again, and he saw another text from her.

Risa: how’s the movie marathon?

Satoshi: We just finished watching Princess Mononoke.

Risa: good choice! wish I could’ve stayed longer to watch with you guys :(

Satoshi: You’re still welcome to join us on Sunday if you’d like.

Risa: i’ll see if i can! thanks for the invite, hiwatari-kun!”

Satoshi sat at his desk, focused on his phone. And when Risa no longer responded, he left his phone on his desk to charge before heading downstairs. Daisuke was still taking a shower, but Takeshi was in the kitchen making hot cocoa.

When Takeshi saw Satoshi, he pulled him into a hug.

“Bro, thank you for inviting Risa over on Sunday.”

…

The boys breezed through more of the Studio Ghibli catalogue, getting through Castle in the Sky, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, until they began to fall asleep while watching Porco Rosso. Takeshi leaned on Satoshi’s left shoulder, snoring at a tolerable volume and occasionally mumbling something in gibberish. Daisuke leaned on Satoshi’s right shoulder, cheek smushed into Satoshi’s upper arm while he hung onto Satoshi’s appendage like a sloth.

And Satoshi, enamored by the Studio Ghibli magic that gave life to a story about a pilot-turned-pig in the Adriatic Sea, watched on. And only when the credits began, with its calming music, did Satoshi join his friends.

…

Satoshi woke up to hear something sizzling on the stove. He rubbed his eyes awake before sitting up on the sofa. The blanket that covered him rolled off his chest as the cool air from the AC hit him, and he saw Takeshi and Daisuke in the kitchen.

(Inspector Saehara was not in the kitchen, but Satoshi picked out his snores from the room in the lulls of the sound of breakfast.)

When he finally came to, he joined the duo. He silently greeted them while he began to make coffee, filling up the kettle for some hot water.

Satoshi stood separated from the bustle in the kitchen, watching the kettle while Takeshi and Daisuke made small talk. Only when the kettle clicked did Satoshi move as he began to grind the coffee beans. He made enough coffee for Inspector Saehara to have his daily two cups and poured some out for the boys before joining them at the table.

“Dude, Satoshi’s coffee is to die for.”

Daisuke laughed before taking a sip. His face lit up, surprised, before he took another sip. “Wow, this is great! Thanks, Satoshi!”

He just nodded. Silent.

Even though he hadn’t said a word all morning, the guys didn’t force him to join their conversation. They let him be, just like he wanted, as he relished in this moment.

After they said their thanks, they dug into the breakfast. And while Satoshi silently ate, listening to Takeshi and Daisuke talk about the most menial of things, Satoshi genuinely wished that they could do this again.

…

Commissioner Hiwatari never took Satoshi out to shop for clothes. He would come home with items that somehow always fit but were always more fashionable than comfortable or practical. (And, if Satoshi had to be honest, he hated everything Commissioner Hiwatari bought him.)

Satoshi thought Takeshi would take him to a Uniqlo or SHIPS, but the trio found themselves in front of the department store.

“…with what money are we buying my clothes?” Satoshi asked, adjusting the tote slung over his shoulder.

“Ma said to charge it as a business expense.”

“…how?”

Takeshi shrugged before rolling up his sleeves. “Alright, fellas, we’ve got one job today, so let’s stay focused. No distractions!”

“Says the one who always gets distracted by the food and kitchen appliances,” Daisuke joked.

Takeshi glared before they walked in, politely turning down the makeup samples they could bring back to their “girlfriends” as they made their way to the escalator. Daisuke and Takeshi pulled their phones out as they ascended, but Satoshi looked down at the sprawling floor in awe. Everything shone, neatly displayed or folded, and he was too enthralled by the sight that he didn’t feel the pang of regret that often accompanied him finally experiencing something he should’ve long experienced as a child.

When they made it to the floor that housed the men’s section, mannequins dressed in sleek suits greeted them. Satoshi recognized those brands as the high-end ones that made up most of Commissioner Hiwatari’s closet, and Satoshi marched on to find something less expensive. He passed by some popular streetwear brands, only known to him because of Takeshi and Daisuke’s mild interest in fashion, until he finally found more subdued pieces of clothing that catered to his tastes.

“Satoshi, uh, that brand’s—”

Takeshi’s warning came too late. Satoshi looked at the tag, and the price bounced in his head. It was too damn expensive for a casual sweater, so much so that seeing that many numbers together physically hurt.

“Takeshi, this was a terrible idea.”

“Bro, you literally aren’t even trying right now.”

“But—” Satoshi gestured to the clothes surrounding them. “—there’s too much to look through. And they’re probably all pricey.”

Takeshi sighed. “Just ask someone to help you.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Just go up to one of the attendants and ask them to help you. I’m sure they can find something for you.”

Satoshi just blinked, looking at Takeshi like he had said something in Russian. Takeshi returned Satoshi’s confused expression, and Daisuke laughed when he finally caught on.

“Are you too nervous to ask them for help?” Daisuke asked.

Satoshi Hiwatari, literal kid detective, college graduate at the tender age of fourteen, terrified to ask for help at the department store?

Absolutely.

Takeshi smirked, and Satoshi sighed, leaving the thoroughly entertained duo before asking one of the attendants for help. She directed him to a brand he wasn’t familiar with, but Satoshi liked the style and, most importantly, enjoyed the price point.

And after Satoshi tried on what he picked out, narrowing down the pile of clothes he brought with him to the fitting room, they paid before heading downstairs so Takeshi could fawn over the food. Satoshi followed him, wondering what samples he could taste, while Daisuke went off to grab something for Riku when he visited her during the holidays.

After stopping Takeshi from buying an extravagant set of chocolates, Satoshi spotted a familiar pink ribbon tying back brown locks. Lo and behold, Harada Risa was in her natural habitat at the department store, admiring the cases full of desserts while she carried a basket of impeccable looking strawberries in her hand. He ducked behind the closest fruit stand.

“Takeshi!” he harshly whispered.

“Ye?”

“Harada is here!”

Satoshi motioned towards the preoccupied girl, and Takeshi’s face lit up. What a serendipitous occasion for them to meet at the department store! But a familiar mop of red popped into his field of vision and was in the peripheries of a certain girl who would most definitely stop him were she to see him.

Thus, by virtue of the bro code, Rule Number 3 of this sleepover took precedent. But it also gave Takeshi a fantastic opportunity.

“I’ll distract her,” Takeshi whispered. “Get Daisuke out of here.”

“Where do we meet up?”

“Men’s section. We should be safe there.”

Satoshi nodded.

“Harada-chan!”

She turned around and greeted Takeshi. Satoshi couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but she saw Daisuke briskly walk towards him. He ducked behind the stand next to Satoshi, and they silently watched Takeshi lead her away for them to escape.

May his shot go well.

…

“So, what’s the real reason why you can’t be left alone with Harada?” Satoshi asked as the two of them sat down in the men’s section.

“Is Riku being jealous of her sister not a good enough reason?”

“I’m sure it’s part of the reason, but I feel like that’s not the whole thing.”

“Is that your detective instinct?”

“No. You’re just a little too obvious sometimes,” Satoshi said with a smile.

Daisuke sighed while Satoshi directed his attention to the passersby. A frantic woman passed by, quickly talking to someone on the phone in English.

“It’s just…Risa-chan has been a lot more clingy lately to the point that Riku’s starting to get annoyed with how much time I spend with her. And I’m having a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with Dark.”

“Like residual feelings of some sort?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know what do with that.”

“Talk to her about it?”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why? Because you’re dating her sister?”

“Yeah. That’s one of the reasons, but I also don’t want to put her on the spot for it, especially if she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

“Is that why you were a little too excited to hear about Takeshi’s feelings for her?”

“Yeah,” Daisuke sheepishly admitted. “It’s the easiest way to resolve it. A win-win situation for everyone involved.”

“That involves Harada returning his feelings.”

“There’s always a chance.”

“You’re holding onto a slim hope, then.”

Daisuke laughed. “Better to be optimistic, I always say.”

“Well, I’m sure there are other guys in our grade we could always…gently persuade to pursue Harada were she to turn down Takeshi’s feelings.”

His friend shook his head in disbelief that Satoshi even suggested such an idea while Satoshi laughed. If Takeshi couldn’t worm his way into Risa’s heart, no one else in their grade would be able to. Only a person with such outstanding confidence like Takeshi could handle Risa’s overwhelming personality.

Either that or…

That wasn’t a train of thought he was willing to entertain. Not now. And, hopefully, not ever.

Satoshi spotted Takeshi’s spiky hair in his peripheries as he rode up the escalator, shining with jubilee.

“Hello, men,” he greeted as the enthusiasm faded from his face. “What the hell have you two been talking about to make y’all look like death?”

“We’re bracing ourselves for the interrogation later by screening our answers,” Satoshi answered.

Takeshi glared at him.

…

“You did what?”

Mama Saehara’s voice boomed through the house. The boys just arrived, and they stood at the entrance, removing their shoes while trying to make as little noise as possible.

Satoshi had never heard her sound like that. Her voice always had a light and cheerful tone despite her powerful looks, yet she sounded exactly like he expected her to in that moment.

“It was an emergency!” Inspector Saehara retorted. “I know that he had plans an’ all, but—”

“But what? You think work is more important than what you made him miss?”

“Well—”

Mama Saehara screamed a flurry of French, and Inspector Saehara gasped before replying to whatever she just said in Japanese. Takeshi sighed as they bickered on.

“I’m sorry about this, y’all.”

“It’s fine,” Daisuke said. “My parents get like this sometimes, too. Even grandpa has his moments.”

Satoshi blinked. It sounded like Inspector Saehara and Mama Saehara were arguing over what happened yesterday, but he didn’t realize they would get so heated over something like that. Satoshi had completely gotten over being called to work when he woke up that morning, so he couldn’t empathize with them arguing about it.

“Is this normal?” Satoshi asked.

“Honestly, I’m surprised it took you this long to hear them like this, but I guess they’ve probably been holdin’ back because of you.”

Mama Saehara let out another exasperated string of words in French. Inspector Saehara demanded she repeat it in Japanese, taunting her, and she did without any hesitation. The boys gasped.

“I thought they got along,” Satoshi said.

“They do,” Takeshi said. “I mean, how else could they have been married for this long?”

“But—”

“This is normal!” Takeshi assured. “Besides, what family doesn’t argue?”

Daisuke nodded. Satoshi, however, decided he had had enough of the petty argument and marched into the kitchen to try to diffuse the situation.

Inspector Saehara sat at the table with his phone leaning against his mug. He looked up from the screen and balked at the sight of Satoshi before shooting him an awkward smile.

“Hey, Satoshi,” Inspector Saehara greeted. “How was yer trip to the department store?”

“Good.”

He expected Inspector Saehara to reply or for Mama Saehara to say something to him. She just grumbled something in French.

Inspector Saehara gasped.

“Have you no shame in cussin’ me out in a different language in front of our son?”

It was Satoshi’s turn to gasp. If only to lighten the situation.

Inspector Saehara cracked a smile.

…

Chips and beer in hand, Inspector Saehara retreated to the master bedroom. And, arms full of snacks, the boys retreated to Takeshi and Satoshi’s room upstairs. Satoshi sat at his desk, attempting to tidy his mess, while Takeshi and Daisuke sat on Takeshi’s bed, sharing an opened bag of chips.

“So…” Takeshi began.

“So…” Satoshi echoed.

Takeshi glared at Satoshi, and he smirked back. Daisuke laughed at his friend’s antics before munching on a handful of chips, cutting through the tension in the room.

“Tell us why you like Risa-chan,” Daisuke started.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Takeshi asked. “She’s adorable.”

“Then why’d you only start liking her recently?” Satoshi quipped.

“Hey, if you wanna take the floor, then you spill.”

“Do you want to cry?”

Both Daisuke and Takeshi looked at Satoshi, mortified, but he just laughed. Perhaps it was in bad taste to joke about what had happened to him, but Satoshi didn’t have any deep secrets or life problems to spill besides it.

Takeshi pouted. “You’re disqualified from speaking from here on out.”

Satoshi gave him a thumbs up with a smile. Takeshi returned it before he began to rock back and forth like a metronome.

“Honestly, I don’t really know, man,” Takeshi admitted. “After Harada-ane moved away and Harada-imouto started to hang out with us a lot more, I jus’ started to pay more attention to her an’ all. Next thing ya know, I’m daydreamin’ about her in class.”

Daisuke nodded while Satoshi blinked. He didn’t mind talks of romance when casually mentioned or joked about, but he felt uncomfortable hearing Takeshi talk about it so sincerely. He opened the box of matcha Pocky and hoped no one noticed him snacking on something he would never willingly choose.

“And I can’t help it even though I think she’s got her heart set on another guy.”

Satoshi bit the stick of Pocky in half. His eyes bounced from Daisuke and Takeshi, noting Takeshi’s growing impatience and Daisuke’s obvious awkwardness.

Takeshi’s keenness never failed to surprise Satoshi.

“She probably likes you, Daisuke.”

“What? No…”

“Bro, have you seen how she acts around you? Look, man, I know you’re dense, but you can’t be that obtuse.”

Daisuke glanced over at Satoshi, eyes begging for help. But Satoshi zipped his lips, keeping to Takeshi’s words from earlier. And, honestly, he wanted no part in this conversation at all.

“Daisuke, please, be honest with me. I promise I’ll try my best not to take it personally.”

He sighed. “…I know. I’ve known for a while now, but I don’t know if she knows. And even if she does know, I don’t think she wants to acknowledge it.”

“Does she like you because you’re you or because you were Dark Mousy’s host or something like that?”

“I don’t know. I’m sure most of her feelings are coming from her residual feelings for Dark, but Riku also just moved away. I wouldn’t be surprised if she started getting attached to me, to us, to fill the void of her sister.”

Takeshi groaned before grabbing his pillow and digging his head into it. “Unrequited feelings suck, man.”

Daisuke nodded while Satoshi bobbed his head in reflex. He remembered the pang he felt when he realized how important Risa was to him despite knowing how she felt for Dark. His burgeoning feelings, no matter how fleeting, still haunted his mind. Somehow, someway, Risa always crawled into his life uninvited.

Unlike Takeshi, however, he couldn’t welcome any of those feelings he had for her.

Luckily, his friends didn’t notice his absent-minded expression as he stared at nothing in particular and precariously balanced the stick of Pocky in his mouth. When he came back to the conversation, Takeshi had a devilish smile on his face while he nudged a red-faced Daisuke with his elbow.

“Come on, you can tell us how far you’ve gone with Harada-ane!”

“Absolutely not!”

…

Satoshi woke up.

Daisuke and Takeshi were still asleep. And he was about to fall back asleep considering how late the trio had stayed up, but he saw slivers of light blue filtering through the blinds and the lethargic haze clouding his mind cleared up despite the sleep deprivation.

He sent Takeshi and Inspector Saehara a message saying he’d be out just in case they woke up while he was gone and, phone in hand, he left the house to grab breakfast for everyone. There was a coffeeshop by the police station he was partial to, and he didn’t mind taking the slight commute to get there.

Satoshi rarely found himself this alert so early in the morning, but he enjoyed the calm stillness of Azumano at dawn. If he began to consistently wake up at this time, he wouldn’t mind adding a morning walk to his daily routine.

He didn’t think the coffeeshop would be so busy on a Sunday morning, yet he saw a large group huddled around the register when he arrived. Satoshi noted how young they looked and wondered why a group of teens would be willingly awake this early on a Sunday until he saw Ritsuko intently looking at a tablet in her hands.

He went up to her. “Robotics competition?”

She turned towards him, initially shocked to see him there, but a smile quickly settled onto her face. “Yeah. It’s just an invitational, but we’re hoping to win something at least.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks!” she said. “How’s your sleepover going so far?”

“Fun.”

She smirked. “Did you actually fall asleep last night?”

“Yeah. And I woke up early.”

“Unfortunately?”

“Fortunately. I’m sort of starting to like mornings.”

She laughed. “Well, I wish you the best of luck on your transition to become an early bird.”

The barista called their order, and the group swarmed around the counter. Ritsuko stood up and slipped the tablet into her bag.

“Sorry to cut this short, but we’ve got to head out now. See you around?”

“Of course. Kick their asses.”

Ritsuko blinked, taken aback by Satoshi’s choice of words before letting out a hearty laugh. “Saehara-kun really has rubbed off on you.”

After Ritsuko left with her club, Satoshi ordered. He waited at a table by the counter, enjoying the ambiance and the light muzak as he skimmed through the news on his phone.

After they called his name, he ambled home with the food and drinks in hand, watching Azumano wake up with every step he took. As the sun continued to rise and the sorbet-colored sky turned its usual hue of blue, he saw stores open, joggers zoom by him, and the occasional group of elderly women briskly walk past him. Everything felt different from the lunchtime hustle, the evening rush, like a car engine humming to life instead of zooming down the highway.

He really could get used to this.

When he returned home, the house was still. He began to unpack the food from the bags when he heard heavy footsteps barrel downstairs. Satoshi froze in place, and the sight of Takeshi coming into the kitchen couldn’t shake off the fear.

“Bro, Harada-imouto’s coming over around lunchtime later!”

“Cool.”

“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“You, um, scared me. With the loud noises and all.”

“Aw shit, fam. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Takeshi then noticed the food that Satoshi brought. He began to open the containers in excitement until he found an order he knew belonged to him. His face lit up before opening his arms. A proud grin eclipsed his face.

“Come here, brotha!”

“Too early. Hard pass…brotha.”

…

The boys (and Inspector Saehara) sat at the dining table, stiff from anticipation for Risa’s arrival. Inspector Saehara learned about his son’s feelings for the Saehara household guest after asking why the hell his son was making that much racket so damn early in the morning and, fully supporting his son’s infatuations, helped the boys clean up and splurge on some food from that fancy place he knew the Harada family frequented.

His boy’s gotta make a good impression somehow.

So, when they heard the doorbell ring, exactly at noon, they looked at Takeshi, begging him to let her in. They held their breath, pitying the lovesick fool when they heard his usual, confident babbling turn clumsy as he stumbled over his words. But when they heard the door close and saw Risa walk in, wearing a t-shirt dress that definitely leaned towards a casual ensemble for a day with friends than an outfit to catch a boy’s attention, they cautiously glanced at Takeshi to see his perception on Risa’s uncharacteristic fashion choice.

The boy was too ecstatic at her company that he was blind to her obvious message about how she truly felt about this.

Was this a success? Or a failure? They couldn’t tell.

“So,” Risa began. “what’s the plan?”

…

Risa insisted on starting with Whisper of the Heart.

Satoshi expected it have that whimsical fantasy that permeated the films he watched the evening before, but it didn’t. It had the whimsy, for sure, but he couldn’t connect with the realism of the film. So, while Risa, Daisuke, and Takeshi waxed poetic about the youthful vigor in the couple’s ending, the sentiment was lost on him, and he dismissed himself on the kitchen to “grab a snack” while the trio argued over what to watch next.

He stood next to Inspector Saehara who sat at the table that allowed for prime viewing of his son’s adolescence. He had a laptop in front of him, with Mama Saehara on the screen, and Satoshi waved to her. She didn’t notice since she seemed preoccupied with something else on her end.

“I didn’t realize you were in a call with her.”

“She’s just here to get real-time updates on Takeshi crushing over the Harada kid. We’re not actually having a conversation.”

“Because of what happened yesterday?”

“What do you mean what—” Inspector Saehara didn’t finish his sentence. He just began to laugh. “Oh, that? That’s nothing.”

“Nothing? But…”

“It happens all the time. Me an’ Ma are always arguin’ over somethin’. It happens with those yer close to, yanno?”

No, Satoshi didn’t know. The bemused expression on his face said everything, and Inspector Saehara guffawed.

“It’ll happen one day whether you’ll like it or not. Just don’t hate us when it happens, alright?”

Takeshi came in. “Bro, we’re starting My Neighbor Totoro! Hurry up!”

Satoshi nodded, following Takeshi back to the living room without any resolution to his conversation with Inspector Saehara.

He sat down in the recliner, distant from the trio on the couch. Risa was wedged between Daisuke and Takeshi, dangerously close to crossing the threshold of Daisuke’s personal space. The former was dangerously close to rolling off the couch over the armrest; the latter was dangerously close to crossing the threshold of Risa’s personal space. As an outsider looking in, the teens spelled out their emotions so plainly that it only hurt to watch.

Satoshi envied them. Of that innocence that allowed them to feel the emotions that come and go. To allow themselves to get caught up in a tempest of their feelings without worrying about how far-reaching the consequences would be.

The chipper tune of the movie’s opening brough his attention back to the TV. And while those on the couch sung along, he just nodded to the beat, unable to fight the smile threatening his face.

…

After the movie ended, to everyone’s dismay, Satoshi ducked into the restroom. When he returned to the living room, only Risa was there, lying down on the couch as she busied herself with her phone.

Clearly, this situation was in violation of Rule Number 2 of the sleepover code, but it seemed like there was nothing he could do to amend the broken rule.

“Where’d they go?” Satoshi cautiously asked.

“Daisuke’s parents called him during the movie, so he’s returning their call right now. And Saehara-san and Takeshi-kun stepped out to grab dinner.”

“So, your parents are letting you stay until then?”

“Yup! So we can squeeze in two more movies before I have to head back!”

“Which movies?”

“The Wind Rises and Howl’s Moving Castle.”

“Do they have romance in them?”

Risa winked. “Of course!”

Satoshi rolled his eyes. “I don’t understand your obsession with romance.”

“You don’t have to, but just know that you’re missing out on a fantastic genre.”

Satoshi shook his head, and she just giggled. “Maybe you’ll change your mind when you actually fall in love with someone.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“I wouldn’t end your sentence so quickly,” she sang.

“Perhaps, but I still think you’re slightly delusional.”

“But who isn’t slightly delusional when it comes to love?”

Satoshi wondered what possessed her to say that. And, when she met his gaze, he didn’t expect to see that earnest expression on her face. The Risa in front of him was no longer the adolescent girl who lived up the stereotype. This was the Risa trying to expand her horizons, to learn what lay beyond her perception of the world: the Risa that terrified him.

“Do you think I’ve lost it?” she asked in a whisper. “Being hung up over a ghost of a feeling? Of a person I can’t clearly recall in my memories? At the fact that you can’t fill the hole they left not matter how much you tell me about them?”

Satoshi hated this. He hated how easily Risa managed to skirt the edge of his comfort zone. She was precise enough to get her point across yet vague enough that it felt rude for him to strike that boundary. Not without him risking sounding like an asshole.

Not without him allowing her to cross a boundary he wasn’t ready for anyone, let alone her, to cross.

He began to formulate the words in his mind to say that he couldn’t answer that question, that he felt uncomfortable even being in the position of receiving her inquiries. Satoshi had to brace himself for her disappointment at him pulling away, but Daisuke came down before Satoshi followed through with the decision his mind was heading to.

“So, what’re we watching next?” Daisuke asked.

Satoshi nearly wept from the timing.

…

Sunday passed without any more drama. After they finished the movies Risa wanted to watch, she left without much fanfare, and the boys went through as much of the Studio Ghibli filmography as they could before they passed out.

Satoshi, however, woke up that Monday morning in a cold sweat with a splitting headache. So, while Takeshi and Daisuke left to pick up Grandpa Daiki from the train station, Satoshi floated in and out of consciousness while a familiar, winged Phantom Thief haunted his dreams.

[dannyphannypack]

Crossover Fic Recs

Hey, saw your post for some fic recs! Unfortunately I can't continue the wonderful thread of reblogs because I wish to remain anonymous, but here have some cool crossovers that I didn't see get rec'd yet :D (you can either post this or add it to the reblogs, I don't mind either way)

Just Another Meteor Freak [500k words, complete] (and it's sequel, which is unfortunately incomplete) is a Smallville/DP crossover that's absolutely a fantastic read and I cannot recommend it enough, it's one of my faves! Brief synopsis: Danny goes to live with his aunt Martha Kent after his family dies (and for once Danny's family dying in a crossover fic doesn't have anything to do with TUE!), and misunderstandings of the good kind and mishaps ensue because of course Danny and Clark's hero complexes come into play. It's got hurt/comfort, fluff, angst, sibling-esque-bonding, and all sorts of cool stuff, including ghost king headcannons and new powers for Danny. It takes place mostly from a Smallville perspective, but Danny's woven in so seamlessly that you won't believe he wasn't in the original show to begin with. I read it for the first time after having not watched Smallville in years and I could still understand it though, so I think that if you haven't watched Smallville before you could still enjoy the fic a lot!

And like, honestly, I totally recommend other stuff by this author (jadedbluerose) too. She's got a Merlin/DP crossover that's pretty fantastic, but unfortunately she hasn't updated anything since 2014 :( still worth the read though!!

Spirited Away [70k, complete] is a Harry Potter/DP crossover, it's honestly THE MOST hilarious fic I've ever read. Synopsis: Danny is an unwilling student at Hogwarts, and the most chaotic Hufflepuff the world has ever seen. He claims he's been kidnapped but when no one listens to him, he raises all kinds of hell to try and get kicked out. And if that doesn't work, well, he can always sue them. 100% worth the read, it will definitely make you laugh.

Various Superphantom (Supernatural/DP) crossovers by sapphireswimming. Literally anything Superphantom found here? Totally the best. You can also check out Superphantom fics by surelysilly (whose fics are more on the darker end of the spectrum, and their prose style is kinda abstract rather than your traditional linear narrative) Vitaliciouscreations (they've got a oneshot collection that's pretty fun, as well as a oneshot that I wish they'd continue and a complete cute 13k-word penpal fic.)

How to befriend a ghost [80k, incomplete] is a HTTYD/DP crossover in which Danny gets stuck in the Viking era, and I originally started reading this for the Danny & Hiccup friendship because it's adorable and both of them see how similar they are to each other and find kinship in that. The dragon Danny gets (because this is a HTTYD crossover, this is inevitable!) really sneaks into your heart though, and I ABSOLUTELY adore Sparky as much as I adore Toothless. He's very lovable and complements Danny super well! Of course, it's not all friendship bonding and training dragons, the archipelago is Danny's home now (until he can find his way back to Amity Park/his own century) and he's going to protect it too when trouble arises, just like the dragons do. He even gets new powers along the way. This fic is pretty fun, there's a lot of switching perspectives and you really see the characters' voices come through in it, and you even get to see the dragons' POV, which is really interesting since you get to learn Sparky's backstory!

Den Mother [8k, ongoing] is a Young Justice/DP crossover that acknowledges the fact that Danny is by all rights a first-generation hero, and he's treated with the respect as such and gets to join the Justice League rather than the YJ team. Of course, he doesn't WANT to join the league at first, which is a different take than you'd expect, but he reluctantly agrees and is then given the same responsibilities as a Justice League member--that is, to teach the YJ something about teamwork or whatever. It's not very long right now, but the premise is so good! It has a lot of potential.

A Foreign Perspective [200k words, complete] is a DNAngel/DP crossover that I saw @scrollingdown call a fandom classic once and honestly agree, even though I don't think many people know/have read it. It's a cute friendship fic that focuses on Phantom (not Danny, but Phantom specifically) making his first friend, an older boy named Daisuke, who seems normal at first, but is slowly revealed to be a little more understanding of Danny's situation than he appears. Some comfort involved too since Danny deals with a little more with the idea of mourning/loss than in canon, seeing as Daisuke thinks he's a full ghost and therefore a teenager that died, and Danny learns to be a different kind of hero because of it. Really cool fic too since you don't need to know DNAngel at all to understand the fic, since it's told from DP's perspective, and you get to learn about Daisuke as Danny does. It's just super sweet and it's got some action here and there that makes it exciting, and it's really a fun read.

Other stuff by this author is worth the read too! They've got oneshots of a HP crossover and Ghost Whisperer crossover, and a sadly incomplete HTTYD crossover [100k words] that is still super super good and also deals with ideas about mourning and loss. Their non-crossover stuff is also pretty interesting (there's a Mute!Danny AU and Dash kinda-redemption oneshot I really liked).

Diversity [150k, ongoing] is another Ghost Whisperer/DP crossover, it's a found-family fic where Danny runs away from home after his family dies in the events post TUE. He ends up running into Melinda and she goes out of her way to help him. There's a couple underlying mysteries surrounding the ghosts that haunt this fic, and Melinda tries to understand Danny's past and ends up tangled in a conspiracy because Danny's hiding his ghostly alter-ego and also the GIW are involved at some point (and they are much more menacing here than in canon). It's totally a page-turner, and you can get as invested as Melinda in hoping Danny heals from his loss. Spellbound [150k, ongoing] is a HP/DP crossover by the same author! Danny accidentally gets trapped by Magical Britain and is bitter about it, but he's trying to make the best of it. The Wizards have no idea what to make of him, but he just wants to go home, and he makes a couple friends while he plots his escape. (It's actually been a while since I read that one, so I'm a bit fuzzy on the details, but I do remember feeling bad for Danny in this fic, poor boy's lonely and can't even interact with kids his own age because he's an unknown creature to the wizards. Good thing Danny's never been one to follow authority.)

A Visit to Paris [10k, complete] is a Miraculous Ladybug/DP crossover in which Danny is Akumatized... sort of. The results are hilarious: Danny's a troll, Hawkmoth is frustrated, the heroes aren't really sure what to make of it, and Danny and Adrien make a lot of puns. Oh, and Danny is the only one smart enough to fix Paris' villain problem (okay, so it might be slightly cracky). It reminds me very much of Spirited Away, which I mentioned earlier. It's got the same level of chaos that's for sure. All in all, it's a very, very fun read.

A Different Sort of House Call [50k, incomplete] is a House MD/DP crossover, it's been years since I read it but I've always considered it one of the fandom classics too? It was definitely one of the first things to pop to mind when I was trying to recall all the cool memorable crossovers to rec you, so this goes on the list too. It's Danny at the hospital with House, and the doctors are trying to diagnose him without knowing about his ghost half (and Danny's not exactly willing to tell them either). There's angst (especially since the author wrote this to follow Lab Rat by AnneriaWings), Vlad trying to be an ally (sorta?), and House being clever as usual. Sadly it's incomplete but it's still super good!!

Running Blind [20k, complete] is a CSI/DP crossover (it took me forever to find the link again since it wasn't listed as a crossover). It's super good, Danny runs away for reasons unknown (at the beginning of course) and gets caught up in a murder investigation and he suspects the culprit is supernatural so obviously he helps out. The CSI guys are both trying to protect him (thinking he was a target for the murderer) but also trying to uncover his past and the reasons he ran away. When you find out why he ran away, you might be awed like I was (especially when you realize how long it had been since he ran) or you might be unimpressed, but the aftermath and his family/friends finally catching up to him might make up for that. I kinda liked how Vlad was written here too.

Ghost Crimes and its sequels is a Criminal Minds/DP crossover. It's the first in a very long series (currently 500k+ words in total) that expands on the DP world and lore, and also involves a lot more murder, death, blood (and the other related gore-ish stuff), and overall realism. Like, Danny fights what is basically Jack the Ripper and its terrifying. It's kind of like a "dark and gritty" DP (but like, not unbearably or overwhelmingly dark and gritty), angst sprinkled here and there, along with darker themes and less light-hearted issues (mental health/trauma/depression/etc. and neglect/abuse and like, actual competent adults like social workers and stuff are a real thing in this fic). There's a lot going on but it's got its lighter nice moments too (Dani is there and gets to be a part of Danny's family, Val's in on the secret, among other things). Also some of the chapters are illustrated, it's great. Definitely check it out!

Okay that's a lot of fics so I'm gonna stop now. Have fun reading!!

[noctisfishing]

A Certain Glow

Day 4 - Emblem

#noct writes taiora week 2020 [ 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 ]

@taioraweek for more Taiora love! @noctisfishing for Taiora/Digimon writings and more. :)

Setting: Digimon Adventure tri.: Future / Canon Divergence

Tags: Angst, Fluff, Romance Hints

Other Characters: Koromon & Pyocomon; Chosen Children cameos

Notes: I’m clinging onto my idea of a tri. rewrite that sprung into life during Takari Week (here’s the fic that started it). 

I also wrote this for catharsis from watching Last Evolution Kizuna, so this one’s going to be emotional.

I hope you recognize where this scene starts - near the end of Future.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It felt like a lifetime since Taichi saw the sun rise in the sky. The water on the beach before him and the other Chosen Children began to glisten from the sunlight. No longer was the sky shrouded in darkness; the clouds were on their way to disappearing into the brightening blue as a rainbow began to form.

Everyone was exhausted. Buildings were destroyed. Not everyone came out alive.

But the battle was over. Daisuke and the others had been found and returned to the Real World, and Taichi and his team had saved their homeland once again.

The deep silence within the group was broken by the squeaks of everyone’s Digimon partners bouncing toward them. One by one, each Digimon flew into their own human’s arms to be cuddled, the peaceful comfort found between human and Digimon partners the longer they were together.

Koromon had stopped in front of Taichi, looking up at him with a worn expression.

“I’m hungry,” Koromon said weakly.

Taichi cracked a small smile as he looked down toward his partner. After everything that had happened - the Digimon losing their memories; Taichi nearly losing his life, but ending up finding the missing Chosen Children, only to be forced to say goodbye to Nishijima-sensei…

...and even after he DNA digivolved to Omegamon, all Koromon wanted was a bite to eat.

Taichi picked up his partner and held him tightly, wishing that he could think as simply as Koromon and not have the weight of emotions that he still needed to process.

As the sun rose higher into the sky, everyone decided it was time to part ways. It was cathartic to be with eight of his friends - the only eight he knew would understand what they went through - but Taichi recognized that everyone wanted time alone with their partners.

Yamato and Tsunomon were the first to leave. Hikari had convinced Meiko to join her, Tailmon, Takeru, and Tokomon on their walk home. Jou with Bukamon and Koushiro with Mochimon went their own separate ways.

Sora stood a few feet away from Taichi, looking across the shoreline with Pyocomon resting soundly in her arms.

“I’ll call you,” Sora said quietly as she smiled at Mimi, who gave her a hug before running to Taichi and hugged him too.

With Mimi and Tanemon gone, Taichi and Sora were the only two left.

Taichi recognized the sullen expression on Sora's face. Even behind that smile she gave Mimi, he knew there was something that was troubling her. But he wasn’t sure if she was going to tell him what it was.

“Hey, Sora…” he started, causing her to turn her head, but Koromon’s loud yawn interrupted what he wanted to say next.

“Let’s find a comfortable spot for them to rest,” Sora decided, with Pyocomon slowly fidgeting with her eyes closed.

Taichi and Sora walked to the nearby park where they found a grassy lawn near a shaded tree for their Digimon to sleep. As Taichi brushed his palm against Koromon’s relaxed face, he smiled again and stood up to let Koromon be.

He watched Sora kneeling in front of Pyocomon doing the same thing, except when she stood up with her back facing him, he noticed hushed gasps that could have only come from her, and her shoulders began to tremble.

“What’s wrong…?” Taichi lifted his hand to reach for her shoulder. But before he could, Sora turned and threw her arms around him, holding him tightly with her face hidden in the front of his shirt.

“I tried so hard to convince myself that you were still alive,” she whispered with a quiver. “I’m so glad that you are… Thank goodness…”

Taichi was startled, to say the least. He had been so used to seeing her brush off her own feelings enough to hide them from everyone else.

He never thought he’d ever see her cry for him.

“Sora…” was all he could say. He found himself at a loss of what to do whenever she got emotional, but he hated seeing her like this. Pulling her close, he wrapped his arm around her and held her close with his other hand cradling the back of her head.

He thought back to the moment before he fell into the crevice during the battle and blacked out, followed by what happened when he came to and discovered Nishijima-san who ended up in the same place. The moment that Dark Gennai revealed that only one of them could escape that place alive, Taichi knew that he had to find a way to save everyone.

Even if it meant sacrificing himself.

“I was terrified,” he told Sora, holding her as she quietly sobbed. “I wanted to save Meiko and her partner. I wanted everyone to stay out of harm’s way from that fight. That’s why I ran.”

“Baka,” Sora said, sniffling. “You didn’t have to run after them, only to get caught in the crossfire. But…”

She looked up at him, revealing her tear-stained cheeks and her eyes puffy, which he was certain was also from fatigue.

“...You must have been terrified coming back here, too. You had to fight through that, even when you knew there was a bigger fight here in the Real World... It couldn’t have been easy. Doing what you needed to do even when you’re terrified: that’s why you bear the Crest of Courage, right?”

Taichi felt his eyes begin to water. Even before telling her the details, she gave him the perspective in the words that he needed to hear.

It was his turn to cry. Sora ran her hand slowly up and down his back as he let his tears stream down his chin and onto her shoulder. He needed to let that out, to grieve over the weight of his choices and the losses he had to bear.

He was glad to have Sora there for him.

“Taichi…” he’d heard Koromon say. Looking toward the tree, Taichi saw that Koromon and Pyocomon had opened their eyes and were watching their human partners in sadness.

But Taichi took one deep breath and sighed. His tears stopped rolling, and he felt a little bit lighter.

“You okay, Taichi?” Sora asked him when they pulled apart.

“I am,” he replied, cracking a smile. “Thanks.”

There was a certain glow to the smile she gave him back. Even as the rays of sunlight shimmered on her cheeks and on her lashes from her tears.

It made him realize something.

“You know, Sora, what you said about my crest… I could say the same about yours.”

“Really?”

“Staring at the threat of danger, terrified, but doing it to protect the ones you care about. That’s love. That’s why you bear that crest.”

There was no doubt that the moments in the Digital World after the reboot sprung into her mind. He remembered how she tried to fight off dark Gennai on her own, and jumped onto Mugendramon for Piyomon.

Watching her eyebrows furrow as she ran the memories in her head, then seeing her lower lip tremble - he wondered just how hard it was for her, too.

“Sora.”

“Hmm?” she said, blinking at him as she appeared to return to the present.

Taichi brushed his thumb against her cheek to wipe her tears away. They were both in the present now. It would take time for them to fully process the last few days, but Taichi realized he couldn't have done it without his own strength. 

And it was Sora who helped him realize it.

“I’m glad you’re here with me," Taichi said, taking her hand.

Sora’s eyes fell from his gaze to their hands, suddenly expressionless. Taichi began to wonder if he made a mistake, and he could feel his face burning.

“Well, you know-” he added, recognizing that he was stammering his words but he couldn’t stop. “I mean- um…”

“I’m glad you’re here with me, too,” Sora replied, closing her hand around his. When Taichi looked at her again, she was looking up at him, smiling in her radiance.

He hoped that Sora realized her own strength, too.

“Taichi,” Koromon called.

“Sora,” said Pyocomon.

Taichi looked down to see both Digimon standing at their feet.

“Can we eat now, Taichi?”

“I wanna eat, too, Sora.”

“Let’s go have some breakfast, then,” said Taichi.

“I’m sure we all need it,” added Sora.

Koromon jumped up to Taichi who carried him with one arm. Pyocomon did the same with Sora. The four of them went on their way to find breakfast, with Taichi and Sora walking side-by-side, never letting go of each others’ hands.

[lightchildofthespring]

The fantastic adventures of Takeru Takaishi

Chapter 2: Daughter of the revolution

On their way up the hill, Sora reminisced the times when her father took her to play hide-and-seek among the woods. She also remembered the day when she hid in a bush and overheard a group of men approaching Haruhiko. They accused him of having "subversive books" and spreading anti-government propaganda among the good people of Turtle Island. Sora was so scared that she couldn't move. She didn't do anything to stop her father from being taken away.

After her surroundings became quiet, Sora left her hiding spot and ran back to her house. It didn't take long for the little girl to notice smoke rising to the sky. Once she arrived there, she found her house burning.

Sora was about to scream in horror, but she felt a hand cover her mouth and another pull her back to the woods.

"I'm so glad you're safe! I'm so glad!"

Sora recognized her mother's voice. The arms that once restricted her were now hugging the child. The little girl was trembling and it didn't take her long to begin to cry. Toshiko turned her daughter around, so she could face her. The woman's eyes were red; a couple of tear trails were still visible.

"They took Dad! They took him away!" Sora said, among sobs.

"I know," Toshiko muttered.

"Where did they take him?" Sora asked.

New tears formed in the woman's eyes. She didn't say anything. It would take years for Sora to learn that her father was taken by Yamanaka's henchmen and dragged to the living room of her family's house as a way to lure Toshiko and the other revolutionaries to a trap. The henchmen were all armed and largely outnumbered the revolutionaries. It would be a suicide mission to try to rescue Hahuriko. Therefore, their leader decided they shouldn't do it.

Toshiko and the rest of the group survived.

Haruhiko didn't.

For the rest of her life, Sora wished to get justice for her father and revenge against Yamanaka. She cooperated with the revolutionaries but, despite knowing their reasons and understanding that her father wouldn't have wanted to be the cause of their demise, Sora could never forgive the leader of the group for that decision.

Takeru wasn't fond of the silence filling the air as they climbed the hill on the horses. Sora was leading the way, Koushiro and he were in the middle and Yamato was on the back, protecting them. From the way Yamato kept staring at Koushiro's back, Takeru assumed he still considered the stranger a threat.

Since Koushiro was the one closest to him, Takeru decided to start a conversation with that man.

"Tell me, Koushiro, where are you from?"

"I was born on Shrimp Island and lived there until I was 10 years old," Koushiro replied, not looking at Takeru.

"That's pretty close to Turtle Island!" Takeru exclaimed. "I'm not sure why, but you had given me the impression of being from somewhere far away."

"I've travelled all around the world," Koushiro told him. "But I always end up coming back to this place. I like to visit the spot where my parents' house used to be... well, not properly my parents'... the house of the couple who took care of me after..."

Koushiro stopped talking. A sad expression was visible on his face.

Suddenly, Sora stopped her horse and raised one hand, as if giving a signal. Two people carrying shotguns came from both sides of the trail: a woman with purple hair and glasses and a man with spiky dark pink hair. At least, that's what Takeru assumed his hair color to be. The woman had a red and long sleeved shirt over her brown paints; her hair was tied in a ponytail. The man had black pants and a loose blue shirt.

"Daisuke! Miyako! I need to talk to my mother immediately!" Sora told them.

"We're really sorry, Sora, but we can't let strangers into the camp. It's dangerous!" Daisuke said, pointing at Takeru and Koushiro.

"This is my little brother, his name is Takeru," Yamato introduced his brother. "The one with red hair is likely a demon from Hell. You should tie him up."

"A demon?!" Daisuke exclaimed, staring at Koushiro with amazement in his eyes. "Are you an actual demon from Hell? Can you summon Hellfire? Can you eat souls? Are you capable of seeing the future?"

"No, no, no... to tell you the truth, I'm capable of seeing fragments of the future," Koushiro answered, "but that ability is not as useful as it sounds."

"You're a clairvoyant?" Takeru asked, excitedly.

"That kind of thing doesn't exist! It's unscientific! Charlatanism!" Miyako affirmed.

"I'm not a charlatan!" Koushiro stated.

"Don't mind her, Mr. Demon," Daisuke told Koushiro, "she's the local mad scientist and can get a bit carried away sometimes about science."

"Stop shaming me for my love for science, Daisuke!" Miyako shouted. "It's the greatest thing in the world!"

"Enough with this discussion!" Sora raised her voice. "The camp is in great danger! Yamanaka's men are coming to attack us! I must talk to my mother immediately!"

Yamato looked at Sora's trembling body with concern. Despite wanting to comfort her, he knew that interrupting the woman would only make her upset. Meanwhile, Miyako and Daisuke stared at Sora in shock. They didn't remember ever seeing her lose her temper.

"That's not possible!" Miyako stated, after half a minute. "Yamanaka's men don't know where our camp is! They would never find our location, unless someone told them!"

"You can't mean that there's a traitor among us..." Daisuke said.

"I don't know how it's going to happen, but I saw armed men walking up this hill amidst darkness," Koushiro told them. "That's why I warned Miss Sora."

"Why exactly should we believe you, stranger?" Miyako asked. "As far as I can tell, you're nothing more than a charlatan trying to deceive people!"

Koushiro sighed, frustrated.

"Fine, don't believe me! I'm used to that," he said. "Just tie me up already and drag me to the tent where you keep the weird looking mechanical box. I can't wait to see you yelling at the boy with green eyes and short black hair to stop meddling with your invention."

"How do you know all that?" Miyako inquired. Then, a bigger concern took over her mind. "Hold on, Iori is doing what?!"

"I can't waste more time with this!" Sora snapped, making her horse run towards the top of the hill. Yamato followed her on his horse.

"How dramatic!" Takeru murmured to himself. He was about to follow them, but Daisuke pointed the shotgun at him.

"The two of you will have to get down from the horses and let us tie your hands and blindfold you," he said.

"What? But I'm Yamato's brother!" Takeru protested. "Doesn't that make me trustworthy?"

"Well... you're not dressed as someone we could trust," Daisuke told him.

"How dare you? I'm wearing the finest and most expensive clothes you've probably seen in your whole lives!" Takeru was getting exasperated.

"That's precisely the issue!" Miyako was getting angry as well. "Do you understand that we're revolutionaries and you look like someone wealthy?"

"So... does being a revolutionary make you hate people with good taste in clothes?" Takeru asked.

Miyako and Daisuke were left speechless after Takeru's remark, not quite understanding how someone could say something so stupid.

Koushiro got down from the horse and put his hands up. He glanced at Takeru and told him:

"Mr. Takeru, with the due respect, please stop saying things without thinking first."

"W-What are you trying to say?" Takeru asked.

"I think he just called you out for saying something dumb... in a very polite way," Daisuke told him.

Takeru's world was shaken by that affirmation. Dumb? Him? But he was such an educated person! But... what if he was dumb? Had he actually been dumb for his entire life? Did he live a lie for all those years? He felt as if his head was spinning and lost his balance, which made him fall from the horse. Luckily for Takeru, he fell on Koushiro.

Koushiro wasn't very lucky as he was knocked to the ground by Takeru's weight.

"Didn't see that coming, did you, Mr. Psychic Demon?" Miyako mocked.

After that, she and Daisuke proceeded to tie and blindfold the two strangers.

Once Sora arrived at the camp, she jumped from the horse and headed to her mother's tent with large steps. Some revolutionaries, who were sitting on logs and cleaning their weapons, seemed surprised at her sudden arrival, but didn't pay her too much attention.

Yamato arrived right after her. He quickly got down from his horse and ran in Sora's direction.

"Sora, please! What are you going to say to her?" Yamato inquired, putting himself in her front. "You can't expect Leader Toshiko to believe that a demon dug himself out of the dirt and told you about a vision he had! I mean... do we even have any actual reason to believe that guy, anyway?"

"I don't know if he's telling the truth or not, but we can't risk our people's safety!" Sora retorted. "I'm not going to let Yamanaka take anyone away again!"

"Sora, I understand-" Yamato began to say.

"No, you don't! Your whole family is alive, you can't understand!" Sora shouted, pushing him out of her way.

Astonished by her uncharacteristically rude behavior, Yamato was unable to move for a few seconds. Once he recovered, he made his way to the tent in the middle of the camp. Inside it, he found Sora staring down at her mother, who was tending to a flower arrangement on the ground, while kneeling on a pillow. There were several other flower arrangements in the tent, among maps, books and weapons. The woman was wearing dark pants and a white buttoned shirt that gave her an air of elegance.

"You haven't come to see me in a while, Sora. And now, without any warning, you interrupt me while I'm with the flowers..." Toshiko commented.

"There's something more important than your flowers that we must discuss!" Sora told her. "Old man Yamanaka's men are coming to the camp! We have to evacuate!"

Toshiko paled after hearing that. She stood up and approached her daughter. Sora felt uncomfortable under that intense gaze, but didn't look away.

"Who told you that?" Toshiko inquired.

"That's not important!" Sora said.

"The only way for those people to find our location is if there's a traitor among us, which is something I can't bring myself to believe," Toshiko told her. "You'd better give me the source of that information if you expect me to take it seriously."

Sora felt her eyes getting warm and her body trembling. She wasn't surprised that her mother didn't listen to her, but that still hurt.

"Then, you need a reliable source to act to protect the group?" Sora questioned. "If you really cared about anyone, the mere possibility of them being in danger should be enough!"

"Sora, don't disrespect me!" Toshiko scolded her. "I care very deeply about-"

"You didn't even care about Dad!" Sora accused, letting a couple of tears escape her eyes.

Toshiko was taken aback by that. Without uttering a word, she watched as Sora stormed out of the tent, being followed by Yamato. Only when she was alone, she allowed herself to cry, like she had always done ever since the day when she lost her husband.

Out of the tent, Sora stumbled on something and nearly fell. Yamato embraced her from behind just in time. He didn't tell her anything. Yamato knew when Sora needed his words and that wasn't one of those moments. She turned to him and wrapped the man in her arms, burying her face on his shoulder. Yamato kept a hand on her back and caressed her hair with another. He would let her cry as much as she needed.

While Sora and Yamato were with Toshiko, Takeru and Koushiro arrived at the camp, after being guided by Miyako while Daisuke led the horses. Once they arrived, the pieces of fabric covering their eyes were removed. Takeru wasn't impressed by the amount of twenty dirty tents or the small group of people wearing cheap clothes. But what did he know? He was an ignorant, after all! Maybe that was the highest fashion among the revolutionaries and he just wasn't intelligent enough to appreciate it!

"Iori Hida, you better come out at this second or may the Goddess help me!" Miyako called.

A teenager with greens eyes and black hair came out of one of the tents. He was carrying a large mechanical black box, which had several small gears moving on its sides.

"You really are meddling with my invention!" Miyako accused.

"It wasn't working properly," Iori said. "I thought I could fix it if I took a better look-"

"Iori, you shouldn't touch other people's inventions without permission!" Miyako scolded him.

"It's not just your invention! I helped too!" Iori said.

"You just assisted me in the manufacture! I was the one who designed it and named it!" Miyako retorted.

"If it doesn't work, you didn't do a very good job, Miyako," Daisuke remarked.

"Hey, you're the last person that can criticize the Smokenator, Daisuke! You've never invented anything in your life!" Miyako shouted. Then, she grabbed the box and tried to pull it from Iori's hands, but he didn't want to give it to her.

"Stop it! I haven't finished fixing the Night Bringer yet!" Iori said, refusing to let go of the box.

"Stop trying to rename the Smokenator!" Miyako said back, putting more force in her grip.

"I find both of those names silly..." Takeru murmured, "but I'm nothing more than an ignorant simpleton who knows nothing of the world!"

"Mr. Takeru, you don't have to say that about yourself. You're clever!" Koushiro tried to cheer him up.

"You were the one who called me dumb!" Takeru accused.

"I never said that!" Koushiro defended himself. "I simply advised you to think more before saying things. I can tell you by experience that offending the wrong person can lead to terrible consequences. I didn't want you to repeat my mistakes."

"Your mistakes?" Takeru asked. "Are you saying that the reason why you die so much is that you keep saying dumb things to people?"

"I'm not going to deny that many of my deaths are tied to people not appreciating what I had to say... even if I was trying to help them..." Koushiro said in a sad tone. "But before all that, I offended someone very dangerous... in consequence I was cursed with the clairvoyance..."

"Cursed? But that's such a fascinating ability!" Takeru contested.

For a moment, it was as if the light had completely vanished from Koushiro's eyes, as if he had gotten lost in painful thoughts.

"It's not fascinating to see tragedies before they happen..." Koushiro had a cold tone, "it's not fascinating to try everything to stop those tragedies... to save people... and then watching them die anyway... unable to change anything..."

Takeru wasn't sure of what to think after their conversation took such a dark turn. Thankfully for him (but not for anyone else), the sudden eruption of black smoke from the mechanical box Miyako and Iori had been fighting over distracted him from the awkward situation Koushiro had created. The black smoke rose to the sky quickly and began to spread in high speed. Despite being the middle of the day, the darkness befalling them made it seem like night had arrived.

"Iori, what did you do?!" Miyako questioned, letting go of the box.

"Don't act as if I was the only one in fault for this!" Iori stood up for himself.

"The entire island is going to see this smoke!" Daisuke said. "Everybody is going to know our location now!"

"What's going on here?!" Yamato inquired, running in their direction alongside Sora. He saw Iori still holding the box from which the smoke was coming. "Iori, what did you do?!"

"Hey, don't criticize Iori!" Miyako defended the teenager. "A farmer like you can't understand the passion of a scientist!"

Sora hurried to untie Takeru and Koushiro. Right after that, she grabbed the red-haired young man by the shoulders and inquired:

"Is this the 'darkness' you saw? Are Yamanaka's men coming?"

"I think so..." Koushiro murmured.

"You think so?!" Yamato snapped. "Are you a clairvoyant or not?! Give us a straight answer! Tells us what will happen next!"

"I can only see fragments of the future!" Koushiro explained. "I can't control this ability!"

"Brother, leave him alone!" Takeru pleaded. "Koushiro is just trying to help! He might not know everything and not understand the intricacies of certain social rules or why some people don't appreciate fine clothes!"

"Is he still talking about Mr. Demon?" Daisuke wondered.

"But the point is that he's trying his best to help!" Takeru continued. "He might make mistakes and say dumb things sometimes, but he's trying to improve himself and do better! Isn't that worthy something?"

"I think I'm not understanding the context here," Yamato said. "What on Earth happened after I went after Sora?"

"Sora, what happened here?" Toshiko questioned, running in her daughter's direction. "This smoke is giving away our location! The camp can be attacked! Yamanaka's henchmen outnumber us! They have better equipment and more munition! In our current state, we can't outfight them!"

For a moment, Sora wanted to say spiteful things to her mother. But the desperation on Toshiko's face made her hesitate. Her previous words of accusation towards Toshiko, fueled by the pain caused by the loss of her father, seemed cruel and stupid on retrospect. It couldn't be more evident that her mother had always worried about the safety of her people.

"We just need to make sure that everybody escape to the tunnels before they get here," Sora said, letting go of Koushiro and turning to her mother. "Let's reunite our best shooters! I can lead the offensive and buy you enough time-"

"Sora, no!" Toshiko interrupted. "You have to escape too! I will stay back and fight them off!"

"Are you out of your mind?!" Sora questioned. "You'll die if you do that! I have to stay and help you!"

"This is an order, Sora! You'll leave!" Toshiko insisted.

"I'm not going to run!" Sora stated. "I'm not going to turn my back on other people and leave them to die!"

For the first time in many years, Sora saw tears in Toshiko's eyes.

"Back then, the thing that I wanted the most was to save Haruhiko or die trying. But I couldn't do that... and it wasn't just for the sake of the group..." Toshiko told her daughter. "If I had tried to save Haruhiko, both your father and I would've died. And then, you'd be left alone to fend for yourself... those horrible men wouldn't show mercy to a little kid... you might hate me for that decision, Sora. It's alright, I hate myself for it as well. But I don't regret choosing to protect you. I'll keep choosing you above everything and everyone, for as long as I live. So, please, don't throw your life away!"

Sora could feel her eyes getting flooded with tears. She almost didn't recognize the warmth and lightness taking over her heart. They were reminiscent of happier times, when her family was together. Those feelings made her realize that, despite respecting her mother's love for her, she still couldn't abandon the woman. Sora wasn't willing to lose the rest of her family.

"OH MY GODDESS!" Takeru suddenly shouted, startling everybody who was enthralled by the touching moment Sora and Toshiko were sharing. "I JUST HAD THE MOST AMAZING IDEA THAT IS GOING TO SAVE EVERYBODY! IT'S SUCH AN INTELLIGENT PLAN! I'M SO INTELLIGENT! HOW COULD I EVER THINK I WAS DUMB?!"

"Wait, did you seriously just come up with an idea that is going to save everybody?" Miyako asked in a skeptical tone.

"Yes, I did, Miss Mad Scientist!" Takeru interjected, pointing his finger dramatically towards the dark sky. "But before I begin to explain my brilliant plan, tell me, do you have any other interesting invention?"

"Oh! Are you asking me if I have other interesting inventions?" Miyako grinned. "I do! I really do! Just you wait to see them!"

"Now, you're sounding like an evil scientist, Miyako!" Daisuke commented.

"Be quiet, Daisuke!" Miyako retorted.

"Hey, Daisuke!" a young woman with light pink hair approached him. Several other revolutionaries were surrounding the group. "Care to explain what's going on to the rest of us?"

"Honestly, Jun, weren't you paying attention?" Daisuke asked.

"We have been paying attention!" another young woman, with short curly blond hair and glasses, said. "But we still need an explanation! We don't even know who that class traitor claiming to have a brilliant plan is!"

"Who are you calling a class traitor?!" Takeru inquired.

Koushiro found the discussion funny. It felt strange to laugh after such a long time, even if he was trying to muffle it. That heartwarming feeling, however, didn't last long.

He suddenly saw himself in a large living room. In front of him, there was an old skinny man looking through a large window. Through ot, the black smoke covering the hill was visible at the horizon.

"Tell me, Monk..." the old man spoke in a husky voice, "is it really wise to send all my forces after the revolutionaries?"

"I can protect you by myself, you have nothing to worry about."

Koushiro knew that voice too well. In other times, nothing would make him happier than to listen to that person, especially when he was laughing. At that moment, however, all that voice did was to confirm his dreadful suspicions.

"What is a holy man like you doing on Turtle Island?" the old man inquired, turning to his right. There, the person in the monk clothes was leaning against a wall. He was smiling at the other, but that smile wasn't like the ones he used to show Koushiro. There was no shred of joy left on that face. The top of the monk's head was covered by a black hood, but Koushiro could still see some strings of that person's large brown hair coming out.

In those distant times, that person would never hide his hair.

"Well, you know..." the monk smirked, "nothing much... just waiting for an old friend."

His sight began to turn dark, indicating that the vision was ending. Koushiro was once again in the revolutionary camp. Takeru was still discussing something with the revolutionaries, but Koushiro wasn't paying attention anymore. His mind wandered through memories of their last meetings, which all ended with his best friend asking him the same thing:

"Please, stay dead this time."

[teddystrap]

Drama CD: [幽幻ロマンチカ・真骨頂] ≁Bakeneko Arahagi・Inugami Toneri≁

No audio track this time sorry! But anyway, I’ve made sizeable progress on the Yuuroma series: Hifumi + Utashiro’s Hatenkou, Zakuro, Toneri, and a bunch of tokuten for everybody (/*^-^)/. I’ll do the 2nd Shinkocchou first, for continuity.

And I haven’t listened to the two individual discs before this, so I had no idea who they are... or that their names are actually Arahagi (cat demon; cv. Kaji Yuuki) and Toneri (dog deity; cv, Hirakawa Daisuke) until about 3/4 into the story, since they kept calling each other ‘Stupid Cat’ and ‘Stupid Dog’. Orz

Obvsly this time there is no bromance like in the 1st disc and they fight like... err... cats and dogs (for lack of a better description XD).

As before, hidden messages from the both of them:

１．壱、都市伝説『二次元カレシ』 ２．弐、手が<か>りはどこ？ ３．参、そこは見せか<け>の幸福世界 ４．四、ここにず<っ>といよう ５．伍、意地でも負<け>られない ６．六、この世界が壊れ<る>としても ７．七、 都市伝説『二次元カレシ』看破 ８．キャストトーク

Arahagi: bold⋆ spells 「どこにでも」 (‘No matter where [you are]...’)

Toneri: <⋆> spells 「かけつける」 (‘...I will rush to your side’)

...うれしいィィ！！ありがとね、二人とも～^^

*

[The Second Rumour: Urban Legend ‘2D Boyfriend’]

All the girls at your school are addicted to a mobile otome game app. Rumour has it that players can end up getting trapped in the game world, and their bodies are found in sleeping position holding their phones in one hand.

Toilet Guy has again asked Arahagi and Toneri to investigate. This time your team name is: the Pitch-Black Executors ~DARK (K)NIGHT MESSIAH~. Σ_(꒪ཀ꒪」∠)_. And both your animal manservants have the good sense to hate this abomination of a name. But it will come in handy later on...

So. First order of business is to throw *you* into the virtual world. It’s been rumoured that collecting a full set of accessories from one game character can accomplish this, so your animal bfs possess your body and go shopping.

They push a bunch of bling on you (Toneri makes you wear a choker that reminds him of a dog collar XD), and eventually you can’t take it anymore and run out of the store because you don’t wanna turn into the lovechild of Katy Perry and Flavor Flav. And anyway it didn’t work. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ RIP Operation BringTheBling1.

Plan #2: There is another rumour that players get sucked in when they access the app at midnight. So Catboy and Dogman (henceforth ‘CatDog’) camp over in your bed, and sure enough, when the clock strikes 12, you fall into a deep sleep and enter the game world.

The game is set in a high school that’s an *exact* replica of Nanagiri, with two characters who sound (and look) exactly like your Cat and Dog bfs. [Hirarin is the senpai and Kaji is the kouhai, ofc.] You are shocked by this unfolding of events, and the two of them think you have a cold and need to go to the nurse’s office to rest.

You take this as an opportunity to escape, and as you are running you hear Arahagi and Toneri’s voices from the other side. They successfully possess your sleeping body and enter the virtual world as well.

Senpai and Kouhai can see the demons possessing you. They forcibly exorcise the duo and drag you away. As the exorcised duo come to, they find themselves turned into their chibi forms XDD. Meanwhile, Senpai and Kouhai have taken you to the nurse’s office. As they are trying to approach you, you spray the fire extinguisher at them and make your escape. Niceee.

You manage to find Arahagi and Toneri hiding in the courtyard. They repossess your body to regain their powers and apologise for not being able to protect you. But you have come up with a battle plan: Operation LoveLetter1. Dun dun DUNNN.

The plan is to put a love letter in their shoe locker asking Senpai and Kouhai to meet with you next evening. Being in an otome game, they can only do as they are told to unlock the love event. (Also what is with this 3P-harem setting where you can confess and unlock event for two characters at once?? I need to get in on dis yo. ¬‿¬)

You and CatDog stay up all night to discuss the battle plan, and Arahagi thinks this whole game reeks of the work of a human being. He figures out that they can rob the game characters of their powers by stealing their phones. (Why do even the characters have phones inside the game??) And to power-up themselves, CatDog trade hugs and kisses with each other (I WISH!!) you to feed off of your human energy.

Next day, Senpai and Kouhai show up at the arranged meeting time, and CatDog appear to start a riot. They throw out your team name Pitch-Black Executors ~DARK (K)NIGHT MESSIAH~, which confuses their opponents and gives them the perfect opportunity to steal the opponents’ phones.

Toneri ties the two characters up with chains and Arahagi drops a bunch of machinery and shit on top of them, but dis ain’t ovah ya’ll. The two of them go into *dark mode*. They change the backdrop and damage the data of Arahagi and Toneri’s bodies. As they bury CatDog alive and take you away, you tell them that you believe in CatDog, which gives them the power they need to free themselves from entombment and destroy the game characters.

...When the smoke clears, they see a student that was sucked into the game world. Strangely enough, *it’s a boy*, and they figure that he must be the human that the game monster is possessing and feeding off of.

It turns out that the boy offered himself as a human sacrifice to the urban legend and created this game world to shield his younger sister from the harsh reality. The game world begins to disintegrate, and Toneri tells the boy to face his sister properly instead of doing this stupid shit in the name of ‘protection’. To Toneri and Arahagi, who come into this world all alone, every little detail of the familial bonds and ties between humans seems magical and deserves to be treasured.

The three of you wake up in your bed, and CatDog wonder if the boy’s little sister is going to be alright. You devise a plan... for the two of them to appear to her in a dream pretending to be the two game characters. Toneri flubs his lines and gets beaten up by Arahagi XD. They tell the girl they are relieved that she has finally awoken from her slumber, and invite her to play the game again whenever she is feeling down.

Now a new urban legend has arisen: that whenever a girl gets sucked into the game world, her 2D boyfriend tells her to get out or else she won’t make it to her own wedding in the future. (#meirl XDD.) What’s more, CatDog have erased the oniisan’s memories of the whole incident, and both he and his sister have returned to school as usual.

*Meanwhile*, YOU have become addicted to this game app XD. After unsuccessfully trying to snatch your phone out of your hands, CatDog tease you with kisses and promise to make your real life more exciting than any game ever... yes please Hirarin and Kaji the two of you can come and possess me any time I don’t mind fufufufu~~~ (´┓`*)

*

[Thoughts] ⋆敬称略⋆

Ok so this was my first introduction to both characters (Arahagi/Toneri). I kept thinking as I was listening to it: wouldn’t it be great if Kaji and Hirarin switched roles? Doesn’t it feel like Kaji has more of an excitable puppy-like personality (or quality to his voice, rather), and Hirarin has more of a slow, cat-like temperament??

In fact in the Free Talk when Hirarin said that he is 100% a Cat Person and he thinks Arahagi is really cute, I was all ready to jump out of my chair all like, ‘I KNEW IT!!!’ #notoverreactingatall._(:3」∠)_. ...I guess Rejet wanted to switch it up a little? Or maybe Kimura Ryouhei was busy, because Toneri [yandere + dog ears] sounds like the job for him. Also I can’t help but wonder how perfect Hirarin would be as Utashiro lulling me to sleep with his soothing voice...

(*ฅ́˘ฅ̀*)♡

But all this fantasy casting aside, every time I hear Toneri’s adorable grumpy/growling noises that he makes when he’s dissatisfied, I feel like they made the right casting choice after all. #omgWANT ლ(⁰⊖⁰ლ)

What else, what else... HmMMmMmm, the story and characters/pair dynamics this time round is a bit more childish and less ‘tight’ than before. So idk, I didn’t feel as much of *Deh Romantic Feelz* towards Arahagi/Toneri like I did for Hifumi/Utashiro. Although I still enjoyed it because I am immature.

The doppelganger bit was pretty kewl though. Although the battle scene kind of got resolved in a very #WTF kind of way and left me wanting more. Also the overprotective older brother story would’ve benefited from a better explanation/backstory of why he did what he did, no? Overall just kind of #わけわかんない, and not a very tight story, like I said.

The otome game theme was kind of relevant and interesting, esp the senpai character in the game who kept emphasising the use of this kind of romance fantasies as a form of escapism. ...Which got a bit philosophical/personal in a way, although I’m not sure if Toneri was the best person to expound on this because he’s so... erm... simple-minded XD.

Nonetheless, the overall message was clear: that it’s always better to face things head-on, and you have limitless potential as a human being. +++

But *then again* this series isn’t meant to be analysed very deeply. It’s more just for ya’ll to enjoy the cute huggable chibi things and the powerful demons protecting the fuck out of you. Yeah? Yeahh.

Although!! From the cast commentaries it seems like the seiyuu themselves can’t/won’t actually protect you from anything in the event of an actual urban legend/haunting. It’s funny how they voice all these powerful/scary demon and spirit characters, but when they see an actual horror programme or whatever on TV they quickly look away and change the channel!! (-_-|||) SENSEI I AM DISAPPOINT. 

The only exception so far is Sakurai Takahiro, who spouted off a bunch of kaidan-banashi from his old high school enthusiastically when asked. Like, everyone else is a wimp and he is the One True Hero. He even has ‘he[/i]ro’ in his name!!

[ladyanatui]

Ultimate Daiken Playlist, Pt. 2

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

This is the abridged version of my Spotify playlist for all things Daiken, organized from the start of 02 to...eventually.

Part 2 specifically covers from Ken finding Wormmon’s Digi-Tama to just after XV-mon and Stingmon Jogress-evolve into Paildramon.

TRIGGER WARNING: This post discusses depression, suicide, emotional abuse, and PTSD quite a lot. Take care of yourselves, folks!

Spotify Playlist

Click the song titles for YouTube links (apparently you can’t have more than five videos in a post), and otherwise, enjoy me rambling about Daiken.

One final note: Within the lyrics, I’ve emphasized meaningful words, such as night/nightmare, dark/darkness, miracle(s), kind/kindness, courage/bravery, friend/friendship, sun/star/light, fire/burn/ignite, angel(s), and words related to water/drowning.

“What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?” by Snow Patrol

What if it hurts like hell? Then it'll hurt like hell Come on over, come on over here I'm in the ruins too I know the wreckage so well Come on over, come on over here What if this is all the love you ever get?

If “Tell Me Why” by Three Days Grace focuses on Wormmon’s death, this song focuses on Ken’s trip to the Village of Beginnings, where he finds Wormmon’s egg and brings him back. Because Ken is absolutely scared that he won’t be able to find Wormmon because, as far as he believes, he doesn’t deserve to have him back. Obviously, that’s not true, and the pair is reunited and Wormmon even evolves to Stingmon between episodes (unfortunately).

“Aftermath” by Adam Lambert

Wanna scream out, no more hiding Don't be afraid of what's inside Gonna tell ya you'll be alright In the aftermath

Alright, this song is probably pretty obvious. Ken has to deal with the aftermath of what happened to him/what he did, and so do the rest of the Chosen Children. The others are cleaning up the Digital World while he’s learning to be an eleven-year-old boy again and allowing his parents to get to know him for the first time, even while he still tries to figure out who he is.

“Demons” by The All-American Rejects

Am I even here? Is it still even me? Am I some of the man that I still claim to be? It's like losing a fight, I'm alone in the ring You come to fix me? Would you believe, could you believe you need me?

Obviously, it’s not that easy, though. And when we experience trauma the way Ken does, having his choices and very personality taken from him, there’s a long road of recovery.

“Sinking Man” by Of Monsters and Men

Cold, dark sea Wrapping its arms around me Pulling me down to the deep All eyes on me

I pushed you away Although I wished you could stay So many words left unsaid But I'm all out of breath

I associate this song especially with the scene Ken and Daisuke share by the canal, where Daisuke asks Ken to apologize and join the team. The moment apologizing is mentioned, Ken agrees--which, of course, has Daisuke over the moon--but then he asks if Daisuke thinks the others would forgive him, if a mere apology would make up for everything he did.

Although he’s certainly right about them not accepting an apology without action and follow-through to back it up, he’s also (surprise, surprise) self-sabotaging. And that’s even more apparent the moment Daisuke calls him their “partner.” Ken flips out and runs off pretty quickly.

“The Real You” by Three Days Grace

And it seems like I've known you forever I'll keep you safe for one more night Need you to know that it's all right I see the real you Even if you don't I do I do

And this is the other side of the coin. Daisuke’s perspective of that same scene/situation. Because Daisuke looked into the Digimental of Miracles and he knows that Ken is good. He knows it with all his freaking beautiful heart, and he’s willing to completely ignore the other Chosen Children when they outright tell him they don’t want Ken on the team. He doesn’t care what they say because he knows how wrong they are, and he knows how wrong Ken is about himself.

It’s pretty safe to say that Daisuke is the only person in all of 02 who sees Ken for who he really is, and he’s willing to put everything on the line, including the team morale and dynamics, to support Ken.

“Numb” by Linkin Park

Can't you see that you're smothering me? Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control 'Cause everything that you thought I would be Has fallen apart right in front of you Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow Every step that I take is another mistake to you Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow And every second I waste is more than I can take

What playlist about a character with depression would be complete without this? “Numb” is an iconic depression song, made even more so by Chester Bennington’s death, though Linkin Park has so many songs related to depression and mental health.

**Okay, it’s pretty safe to say the next six songs have to do with the two-part episode (episodes 26 & 27) revolving around Daisuke and Ken’s initial Jogress evolution. It’s kind of a big deal, so it’s a big deal in the playlist as well. The event functions as 02′s midpoint and centerpiece, so it’s one of the most emotionally charged and important scenes in the whole season. It really can’t be summed up in a song or two.**

“This Is How I Disappear” by My Chemical Romance

Can you hear me cry out to you? Words I thought I'd choke on figure out I'm really not so with you anymore I'm just a ghost So I can't hurt you anymore

This song in particular is about Ken’s suicidal ideation, the technical term for suicidal thoughts. Ken is what is sometimes called “gray suicidal” (since people often think of suicide in black and white terms, which isn’t accurate) because he has no specific plan to kill him, he’s never attempted suicide, and he doesn’t want to actually die.

And yet, he thinks about death a lot and that he deserves to die and that his death would help fix things because he can’t hurt anyone if he’s dead. He wants to punish himself, and he wants to carry all of the burden because he thinks he deserves it. (Obviously, this isn’t true, as Ken’s story arc is more about overcoming trauma than about redeeming himself--but you’d have a hard time convincing Ken of that fact.)

“Friend, Please” by Twenty One Pilots

Would you let me know your plans tonight 'Cause I just won't let go till we both see the light And I have nothing else left to say But I will listen to you all day, yes, I will

So basically, these next couple songs sum up the argument Daisuke and Ken have before their digivices light up for the Jogress evolution. First, Daisuke tries to convince Ken to let them help, that they’ll work together, but...

“Save Yourself” by My Darkest Days

I’m the devil’s son straight out of hell And you’re an angel with a haunted heart If you’re smart you’d run and protect yourself From the demon living in the dark There’s nothing to be gained cause I can never change And you can never understand my sickness

Oh, look, Ken is being stubborn and frustrating and self-sabotaging yet again. He legitimately thinks the others will be better off if they leave him alone, and he means that both because if he’s the only one inside the base when it explodes, they’ll survive and because if they keep their distance from him in regards to friendship, he can’t hurt them emotionally. And worst of all, he’s roped Wormmon/Stingmon in on this suicidal atonement thing. *smh*

Ken: I won’t let people suffer anymore because of what I did...no more. ... I want to restore the Digital World with my own hands, but things just keep getting worse. I can’t stand it! Stingmon (to XV-mon): If there’s any way I can atone for the sins I’ve committed... Ken: It doesn’t matter what happens to me! Right now, I have to stop this reactor.

Bonus points for references to angels and hearts, though since this is from Ken’s perspective, Daisuke would be the “angel with a haunted heart.” Not sure that imagery works well, but the rest of it does.

“Die for You” by Starset

Some day when galaxies collide We'll be lost on different skies I will send my rocket ship to find you Because I know you're lost when you run away Into the same black holes and black mistakes Taking all my will just to run alone Until I bring you home

And what’s Daisuke’s reaction to Ken being stubborn and stupid? Bitch-slap him! He fucking needs it. (That’s everyone’s solution in this show, I swear.) And Daisuke isn’t going to let him get away with that shit. He yells and shouts and berates Ken until he finally looks at it from someone else’s perspective:

Daisuke: You idiot! *slap* How can you say that? Daisuke: Think of who would be sad if you were gone. If I let you go now and you never come back, I’ll regret it forever. So I won’t let you go! Daisuke: You may be okay with it, but I’m not. Ken: Motomiya... Daisuke: Live! Daisuke: If you die now, you won’t be able to accomplish anything. I don’t want that. Ken: I don’t want that either. There are still many things I must do. Ken: Besides, I don’t want to make my family sad anymore...

Note: I cut out XV-mon’s lines to Stingmon here because Daisuke’s words are the important part of this conversation, but I separated Daisuke’s lines where XV-mon spoke for clarity.

“Divide” by Bastille

Why would we divide when we could come together? Just bodies that collide, lost and found each other So don't, don't leave me alone Don't leave me alone, don't leave me alone Why would we divide when we could come together?

It’s only after that, after they understand each other on a monumental level, that they are able to Jogress evolve. And boy is that an experience. No other Jogress partners (except maybe Taichi and Yamato) have this intense of an experience with Jogress evolution, none have their bond.

And quite frankly, this song is about as poorly veiled a hint at sex as Jogress evolution is. Just listen to it. You’ll see.

But this song also shows Ken’s hesitation when it comes to Jogress. They work so well together, they’re completely in sync, they understand each other, but he’s definitely not ready to join the team or be Daisuke’s partner.

“Heartlines” by Florence + The Machine

Your heart is the only place that I call home Can I be returned, you can You can, we can

Just keep following The heartlines on your hand

Okay, and last one about the Jogress evolution! This one should be pretty damn obvious too: When Daisuke and Ken have their initial Jogress, one of the most notable things that makes it different from all others’ Jogress experiences is the fact that they can feel/hear each other’s heartbeats.

Soul fucking mates.

“Pieces” by Sum 41

This place is so empty My thoughts are so tempting I don't know how it got so bad Sometimes it's so crazy that nothing can save me But it's the only thing that I have

But when everything is over and Daisuke explains exactly how the experience was for him (“When our Digimon combined, our thoughts and feelings flowed through each of our bodies. Our hearts beating as one…it was an amazing feeling of unity! That’s when I knew we were partners.”), Ken panics and tells him, “I’m qualified to be your partner yet,” and walks away before Daisuke really has the chance to process what happened. Despite Daisuke’s words before they Jogress-evolved, Ken is still determined to redeem himself before allowing himself to join the team.

“Run” by Snow Patrol

Light up, light up As if you have a choice Even if you cannot hear my voice I'll be right beside you, dear

Of course, that would require Daisuke to know how to take no for an answer. Even if Ken isn’t going to listen to him and join the team, he still includes him as much as he can, and he is determined to stick by Ken’s side even if he doesn’t want him there.

And it may look to an outsider like Daisuke isn’t respecting Ken’s wishes, which yeah, that’s technically true. But by this time, Daisuke understands Ken better than anyone, save Wormmon, and while Daisuke may not respect Ken’s wishes, he respects Ken more than Ken respects himself. More than anything, he wants to help Ken, and he will be there for Ken to lean on if he ever needs to.

“Not Today” by Twenty One Pilots

Heard you say, "Not today" Tore the curtains down, windows open now, make a sound Heard your voice, "There's no choice" Tore the curtains down, windows open now, make a noise

I'm, I'm out of my mind, I'm not seeing things right I waste all this time trying to run from you But I'm, I'm out of my mind

To an extent, it is because of Daisuke’s forwardness that Ken keeps running away, as Hikari says on multiple occasions. He keeps trying to run away from Daisuke, from the other Chosen Children, but for some reason (*cough* Daisuke *cough*), it doesn’t seem to stick.

“Arch Drive Goodbye” by Eve 6

Wanna keep you from breakin' Wanna keep you from shakin' Wanna keep you from keepin' You down Wanna keep you from sinkin' Wanna keep you from drinkin' Sometimes Wanna keep you from keepin' You down

Ringing in my head All the things you've said All the things you've done I wish I could compromise But there's only one way to go And I'm going alone I'm going alone

I see this song as a sort of duet. There are sections/lines that would be from Daisuke’s perspective (the first quote, though obviously ignore the line about drinking--they’re eleven) and sections that would be from Ken’s (the second quote). Daisuke wants to help him so badly, but Ken is still so determined not to need help and to go it alone.

“Someone to Save You” by OneRepublic

All right Sit down and spill your heart

Let’s start from the very start 'Cause I can see by your eyes You're wasted Your energy comes and goes You taking your time, you know Nothing can change what happened

Not that Daisuke will listen to that, right? No matter how much Ken insists he can go it alone, Daisuke is always there to be supportive. He’s just as determined to help Ken as Ken is to refuse help. Actually, no, Daisuke is way more determined. He will always, above all else, persevere.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

[dnangelic]

" I missed Valentine's ! " He admits in the midst of the hurry of their reunion, voice a little loud with exasperation and frustration and a huffy laugh that masks every other bad thing. Guilt pulls and rips at his heart but it isn't enough to take away the smile on his lips, that giddy, lovestruck dumb thing that hurts where a bandaid covers cracked skin on his cheek, but it refuses to budge ever since he led eyes on Daisuke.

" Here. " Shou returns from rampaging in his bag with a simple white box, one that matches the bandages covering the hand that's holding it. Right, he hasn't explained that, nor anything yet, really. But he has his priorities set, definitely right, and nothing is going to change that. Once unwrapped from the atrocious glittering ribbon that holds it together, the box would reveal a single, smooth, big heart of classical brown chocolate dusted with sugar. Would have been a rather lonely piece. That's what passed along Shou's brainstorming process before deciding to add a couple more pieces, two wings of dark chocolates to either side.

Would the shape and taste even matter when he's gifting them late ? He couldn't get any less lame & unceremonious.

" I made them myself, Kaa-chan helped, not sure about the taste, I'm a bad taste tester, I thought it's only fair that I gift you first this time, and I ... uh ... " He muses out loud, loses track after handing over the box, hands return to his pocket, hiding away what they can. He simply stares for a few seconds, big blue eyes reflecting a mind devoid of answers, excuses, apologies. There is only longing and whole damn lot of it. Shit. He doesn't know how to do this. " I'm a terrible boyfriend. "

( obligatory valentine ask. shou flavored. intrusive thoughts ALWAYS WIN when it's him. )

@espectres

shou missed valentines . it's true , isn't it ? there's nothing daisuke can say , neither to defend himself nor the other . there's no lie that can cover the fact up for either of them ; no laugh of his own that can undo the long absence of the empty space it fills . no bandaid that could be stretched over the niwa's own personal scratch and wound , a small blood-letting gash that left him missing and wanting for shou more than anything else .

--- and how long could an empty heart ever endure ?

darker and darker , duller and duller , the boy had been prodded and needled by all sorts of thorny worries that had managed to take root during the day . one after another , plucked out stinging from his thoughts and what felt like his heart's ventricles : shou hadn't run away from him ? ( he would have never . ) shou hadn't gotten tired , fed up with the likes of a thief and a fallen angel's curse , both monstrous in their own right ? ( he would have said so . ) shou was safe ? ( he had to be . please , don't try to do everything all alone again . )

faith had weighed itself against every dreary anxiety , and it's why at that familiar expression on shou's wrecked face --- bashfulness tender as split knuckles , the lovestruck daze of someone hit by a lead pipe , the scales of daisuke's own thoughts feel to snap and break , and his heart starts to pound . entranced by atmosphere alone , there's a waking relief that pools out even from the numb ache in his limbs , this overwhelming furnace-burning as his hands turned wintry cold . even his most wretched face remains dazzled with wonder like this , reds starved as empty plates and only now dining on every sight , granting a live , thrashing bliss and ecstasy .

shou was here . had come back ; returned to , for him . shou still loved him --- and of course , he still loved shou .

arms wrap about the other and a kiss lands itself on their cleaner cheek with one swift impulse . he can't help but cradle shou closely , tightly , coveting this above all , momentarily ignoring the proffered chocolates to embrace the other for as long as it might take 'til he was satisfied , and his form soundlessly changed again . holidays came and went , and so did excuses to give each other sweets or sugary dates punctuated by laughter . shou was late , but what did it matter ? even late was still a presence , one that the niwa would have done just about anything , anything for .

' --- but you're still mine , shou-kun . ' soft and light even in guarding possessiveness , his usual cherub-chime . speak of terror and he'd confess to the thought of losing the other without as much as a farewell to give above all else , like so many others before . whatever's happened , he doesn't ask , only separating himself to let a hand cup and palm the space below their tended wound , holding them like this : flushed and swept away by one of the world's most incredible creations .

shou should have stayed with him and stayed safe , but they could talk about it later . right now , he had his own longings , after all .

' the chocolate ... um , w-will you feed it to me ? ' anything's good , as long as it's from you --- but i bet you worked on it , didn't you ? ' i really missed you . ' it's not enough to simply receive , to take the other's chocolate heart and leave . ' we can still make up for lost time . ' and i want all that i can get ---

with you .

' happy valentines , shou-kun . thank you . you're the best ! '

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS DARK FATE Yoyaku Tokuten Drama CD ”Urgent ★ The Vampires Ran Out of Money”

Original title: 切実に★お金がないヴァンパイアたち

Source: Diabolik Lovers DARK FATE Yoyaku Tokuten Drama CD

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Toriumi Kousuke, Katsuyuki Konishi, Midorikawa Hikaru, Kaji Yuki, Hirakawa Daisuke, Takashi Kondou, Takahiro Sakurai, Kimura Ryouhei, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Kishio Daisuke, Morikawa Toshiyuki & Morikubo Shoutaro

Translator’s note: This CD felt really nostalgic for some reason because it offers some quality REIJI SUFFERING HOURS. If there’s one thing which has stuck with me from the early era (HDB/MB) drama CDs, it’s that Reiji almost always got the short end of the stick, haha. While it’s no different here, I can’t help but feel like it’s kind of his own fault. For someone who prides himself over being oh-so smart, maybe it wasn’t clever to mention having savings around 11 Vampires who are clearly desperate for that sweet, sweet cash. 

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

Shin: Haah…

*Flip*

Shin: Damn…This is looking pretty bad…Haah…Ugh. At this rate, we’ll…

Carla: Shin. …What have you been mumbling about this whole time?

Shin: Ahー Nii-san. You see, we’ve run into some trouble you see…

Carla: Trouble? Is your heart aching because I haven’t been attempting to murder you as of late? 

Shin: No. I’m definitely not complaining about that part…

Carla: Then what is it? Tell me. I might just offer you my advice. 

Shin: Eh? Eeeh…But I feel like you’re not the right person to ask in this case…

Carla: Who do you think I am? 

Shin: Who? I mean…The King of Founders…and my older brother.

Carla: Exactly. It is your duty to report everything to me, without hiding any details. Now, ell me. 

Shin: Hm…Actuallyーー We’ve run out.

Carla: Run out of what? Be more specific.

Shin: Money! We’re all out of money!

Carla: Money? 

Shin: Here, take a look at this bill. It displays all of our spendings for this month. They’re through the roof because you keep on buying things like whole legs of cured ham or weird abstract paintings behind my back!

Carla: No need to get so upset, Shin. I needed all of those things.

Shin: Necessary? I don’t believe that. I’ll give you a pass on the cured ham, but can you truly say the same about that painting which looks like a child went ham with their crayons doodled a bunch of pasta noodles on a blank canvas!? 

Carla: If I deem it necessary, then it is. 

Shin: Ugh…I figured you’d say that, hence why I didn’t want to bring it up. Anyway, we’ll need to come up with a way to make money. 

Carla: Can’t we have the masses donate to us? Have you tried asking Mertz to hand some over?

Shin: I’ve long tried that. I’m not sure if he knows I’m trying to ask for money, but he’s been completely ignoring my messages.

Carla: Then why don’t we make it easy on ourselves and just take it from random people around these parts? 

Shin: But if we choose the criminal path, we won’t be able to move freely around in the human world, will we? …Oh, right! I guess those guys would be an option!

Carla: The Sakamaki and Mukami family? If I recall correctly, Karlheinz has infiltrated this world and has been dabbling in politics alongside his connection with the Church. 

Shin: Yup, exactly. I heard he’s pretty stacked. …Heh. It shouldn’t be an issue then. It’s settled then. Let’s have those guys provide us with money. 

Shin gets up. 

Shin: Time is money! I’ll go give them a visit right away. 

Carla: I shall come with you as well.

Shin: Eh? No need to bother, really…

Carla: I cannot imagine they will simply hand over the money. If I am there as well, it should have at least somewhat of an impact. It is for the sake of my cured ham and paintings, therefore I have no other choice. 

Shin: Seems like you don’t want to give those up, no matter what, Nii-san…

*TIMESKIP*

*Flip flip* 

Reiji: Haahー … We’re cutting it close again this month as well. I suppose we spent a little too much. No, that’s not the problem. It’s all because of all the unnecessary repair costs we had to pay to have the manor fixed. Good grief…

Ayato: Reiji. 

Reiji: The answer is no. 

Ayato: But I haven’t even asked anything yet!? 

Reiji: I know exactly what you’ll ask of me. I bet you’re here to pester me for cash, correct? Either way, the answer stays no. …Well, I suppose it would be more accurate to say I cannot.

Ayato: Che…You stingy Four-Eyes!

Reiji: Oh my, are you sure you can afford to throw such insults at my head? May I remind you that I am the one who monitors the money of this family? 

Ayato: Che…What’s your problem!? I’m all out of money to buy takoyaki tomorrow. Can’t you lend me a lil’? 

Reiji: What part of ‘no’ do you not comprehend? Or rather, I cannot give you something which I do not have. 

Kanato: Reiji! Do you have a second? 

Reiji: Kanato, you too…Wha!? 

Laito: Nfu~ Actually, I’m here too!

Subaru: You can’t blame us, can you!? 

Shuu: If you’re handing out money, I’ll take some as well. 

Reiji: How do you guys think the economy works!? I gave all of you pocket money a mere three days ago, didn’t I!? 

Laito: The amount you gave us wasn’t nearly enough! I went on a couple of days with some girls and poof, it’s all gone!

Kanato: Exactly. I could barely buy any sweets with it.

Subaru: It was clearly too little. 

Shuu: Yes, exactly. You should just hand us the goods already. Hurry up. 

Reiji: No. ーー Or rather, we’re all out of money for this month. 

Ayato: Aah…!? Don’t be lyin’ to us! We know that you’re still hidin’ some!

Reiji: That would be my personal money. I’ve been setting some of my gainings aside each month and I shall not be sharing any of it with you guys, obviously. 

Subaru: Haah!? Fuck off! You’re tryin’ to live the good life all by yourself, aren’t you!? 

Reiji: You can try and threaten me all you want. If you want money that badly, why not ask Father for some instead of me? 

Shuu: Haah…The Old Man, huh?

Ayato: …!! 

Kanato: Laito. You go and ask Father for money. 

Laito: Haah!? Why me!? …As my older brother, it’s your duty to do that, isn’t it?

Kanato: …!! I-I don’t want to! As if I ever could!

Subaru: Just so you know, I’m not doin’ it either!

Reiji: Well, there you have it, so why not simply give up? If you upset Father, he might just send you to Mars for real this time. 

*Ding・dong* 

Reiji: Hm? A visitor? Was someone coming over today?

*TIMESKIP*

Shin: …And there you have it. Now give us the money. 

Reiji: You are catching me quite by surprise but…I do not see why we would need to lend you money? 

Subaru: Exactly. I mean, if we could go and hand it out for free, we wouldn’t be strugglin’ so much ourselves. 

Carla: What do you mean by that? 

Laito: Haah…In short, our family is just as short on cash as yours is. 

Ayato: Exactly! You can’t get noodles from a stone!

Kanato: Ayato, you idiot. It’s ‘soda’, not ‘noodles’. (1)

Carla: What a bunch of fools… 

Shin: Honestly, I don’t care but maybe you shouldn’t be telling lies? Who do you think you’re dealing with, huh? We’re respectable Founders, remember? Do you understand that? 

Reiji: They’re not lying. It’s the truth. Our current savings are non-existent. I almost want to show you our bank extracts, honestly. 

Carla: Sakamaki Tougo is portrayed as a wealthy individual, is he not? It does not take a genius to figure that one out. Don’t underestimate us. 

Shuu: You’re the one making a big mistake by assuming that we’re rich just because the Old Man is. 

Ayato: Yeah! That Shitty Old Man…He’s makin’ that sweet, sweet cash but he won’t even share a single penny with us! 

Kanato: Exactly…! I’ve heard that children from other wealthy families sometimes get up to one million yen for New Year’s. Yet we still have to do with only three thousand! Uuu…Uuuu~  (2)

Shin: …A-Are you…for real? 

Subaru: Dead serious. 

Carla: …!

Shin: Nii-san, what now? We’ve barked up the wrong tree. I feel like we shouldn’t expect too much from the Mukami family either at this rate…

Carla: We cannot know for sure until we ask. They were born and raised as humans, so perhaps they are skilled at saving money. 

Ruki: …What is this about us? 

The Mukami’s arrive to the scene. 

Kou: Hey there, my fellow Vampire comrades~

Subaru: The fuck’s you guys’ problem…? Whatcha all flockin’ together here for!? 

Yuma: Let’s say we’ve got a serious situation goin’ on.  

Azusa: We didn’t actually want to but…Ruki said that we have no other choice but to come and ask for it all together…

Laito: Heeh~? You’re here to ask something from us? How unusual. 

Ruki: Kou had the glorious idea to burn through our family’s entire budget.

Kou: I didn’t have any ill will! There just so happened to be a couple of things I really wanted…Whoopsie~

Yuma: ‘Whoopsie’, my ass! Ya better don’t believe that’ll get ya away with it!

Reiji: …! Don’t tell me…You guys are having money issues as well? 

Ruki: ‘As well’, you say? Don’t tell me…Are the two Tsukinami’s here to beg you for money as well? 

Carla: Do not put it in such a vulgar way. We are Founders. In other words, you Vampires are obligated to submit to us. We came here to have you bow down to us and offer everything you have. 

Azusa: So in other words…You’re trying to blackmail them? 

Shin: We’re not! We’ve already made our point!

Ruki: Who cares about that. Reiji. You get the gist of the situation now so…Would you be so kind to share some money with us? 

Reiji: Good grief…As I already explained to the two gentlemen over there earlier, I am afraid that we cannot offer something we do not have. 

Ruki: You don’t? Is that true? Don’t you guys get showered in money by Karlheinz-sama? 

Ayato: No way. 

Laito: I guess you could say it’s part of his educational approach, but he believes that children should learn how to be mindful with money. (3)

Shin: Nii-san, what are we gonna do now? Seems like the Mukami’s are all out of money too. 

Carla: …

Yuma: Ahー Guess we’ve got no other no other choice but to work, huh? 

Reiji: Exactly. If we get a daytime job, we should be able to save up enough money to get through our everyday lives. Speaking of which…Kou, you have a job, don’t you? 

Shuu: Now that you mention it. You’re an idol, aren’t you? 

Carla: An idol…Which means you’re actually fairly rich? 

Kou: J-Just so we’re all on the same page on this, but like what was mentioned, I blew through all my money so I no longer have anything!

Subaru: Smells fishy to me. I bet this guy is actually loaded on cash despite what he’s sayin’. 

Kou: S-Subaru-kun! Don’t put weird ideas into everyone’s head! Besides, if I did have secret savings, I would have long revealed them! It’s pure humiliation to have to bow our heads to you guys like this! 

Ayato: Which means we’ve really got no other choice but to work, huh? 

Kanato: I’m against the idea! Not in a million years will I work!

Shin: You say that but you’ve got no other choice, do you? We��ll wait, so you guys hurry up and go make us some money through working, okay?

Subaru: Ah? I think you’re gettin’ the wrong idea here. Even if we do earn some money through workin’, we’re not gonna lend it to you fuckers.

Carla: Like I previously stated, it is your duty to hand over your money to us.

Ayato: Idiot! Like we give a damn ‘bout that!

Carla gets upset.

Ayato: …Y-You don’t have to get that angry, do you?

Carla: You fiend…Try repeating yourself one more time. What was that you said just now?

Ayato: W-Well…

Shin: …!! A-Ayato! Take your statement back right now! Or do you want this manor to get blown to bits!? 

Reiji: Blown to bits!? Excuse me, Ayato! Do you have any idea how much it’ll cost to have the manor rebuilt from scratch!? Apologize at once!

Ayato: Ugh…My bad…

Carla: …Oh well, I suppose I can let it slide. In return, come and bring us the money at once. Do you understand? 

Shuu: Good grief…This is what we have to deal with, huh? So, what are we gonna do now? Just so you don’t, I don’t want to work. 

Subaru: I’m not workin’ either.

Laito: I mean, me neither but what are we gonna do about our money issues? 

Kanato: Can’t Reiji just hand over his savings? 

Reiji: I figured you’d say that. However, like I mentioned earlieーー

Ruki: If you have any savings left, give them to us. 

Yuma: Anyway, why would ya first claim to be all out when you’ve actually got some savings put aside? If ya the money to us, it’ll solve all problems. 

Kou: Ahー Geez, I actually was seriously worried for nothing.£

Azusa: Hey, Reiji-san…You’ll give us the money, right? 

Everyone stares at Reiji intensely

Reiji: …!? Excuse me…? Why are you staring at me like that!? …Let me inform you just in case, but trying to force me to pay will not work. I will not give in to your threats. 

Carla: Then we simply do not resort to coercion, correctly? All we need to do is make it so you will gladly hand us the money. 

Ruki: I see. I suppose we have that option. What a genius idea. 

Reiji: D-Do not be ridiculous! What on earth makes you believe I will want to do that?

Shin: I wonder? We won’t know until you try, right? 

Reiji: …W-What are you planning to do!? 

*Rustle* 

Shuu: …Reiji, let me give you a shoulder massage. 

Reiji: …!? 

Shuu: Don’t be modest now. 

Ayato: Reiji! I’ll feed you this takoyaki I’ve got over here! Come on, open wide! ‘Aaahn!’

Reiji: …N-No thank you!

Kou: Hmm~ In that case, I rarely ever give someone such a treat but I’ll perform the currently number-one popular idol song live for you! 

Reiji: No, no, no! Please don’t sing!

Yuma: Geez…Ya give me no other choice. Ya can have as many of the summer vegetables from my field as ya want. Totally free!

Reiji: That does sound tempting…No, no, if anything, you should sell those vegetables to make money yourself. 

Yuma: Nah, I’ll only get some small change for it.

Ruki: Then how does this sound? I shall cook for you using Yuma’s vegetables. 

Reiji: I prefer cooking myself rather than eating!

Laito: Then how about this? I’ll wash your back for you~!

Reiji: Please don’t even suggest something so creepy! …Ah, god!

*Thud* 

Reiji: You guys can say whatever you want, but I’m not giving you any of my savings! End of the story!

Kanato: E-Excuse me!? Where are you going!? 

Reiji: Away from you lot. 

Azusa: No…You can’t. 

Reiji: Mukami Azusa…Move aside at once. 

Azusa: No, I won’t move. Hey…Please listen to my request? If you do, you can hit me all you want. Okay? 

Reiji: Wha…!? Y-Your request…? I bet you also want to ask for money, correct? Besides, I fail to see what I would gain from this deal. Isn’t getting hit basically your hobby?

Azusa: It isn’t.

Reiji: …!? Then what is it!? 

Azusa: My life? 

Shin: That suddenly got deep. 

Reiji: Whatever. Just please step aside. Iーー

Carla puts his hand on Reiji’s shoulder. 

Carla: You are not getting away. 

Reiji: …!! What do you want, Carla? Get your hand off me. 

Carla: I am afraid you will have to sacrifice you for the sake of my cured ham and painting collection! …Shin!

Shin: Roger~! 

*Rustle* 

Shin: Now behave, okay? 

*Rustle* 

Reiji: …!? W-What are you going to do!? 

Carla: Of course, I would have loved to be able to refrain from resorting to such extreme measures. However, none of this would have happened if you would have simply given us the money right away. 

Reiji: Hah? 

Carla: Oi, you lot! Do not stand there spacing out but help out!

Shuu: Haah…What a drag. But I guess it can’t be helped. It’s for the greater good…I don’t want to have to give up on my CDs either. 

Ayato: Yeah. …Reiji. Don’t take it personally, ‘kay? 

*Thud* 

Kanato: It’s for my sweets, so I’m sure you can understand, right? 

*Thud* 

Laito: I’ve got a couple of dates planned out already as well, so you leave me no other choice~ 

*Thud* 

Subaru: Maybe you shouldn’t have been so stingy, huh? 

*Thud* 

Reiji: …!? Y-You guys…! Aren’t you embarrassed, letting those Founders order you around like that!? 

Ruki: We haven’t become their loyal servants, really. We simply…Right.

*Thud* 

Ruki: Share a mutual interest right now. 

Reiji: …!! Ruki, even you…

Kou: Don’t worry~! We won’t hurt you…!

*Thud* 

Yuma: Hehehe…Now we’re talkin’...

*Thud* 

Azusa: Reiji-san…Are you ready…?

*Thud* 

Reiji: …! Kuh…C-Cut it out!

Carla: It is not too late to change your mind just yet. Well then, will you give us the money? 

Reiji: …Y-You’re playing it dirty! I am not the type of guy who will give in to these kinds of threats! Please do not underestimate me!

Shin: I guess our negotiations end here then. 

Carla: You leave me no other choice…You lot! Do it!

Reiji: …! S-Stop…!

They all start tickling Reiji simultaneously. 

Reiji: Excuse me…W-What are you…? Ahahahaha…!

Shuu: It’s your own fault for not simply giving us the money right away.

They continue tickling him. 

Reiji: Wait…Stoーー...! It tickles…! Hahaha…Ahahaha…! …I can’t…! I swear…!

Subaru: Ah, damnit! Just throw in the towel already!

Reiji: My god…I really can’t…Ahahaha! …You lot! I can’t believe you’d resort to this…!

Kou: Ah~ Come on, just say you give up already~ 

Reiji: …Fine! I understand! Please, just stop already! I’m begging you!

Yuma: What do you mean? …Take this!

Reiji: I’ll share the money…That’s all you want from me, right!? 

Carla: Good grief…Was that truly worth all the trouble? You should have simply given it to us from the very start. 

Reiji: Haah, haah…I never thought it’d come to this…Good grief…You lot are unbelievable… 

Shin: Well then. You better hurry up and show us the money. You don’t want a repeat of that, do you? 

Reiji: Che…

Reiji goes to fetch the money. 

*Rustle rustle* 

*Cling* 

*Clunk* 

*Creaaaak* 

*Rustle* 

He returns. 

*THUD*

Reiji: …Now you have no more complaints, correct? 

Ayato: Woah! You’re stacked…! When did you save up all of this money? 

Reiji: …I’ve been carefully setting some money aside each time, while all of you were too busy spending it recklessly. Good grief. This is horrible. It’s always the honest people who get the short end of the stick. 

…Oh well, I suppose it’s fine. I suppose you are all in debt with me right now, so please, go ahead and use this money as you see fit. 

Shuu: Is that sarcasm I smell there? …Oh well, guess I’ll borrow some. 

Carla: …!

*Smack* 

Shuu: Ah…

Carla: Who gave you permission to take some of that money? 

Shuu: What do you mean? 

Shin: This amount of money will barely even cut it to buy Nii-san’s cured ham, so we’ll be taking all of it. 

Ruki: Excuse me? 

Carla: If you have a problem with that, I shall gladly be your opponent. 

Ayato: Haah!? 

Subaru: So you wanna throw fists, huh!? 

Ruki: Yuma. It’s time for plan B.

Yuma: Roger! …Oi, Azusa. 

Azusa: Mmh. I know. 

*Rustle* 

Azusa: Carla-san. Shin-san. We won’t let you do with that money as you please. Well then, Kou, Yuma, Ruki…Hurry up and take the money!

Azusa becomes a shield for them.

*Rustle* 

Shin: E-Excuse me…!? What are you doing? 

*Rustle* 

Ruki: My bad, but we’re taking this cash. 

Carla: Che. Seems like you four do not value your own life. 

*BZZZZT*

Azusa takes the hit. 

Azusa: …Ugh! Uu…Haah, haah…

Carla: Excuse me!? He withstood my attack…!? 

Ruki: My bad, Azusa! We’ll see each other at the meeting place later!

Kou: Don’t push yourself too much, okay, Azusa-kun!? 

Yuma: See ya!

The other three Mukami’s run away.

Azusa: Don’t…worry…I love…the pain after all…Haah…~  …Come on, Carla-san. More…! Fire more of those at me…!!

Carla: …!!

Kanato: …H-Hold up!! The money…!! They took all of it with them!

Reiji: …Come again!? When did they…!? I didn’t notice because I was too busy looking at Carla. 

Shuu: Haah…What a drag. Why did it turn out like this? Don’t you think it’s because you guys were trying to be too greedy? 

Carla: Hmph! That money was mine from the very start, so this isn’t an issue of being greedy or not. 

Ayato: It’s a lost case. There’s no talkin’ with this dude. 

Carla: Oi, Shin! Chase after them!

Shin: Yeah, yeah, I know. Or rather, if you would simply give up on your cured ham and those weird paintings, we wouldn’t even need money…

Azusa attempts to stop him. 

*Thud* 

Azusa: Wait, Shin-san! You have to defeat me first…!

Shin: Ah, god! You better stay away from me, you freaky masochist! 

Shin runs away. 

Laito: Hey, what are we gonna do now? 

Kanato: I’m exhausted…I’ll simply content myself with the sweets I still have in the cupboard. I can’t picture myself chasing after them. 

Laito: Right? When I think about it…It’s not like I’m that desperate to go on a date with girls other than Bitch-chan. 

Ayato: Me too. I can just have Chichinashi make me free takoyaki instead, right? 

Shuu: Haah…I guess it’s obvious the same goes for me. Pwaah…I’m sleepy. 

*Thud* 

Subaru: Damnit…! The fuck’s this shit…

Ayato: By the way, Subaru…Why did you even want money to begin with? 

Subaru: W-Well…You know…I figured I’d upgrade my coffin a lil’ here and there…

Reiji: Good grief…I suppose your situations weren’t nearly as pressing as the Mukami family’s. Haah…Oh well. You lot try to abstain from your luxuries for once, understood? …Oh. 

Carla: …

Reiji: You are still here? 

Carla: Hmph. You have some nerve to say that, you commoner. I shall stay here until Shin returns. 

*Rustle* 

Reiji: Good grief, you truly are unbelievable…Why not simply give up on your cured ham and painting collection? 

Carla: I shall give up on the latter. I could never buy them with that little money anyway. 

Reiji: Hmph. But it seems that the cured ham is something you cannot give up? 

Carla: It is my favorite food after all. 

Reiji: Ahー Well…If that’s the case, I suppose you really need the money just as badly as the Mukami family does. 

Carla: Hmph. 

Reiji: Ahーah…I suppose I will have to start saving up again. This time, I suppose I will not mention it to anyone and keep it my own little secret. 

ーー THE END ーー 

Translation notes

(1) This short back-and-forth between Ayato and Kanato is all based on a language pun around the Japanese proverb: ない袖は振れない’ which literally means ‘you can’t shake a sleeve you don’t have’ and refers to being unable to give what one does not have themselves. Ayato gets things mixed up and says そば (soba / soba noodles) instead of 袖 (sode / sleeve). Kanato then promptly ‘corrects’ him by stating that it’s ソーダ (soda) instead. Of course, both of them are equally incorrect. I struggled to translate this part quite a bit, but I eventually settled with the English provide ‘you can’t get blood from a stone’ since it was the easiest to replace one noun for another in that one. 

(2) ¥1,000,000 and ¥3,000 are approximately 10,000 and 30 USD respectively. 

(3) Laito refers to the concept of ‘Honorable poverty’ (清貧), coined by the Japanese philosophist Suzume, who believes in the dangers of excess consumption and waste.

[val-bananatine]

Farewell part 1 (fanfic)

Title: Farewell

Pairing: Amicia x Melie (Melicia)

Genre: Hurt, Romance

Rating: T

Overall word count: 6,632

Disclaimer: As always, I don’t own any of these wonderful characters, they belong to asobo studios. A huge spoiler for the game as it’s set after the story (and before the epilogue chapter).

Idk if anyone is interested in knowing, but I listened to Kashiwa Daisuke’s music while writing this. To “Stella” through the whole story, only when I wrote the kiss I listened to “Goodbye”

_______________________

Chapter word count: 1,896

Amicia looked out of the inn’s window with a sigh, they were lucky to find this abandoned building in such a good condition and so she should feel happy, but she already woke up with an upset feeling.

She guessed that it was thanks to the weather, dark clouds were gathering on the sky and promised rain to fall soon.

“And that today… where we want to go gather our last goods for our journey...” Amicia sighed again and shook her head, deciding to finally get dressed instead of complaining more about the bad weather.

She looked out of the window once more when she put the last few hairpins in to secure her bun and blinked a bit at what she saw: “Is that…?”

There, in the bad morning weather, was a slim figure with familiar red hair peeking out of the door. But the scene alone wasn’t what made her worry; it was a small detail.

“She’s wearing her mask…” The noble girl decided to quickly follow her. She knew Melie for a while now and she also knew that Melie only wore her mask when she had something to do; that something being to be on the run or sneak away.

And so Amicia hurried downstairs, guessing that the thief tried to get away without being spotted.

She already was a bit away from the house, but gladly she wasn’t on a hurry so that Amicia managed to catch up on her with a small jog.

“I thought leaving without saying goodbye wasn’t your style?”

Melie flinched and quickly turned around, her loose mask slipping down at the sudden movement, and her eyes wide in shock and surprise when she spotted Amicia standing behind her “E-eh… how…?”

The noble girl still waited for a proper answer, but she couldn’t ask again. It took her every bit of strength to cover most of the disappointment and sadness in her voice up, but now those feelings were overtaking her mind and she couldn’t speak without tearing up.

“I-” The thief struggled at finding words. She had an answer on Amicia’s question, but the sadness wasn’t overheard by Melie and that was what caused her loss of words; the feeling and realization of hurting Amicia with it.

“Why?” Was all that Amicia managed to get out. It was almost a whisper, but loud enough to still be heard.

Melie looked down for a few seconds, thoughts over thoughts crossing her mind, before she took a few steps towards the noble girl and whispered back, not being able to hide the sadness like Amicia was able to: “’Cos I can’t stay… Y-you saw it… Arthur-”

Her voice failed her when she thought back to Arthur’s dead body on the ground and she sobbed slightly. But Amicia understood what she meant and she could only assume how traumatizing the last two days were for Melie.

Even though the ‘Fury’ was a vigorous bundle of rage after her brothers death and showed her anger, she broke down after it all was over; letting the mask of rage fall and revealing the grieving, now lone, twin behind it. And Amicia internally scolded herself for not thinking of Melie being lost and needing to find herself again.

But right now Melie’s feelings were more important than scolding herself. She saw how Melie tried her best to not break down in front of her and she didn’t want the thief to leave with a forced on mask.

So she carefully walked up to her, which only got noticed by her counterpart when the noble girl put her arms around the thief to pull her into a tight hug. And the thief let her, she only looked at the younger girl with a surprised face.

__________________

Minutes passed where Amicia silently hugged the sobbing Melie and the thief slowly calmed down. Very slowly, so that after a few more minutes she silently leaned against the noble girl.

“I don’t want you to leave…” Were the words Amicia broke the silence with. Her whisper was barely audible, but she continued: “But… I understand why-”

“Don’t want to leave either… it hurts to leave you behind,” Melie sighed and carefully wrapped her arms around Amicia to hug her lightly back, not making clear if she only meant Amicia or everyone else too with ‘you’, “But it hurts even more to stay and get reminded of this shit. I- I don’t know what to do now… in life I mean. I’ve been with Arthur my whole life… now he’s gone. And I- I lost my counterpart.. and I need time… t-”

“-Time to find yourself…” Amicia whispered the last part of the sentence when Melie’s voice broke once more. And she continued talking when the thief nodded slightly “And to work everything that has happened out… without us being there to fuel the emotions because we remind you of it.”

Melie nodded again, but now it was slower than before, as she was too busy to look at Amicia with a surprised look, her mouth slightly open until she found her words: “You- you understand…”

“Mhm…” The noble girl nodded and tried her best to show her a soft smile, even if it was forced, “If I was in your situation… with Hugo- then I don’t know what exactly I would feel, I never want to find out either… but it would most likely be similar to what you feel right now. But not as painful as it is for you… with Arthur being your twin...”

“Yeah…” The thief nodded slowly again before leaning her head against Amicia’s shoulder, being quiet for a few moments before she spoke again, “Watch good over Hugo when I’m gone, okay?”

“O-of course...” Amicia’s heart ached at being reminded of Melie being gone soon and so she held the thief closer to herself.

__________________

Melie seemed to be deep in thoughts as she didn’t react to being pulled closer. But it was only noticed by Amicia when Melie let out a deep sigh, sadness and regret in the thief’s eyes when the noble girl looked at her.

“Melie…?”

“Huh…?” Melie looked at Amicia, her sad look was exchanged with a confused one until she realized that the other girl noticed her inner conflict: “Oh- Don’t worry… was just- thinking of something… our talk at the château, ya know? Before we left.”

Amicia nodded silently as a response, remembering the short conversation before they were interrupted by Hugo back then.

Melie shrugged a bit at first, unsure whether she should elaborate or not. But she knew that Amicia would ask more anyway to find out what was bothering her, so she spoke slowly: “Where I told ya that it ain’t easy with our brothers sometimes… and that they always end up saving us. They do… they really do save our asses every time… but I couldn’t save Arthur in return.”

The noble girl sighed while listening and looked at Melie, knowing where she was going and what she was feeling. But she wasn’t able to comfort her.

Because as soon as she started with “Hey… Melie-”, she already was interrupted by her while the said girl shook her head: “Ya need to do better than me, you hear me? I’m a horrible sister… couldn’t even save my twin ‘cos my scared ass decided to hide instead of taking care of that inquisition dog together with him.”

“Melie… you’re not horrible.” Now Amicia was the one to shake her head and she quickly continued speaking when she saw Melie opening her mouth: “You’re the best twin sister he could have ever wished for. Don’t blame yourself for something that wasn’t your fault.”

“But it was. ‘Course I could blame Hugo for arriving or you or anyone fucking else… but at that rate I could also blame the damn world for existing. He did his best, Amicia. And I should have done the same! And if I had helped you two then he wouldn’t be dead now! Then he-”, Melie’s emotions were bursting out of her inner wall she tried to build and she was almost yelling out loud; if it wasn’t for Amicia holding her tightly and giving the older girl the opportunity to bury her face in the noble’s shoulder.

“Then both of you would most likely be dead! And I couldn’t bear that...” Amicia yelled at first, but that yell was immediately replaced with loud sobbing as she started to basically cling onto the thief. But said thief could only stare in confusion at her before she continued to whisper. Whispering being the only way of talking where the sobs didn’t drown her words:

“You know Arthur… and that he’d sacrifice himself to save you. So what makes you think that he would have let you stay outside with him…? You two would have argued most likely… and Nicholas would have used that moment to- to...”

The noble girl buried her face into Melie’s hair when sobbing completely replaced her attempts of finishing her sentence. Just thinking of what could have happened made her heart ache in pain.

Amicia didn’t even notice the thief hugging her tightly in an attempt to comfort her or Melie’s expression as she bit her lip, imagining Amicia’s feared outcome of that scenario.

____________________

And the thief had to admit that Amicia was right. Arthur really would have done everything to stop her and she knew that she would have argued and complained about it.

In a way it helped her conscience, knowing that she did the best thing and that it could have ended terrifying in another way, but the pain she felt in her heart when she thought of her brother still was not soothed in any way; she still felt guilt and grief. Both things, which will take a lifetime or more beyond death to fully heal.

“I know… it probably was the least shitty way it could have ended…” Melie knew she had to answer Amicia to fully help her calming down, but this was all she managed to get out.

But it still seemed to slightly help; Amicia nodded slowly before being silent for a while, seemingly waiting for her sobs to ease so that she can talk.

“You’re not a bad sister, Melie… You couldn’t do more, and Arthur knows…”

“At least am not the worst I guess...” Melie sighed deeply and decided to rest a bit against the other girl, slowly realizing how much she didn’t want this hug to end. And it reminded her of why she wanted to leave without anyone and especially Amicia knowing, but for now she tried her best to push that thought away.

“Still… Amicia- please do better than me. You always do your best, I know that… and so did I and my best wasn’t enough that time. So promise me, ‘kay? Promise me to do better.”

“We can’t tell what time brings… but I’ll promise you to do my best,” The noble girl whispered softly and hugged tightly onto the other girl when she was done talking, slightly surprised by how much tighter she could hug her than before.

Melie fully embraced the hug and sighed quietly, knowing that she has to leave sooner or later; rather sooner because she knew that she couldn’t leave if she stayed too long to say goodbye.

~To be continued~

Part 2

[preoccupiedpens]

Dream Hunters Chapter 3: Back To Square One

SEVEN YEAR HAS PASSED, Daisuke has already taken the Seeker Trials. He already failed twice in a row.

          The Seeker Trials is an annual event where the elves faces certain trials to test whether they could survive outside Maria Island. The trials involves three parts: a written trial regarding the general knowledge outside Maria Island, a puzzle trial about the practical applications of foreign objects and technology, and combat trial, where elves will fight each other to see how strong and creative they are. Thanks to the things Daisuke learned at the Seeker Academy and to the book that Cobalt gave him, he was able to pass the first two parts. But when it comes to combat matches, he always fail.

           According to the law that the past councils made, an elf may only take part in Seeker Trials thrice in a row. Failing it for a third time will ban an elf from taking the trials for the next four years and may only take the trials every four years thereafter.

           Daisuke is standing at the observation deck outside of the shrine of Maria. He was looking at the panoramic view of the village. There he can see the South Harbor. He could see a ship filled with the new and veteran Seekers that is preparing for departure. If only Daisuke had cleared his second attempt on the trials, he would have been there as well, he thought.

Never in his life has he have been so troubled. Clearing the Seeker Trials is like a matter of life and death. He doesn’t want to be part of the Elven Corps for the rest of his life. He definitely does not want to wait for another four years just to take the trials. He felt it was unfair that he only fails because of the combat trial.

           “There you are, Daisuke!” said a female elf.

           Daisuke looked to his right. “Oh, Riku. What are you doing here?” asked Daisuke.

          “I was looking for you.” Riku answered. She looked around, then said, “You really like this place, don’t you?”

          Riku is a friend of Daisuke he met at Seeker Academy. They met when Daisuke was being bullied by some senior elves. She was also a bullied elf since she was unable to use a power. Instead, she has a Rose Necklace which she uses to use Rose Magic. She has a short hair with a braid on the right side. Like every elf, she has a pale skin and unique swirling patterns on it. But whenever she uses her rose magic, the pattern on her skin glows pinkish red instead of bright green. Unlike Daisuke though, she already cleared the Seeker Trials on their first take.

          “Come on. Sir Rango is waiting for us.” said Riku. “You don’t want to be late again.”

          Riku and Daisuke rushed towards the Council House where they met their colleague Jack and their senior Rango.

          “What? Even you Riku barely made it on time?” announced Jack while laughing.

          “Shut up.” Riku said coldly.

          Jack is another friend of Daisuke. They’ve met when Daisuke attempted to clear the trials for the second time. He is the youngest son of Durant, and has already cleared the trials just like Riku.

          “You just got here early!” said Daisuke.

          Rango, smacked their heads. “That’s enough you three. Now come on, we’ve got a new mission.”

          “Yes, sir!” Riku, Daisuke, and Jack shouted in unison.

          After graduating the Seeker Academy, an elf can be part of the Elven Corps. They may join one of any divisions available, from the main forces that will protect the island from outsiders, healers that may work at the medical center or support the warriors and seekers, to the logistics and intelligence division that would one day can gather information from other countries.

          Rango, their superior, is a Seeker that has cleared the trials twenty years ago and left the island for various missions. He returned to Yora Village seven years ago after spending a lot of his years traveling the lands of Aria. There, he learned many things about humans’ and other races’ culture and technology. On his return, he decided to stay and become part of the Elven Corps as an elven warrior that would protect Maria Island from outsiders.

          As they entered the Council House, they saw a lot of elves taking missions from the councils. Some of them have just graduated from Seeker Academy, while others are already Seekers that decided not to leave the island yet.

          As they are walking towards Ananais’ office, Daisuke can hear the girls murmuring about Jack. Being tall and handsome, any female elves would definitely want to be with him. Jack was even nicknamed, ‘The Prince of the Elves’. Riku also grew up fine and had many suitors. She used to be made fun of when she was younger for looking tomboyish and powerless, but now she looks prim and proper, ‘The Rose among the Thorns’. And then Daisuke heard elves who are talking about him. Isn’t that the freak who already failed twice? Why does short-ears have to be with the two famous elves? Daisuke chose to ignore them and simply follow Rango.

 Rango’s team received their mission from Ananais. Ananais is an expert in stealth missions that involves espionage and infiltration. During her days as a Seeker, she will always receive these kind of missions to gather information about human settlements. Today, thanks to her experience and expertise, she has been assigned to border control in Maria Island aside from her council task.

                    Simply by entering the waters of the island, Ananais’ team will be able to detect it. But for some reason, they were unable to detect that a small boat entered the island. And even failed to detect where the infiltrators are.

          “Rango! Thank you so much for coming.” Ananais smilingly said.

          “Hahaha! We’re only doing our part, Lady Ananais.” Rango replied cheerfully.

          Ananais’ gaze went to the three young elves. “I see, you have been assigned with these young ones.”

          “They’re quite a handful bunch, but they do manage to finish their mission.” Rango said, praising his team. His team blushed from the compliment.

          “Hahaha. Anyway, for your mission, I would like you to investigate the delta of the North River.” Ananais handed over the mission report.

          According to the report given to Ananais by her scouting team, they saw a human boat at the delta of North River. This means that they could have been infiltrated by human treasure hunters again. Being infiltrated is not something new. What they were worried about was that they were unable to detect the boat or any infiltrators. There were no signs of camps or traces of any humans, but checking the area is a must. Rango briefed his team regarding the information and devised a strategy on sweeping the North River.

          After the briefing, they left the village straight to the northern part of Maria Island. They reached the river in about half an hour.

          “Hey Daisuke! Isn’t this the place where you were found?” asked Riku as they reached the North River.

          “You still believe that story?” said Jack.

          “Well, whether that’s true or not, we still celebrate my birthday here.” Daisuke said. “This is actually my first time coming here when it is not that day.”

          “That’s enough chit-chat, guys.” said Rango. “This is where we begin are plan.”

          Their plan is to sweep the area up to the river’s delta while staying hidden. Since there were no signs of the humans, the humans could be hiding in the woods. And as Rango instructed his team, if they ever see anything suspicious or the humans, they must not act on their own.

 Rango’s team communicated using a portable radio, a technology that was shared to them by their human allies from a country in Aria continent.

          “We’re already near the delta, yet there still no sign of any humans.” Daisuke said over his mouthpiece.

          “Just continue walking,” Rango replied. “And keep it quiet and stay hidden.”

          As Daisuke was walking, he heard a crackling sound of tree branch. He stopped to focus on any unusual sound. And then an arrow flew over him. He narrowly dodged the arrow. He looked to his left and saw a male human with bow and arrow, ready to fire again. As he looked at bow guy, two men fell down from the tree. They had a net that was meant to catch an elf, but he was able to dodge it.

          “So there’s three of you, huh.” said Daisuke.

          Daisuke’s teammates heard it from the radio and quickly went to where Daisuke is.

          “Is that really him? The dark-skinned elf?” Asked one of the humans.

          “That’s him alright, catch him!” said another.

          Daisuke got irritated when he was called a dark-skinned elf. “Hey! That’s racist, you know!”

          The bow guy nocked another arrow, Daisuke stomped his feet and a mature tree suddenly grew, shielding him from the arrow. The other guys tried to use the net again to catch Daisuke, but he was able to escape by creating a tree directly under his feet. He was a few meters up in the air now, standing at the top of the tree he created. He jumped down and landed near bow guy. As bow guy tried to nock another arrow, Daisuke punched him in the face so hard that it sent bow guy flying. The strength of Daisuke was so unreal that the two other humans was not sure what just happened. Daisuke then used his power. His right arm was being covered with tree branches until it became a huge wooden arm. Too much mana was used, however, in just using this wooden arms. So he thought that he must finish the fight before he runs out of mana. He already used too much earlier when he created two trees for cover and dodging.

          The two other humans did the only logical thing; they tried to escape.

          With those arms, they thought that they will not be able to catch Daisuke. They also thought that Daisuke will not be able to catch them since those wooden arms will only slow him down. They were wrong.

          Daisuke was now running side by side with the two men. He jumped and used his momentum to punch the guy on his left using his wooden arm. The guy was sent flying until the guy hit a tree. The other one tried to escape, but Riku caught up on them.

          Meanwhile, bow guy got up and tried to run away, but Jack blocked his way. “Where do you think you’re going?”

          “Yaaaaaaah!!” Bow guy took a dagger from his side and tried to stab Jack, but Jack used his power to block the dagger by covering his left arm with tree branch that served as his shield. Jack then covered his right fist with tree branch and punched bow guy’s face, rendering him unconscious.

          Back at the other guy who tried to escape was mesmerized by Riku, a fatal mistake from any newbie elf hunter. Riku used her rose magic, wrapping the hunter with rose plant filled with thorns. The guy writhed in pain as he was prickled with thorn all over his body. As Rango reached his team, he ensured that the other guy Daisuke sent flying was tied up. After confirming that there are now other infiltrators beside the three male humans, he congratulated his team for completing the mission safe and sound.

          They reached the village soon and handed over the three humans to the elven guards and were sent to the prison room for the time being. Ananais congratulated Rango’s team and gave them their payment.

          “You guys really worked hard. Let’s call it a day. You better rest now.” Rango gave his team their earnings and decided to call it a day.

          After the three elves left the Council House, Ananais and Rango had a talk.

          “So, how did it go?” Ananais asked.

          “They were really after Daisuke.” Rango responded. “How did they even entered the island without being noticed?”

             “I am curious to that as well. If not for Durant and his trainees near my scouting team, we will not know about it.”

          “And they even knew about Daisuke. The only dark-skinned elf on the island.”

          “Probably after the attack seven years ago. We handed over some prisoners to United Alliance. They could have told them about Daisuke”

          Rango sighed. “United Alliance can never be trusted. They must be after it. The power inside Daisuke.”

          “That is why I want you to do me a favor.”

[sambart93]

2018.07.20 Tenimyu: VS Hyoutei Nationals [Review]

I really shouldn’t have gone to this but I damn got a ticket and I damn went xD I really shouldn’t have though but it’s Higa AND Miura...I just had to!

Official Website here Official Twitter here Press Coverage 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 DVD PreOrder here and here, BR here and here

CAST and CHARACTERS

SEIGAKU 10TH GEN

Akutsu Nichika as Echizen Ryoma Aoki Ryo as Tezuka Kunimitsu Ezoe Takanori as Oishi Shuichirou Minaki Ibu as Fuji Shuusuke Taguchi Tsukasa as Kikumaru Eiji Takenouchi Daisuke as Inui Sadaharu Iwata Tomoki as Kawamura Takashi Ookubo Tatsuki as Momoshiro Takeshi Nakajima Takuto as Kaido Kaoru Ryuga as Horio Satoshi Nakamigawa Toshiki as Katou Kachirou Okuda Yumeto as Mizuno Katsuo

HYOUTEI

Miura Hiroki as Atobe Keigo Isaka Ikumi as Oshitari Yushi Kobayakawa Shunsuke as Shishido Ryo Kitano Satsuki as Mukahi Gakuto Tamura Shogo as Akutagawa Jirou Yamazaki Shogo as Taki Haginosuke Yamaki Takanori as Kabaji Munehiro Watanabe Aoto as Otori Chotarou Utsumi Akiyoshi as Hiyoshi Wakashi

HIGA

Muto Kento as Kite Eishirou Yoshizawa Tsubasa as Kai Yujirou Iwaki Naoya as Hirakoba Rin Raita as Chinen Hiroshi Takata Makoto as Tanishi Kei Sonomura Masashi as Shiranui Tomoya Matsui Haruki as Aragaki Kouichi

*

NON-SPOILER REVIEW

Overall: This was so good!! I am so glad that I went!! It was so good. It was absolutely amazing. It's difficult to explain but the story just entirely suited my taste and it was well acted and the songs were all great and I enjoyed pretty much all the characters which is unusual for me xD And the best part about the stage was definitely the bench interactions!! The bench interactions were amazing!! I couldn't stop watching them! I also loved how dark this stage was compared to others and previous ones. I felt like the atmosphere was really heavy for this one, or that I was just so completely engrossed in the whole thing this time around. And I got to see Hiroki in action again which was great! Also I was looknig forward to seeing this new Seigaku Gen - or at least went in with a clear mind and no pre-bias - and I enjoyed their performances so much -- they even got me crying a few times! This. Was. Great! Rating: 8.5/10

*

SPOILER

This'll be split into the two parts of the play and then some extras or whatever.

PART ONE

Some of the Higawaris that I remember were mostly from Higa: FAS: 太ってる あなたにオススメ シェイプアップ F&D: fitness and diet All were aimed at Tanishi obviously xD

As I said before, I couldn't take my eyes of the bench. Especially Jiro, he really caught my eyes during this stage. I spent more time watching what he, and the rest of Hyoutei were doing, rather than what was happening in the main plot and story xD Some things that Jiro did that caught my eye were:

☆Jiro falling backwards while sat on the steps and falling asleep onto Taki xD ☆Jiro dancing during Gakuto's pair song. ☆Jiro being so supportive of his other members and just never stopping!

Other things I spotted from other members on the benches were: ☆Eiji giving Taka a racket and then when it was taken away from Taka just after, Eiji tried to hide from him but Taka stormed over and held onto his shoulders and Eiji just stood in shock like 'omg what is he going to do to me!!' it was really cute and funny.

Speaking of Seigaku: I really like this new Seigaku already! Which is good!! Inui‘s actor can sing really well and he sounded so great! I like this new Seigaku so much that I actually felt sympathy for the Seigaku members; Tezuka's solo was so good and so dark!!! I was crying for Tezuka during his match!! That NEVER happens with me! And Fuji’s solo at the end of part one (Heavy Rain) was so good!!! He sounded great! Also when Fuji and Atobe were dancing together!!!! I ship it!!! They looked so good together! It was great! Also, Momo’s actor is good but his voice feels a bit too low that it’s kinda suffering during the songs he sings.

The day I went, there was only one mistake and the entire audience died of laughter for a good minute which ruined the moment but it was funny: Just after his match when he returned the the bench, Gakuto slipped down the stairs a little and because it was this silent moment between Tezuka and Kabaji, everyone heard and everyone's attention went there. The audience died laughing. All of Hyoutei kept it together during this moment but poor Eiji’s actor was looking over at what happened and he cracked up laughing too. But kudos to pretty much everyone keeping it together and acting completely normal. But for some reasons all the audience just found it so amusing!

Other comments:

☆I love how DARK this stage it! For some reason Tenimyu always seemed like this happy, clappy, fun and games stage but for some reason I found this one SO dark and I absolutely loved it!! I really do enjoy dark plays.

☆Higa are the very first to enter the stage and straight away they are hilarious. They come in from the sides on stupid boats and come down either aisle. Once they get out of their tiny boats (by the way, one is being dragged behind by a rope and ring xD) and on shore, they started rapping. HIGA DID RAPPING AGAIN! It was great! And what was even better is that they got the entire audience to clap along to their song! Which I really appreciated!

☆The first three opening school songs were so strong and so good!! I enjoyed every single one; Higa then Seigaku then Hyoutei. They were really powerful and so enjoyable to watch!

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PART TWO

During the breaks between the two arts, I ran out to buy Kaido and Jiro's bromides. I got about 30 minutes into part one before I was like 'duh goddammit I love Kaido! I should've picked them up straight away!' and then damn Jiro came along and my brain went 'shit this kid is too cute! I must support him and get his bromides!' Jiro has always been cute but I've always thought no one would ever out-do was Tomorun did as Jiro but damn Tamura is so cute as Jiro! He's so bouncy and hyper and so funny. Speaking of Jiro; more Jiro adorableness:

☆Jiro sleeping between Oshitari's legs. ☆When Jiro fell asleep on Otori and Atobe, and Atobe lifted Jiro's hand (that was touching his leg) in disgust and pushed it off himself xD ☆Jiro making fun of Eishiro Buchou was absolutely hilarious! He just kept going because the audience were dying of laughter. And then some members were like 'Oi.. OI!' and trying to get him back to the bench.

Jiro needs to be protected. Jiro is a sweetie. Jiro is amazing xD

More Higa moments and Higwaris:

☆During the end of one of their appearances, Rin hit Buchou on the head but when Buchou turned around, Rin had already slipped past and gone off stage, so he thought Kai did it, so he grabbed Kai by his shirt collar and dragged him off stage. Kai's toes were like tiptoes as he was dragged off stage xD ☆There was another moment when the (I think) Buchou said something and Tanishi got really angry and went to attack him but then Shiranui grabbed Tanishi's arm and pulled him back so that Shiranui could attack; Tanishi was super shocked by the strength Shiranui had and the audience cracked up laughing from the twist of events that Shiranui was the strong one in the group. Luckily Aragaki stopped Shiranui from attacking and got him to back off xD ☆Towards the end of the stage, Higa had to break a watermelon with their eyes closed, but they all failed so Eishiro said he would show them how it's done, but instead of a watermelong, Shiranui (I think) pretended to be it and when Buchou went to hit the watermelon, he caught Buchou’s hand and of course Buchou was dumbfounded xD

Lets talk about the giant final match shall we because the entire final match was amazing!

☆Nichika’s pronunciation with all the English lines was really good!! ☆When Echizen and Atobe were having an evil laugh showdown, Atobe's laugh was so gooood!! HOMG... ☆When Echizen threw his cap and Kaido caught it oh so perfectly! I was so impressed with how flawlessly he caught it! ☆Now can we talk a little about Hiroki’s butt? Because damn it was so damn obvious in those shorts!! He has such a good butt! Even from 3rd balcony, I could tell he fit nice and tightly into those shorts...  ☆And ohhhmyyyygoooddd can we talk about the amount of hip rolls he did during this damn stage and in different songs and stuff!!! Oh my... ☆Huge kudos to both the boys during the final match because even watching it, I as getting exhausted for them! It goes on for so long and they're constantly running around the stage and Hiroki is doing all his ballet jumps the entire time and stuff! Damn Hiroki must have been exhausted after that!  ☆The final match between Echizen and Atobe was so intense and so much dancing and performance. Just damn. I absolutely loved this entire last segment of the stage. So intense, so well choreographed, so well performance and presented. It was phenomenal.

Other comments:

☆Ohhhhh I teared up during the Golden Pair song and I really, really don't like Golden Pair in general, but even they got me in the feels this night!! Which just shows already how much better this gen is! ☆I really liked all the doubles duet song. And all the songs in general I really got into and enjoyed! ☆Just before the final song, the ending is with all the school's songs remixed and it was great! ☆BUT the encore song and dance is silly in my opinion. It was ridiculous. ☆During the EnCore, Kai came to our side!! I have had the best luck with him seriously... ☆During the EnCore song, Echizen was slacking off to the right side of the theatre, and when Tezuka saw him and Echizen got worried and began to move away from him. ☆Kaido made it back on stage just girigiri right at the end of the EnCore song xD ☆I realised today that I like Tenimyu when it’s dark. Like this stage is dark as fuck. But one thing did ruin it, and it was infact Echizen's song. It was a bit too happy clappy and just ruined the dark mood in my opinion xD just keep it ALL dark!! xD ☆Now I know this is going to sound hypocritical but I appreciate that the very end of stage ended on a funny note. Echizen came on stage with a razor and some classical music started playing and Echizen started doing ballet moves towards Atobe but then obviously Taki comes on stage and says he'll sacrifice his hair so begs Echizen not to shave Atobe's xD I think we needed something like this AT the end to just bring us all out of the story and back to reality a bit.

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GOODS

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And there we go!