#reminder that makoto has moved over here

[lunart-06]

My Makoto Naegi angst analisis thing (Hc)

(PLEASE KEEP IN NOTE): That this is just my general idea of him, kinda scared to share this cause qjdnnejf I know everyone has different opinions on Makoto so I'm just posting this in my own prespective of him. (It's a little messy cause I am unstable and disorganized when I write this so beware ooo)

Here's the art I made for this

So like, I believe Makoto has issues I think we all established that, and the moment when komaru mentioned of how he changes a lot in UDG (but still hold some same aspects of traits and habits that just makes him.... him) after managed to contact him the first time. It strucks me so bad that it gaves me a migrane /vpos

Like, Makoto earned his new title of the ultimate Hope (with the capital H and everything) just by defeating Junko the ultimate despair? By that point he was seen by the world as the savior and as the first and only hope they have thought lost for YEARS

Makoto's ability to move everyone by just words to which he probably didn't even realised the power he held over it. He's just incredibly passionate and its because his whole body speaks GENUINE emotions, his stubborn willpower and determination undeterred by despair and everything Junko herself has set up for.

It is something not everyone has the luxury to have. His optimism. But that's the thing.

Makoto was the ultimate Hope, only because he was just optimistic in nature. It was the flock of the moment during the last trial, his contagious optimism is what everyone, his friends, the world, preceives as Hope. The enlighting feeling of inspiration by just words of support and motivations for the first time since years after the tragedy started.

But again. Thats the thing. The "Hope" they admire, they clung onto, they worshipped, and they DIE for, was his mere optimistic nature. Just like he said himself "Optimism is all I'm best at".

Its cause well, it's true. (Kinda)

All he was ever good at in his view was just being that. When I rewatched future arc I sense how unBEARABLY useless he is without that title and usual positive nature, and his words don't reach the leaders of future foundation from attempting to kill one another (aside from certain ones, and at the very end ofc, but even then it was too late to prevent the deaths). His words doesnt even managed to reach Ryota from preventing him in using the Hope brainwash video.

It just further shows how.... normal he is

Despite the title, it just shows that he is nothing but a normal guy. He's not some god everyone preceives him to be, he's just some dude that was placed in a wrong time and place.

It's like all the good he is being- well, normal. Like typical "good kid". Somehow it kinda hurts to think about it, like you're obligated to see all positive in lives for it as everyone depends on you for such.

And now the whole world was in the palm of his hands.

I feel like he's scared, despite his strong stand and brave, determined face, he is a normal, ordinary guy that scared to lose what he was ever good and seen by everyone as. Being optimistic and hopeful.

Its like he's not allowed to even be sad for a moment to cry his hearts out. Because the world depends on him, his friends depends on him, he rely on them too much, he cant lose hope cause if he does, the world will fall apart AGAIN, and people will die AGAIN (just like his classmates, just like the people who died for him) he doesnt think he can handle that the second time.

Since that one thing Makoto despises the most is violence. Death to be exact.

He was probably exhausted but he cant yet, he has to keep moving forward, for the world's sake, his friends' sake, his only remaining family; his sister's sake, and for the sake of those who had died so he can carry out their hope that was left behind.

Theres also this quote that remind me of him:

"I'm scared that the moment I look like I'm suffering. Noone will believe me anymore"

Because like. He really cant do things as much without his friends. All he has was his hope; his positivity, determination, and optimistic nature. So he stood tall, facing despair, putting up a strong look just so people of the world, and his friends know, that they all can trust him. To have faith in him.

Because being optimistic is all he's best at.

That hope he has held dearly was destroying him internally. Scary thing is it? Despair isnt what was breaking him. It was the very thing that he was good at. And the very thing everyone thought of when they see him.

Just like junko when you think about it. She- ultimate despair, destroyed herself by the very thing she is (basically executed herself in the last trial) and now makoto was doing the same thing.

"The world's hope", "the strongest who never falters at the face of despair", "the savior", "their guiding light"

How much longer should he keep that up? Before everyone realised that he's nothing but just an ordinary, plain, boring guy?

How much longer should he fall before allowing himself to hit the ground?

A sprout who never truly managed to grow old, it's choose to shelter other by it's leaves, holding still, unmoving.

Yet its roots slowly rotten by parasites and disease, trying to keep the earth together. They can't die now, they're the protector, the hope of it all. <-(quote by one of my friend Ele, which I think is neat in itself, considering Naegi's name means sappling or seedling in general ajdhwjdj)

He may have survived the first killing game that birth his title as the Ultimate Hope,

He may have survived the second killing game in the Neo world program that shows us how devastated it must be for Makoto that Nagito would go that far for the sake of hope, how Makoto's words and hope does not reach the remaining survivor,

He may survived the third killing game in the Future Foundation where it must be devastating that he's unable to understand the victims fully from preventing them to try and kill eachother off ("don't try pretending you understand them, you don't understand them at all" kinda feel), where he watched as Kyoko died for his hope, not telling him THAT she will die, letting him live because not only that he was the closest friend she ever has, but knowing her; she thinks that the world still need the ultimate hope, and because of that, she was ready to accept her fate for it, because she was assured that Makoto is strong enough to move forward even when it's hard, because she has faith in him. Because she believes that Makoto will never give up Hope.

Eventhough he had survive countless scenarios where he could die anytime of those. I feel like eventhough he had survived multiple times.. he had died, multiple times as well, to become who he is now (multiple rebirth symbolism). To the point where he is unrecognizable in his own eyes, the feeling of the old him far out of reach, who is he now?

Things are so simple to him back then, why does things don't make sense to him about himself now?

He may never feel lonely outside, because he believes that his friends will always have his back, he believes that there will always be someone that could give him a hand.

But here, in his own mind, in his own exhaustion, in his own struggle, in his own confusion, he is completely all alone. This one is his alone to go through, his friends has too much on their plate already to handle this, he relied on them too much already.. (in a way, perhaps, he try to rely on others less).

Theres soooo many I wanna say about him but this is the general idea of my view on him, or er, version ig? His accidental savior complex that is.

And don't make me start of his self-sacrificial tendency. /lh

[dansconcepts]

Everything's Coming Up Hajime

The following drabbles (they're little scenes of different things with some more detailed than others because a fic was too ambitious for me :'>>>) completely and wholly inspired by and dedicated to @gliittergelpens for their headcanon post on Hajime (found here) and also the connected follow up interaction here. Go check 'em out :D! And I hope you enjoy this :).

Bleary lights. Bright. Dreary. 

Alone.

Alone.

Alone.

NO!

Bolt, bolted, he can’t move, why can’t he move? Everything’s not okay, why is he here again? Where are they? Get to the corner, get to the corner, he can’t move he can’t move!- (why is he prolonging the inevitable? He hasn’t done that in so long)

Pressure starts compounding on his chest. He shakes. He doesn’t want to go again, it’s going to be another round of tests again, he didn’t know he agreed to this! Let go, let go, let GO!

“Hajime.”

They never call him that. He is the subject, their project, the plaything to rip apart because he is nothing more than an experiment. He is not a person. He is not Hajime.

“Hajime.” They repeat. “It’s Makoto.”

Makoto?

He doesn’t recognize-

Makoto Naegi.

He blinks. His body slumps. As if his body was lead, his head slowly turns toward the source.

“Makoto Naegi” was never one of the researcher’s names. He knows, because he remembered each and every one, even if he didn’t want to. No, Makoto Naegi is someone else entirely, someone who isn’t associated with the Project. 

Sage-coloured irises meet his gaze first. They are warmer than any of the researchers’ eyes. 

…He isn’t in a lab, is he?

“Muh-” He winces. His voice sounds terrible. 

“Hey, drink up.” Makoto commands, not unkindly. “I know you’ve been in there for a while, but try your best.”

A glass of water is held to his lips and once they hit, his lips burn, but he downs it gratefully anyway. His throat protests in agony.

“Do you know where you are and what happened, Hajime?” 

Hajime stretches, pops coming from all his atrophied joints. “W-we- ugh, Jabberwock Island. K-cough-illing game.” The Killing Game. At the reminder, adrenaline starts coursing through him, and he immediately lurches out of the pod.

Makoto gently pushes him back.

“Yes. The other survivors are awake, but they do not hold the memories you do.”

“W-what about everyone else? What happened to them?”

“They’re still in the pods.” He tries jumping out again. “BUT!” Makoto blurts out. “BUT they’re okay. They’re not in the killing game right now. They seem to have created their own worlds-”

“What can I do to wake them up?” He quickly interrupts. 

“Oh, um, I was going to get to that part.” A small smile stretches on his face. “I knew you’d want to help. I would’ve been the same.” 

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Darkness. 

He feels so tired.

He hasn’t felt this tired in… so long. Everything… is so tiring.

Lights threaten to blind him. 

No. 

Let him sleep.

Let him sleep…

“Hey, Nagito... it’s Hajime.” 

He stirs. Hajime?

He looks at the tanned skin, eyeing the scars on the undersides of his eyes, further littered over his arms, and then tracing back to his equally scarred lips, that were currently sipping on a cup in his hands.

“Ha-jime.” He croaks. Wordlessly, Hajime provides him some water. With weak hands, he reaches out toward the cup, and manages to squeeze enough of a firm grasp on it. Hajime continues sipping while he slowly gulps down the offered water. 

“Ahem,” He coughs. “Hinata, my apologies. …What happened?”

“You’re one of the last few to wake up, Komaeda.” Hajime replies, and notably, provides no context. “What do you remember?”

The question sparks his silence. His mouth purses into a deeply thin line. He eyes the man in front of him. Is there something he must have forgotten? “...Nothing particularly pleasant.” He decides on.

Hajime scrutinizes him. He stays quiet. Hajime slumps over with a sigh. “Okay, fair enough. Your pod opened, but you wouldn’t wake up. You’re in the hospital now.”

He looks around. Yes, he gathered that. The white walls and bright fluorescent lighting weren't foreign to him, he would recognize such a place no matter where he was. He could voice that, but there are more pressing concerns.

“I’m afraid I still don’t understand. How did I get here?”

“We went through a rehabilitation program.”

“Ah.” The memories are hitting him now. “Yes, sorry, I do remember us Remnants being captured for such a thing, although I don't remember much else.” He hums, looking the other up and down. “It worked, then?”

“That depends. How do you feel? About, you know, hope and despair and all that.”

“Well,” He chuckles, “if you’re worried I’m going to blow up this hospital in the pursuit of ‘a greater hope’, you would be greatly mistaken.”

Hajime breathes out a sigh of relief. “But I imagine my luck could affect that greatly. It's very fortunate you could balance it out.” The other gazes away from him, looking down in thought. How curious. Was it something he said?

He subtly tilts his head. The brunet covertly glances around, as if he was watching for something. Piercing eyes returns to meet his. “You can't get up to any crazy shit just because I can do that.” The other jokingly chastises, but his eyes remained guarded.

He nods with an smile. “Oh, I would never.” To anyone, it would simply be him teasing. However, he can tell Hajime's trying to hide something about his talents, and someone here is watching them. He wonders who would cause such paranoia.

Hajime fills him in on what occurred, being saved by the "Future Foundation" (oh, it's them.) and particularly specific members (Makoto! As in Makoto Naegi, The Ultimate Hope Makoto? Yes Komaeda, just keep it in your pants.), as well as explaining Nagito’s status, his mental and physical state (still affected by his pre-existing conditions, albeit less so), and the new addition to his body.

He turns it. He didn't even notice he had a new arm. It feels seamless, although the metal is strange to feel underneath his fingertips.

“I had to replace it.” Hajime explains. “The dead tissue was threatening to spread to the rest of your body if it was kept there. It was fine when we were hooked up to the pods since that was preserving it, but since you went into a coma, we had to act fast.”

“Hmm.” He curls his newfound metallic fingers. He sends him a smile. “It seems I owe a lot of my gratitude to you, Hinata, for helping trash like me.”

There's a pause. “We'll work on that,” is the response Hajime settles with. “...Do you want to meet everyone else?”

He freezes. Everyone else?

Although he doesn't know why, he feels himself pale completely and his body shivers. Everything in him feels cold, as if the temperature dropped, as if his whole body rejected the very idea of something he was otherwise only semi-wary about. He knows he had many reasons before to feel apprehensive around his former classmates, given his past transgressions during his time as a Remnant and theirs, but this feels... bone-chilling. Buried deep within his psyche, perhaps connected to the memories he doesn't have.

“What happened in the program.” He bluntly states, rather than asks.

“No one else remembers too, if that helps.” Hajime starts. It doesn't. “Even I barely remember it. Everyone has felt snippets though, things they avoid subconsciously, or they experience nightmares about it.” He wonders if Hajime has nightmares. He wonders what Hajime avoids. “It was broadcast-”

“I want to watch it.”

Hajime's jaw tightens. “It wasn't that type of broadcast. It wasn't recorded, it was just shown to Makoto and the other survivors. Besides, it's best you don't anyway. You're going to remember something about it.”

“How cynical. What if all I remember are pleasant things?” Nagito inquires, even if he knows the likelihood of that is so astronomically low. He is aware of himself. He knows being put into a situation like the Killing Game would just mean he'd have made very elaborate plans and schemes. Thinking that, a sharp pain in his abdomen sears through him, and he winces. It's a whisper of a feeling, but it felt... real.

Hajime merely lets out a defeated sigh. “I hope it is, Komaeda, I hope it is.”

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Throughout everything, this was the last thing he thought about. 

The scars. 

For the longest time, he forgot about the scars. For the briefest of moments, his complexion wasn’t completely covered by raised bumps, of angry red tissue, of the careless abandon from scientists who dissected him to fit their molds of perfection. 

And now he’s left looking into the mirror, tracing. His fingers feel the ridges. He remembers the scalpel digging into his eye, even if he didn’t feel the pain of it. He looks at the angry lines along his muscles, his thighs, and he knows with certainty it can be traced down to his feet, the bathroom counter being the only reason he can’t see the reflection of it. He remembers exactly what they forcibly fused together, being haunted by the ghosts of the sutures that were once there.

This is who he sees looking back at him.

…Mikan cleans the glass away from his fist.

[He could’ve done it himself, but it would’ve been a messier job, much like with anything else he would try nowadays.]

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Hajime is out training with Nekomaru, alongside Akane, and casually working out with them.

Nekomaru points out the bandages that suddenly replace his glove, and he waves them off. “Just an accident.” 

After a decent workout, he starts heading back to his cabin to shower when he spots Fuyuhiko to the side, relaxing against a wall.

“Hey.” He greets.  

“Yo.” The former yakuza head nods.

They watch those on the beach, a tall orange blurb chases after a red one, their laughter filling the air as suddenly they're jumped by an even louder multicoloured blurb cackling with mischief. He can hear Hiyoko's distant cursing while Mikan rushes over, fretting. He snorts.

Fuyuhiko crosses his arms, a smile on his face at the scene. “Can’t believe we get to have this.” 

“I know.” He agrees. He’d do anything to ensure everyone here stayed happy like this. Speaking of, he has to make sure to check on the next shipment of supplies afterward. He refuses to have those Future Foundation workers anywhere near the Island otherwise. But first, shower.

He's about to leave when-

“What’s with the bandages?” The former yakuza asks.

He contemplates lying. The last thing he wants is for everyone to start worrying about him. As if aware of his thoughts, Fuyuhiko sends him a particularly scathing glare, menacing even with the eyepatch. He fesses up immediately. 

“I punched a mirror.”

“Why?”

“My scars-” He starts. 

Fuyuhiko quickly interjects. “There’s nothing wrong with them.”

“Part of me understands that, but I look at them and just see…” Hope's Peak. The Hope Cultivation Project. The Remnants of Despair. He squeezes his bandaged hand. “...bad memories.”

“Yeah, I feel that.” Almost subconsciously, Hajime glances at Fuyuhiko’s scar, hidden behind black cloth. Fuyuhiko meets his gaze, unflinching. “I hate thinking about having that bitch’s eye in me.”

“How do you do it?” How do you look at yourself in the mirror? How do you live with yourself? How do you not hate yourself? 

“Being a former yakuza, scars were symbols of respect. This scar?” He gestures to it. “It’s a reminder I’m not some psychotic fuck anymore under that bitch’s heel.

I know I’m not you, Hajime. I don’t have the amount you have. But know that your scars show that you’ve survived, and you’ve made it out the other side. That’s admirable.

And ain’t nobody here went through the type of shit you did. We all look up to you. You’ve had this whole thing on your shoulders. Nobody thinks you’re damaged goods with those scars. Hell, we think of them as a reminder that you’re the strongest out of all of us.” 

“...Thanks, Fuyuhiko.”

“No problem. Now you should go take a shower, you smell like shit.”

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Hajime waits in front of the screen. In no time, Chiaki's grinning face pops up. “Hey Hajime. It's nice to see you. How're you doing today?”

They talk amicably. Even though she wasn't his former friend, the reminder of her AI was comforting, and in the few pleasant dreams he had, he remembered her presence (and in the worser ones, he remembered her death).

“-There's a call for you by the way, I think. It's from Makoto.” He nods. “Thanks Chiaki.”

She patches him through, and he finds it so striking the difference between now and the tentativeness from the beginning, back when they were still establishing Jabberwock Island. Signal seemed daunting, and they (him, Makoto, and Byakuya) were still trying to get Chiaki's AI booted back up. He remembers when they first suggested she try to call the Future Foundation (particularly Aoi, since Hajime refused to have the new Future Foundation head or some random member appear on the screen, since he'd contemplate breaking the nice monitor in half from sheer rage). “It's not what I’m programmed to do,” Chiaki had said, “but… I can try.”

Of course, Makoto and himself exchange pleasantries and talk for a bit, but then it derails into... less pleasant topics. “I'm hoping to finish up the layout for Hope's Peak.”

He tightens a hand over his glove, pursing his lips. “Makoto. I’m glad you want to reclaim yourself, but Hope’s Peak? Really?” He hisses, and Makoto sighs, as if they had this same argument over and over again. 

They have, by the way. Relentlessly. He is NOT getting over this, not by a long shot. He already knows how much Makoto invested into the project, but he’s still of the very firm belief he should’ve invested zero. Of course, he wouldn’t taint their rare ability to chat with one another about it, but he isn’t above reminding Makoto if he brings it up, just to be petty.

But being TRAUMATIZED WATCHING YOUR FRIENDS GET MURDERED is one of the many valid reasons for having absolutely NO interest in seeing the place that tortured him, everyone he cares about, Makoto, everyone Makoto cares about, and basically THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD, come back to existence. 

He loves Makoto, he does, and he knows Makoto’s a good guy, but… 

The idea of Hope’s Peak not being some fucked up breeding ground for hope and despair? It doesn’t seem possible. Part of the problem in the first place was the idea of pitting students against each other, forcibly defining people's significance based on whether they had “talent” or not. As well, they really sucked at developing talented people's talent, giving arbitrary assignments (from what he heard) and no actual practicality applied. He would know. His body is literally littered with their failure.

And the Future Foundation providing a substantial amount of the funds for this project? Hajime has no doubt in his mind that there’s something underlying their generosity. 

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

It's looking to be another sleepless night, despite the weight under his eyes begging for relief. Hajime just stares at the ceiling. He feels the body beside him shift the bed, creaking it ever so slightly, and in his peripherals Nagito faces him. Nagito has always been a bit of a restless sleeper (not that he blames him), so he isn't surprised to hear him ask, “What’s on your mind, Hajime?”

He sighs. “I’m just worried about the whole Hope's Peak idea.”

“You don’t believe in Makoto?”

He quickly flips onto his side to frown at Komaeda for the sheer idea. “I believe in him, I don’t believe in anyone else.”

“Well, I can’t help but feel a little hurt…”

“You know how I feel about you.”

Nagito hums. “Do I?” He smirks. “How do you feel, Hajime?” 

Why is he turned this way again? He flips back around, ignoring the way his ears start to warm up.

“...Shut up and go to sleep already.” 

He hears Nagito chuckle behind his back. It settles eventually though. Ah, Nagito finally went to bed.

“You know,” Nagito's voice pipes up, still awake after all. His voice sounds a little whimsical, as if nearly about to sleep. “I don't necessarily disagree with you. I thought it was a place of great hope, and the fact it's being run by the Ultimate Hope is quite amazing. But...

There's you. And the hope in you has been shining so brightly this whole time.”

He freezes. Did he just-?

The words spark something in him. As if they sounded familiar.

He gets a rush that tea- nor even caffeine back when it did anything for him- has never achieved. When he eventually does sleep that night, his dreams are pleasant.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

It's one of those rare instances Makoto lands on Jabberwock Island and can say hi to everyone. They meet at the small restaurant on the Island where Hajime prepares some tea for himself. He offers it to Makoto, who takes it gratefully.

Much like their video chats, the start talking about what's currently going on when Makoto- once again- mentions Hope's Peak.

Hajime lowers his cup.

“I'm going to be reinstating talents at Hope’s Peak.”

His fingers clutch his glove. He digs them in, sharp and quick, his lips immediately pulling down into a frown.

“Did… someone force you to do this?”

“Uh, no?” Makoto averts his gaze. “I’ve consulted with basically everyone since you’ve started getting me a little paranoid…”

“You should be. The Future Foundation doesn’t deserve you. You’re way too good for them.”

“They're trying to change.” Makoto states, with not much conviction.

Hajime hums skeptically. Sure they are. “Just watch out for yourself, yeah? Because the first thing I’ll do is leave this island just to kick their asses. I don’t need an Ultimate to make them into ragdolls.”

Makoto chuckles, rubbing his neck sheepishly. “...You must’ve practiced that.”

“Being around Fuyuhiko and Akane tends to give you some badass lines.”

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

It starts like a regular day. Things break, people fight, problems arise, he deals with it. When he sees the broadcast, he doesn't know how to deal with it.

“Oh, Makoto's on TV. How exciting.” Nagito mentions offhandedly, as if it was something as casual as the weather. It decidedly is NOT. Is Makoto okay? Why would he be broadcasted? Is this another...?

“-ing Hope's Peak,” He catches the tail end of. “In this world, there's nothing more important than banding together to fix the Tragedy that occurred. Rejoice with me as your new headmaster. Alongside the Future Foundation, we'll bring forth a new hope together!” Hajime cringes, and cringes hard. This doesn't sound like Makoto at all. The Future Foundation logo is the last image of this blatant ad, what the fuck, but he's seen enough.

He knows exactly how to deal with this.

He strolls into the new Future Foundation headquarters (although that may be underselling it). Instantly, upon seeing him, people start shrieking and running. Red lights blink in and out. He brushes it off. It’s the last of his damn worries right now.

He's rushed by armoured guys. He suddenly feels like he should've thought this through, but he continues on. He slips himself into the old Remnant persona like an ill-fitting jacket, paired with a little Ultimate Actor prowess. “Let me through or I'll make sure your families have nothing to put into a casket.” Okay, not his best work, but it's enough for them to back off. They watch him. He even hears one guy cowering in fear from behind. It's that which allows him to catch the guy's arm and dislocate it. Everyone jumps at the sudden violence, and the guy screeches.

He knows it's fixable, but he still feels bad. The mask he wears threatens to slip, but he keeps going until he gets to the new Future Foundation head. (Hajime met her before through a forced video call, with them threatening to interfere at Jabberwock Island if he wasn't capable enough. “I am Sumiko Hatanaka,” they introduced themselves. “Ultimate Administrator. Given the circumstances the Future Foundation is currently in, I have become appointed as the temporary replacement head provided my previous experience and commitment to my work.”)

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing.” He sneers.

“How are you here?” She asks. “What are you doing here?”

“That wasn’t my question.” 

He sees a sheen of nervousness across their forehead, but they don't let up their frown.

“Why are you here, Hajime Hinata, Remnant of Despair?” 

Why is he here? Why is he HERE?

“What gave you the right to use Makoto for some ad for Hope's Peak? What the hell are you doing, exposing him further to the public? Do you know what this could do to him?”

“I assure you, I have no vested interest in letting a valued employee be defaced in any way, shape, or form. His mental faculties are highly important to this company. Meanwhile, you are jeopardizing the very people you wished to protect by coming here. Was it worth it?”

He growls, “Leave Makoto the fuck alone, or I’ll remind you why I was a Remnant.”

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Makoto’s Hope’s Peak is in full operation. He doesn't know if he'll ever visit. So instead, Hajime is left pondering the future, and living on the Island with the rest of his classmates.

He genuinely hopes nothing bad will happen, but...

He wouldn't bet that it won't.

[caffernnn]

henlo the juice in that mh separation au sounds BANGING and if you feel like it i would love to press X for more dialogue 👀👀👀💕

(it took a bit for me to loop back around to this BUT let’s goooo!! Thanks for showing interest beloved 💕)

The mh separation/reunion AU (do I have a name outside of the song that first inspired it? It could be like the “something blue” AU for like. Wedding reasons. ANYWAY) is fun largely because it’s a chance to explore how Haru isolating himself or running long-term could’ve affected the Tachibanas, but I’ve been lingering a little more lately on the Haru details of those years spent apart. In this universe, it’s not as if Haru and Makoto dramatically never talk again after the fireworks fight, but something… shifts. This time, Haru doesn’t have that quick turnaround on what he wants to do with his future, especially in a way that has him (still confused and cagey) ready to uproot and choose Tokyo. So, he watches his friends get ready to transition into their hopeful futures, chase after their dreams, and tries to fade into the background. Out of everything he feels, the two he learns to put a name to are “unremarkable” and “untethered.” This is what he said he wanted once, right? To be “ordinary,” to be “free?” He doesn’t let anyone close enough to tell him otherwise and uses those two emotions as his reason to recede further into himself and away from the people who (he convinces himself) are ready to let him go in pursuit of the future. He doesn’t repeat his blow-ups with Rin or Makoto, but he resigns himself to both of them leaving as an inevitability, and he plans to do exactly what he did as a scared kid every other time somebody decided to leave: throw himself into the familiarity of routine and creature comforts for as long as possible until he feels safe enough to take another step.

I don’t have the clearest idea of Haru’s entire timeline between one of the last times the Tachibanas see Haru (right before Makoto plans on moving to his apartment) and when Ran finds him at his uncle’s bakery, but I’ve been think about how those years might look to him in retrospect, specifically in the context of Ran reintroducing the possibility of Haru seeing Makoto again after so long. He was recruited by extended family over into their business and their lives at his lowest/bleakest (practically unreachable to all of his friends and almost hiding away in his house from the town he thought he wanted to cling to), and his time with them led to inevitable changes and a life forming for him, whether he intended it or not. As much as he wants to say these years are divorced from his friends and life before, that’d be a lie and a disservice to all of the memories that shaped him.

For all of the ways he tries to avoid thinking about Makoto… some nights, man. I think I said it before, but it’s like trying to forget the feeling of hunger until one mundane trigger makes you realize you’re starving. Of course his best friend’s influence is woven into many of the ways he relearns and knows how to care for the world (build himself a present, if not a future, piece by piece), and every little bit that he notices is a reminder of how much Haru misses him. Whether it’s all platonic, romantic, or something else entirely, Haru only knows that it’s heavy and haunting. He misses having him in any form beyond a memory.

But, Haru left first. He’s the one that stretched the distance between them until he couldn’t hear Makoto call out his name anymore. What was he supposed to do, chase him belatedly? Try and covet that big bright spirit for himself after being the one to push it away in all of his fear? There were so many nights here and there where he thought about reaching out, but he didn’t know what would hurt worse: seeing how Makoto moved on and didn’t need or want Haru back in his life, or being welcomed back hastily just to disappoint him again. Time stretched on, the yearning/reminiscence came in as sporadic pangs, and Haru could never bring himself to reach out (out of fear, out of shame, out of… a lot of things, really). “The one that got away” and “right person, wrong time,” so it goes.

Those old resignations all get called into question as soon as Ran has anything to say about it, though. She is going to have those idiots face each other one way or another, because the few meetings she spends back around Haru again makes clear something she has maintained the whole time: Haru didn’t stop caring about them, not really. Soooo, why not make planning her special day a chance to scheme a little bit, just to see what happens?

[kiyocuck]

silly

ok im sick as hell and unfortunately also very bored so im gonna write down some silly naeishimondo scenarios ive been brainrotting for a while

Makoto being sick like me and staying home, meanwhile both taka and mondo barge into his house, bringing in homemade soup and tea (both of which makoto already got), and while they're being sad over the fact their favorite little guy wont be at the academy with them for the rest of the week, komaru steals the soup and tea cuz she woke up sick too (from makoto). An alt ending is them giving makoto a Liiiittle kiss on the forehead, both of them thinking they wont get sick, and waking up with 40°C temperature the next day

Them all going to mondo's house for a hangout-sleepover bcuz hes the only one of the three with a queen-sized bed (lil context, after mondo quit being a biker gang leader [in a universe where daiya is alive cuz fuck you] him and his brother move to a more. "calm" place, just the two of them. they still hangout w the other gang members though). they all watch movies and taka drops dead snoring the second the clock hits 10pm bcuz his brain cant handle staying up later for "no reason" (he has pulled all nighters when it comes to studying). mondo falls asleep second, and makoto just watches them sleep peacefully before snuggling between them and going to sleep too (imagine cringing over what ur writing help)

Going home in the snowy weather after shopping all evening (taka made them both come with him). theyre all holding equal amount of bags, until mondo grabs them all and speedruns to their house cuz hes FREEZING, and boy oh boy does he not like the cold at all. after that he sticks himself to the heater for like 10 minutes, while makoto and taka think to themselves that he looks like hes purring next to it (they both assigned him a catboy in their heads cuz it makes him 10 times cuter (also my version of him has a default >:3 face that all owada family members have (its more noticable on daiya but still))

Continuing the last one, theyre cooking together now!!! mondo kinda sucks at it, makoto is trying his best, and taka is this 🤏 close to chewing a brick over how they cut the vegetables (they look chunky (his autism can't stand it, meanwhile their autisms dont care/dont even notice it (no im not projecting not at all))). eventually they make a nice meal (of unknown kind cuz i can never think of foods LMFAO) and it turned out surprisingly good. yum!

Pet assigning. as i mentioned makoto n taka have assigned mondo a cat/catboy, but the same applies for the others. taka is a dog, obviously, but specifically a husky BECAUSE (im gonna be so annoying about this): Hes black and white, hes dramatic and loud like how huskies are, very loving (as every dog), and when his hair grows out more and mondo touches it, it reminds him of how fluffy huskies' fur is. makoto is a bunny, but i unfortunately dont know many bunny breeds so i will probably elaborate more once i look up and decide. hes just short/"small" and silly like one, and his ahoge going down when hes sad resembles bunny ears going down. (btw if ur curious mondo is either a tiger (still a cat!!!) or a persian cat. bcuz i cant help but imagine him as a chonky orange persian cat that on one occasion scratches your eyes, and on another cuddles on your shoulders. la creatura)

i think thats all for now! most of my other scenarios are even more generic, like going on dates (aquarium, cafe, cinema etc) so i dont have that much to write LOL.

if you read the whole thing, heres some items for yuo 🍀🧭💎

[arcplaysgames]

hmmm where did i leave off....

To celebrate the Madarame Job, the team comes together for hot pot. It's a nice sequence! It's cute! Ann and Yusuke continue to be my favorites. Everyone bonds over their sad backstories and Reverie re-explains how he wound up with an assault charge.

Morgana is briefly sad that he doesn't have any memories to bond with the team about. Yusuke is as comforting as I would expect him to be. He has such a dry sense of humor, it reminds me of Akihiko when he starts to open up and has these really straight-faced little jokes.

AND FOR A WHOLE TEN MINUTES THE GAME LETS ME THINK YUSUKE IS GONNA MOVE IN WITH REVERIE AND I WAS LIKE "AT LAST, EVERYONE TOLD ME THIS GAME WOULD DELIVER SOME GAY AND NOW I GET TO HANG OUT WITH EFFETE AESTHETE MATT MERCER EVERY NIGHT, YESSSS" but no he decides to go to the dorms.

my pout can be seen from fucking space

He does leaves Sayuri in the cafe, which actually made me emotional for a moment.

MEANWHILE

I don't know shit about Akechi but he sasses Makoto, so I'm a fan.

Also, Makoto, idk gurl maybe people get on your case because you fucking suck? It ain't that deep.

Okay, one: RYUJI I AM GONNA GET YOU A FUCKING BALLGAG AND IT WILL BE THE LEAST EROTIC USE OF A BALLGAG IN THE HISTORY OF GAGS. WHY CAN'T YOU SHUT THE HELL UP.

Two: I'm about to vault over this table and throw hands with Makoto. This might be a new landspeed record for a character getting so fucking deeply on my shitlist, this might actually rival Ryoji The Insta-Creep Whomst I Hated in P3P, I despise this girl.

Makoto blackmails the team into going after her target, a mafia group that is going after students.

(I wonder if they are yakuza in the original JPN? I feel like "mafia" sounds extremely weird here. If for some reason you don't wanna call 'em yakuza, even "organized crime" sounds less weird, but what do I know.)

This game is really trying to pitch me on Makoto being in a tough position, but I am a complete no sell on this. I think because I flat out do not buy the idea that she didn't know about Kamoshida when multiple students were going around the school with visible injuries and everyone was talking about Shiho and Ann. Like, if Makoto swore she didn't know, she's either a liar or she's so fucking oblivious to suffering around her, she shouldn't be in a position of authority over anyone and doesn't have a leg to stand on against the Thieves.

Glad the game lets me convey my contempt to her, tbh.

Oh then right after, she digs up Reverie's phone number to call him to thank him.

Makoto, you are a full-ass stalker and we are not friends. You lying to Sojiro to get Reverie's personal cell number to call him is like the cherry on top of your stalker sundae.

Also, through this entire sequence I have squinting at her shirt collar to figure out what that is. It's a B and a J, for Boaz and Jachin, the pillars at the entrance of the Temple of Solomon and framing the High Priestess as she sits sentinel before the veil BLAH BLAH she's the fucking Priestess. In what universe. Whatever.

The only good Priestess I have seen in Persona thus far is Fuuka. As discussed previously, Yosuke was P4's real Priestess.

If she's not the Priestess and her collar stands for, like.... Japanese Baseball, I will uninstall this game.

Anyway, I started Temperance.

Mostly because I wanna know what the fuck is going on here and is it deeper than some asshats at Atlus going "what if we combined our Maid Kink with our Hot For Teacher Kink!!!!!"

Also oh my god when the fuckign framing device thing kicked in and Sae was like "YOU MUST HAVE HAD HELP AT SCHOOL" i about fucking died.

The framing device of this game unfortunately takes Sae, who had a great introduction, and makes her seem like an idiot.

........ GOD could you IMAGINE if this game had The Fox?

SAE: "It seems like you were seen at the shrine on a regular basis. You MUST HAVE HAD CURRIED THE FAVOR OF THE GODS. Who helped you????"

LOOK AT HER FUCKING FACE I'M CRYING. I almost flung my Odin away in terror. PUT THAT AWAY!

Do you... want me to play along? How much is this a chosen job and how much is necessity?

I hate to be That Guy but if this.... is actually a line of work Kawakami enjoys, that would be very Temperance of her. Taking subconscious desire and want, and connecting it to material needs like money. Temperance would be the card of "getting paid for what you enjoy doing," honestly?

But who even fucking KNOWS. In P3P I literally Noped out of the Temperance SLink and in P4G I never got to rank 3. I figure I owe Atlus to follow ONE of the routes so why not the one that raises the most alarm bells! For fun!

Meanwhile, Mishima continues to be a crisis case waiting to pop off and I just wanna scream.

And then. Oh. He's in Kichijoji? AKA my favorite location? HM.

Am I being fucking punked? Or doxxed? What is happening here?

I mean... again, the Jake English vibes are bananas through the fucking roof, but he's also a master of billiards and a (so far subtle) flash bastard about it?

This is not helped by the fact that if I were to assign, uh, a Certain Character I Wrote In A Story a major Arcana, Justice would be one of the best options for him.

Anyway uh. Okay. I'm paying attention now.

Even if he is still Beige as all hell.

Last note for this post, I finally kicked off Yusuke's link and

damn Sae you fucking got me, we were having Yusuke make counterfeit copies of high-value TCG cards and sold them on the black market to fund our work, YOU FUCKIN CAUGHT ME

I don't even know how to deal with Yusuke being the fucking Emperor. What the fuck is his domain? The art world at large? How the fuck does he exert power over that? Also, like, if that were his domain, that's more a Hierophant thing than an Emperor thing--

MY POINT IS, I DON'T THINK IN THESE THREE GAMES YET I HAVE BEEN SO BAFFLED BY AN ARCANA CHOICE. I can see Magician, Hermit, Priestess, Strength, even the Hanged Man if you wanna be Spicy. Ooh, or the Star, he'd be a GREAT Star.

The fuckign EMPEROR?

Is the game gonna pull another rabbit out of its hat and convince me "oh yeah he the emperor" like it did with Kanji? STAY TUNED, TRUE BELIEVERS but the odds are not in their favor. oh my god, Yusuke as the Emperor, I'm fucking flabbergasted. What the hell.

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 224: Who You Are

Thursday, on her way to school, Ren got a message.

Yusuke: Pardon me, but you do remember the exhibit was today, correct?

Ren: Correct.

Yusuke: Do you think you could accompany me once again?

Ren: Of course!

Ren: Should I meet you at Kosei or the museum?

Yusuke: Just head straight to the museum.

Yusuke: I have to be there early to organize a few things.

Ren: Gotcha.

Ren: Do you want the others to come?

Yusuke: Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?

Yusuke: Hold on.

Yusuke started messaging the group chat.

Yusuke: I have an exhibit today. I’ve already invited Ren, but does anyone else want to come?

Makoto: Oh…

Yusuke: What’s the matter?

Makoto: Well, I was just thinking, we need to whip up a calling card for sis.

Makoto: We’re on the cusp of the deadline, and we need to make one soon.

Yusuke: I see…

Yusuke: Well, I can make the design at least and hand it off to Jose to give it to you.

Jose: Are you sure?

Yusuke: Positive.

Ryuji: And I’m guessing you want me to write the first draft once again.

Ann I can come with you to give you moral support.

Ryuji: Thanks babe.

Makoto: So, do you want me to put on the finishing touches?

Lena: She’s your sister.

Makoto: Very well then.

Lena: I have club activities, so I can’t join you today.

Lena: I’ve been learning how to balance everything, but it is a lot.

Sumire: I know what you mean.

Sumire: I’m heading to practice today as well.

Haru: There’s a meeting at Okumura Foods that I promised I’d be at.

Haru: So I can’t join you either.

Ren: Well, we don’t all need to be there.

Ren: I already agreed to accompany Yusuke.

Futaba: I think one of us needs to be at Leblanc in order for Sojiro to let us use it.

Ren You can do that, right?

Futaba: Of course!

Makoto: Well, it seems like we have a plan going forward.

Makoto: Remember: a lot is riding on this. One false move, and everything goes up in smoke

Ren: Right.

Ren: I’m positive we’ve made the right calculations.

Makoto: I sure hope you’re right.

Futaba: Who do you think we’re talking about here?

Futaba: Us Phantom Thieves have done the impossible time and time again.

Futab: We can thread this needle too!

Makoto: Thanks Futaba.

Ren put her phone away, and continued on to school.

After school, she went to the museum as recommended. She looked around and saw the fervor and excitement of the exhibition. Yusuke noticed her from the corner of her eye. He turned to her. “Ah Ren! Perfect timing!” Ren smiled, and headed over towards Yusuke. He smirked. “Behold: ‘A Beacon of Light in The Garden of Madness’!”

Ren looked at it. The edges looked similar to the last painting, desolate, uninviting, and withered. But in the center, there was a beam of light. The area of the Garden that has been touched in light feels calmer, more inviting, more beautiful. “Wow,” she remarked. “You really outdone yourself!”

“Why thank you,” Yusuke replied. Tell me, what do you like about it?”

“I mean,” Ren began, “I see the effort from your last painting, and how you built on that. I can see the vitriol of the world, but I can also see that where there is light, there is comfort, and it really tells me a lot about your outlook. The world may be rotten, but wherever you find your light, the world feels whole.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Kawanabe said. The two of them turned towards him as he approached. “Really, it’s head and shoulders above what you entered last time.”

Yusuke got defensive. “And I didn’t need your help to do it.”

“Did you now?” Kawanabe retorted.

Yusuke was puzzled. Ren took a second, but she understood. “Wait…You said all of that on purpose to motivate Yusuke, didn’t you?”

Kawanabe chuckled. “Guilty as charged.”

Yusuke was stunned. “So…that was a ploy to draw out my inner artist.”

Kawanabe nodded. “And it seems like it worked.” He looked at the painting once again. “Honestly, it reminds me of back when Madarame made his own works.” Yusuke and Ren were puzzled. “That is a compliment. Although I understand it not coming across.”

“No…” Yusuke said. “I suppose Madarame was a real artist in his own right at some point. I wish I got to see that side of him.”

“Did you know him?” Ren asked.

Kawanabe nodded. “He and I went to school together. Honestly, perhaps I could have stopped him from falling prey to his worst instincts. However, his descent was slow enough where I didn’t recognize it as such until it was too late. Hindsight is 20/20, I suppose.”

“It’s not your fault,” Yusuke said. “It’s nobody’s fault but his. And thanks to The Phantom Thieves, he’ll never do it again.”

Kawanabe nodded. “Are they perhaps your ‘Beacon of Light’?”

“Well, at first,” Yusuke said. “But over time as I started making new friends, and getting more encouragement from that, I have found them to be my ‘Beacon’.”

“How interesting,” Kawanabe said. “Now that I’m thinking about it Madarame used to ask me for help all the time.”

“He did?” Yusuke said.

“But the last time he did so,” Kawanabe continued, “was a while ago.” He looked intently at Yusuke. “He gave me a call because a child he was taking care of was sick. ‘Kawanabe!’ he pleaded. ‘Yusuke is sick, and I don’t know what to do!’”

Yusuke was shocked. “M-Me? He cared about me?” Kawanabe nodded. “It seems like he did. At least for a while. I can’t speak on your living condition during that time as much as you can though.”

Yusuke paused. “It…wasn’t all bad. But I always had fear in my heart. Once everything was said and done, I finally stopped being afraid. But perhaps that’s what gave me my artist’s block. Like a child eating as much candy as they want, only for them to get a stomach ache once everything was said and done. The freedom of not being in Madarame’s clutches let me run wild before I could even define myself outside of that.”

“How mature,” Kawanabe said. “I do have to admit something though.” Yusuke was curious. “Not everything I said at the sushi place was a lie necessarily. If you want, I can still support you through my foundation. Just…a little more hands off.”

Yusuke took it in. He took a deep breath, and said “I’m afraid I must decline for the time being.” Kawanabe was surprised this time. “Right now, I need to focus on what I want. I want to continue to evolve my work on my own terms. Perhaps when I am ready, I may accept.”

Kawanabe smiled. “Well, whenever you are ready, here’s my business card.” Yusuke took it. “Well, I should go. There’s plenty of other talent on display here.” He headed off.

“I’m surprised you said no,” Ren said.

“Well, I was tempted,” Yusuke admitted. “However, I feel like I still need to work on defining myself more. Even though this was a rousing success, I cannot let this go to my head. I need to always be chasing what’s next. And when the time comes where the Japanese Art Support Foundation is on the horizon, I shall chase it!”

Ren giggled. “I have to agree. You’ve become a lot more mature.”

Yusuke smirked, and then pouted. “Madarame is a…complicated person. Obviously, he was a monster that needed to be dealt with. However, I cannot deny that there was kindness in him. As Phantom Thieves, I wish to work with you to cultivate a world that thrives in that kindness, instead of causing others to retreat into bitterness.” He extended his hand. Ren shook it, smiling.

I am thou, thou art I

Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.

Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart.

Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of the Emperor, granting thee infinite power…

Emperor-Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 10

Inside Yusuke, a powerful force was manifesting itself. His Persona, Goemon, was changing. Evolving. It froze over before shattering, and his persona grew alongside him, becoming Kamu Susano-o.

How wonderful! Truly a beautiful first step towards a better tomorrow. I shall cherish this moment with all my heart.

Once Yusuke and Ren finished shaking hands, Ren remarked “I have to say, great covering your tracks on that Phantom Thieves question.”

“Hm. Well, you can never be too careful,” Yusuke said. “Let’s look around. I want to see what I’m up against.” Ren nodded. The two of them headed off through the museum, looking at the different paintings, and appreciating them in their own ways.

Meanwhile, after school, Makoto was heading out, when Eiko caught up with her. Hey!” Eiko said.

“Oh!” Makoto replied, surprised.

“Do you have any student council business to attend to?” Eiko asked.

“Well, no,” Makoto admitted. “However, I have…other things.”

EIko was confused for a moment, but then got it. “OH! You mean…” She glanced around, and then whispered “Phantom Thieves things?”

Makoto nodded. “And this one is big.”

“How big?” Eiko asked.

“Very,” Makoto said. “Both for us as a whole…and me…”

“I’m sure it can’t be that bad,” Eiko said. “I mean, it’s not like you’re going after your sister or anything.” Makoto looked at her seriously and nodded. Eiko gasped. “You’re going after your sister?!”

“Shhhhhhhhhhh!” Makoto warned her. She glanced around, seeing no one noticing. “That’s correct.”

“When?” Eiko wondered.

“Saturday,” Makoto answered.

“Yikes!” Eiko reacted.

“But furthermore, there’s a lot riding on this,” Makoto said. “What happens because of this will change the course of the entire country.”

“How?” Eiko asked.

Makoto seemed nervous. “Well…I think it’s better if we explain it once we’re out of here. Besides, I don’t want to keep them waiting.”

Eiko was stunned. “Are you sure?”

Makoto nodded. “I brought you into my house. I shouldn’t have to cause more chaos than necessary.”

Eiko hugged Makoto. “It’s OK. I know you care for me.”

Makoto smiled and blushed. She gave EIko a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks. We should head out.” Eiko let go, nodded, and the two of them left the school.

Once they arrived in Leblanc, Ryuji, Ann, Jose, and Futaba were all waiting there, along with Sojiro behind the counter. “Oh, hey Makoto!” Ryuji said. “Are you ready?”

“Well, almost,” Makoto said. She walked in, and EIko followed behind her.

Ann was curious. “Who’s this?”

“This is EIko,” Makoto explained. “My girlfriend.”

Eiko was shocked. “You told them?”

“I…” Makoto said, nervously, “I had to. I’m sorry!”

“No, it’s OK,” Eiko said. “They’re your friends, right?”

Makoto nodded. “Right.” She sighed. “This is all new to me. I mean, I also had to tell you about The Phantom Thieves, but they need to know who else knows just to be safe, and-”

“Shhhhhhhhhhhh,” Eiko said, pressing a finger up to her lips. “I just said it was OK, remember?”

Eiko backed her finger from Makoto’s mouth. “Right…” Makoto replied. She chuckled.

“Well good for you two!” Futaba said. “But we should get to the matter at hand.”

Makoto nodded. “Right.” She smiled. “Eiko, this is Jose, Futaba, Ryuji, and Ann. And that’s Sojiro. He’s Futaba’s dad.”

“I see,” Eiko said. “Hello.” Everyone greeted her back. Makoto smiled. She sat down. EIko sat down next to her. “So, is this everyone?”

Makoto shook her head. “We’re missing some people. It’s a pretty busy day.”

“And from what I can tell, it’s going to get busier,” Eiko remarked.

Jose looked over at Makoto. “How much did you tell her?”

“I explained the basic overview,” Makoto answered. “But maybe we can walk her through some of the finer details.” Everyone looked at her a little stunned. “Guys, she lives with me. Anything that happens with my sister at least has a tertiary effect on her.”

“Fair enough,” Futaba said. “I mean, when I was in trouble you let Sojiro in.”

“True…” Ann said.

“Oh yeh!” Makoto said. “Did you want anything? This is a cafe.”

“Hmmm,” Eiko said. “I’ll just take a coffee.”

Makoto turned over to Sojiro. “I’ll take one as well, Boss.”

“Sure thing!” Sojiro said. “Comin’ right up!” He went to prepare their order.

“So, how ‘bout I start writing while everyone else fills in Eiko about what’s going on?” Ryuji offered.

“Is it because you don’t know what’s going on?” Futaba teased.

“Hey!” Ryuji snapped. “I know what's going on.”

“Yeah,” Jose added. “He wouldn’t be in charge of drafting if he wasn’t.”

“Thank you, Jose!” Ryuji said.

Futaba pouted. “...I’m sorry.”

Ann giggled. “It’s OK, Futaba.”

“I thought you were here to support me,” Ryuji said.

“I am,” Ann said. “But Futaba needs support too.”

Ryuji pouted. “I can’t deny that…” Eiko chuckled. “What’s up?”

“It’s just,” Eiko said, “you’re all so fun. On the surface, you all seem different, but I can see why you’re all friends.”

Makoto smiled. “Thanks.” Eiko giggled some more. “But I think we should explain what’s going on.” Eiko nodded. They proceeded to explain everything surrounding Sae’s Palace and the accusations laid at the feet of the SIU director, and how they intertwine.

Eiko was stunned. “Wow. That’s a lot…”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “Honestly I’m a little glad you’re not on the frontlines of all of this.”

Eiko grabbed Makoto’s hand. “If you’re that worried, should I be worried about you?”

“Well…” Makoto said.

“Are you kidding?” Ann said. “She’s one of the toughest members on our team!”

“Yeah!” Ryuji added. “She’s the Fist of The Phantom Star!” Makoto glared at him. “Eeek!”

“Do you have the draft finished, Ryuji?” Makoto asked, intensely.

“Y-yes ma’am!” Ryuji said. He handed it over.

Jose looked over at Ann and Ryuji. “I will say, Makoto and Eiko bring up a good point. How do you two deal with your significant other being in the middle of all of this.”

This caught Ryuji and Ann off-guard. “You two are dating?” Eiko asked.

“Yes,” Ann answered, embarrassed.

“Yeah,” Ryuji agreed. “Well, um, to answer the question, while I do worry, I just worry a lot in general. I mean, I know a lot of the things I went through, and I know what she went through as well. But I know that she’s strong, almost to a surprising degree. When Ann wants something, she is determined to do it. Plus, she’s been a Phantom Thief longer than I have, so who am I to say she should stop.”

Ann giggled. “Thanks, babe.” Ryuji smiled and blushed. “As for me, nothing about this situation is ideal. I mean, we are all putting our lives on the line, but we all agreed to it. Our leader even cautions everyone about the risks, but we still agreed to it. Besides, we aren't alone. We have each other, and that puts my mind at ease. If Ryuji was out there by himself doing this, I’d be pale as a ghost. But with everyone else, I can relax more; relatively speaking, at least.”

Eiko chuckled. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m meeting you all then, huh,” she remarked.

“I guess it is,” Ann said.

“Yeah,” Ryuji said. “I can’t wait for you to meet everyone else!”

“Me either,” Futaba chimed in. “You seem nice.”

“Thanks,” Eiko replied.

“Alright,” Makoto said. “I think I’ve got it. Jose?” Jose handed her the card.

Eiko was stunned. “Do you design the cards?”

Jose shook his head. “That’s someone else. But I go to school with them.”

“You have another kid on your team?” Eiko remarked.

“No,” Makoto said. “He’s actually a prodigy. He goes to Kosei.”

“Ohhhhhhhh!” Eiki replied. “I see.” She turned back to Jose. “Well, you must be impressive.”

Jose blushed. “Well, I do what I can. He he.”

“Woah!” Futaba said. “Be careful Makoto. It seems like you might have some competition.”

Makoto chuckled. “Somehow, I think I’ll manage.”

“Yeah,” Jose said.”I don’t want to break a couple up.” Everyone shared a laugh. They continued talking for a while, eating and drinking as well, while Makoto put the finishing touches on the calling card. However, when evening rolled around, people started leaving. Still, it was a fun and productive meeting.

Meanwhile, after Yusuke split off from Ren to head back to Kosei, she got a text message.

Haru: Um, are you finished with Yusuke’s exhibit?

Ren: Yeah.

Haru: Oh.

Haru: I just got out of my meeting. I was going to try and come by and see it.

Ren: It’ll be up for a bit.

Haru: Well that’s good to hear.

Haru: But as long as you’re available, do you mind helping me with something?

Ren: What’s up?

Haru: I just want to go out and find some books down in Jinbocho.

Haru: But I also have a lot on my mind.

Ren: Sure thing.

Ren: Meet you there?

Haru: Yes.

Ren: Seeya soon.

Haru: See you soon.

Ren put her phone away, and headed out.

A little later, Ren met up with Haru in Jinbocho. “Hey there!”

Haru smiled. “Hello.”

“So, what are we looking for?” Ren inquired.

“I’m here looking for books on management, as well as seeing if I can find some books on growing vegetables,” Haru explained.

“Sounds simple enough,” Ren said. “Let’s go.” The two began shopping around. “So, what’s on your mind?”

Haru paused. “Well… I was in that meeting today, right?” Ren nodded. “It occurred to me that because of everything that happened, I don’t have a grasp on managing the company. I mean, I was set to be married off to someone who would do that for me. How can I guide the company with my vision if I don’t know how to guide a company in the first place, you know?”

“Well…” Ren replied, “I think if you’re giving it this much thought, you’re not going in the wrong direction at least.”

Haru smiled. “Thank you.” She frowned. “I want to be able to do more. All my life, I was told what I could or couldn’t do. I mean, I’ve rebelled when I thought I could get away with it, but I never felt like I had true freedom until recently. But even then, I got a lot placed on my shoulders. I feel like the easy thing to do would be to give up, but I don’t want to give up until I explain what I want.”

“You shouldn’t have to give up,” Ren assured her. “Like you said, you’re only now feeling your unlimited potential. You should have the freedom to choose what you want”

Haru smiled. “Thank you. I’m sorry. I keep bringing you into all of this.”

“What are friends for?” Ren retorted.

“True,” Haru said. “It is nice to have someone to talk to. I have Hiroki, and I’ve had him for a while, but we were never really open with each other. But that’s changed a little now too, I suppose.”

“Again, it’s your life,” Ren assured her. “Whatever you want.” Haru chuckled. They continued looking through the stores.

Upon seeing a gardening book, Haru went to reach for it, when she noticed someone else was grabbing it as well. “Sorry!” She said. She looked over, and saw that the other person was Hiroki

“Oh, uh, it’s alright,” he said. “I mean, I guess it makes sense. You are the one in the gardening club.”

Haru chuckled. “What brings you out here?”

“Well…” Hiroki replied. “Makoto-senpai is placing her trust in me to run the student council next year. So I came here to find books about leadership. Plus, I think I might start getting into gardening again, so I wanted to find some books for help on that.”

“I see,” Haru said.

“What about you?” Hiroki asked. “Are you here looking for gardening books too?”

“Well, yes, but,” Haru began.  Ren snickered quietly. “I’m also looking for books on leadership and management. I mean, I am hoping one day to manage Okumura Foods.”

“Oh. RIght,” Hiroki said. “Boy, this is a coincidence, huh.”

“You’re telling me,” Haru remarked.

“Are you done?!” a condescending voice said. Hiroki’s brother started coming over. “I can only ait for so long. I’m starting toge- YOU!” he noticed Haru. “WHy did your father have the AUDACITY to break off our engagement?!”

“I asked him to,” Haru responded.

“Since when did he listen to you?” Haru’s ex-fiance replied. “Do you really think you can manage a company all by your lonesome?”

Haru glanced away, unsure. “She’d do it better than you any day of the week,” Hiroki chimed in, surprising everyone. “I mean, your only skill is sitting there and looking pretty. You can’t even tell the difference between a stock and a bond.”

Hiroki’s brother glared at him. “Since when did you have a backbone?”

“You’re just now noticing my disdain for you?” Hiroki retorted. “Like I said: sit there. Look pretty.”

Hiroki’s brother scowled. “Oh please. You think you're better than me?”

“No. I know I’m better than you,” Hiroki shot back.

Hiroki’s brother grew angrier. “Wait until father hears about this.”

“Trust me,” Hiroki replied. “It’s not going to be new information to him.”

“Then why does he like me more?” Hiroki’s brother gloated.

“Because you’re a puppet,” Hiroki said. “He’ll tell you to do something and you do it, no questions asked. You say I never had a spine before? When was the last time you talked with dad without bending the knee?”

Hiroki’s brother grew furious. He raised his hand to smack Hiroki, but Haru stepped in and caught it. “Let’s not make a scene!” she demanded. She kept gripping his arm. “You can air out your disdain for each other on your own time. But right now, people are here shopping. I can’t imagine this would look good for you, or your father, if a brawl erupted here.”

Hiroki’s brother glared at her. He broke out of her grasp, shanking his arm, before settling down, at least physically. “You do have a point. Still, I hope you’ll reconsider.”

Haru continued her intense gaze. “I respect you enough to tell you that I think you could be competent enough to run a business. However, you are such a miserable person that I would rather spend time with The Devil himself than with you.”

Hiroki’s brother glared at her some more. “I see those devilish Phantom Thieves got you as well. No matter. We’ll see where you stand when the angels come. Perhaps if you beg, I’ll take you back.”

“Maybe you should go,” Haru said. “Before I decide to ‘make a scene’.” She clenched her fist.

“Hmph,” her ex-fiance scoffed. “I guess I’ll head back to the car then.” He turned to Hiroki. “Hurry up asshole.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” Hiroki replied. “Or do. I don’t care either way.” Hiroki’s brother headed out. Hiroki turned to Haru. “Sorry about all that.”

“It’s OK,” Haru said. “I know he’s an unpleasant person. You don’t have to apologize for him.”

“Well, true…” Hiroki agreed. “But I'm also talking about…well...I know you can defend yourself. I just stepped in because…”

Haru smiled. “It’s OK. I appreciate it. To be honest, I’m not sure how well I’d do managing a business. So thank you for sticking up for me.”

Hiroki was taken aback. “Oh, uh, thanks,” he said, blushing.

“Do you want to continue looking for books together?” Haru asked.

Hiroki paused, and then shook his head. “As much as I want to make my brother write in agony, I think I do need to get going soon. I can pick up gardening books some other time. Seeya!” He started to leave.

“Wait!” Haru called out. Hiroki turned back. “Um, I’m willing to let you borrow any books I find interesting. If that’s OK.”

Hiroki smiled. “Yeah. That’s great!”

Haru giggled. “Talk to you soon, OK?”

“OK,” Hiroki nodded. He left.

Haru sighed. “Hey,” Ren said. Haru looked over. “How are you feeling?”

“Well…” Haru said. “Oddly, refreshed. My father broke things off with my fiance, so I never got to tell him how I felt. This gave me the opportunity. But I’m still a little conflicted.”

“Well, for what it’s worth,” Ren began, “I think this proves you have what it takes to lead.”

“What do you mean?” Haru wondered.

“Well,” Ren answered, “you managed to deescalate a conflict. You said what you wanted, and remained firm throughout.”

“Well, I needed help at the beginning,” Haru admitted.

“Speaking as someone who’s been leading ‘those devilish Phantom Thieves’ for a while,” Ren remarked, “a good leader will admit when they need help.”

Haru smiled. “I see.” She went into deep thought. “I guess I always saw my father as this be-all end-all figure. I didn’t think he was the paradigm of true leadership, but I never understood what exactly his failings were. I suppose that needs some thought given to it as well.” She pouted. “I only have a few months before I graduate to figure everything out.”

“Ehhhhh,” Ren groaned. “I don’t know about that.” Haru was confused. “I’m not saying you’re not smart, but I imagine that you would want to learn more. You know, go to college, get a degree? I don’t think running a business is something you dive headfirst into.”

Haru smiled. “You’re right. I do need to work on taking those first few steps though. If I want to be the leader of Okumura Foods, I need to give people an outline of what the plan is at the very least before I go off to college.”

Ren nodded. “And who knows? Perhaps they’ll be really helpful. You told me you like having people to talk to about things. Maybe talking with them will yield similar results.”

Haru giggled. “I guess you’re right. But like you said a good leader knows when to ask for help, and well, I did ask you to accompany me today. So I think I’m in a better spot than I thought I was. So thank you.”

Empress-Haru Okumura: Rank 5

Haru grabbed the book she and Hiroki grabbed for earlier. “It’s getting a bit late. I think we should wrap up this shopping trip. This has been fun though.” Ren nodded, and the two went to check out, and head home for the night.

[danganronpa-21]

General Warnings: Kidnapping, Minor Violence

Fandoms: Danganronpa

Relationships: Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto

Additional Tags: Action & Romance, Kidnapping, Mystery Stories, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Danganronpa 3: Hope Arc

Chapter Word Count: 6,119 words

Summary:  Kyoko receives a stark reminder that the people she loves are not untouchable, and decides that she needs to do something about it.

This is the price you pay when you love someone.

 Fuck, Kyoko hates that that’s still her first thought when she gets into these kinds of situations. Though the fires that licked them are long since death, the thought makes the flesh of her hands burn anew. She can’t afford to think like this. She just can’t. There is nothing about this that she regrets, nothing about her love for Makoto that she regrets. The only thing that could possibly stir up regret is the fact that she didn’t realize that the daughter was twice as clever and cunning as her washed-up old father. The old man would never have thought to kidnap her boyfriend like this, but Miss Matsushina clearly got her brains from her mother. Snagging the love of Kyoko’s life was right up her alley, and god, did she hate her for it.

 “You better hurry, Kirigiri-san!” Haia Matsushina sings through her earpiece, her high-pitched voice straining Kyoko’s ears. She can picture her in her mind: sitting maniacally in her father’s chair, spinning around like a child, watching on the monitors as Makoto lies in wait for his knight in shining armour. “Your little swain in distress can’t wait forever, you know!”

 There’s a word on the tip of Kyoko’s tongue that starts with a b that she’d like to express, but Haia can’t hear her, so there’s not much of a point. All that matters now is moving as fast as she can to save him. Any anger or regret she’s feeling doesn’t matter. Only the life of her partner, no longer hanging in the balance, is what will make things okay.

 God, how long has she been doing this? Haia’s puzzle started this afternoon when she got home from work, and now it’s nightfall. Everything was supposed to be simple. She was supposed to get home from work, take a quick shower, and start getting ready to go out to dinner. With how busy their jobs had been, they had had so little time together. Makoto went out of his way to plan them an adorable date. He’d even bragged to her about how he bought a new, masculine bottle of cologne to smell good just for her. Ocean and teakwood, she thought it was. Teshigara Brand. If everything had gone according to plan, they would be home by now, curled up in the loveseat watching some ridiculous gameshow…

 Only the stars are out to see her throw herself head first into this danger. Sweat is dripping down her face and neck as she sprints – something that would kill Makoto, consider he’s always fussing over her hurting an ankle by running in her heels – and each of her breaths comes so shakily you’d have thought she had been running for her entire life. No, just a few hours, with lots of breaks in between. It didn’t matter, though. She couldn’t catch her breath knowing that something could happen to him.

 “If you look to your right, you’ll come up on the abandoned warehouse!” Haia chirps into the earpiece, doing her best tour-guide impression. “Did you know that this warehouse was built in 1946, just after the end of the Second World War? Following the sanctions placed on Japan after the conflict, many people in our economy struggled to stay afloat, but the Matsushina family happily prevailed with the use of this warehouse for things that were… absolutely legal at the time!”

 I don’t need your damn history lesson.

 Resisting the temptation to rip the piece right out of her ear is almost too great of a feat to accomplish, but she knows that on the off chance that Makoto might be here, she needs to keep it close. If she strays even slightly from Haia’s planned course, she’s promised to slit his throat and broadcast it on the Hope’s Peak morning video announcements. It’s annoying to have her so close, but it’s her only guarantee. Hopefully, when this situation ends, she can give that girl the punch in the teeth she deserves. She was always playing coy during the investigations anyway.

 The moment her hands connect with the handle of the warehouse door, she doesn’t hesitate to pull it open, slipping in as quietly and discreetly as she can. She’s not so stupid as to believe that Haia isn’t expecting her – she did literally direct her here, after all – but she’s not keen on plunging herself into danger carelessly. For all she knows, Haia has laced the warehouse with various traps and puzzles to catch Kyoko off-guard. Heaven knows she’s already tried that a few times. If this is the end of her journey, then the trials to save him can only be stronger than the last. It wouldn’t be like her to wimp out at the end of a fight. She knows well enough already that she won’t release Makoto without a battle. Whether it’s one of wits or fists, Kyoko is yet to know.

 In spite of her attempts to be silent, the warehouse door is so heavy that it can do nothing but close with a slam behind her. Within a matter of seconds, Haia cues all the lights to go on.

 Kyoko’s eyes struggle to adjust at first. Fluorescent white light coats everything in the room, starting from the back and gradually chasing each other to the front. All around the warehouse thirty-foot shelves with legs built of rusted steel tower, each of their shelves lined with worn cardboard boxes stuffed to the brim with old machine parts. Out of the corner of her eye, she’s able to make out a dull orange reach forklift, so drained of colour that it reminds her of a child’s beach bucket in the sun. The air is tinged with the smell of metal and paper products, but a small part of her swears she can make out the scent of gasoline. She’ll have to keep an eye out for any cannisters lying around, she thinks as she bites her lip.

 “Welcome to the Last Act, Kirigiri-san! You’ve done well so far, but can you make it through the big fight to the finish?” Her tormentor giggles loudly into her ear. “For your beau’s sake, let’s hope you can! I’m sure he feels the same. After all, he’s somewhere in this room!”

 In spite of her predictions, her muscles tense anyway at the confirmation. Makoto is here. He’s right here. She’s this close to saving him. If she can just get through this trial, this one last bit of trouble, and then she can bring him home safe and call the police on this crazy bitch.

 “But don’t get too excited on me, Kirigiri-san! You still have one last mission ahead of you, and it’s reaaaal doozy!”

 “Care to tell me what it is?” She mutters under her breath, punctuating it with a shake of her head. Her tormentor’s showmanship is truly awful. Then again, when you wrestle for your life under Junko Enoshima, the charisma of every other nasty blemish on humanity is going to pale in comparison.

 “Just like I said, hidden somewhere in this room is your precious Naegi Makoto! But wait… is he down the rows? Well, in a manner of speaking, I suppose! You have twenty minutes to search through all of the spaces between these boxes on the shelves. Somewhere in them, you’ll find Naegi-kun! If you can’t find him though, the boxes surrounding him are loaded with dynamite and some triggering devices. Take too long and boooooooooooom! Little bits of Ultimate Hope everywhere. You’d better do your best to find him quickly.”

 Curling her hands into fists, Kyoko curses under her breath. Just as expected, Haia saw rock bottom and decided to dig. The warehouse is nothing short of long and wide, and it could easily take her ages to figure out where he is. Problem is, she doesn’t have that long. Hell, she doesn’t even have anywhere near a realistic amount of time. Haia’s full intention here is to just blow him up, and she’s got to figure out a way to stop it. As her heart begins to pound in her ears, Kyoko takes off running down the first row of shelves that she sees, her ears tuned in to every sound she can make out. Between her heartbeat and the clicking of her boots on concrete, it almost seems like a fool’s errand.

 It is not as if she was never trained to solve mysteries on a time limit, but that does not mean that it does not make things harder. Thinking quickly leaves a person more prone to mistakes, and she really cannot afford to be making mistakes right about now. The love of her life is trapped somewhere in this room and essentially on the brink of death. She has no room for error. She was in this position once already, and after tonight, she never wants to be in it again.

 God, oh god, okay. She has to focus. She has no choice but to just buckle down and try to focus.

 If there is one thing that she has learned about Haia throughout this little puzzle game is that no matter what, she always tries to leave clues. She’s not the type to get satisfaction out of a game that ends with a surprise. There’s just no fun in that, she imagines she would say. This puzzle may not be designed in the interest of being fair, but she knows it is not designed with the interest of being possible. In all trials like these, one must remember that criminals want to test you. They want to see you succeed, to know what you’re capable of, so they can make themselves feel more confident that they can outsmart you. Little men forge big egos, as her Grandpa Tohachiro used to say.

 Her first order of business is to check the way the shelving is labelled. Can she even extract anything from this? It’s difficult to say, but this is the perfect place for a first clue. Something here has to be related to what Haia has said.

 The first thing she notices, off the top of her head, is that the shelves are not labelled by numbers as one might expect. Instead, they have lettering on them. NTG, NA+, WP, PR, B, GA, and LI.

 The letters have no significance to her.

 But still, there’s something – there has to be something. NA+ is the first thing that sticks out at her. Among the seven shelving options, it’s the only outlier. Naturally she’s drawn to it, but what does it signify? Why is this one a plus and the others aren’t? A lesser detective might take this as a cue to head down NA+ to search for Makoto. That answer, to her sharpened mind, is too obvious.

 Has she seen or heard these abbreviations anywhere before? What else did Haia say?

 Her mind falls flat. There has been nothing else but the instructions that she gave when Kyoko entered the warehouse. It’s a real doozy, somewhere in this room is your Naegi Makoto, the boxes are loaded with dynamite, little bits of Ultimate Hope everywhere! …

 That’s it! It’s the dynamite! She’s thrown out the chemical compounds of dynamite!

 B, GA, LI and PR are all virtually useless to the creation and use of dynamite. They are mere elements on the periodic table. WP is not a chemical compound at all – although she supposes that it could refer to the common use of wood pulp in the explosive – and NA+ refers to sodium nitrate! When put into a chemical compound form, the most common abbreviation of it refers to nitroglycerine, the key ingredient in dynamite! NTG is the correct answer! Thank god for all of those nights she spent cramming with Chihiro for science exams.

 She steals one last glance at each of the labels on the shelves, triple checking that she for sure has come to the right conclusion. Time may be lacking, but there can be no mistakes. No matter if he died from a wrong answer or from running out of time, it would eat her alive for the rest of her life, but at least she could say that she did all she was able. With one final nod at her assured answer, Kyoko sprints down that row of shelves, her eyes sliding up and down the towering metal as she tries to discern where he could possibly be.

 Just looking at those damn towers is a headache in itself. This is less of a warehouse and more of a storage unit at this point, probably where Haia’s father tried to hide all of his seedy purchases and documents. Even the boxes on the shelves themselves are huge, big and bulky and brown – but a lot of them are littered with symbols. Nothing special, of course. Mostly brand names. It never hurt to keep a good box around if you could find a good use for it. Mr. Matsushina may have been a criminal, but at least he was practical.

 Kyoko fully recognizes that it is a strange thought to be having right about now. But this entire situation is strange, and she’s too busy trying to make sense of all of the different brand’s emblems she sees to do much else. The placement of all of these is too deliberate. Each of them is the same colour, with the size of the boxes set proportionate to the decided centre. Wider ones at the sides and perhaps pushed to the back, and taller ones closest to the edge where she can see them. They all seem to cumulate around that edge until they meet at a centre, which so far seems to be the brand box. Each shelf seemed to have a different brand associated with it, and often had a year attached to that brand. The names were mostly unfamiliar. Haia did say the warehouse had been in place since just after World War Two, so she supposes that makes sense. Regardless of whether the boxes just stayed together well or she deliberately placed it as apart of a clue, the unfamiliarity of it served as a good diversion.

 For a lesser mind, maybe. Kyoko Kirigiri, however? She could handle this with ease.

 “Sit tight, Makoto,” she mutters to herself as she scans the shelves, still trying to replay the important words over and over again in her head, “I’d never forgive myself if you went before me.”

 Your little swain in distress… Japan’s sanctions after World War Two… Completely legal acts in 1946… The Last Act of her puzzle show… Twenty minutes to find Makoto…

 Most of it is useless information. Stuff she can throw out. That’s part of Haia’s trick with all her babble. She hopes that if she can just talk enough, Kyoko won’t figure out the hidden meaning behind what she says. But she can, and in all honesty, Haia probably suspects that she can, but she wants all of this to be done so she can test to see if Kyoko is a worthy opponent. The Matsushinas are truly a vile people if they would bring Makoto in harm’s way just to try and see how well she fares against them. She will relish getting to throw Haia in prison after this.

 Her hands curl into fists as she continues to make her way down, her steps slowing as she tries to drink in the sight. It’s hard not to tremble a little. Adrenaline swirls through her veins with every breath, but she cannot afford to let it cloud her judgement. As much as she wants to end this and save Makoto, no rushing can happen. It would be nice to skip to the part where she can hold him in her arms again, though.

 Oh, she’s going to hold him so tight. By the time she finds him, he’ll probably be pretty worn-out – smeared with sweat and whatever grime Haia’s put him through, clothes torn from wherever those brigands grabbed at him, with half-lidded eyes that will only be able to show his comfort at being with her again. She’ll probably have to take him to the hospital just to get checked out. She prays they didn’t leave too much of a mark on him, both emotionally and physically. Unprofessional as it may be, she might promise those brutes a couple of their own for laying a finger on him. The poor thing has been through enough already.

 Her eyes flick down to check her cellphone for a moment. Still no service – that had been taken away early on in this whole process – but at the very least she can see that eight minutes have passed. Twelve remain, then. Somehow, that feels like all the time in the world and not nearly enough. She slips the phone back into her jacket pocket and mutters something to herself, although even she is not entirely certain of whether it is actually coherent. She really hates this job sometimes.

 Moving through these halls so slowly feels nonsensical, but for whatever reason, she just has this gut feeling that she’s close to her next breakthrough. One of these brands will have to have some sort of meaning for her, right? It’s not like Haia was forthcoming about any other clues, and while she didn’t play nice, she didn’t play dirty, either. There has to be something that Kyoko is missing… but what? What is it that her eyes just aren’t seeing?

 Your little swain in distress… Japan’s sanctions after World War Two… Completely legal acts in 1946… The Last Act of her puzzle show… Twenty minutes to find Makoto…

 Is it 1946?

 That’s the only thing that would seem to make sense right about now. Unless one of the brands is called “The Last Act”, or there’s some World War Two manufactures here or something. Neither of those seems terribly likely, though. She’ll keep an eye out for them, of course, but perhaps the best next course of action for her will be putting a target out there for herself. A sense of direction might just be the push she needs to get the next clue into her mind.

 1946… 1946… No, nothing on the right. It’s all other garbage she can’t make any sense of. Shaking her head, she resolves to turn back around and check the left side. Surely that will have something, right? At the very least, she knows there is no clue for this one. Left, right, doesn’t matter – she’s got to use her eyes for this one.

 Boxes, brands, and more boxes. She’s going to be so sick of boxes after this. Knowing that it must be on the left this time, she settles for going section by section, eyes tracing up the stacks one by one. Tanaka Iga 888, Ichimonjiya Wasuke 1000, Uniqlo 1984, Maruo Clothing 1940. No good. A few steps over, and she’s onto the next one. Chikuma Shobo 1946 – 1946? 1946! She could nearly leap for joy when she sees that number pop up, and so close to the floor, too. She’s just about ready to dive into the shelves and pluck her beloved from the centre when something inside her forces a pause. Is this a red herring?

 Figuring out the composition of dynamite is a fairly easy task for a detective. In fact, she would argue that it is something one often just has to know when they start out on the job. But unfortunately, the same cannot be said for books. While she knows enough to know that Chikuma Shobo is a publishing company, she has no way of knowing if that is their actual inception year. Companies will often put their year on the boxes, that’s true, but some companies have a spotty concept of what their year actually was. In the case of books, it could also be about what was published in that year, versus when the books actually started coming out. The box is stamped differently than some of the others, after all. It looks a little too good to be true.

 Creeping closer to the shelf, Kyoko leans in, her left ear pointed towards the boxes. The only sound in here so far has been her footsteps, words, and the soft buzzing of the overhead lights, so she’s fairly confident that she’ll be able to pick up something. In the event that Haia merely slipped him a sedative, his throat muscles should be relaxed enough for her to hear his snoring. She could almost laugh at that, remembering how she used to complain about him doing that when they first started dating – and now it is all she wants to hear! Still, even if Haia went a riskier route with her knockout, she might still be able to pick up the sound of breathing. All she has to do is listen closely.

 …

 …

 …

 A minute passes.

 No sound.

 Haia did not mention consequences for making mistakes, but it still seems too risky to try and check. She wouldn’t put it past her to do such a thing. Like she’s already told herself a million times, the Matsushina family is devilish. Who knows what they could do?

 She swallows thickly. Part of her wants to believe that this is it and that this day of torture is finally over, but there’s a small, nagging piece of her that tells her to turn away. It’s all she can do not wince when she does, continuing to scour the aisle.

 Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. 1943, Sanden Corporation 1943, Horiba Ltd. 1945… These years are being deliberately blended together, aren’t they? Group all of the 1940s years close enough, and it will be more difficult for her to determine which one is 1946. That must be Haia’s goal! It’s all Kyoko can do not to just start up and climbing the next section, heart pounding as she thinks about how Makoto must be there. She has to see first. There is no acting without seeing.

 Another couple steps over, and she goes again.

 Calbee Incorporate 1949, Honda 1948, Suntory Holdings Limited 1946, Fukushima Galilei 1951.

 Suntory Holdings Limited! Kyoko’s heart leaps with joy as her eyes lock onto the box at the top of the shelf, even if she finds herself squinting to double check that that is, in fact, what it says.

 As the image of the box settles in her mind, Kyoko leaps into action, grips onto the large screws of the shelf without another word or a thought, and desperately begins to hoist herself up onto the next level. It’s difficult – she does not have the tone in her arms necessary for the task – but she manages, shimmying awkwardly up the side until she can hook her foot onto the second shelf. It will be that much more difficult to get onto the fourth one, where the Suntory boxes are, so she figures that it’s at least a little appropriate for her to try and take a rest. Still, she has to kick a bit to wedge herself out a space between all the boxes, and by the time she gets there, she is already breathing heavily.

 But she has to do this. For Makoto.

 In, out. In, out. In, out. In, out. In, out. And then it’s back to work again.

 She goes through each segment like this, one after the other, until finally she finds herself on the fourth shelf. As she carefully swings her exhausted body on to the shelf, dropping on her hands and knees, Haia’s shrill voice sounds through her ear piece.

 “Goooooood work Kirigiri-san, you really are as good as they say!”

 The detective jumps at the sound. She’s never startled easily, but that shrieky voice compared with a sudden sound? Ugh.

 “Your deductions, based on oh-so little info, have led you to the horrific chamber of your beloved! He’s held captive right here, just as promised!”

 There’s a catch, isn’t there? There’s always a catch.

 “Take a look and you’ll be able to see him, right as you left him! … Well, maybe not exactly, but a bit of roughing up does happen when you take a hostage. You can’t really blame my guys, can you? For such a small man, Naegi-kun sure put up a fight!”

 I can and will blame you and your cronies, you bitch, Kyoko nearly spits, but she knows any replies to her opponent are in vain. Rather than waste further time, she pushes herself to her feet, hoping to ignore how her legs wobble under her weight. Whether it’s the height or the effort that has given her jelly legs, she doesn’t know. It doesn’t matter now – not when she rises to a full view of the shelf, littered with those same, stupid boxes as the eye can see.

 “We had to restrain him a little bit, you see. Knock him out cold and put him in a little prison, you know? It wasn’t my plan at first, but hey, what is it if not part of the fun?”

 At this point she doesn’t even have the energy to respond to that statement. All she can do is stare, dumbstruck, at the sea of cardboard before her. It’s like the world’s most business casual labyrinth. Luck at least favours her in the sense that the boxes themselves are not sealed, but finding someone in this will not be easy. Silently, she prays that Haia will have one last clue to give in her spiel that will make this whole exercise with the ear piece worthwhile.

 “Speaking of fun, I hope you know that now you’ve got about… eight minutes remaining! Look at you, splitting up your time like that. If you can find Naegi-kun, take out your earpiece and touch it to the bracelet on his wrist, that will disable the devices meant to explode the dynamite. If you can’t, then I guess this is good-bye! Say hi to Daddy for me. I’m sure that you’ll see each other in hell!”

 The threat shoots fear through her nerves, like ice water trickling down her spine, but she knows there is no use letting herself get worked up. Like a madwoman, she starts to fling boxes open to reveal their insides. Anything empty or useless, she pushes them over the side.

 Maybe I can do that with the dynamite if I find it, she thinks to herself. It is not guaranteed saviour for herself nor Makoto. The explosion would likely destroy the base of the shelving, sending the two of them falling to their deaths, but even a chance is better than certainty. With this hope in mind, she goes back to flipping open boxes, hoping that maybe one of them will have a whisper of something.

 She’s somewhere around the sixteenth box when she catches a whiff of something… familiar.

 Kind of like… teakwood, and… the ocean…

 “Guess you forgot to fix his scent before you got him all wrapped up in your practical joke, huh?” She snickers to no one in particular. Ocean and teakwood. She’d thought the scent was nice when Makoto first had her take a sniff, but now, she cannot get enough. Her box-tossing moves twice as fast, heart thundering in her head as she follows her nose. “Come on, Makoto… Lead me back to you, just like you always do.”

 The scent makes it easier. Not impossibly simple, but easier. The movements go much faster. Her heart pounds even louder, and she finds herself sneaking more and more glances at her phone. Time is ticking away, but with every inhale, she is one step closer. One step closer. Before long it seems as if the scent is too much to bear, that he’s right under her nose and she just can’t seem him. Heat prickles her skin in excitement and worry as she flips open the lid of another box, doing each one faster than the last, over and over again until finally, as her head cranes over a particularly large one, a glint of light sneaks through the unsealed crack – and she spots, with her own eyes, a tuft of sandy brown hair.

 Relief drops onto her like a sudden rainfall. Nearly all of her urgency from before is gone as she lifts the flaps of cardboard open to reveal Makoto. Bruised and sedated, but otherwise unharmed, Makoto.

 She wastes no time plucking her ear piece from its home and inserting it into the bracelet on his wrist, smirking in satisfaction to herself as the thing beeps in recognition. Only a few seconds pass before a robotic voice murmurs: “Explosive devices disabled. Congratulations on qualifying for the final battle, Kirigiri-san. See you in three months.”

 The final battle…

 She lets out a sigh she didn’t even realize that she had been holding. Tough as it will be, she cannot bring herself to worry about that right now. She’ll try to get in contact with the police department before then, let them know the situation. That’s about all she can do. Otherwise, though, her major concern is getting Makoto out of this box and away from danger.

  _______________________________________________________________

 Apparently, it was Taiwan that Haia ran off to when she set the whole thing up. Long gone before the whole scenario started, really. They arrested the remaining Matsushina henchmen, at least, but there would still be more fighting to do in three months’ time. Thankfully, higher-ups agreed that they would be more than ready to warn the Taiwanese government in advance of potential attack. That meant that for now, Kyoko had time to rest up and get ready. To some, that would mean her first course of action would be formulating a plan or getting in with some contacts, but for her… It meant spending some time with Makoto.

 It had been tough work getting down from that shelving unit with an incapacitated partner, but she managed. With a bit of help, she was able to show her proof of victory and get out of the Matsushina family’s facility, and most importantly, get Makoto to a proper hospital.

 And that was how she found herself now, sitting in wait for him to wake up. The hours passed slowly. To the credit of the nurses, they insisted on checking her over as well, so it wasn’t completely boring. But when that was done, it was back to her current state: sitting in Makoto’s hospital room, slouched in one of those uncomfortable chairs, trying to take a nap. Funny how when waiting for a sleeping person to wake, the most interesting thing she can do is try to rest herself. She’s dozed on and off a bit already, and she feels herself getting closer to another bout, when suddenly she hears the sheets on the bed begin to shift. As her eyes snap open, she is met with the sight of a seriously dazed and confused Makoto, who still somehow finds the strength to smile when he locks eyes with her.

 “Makoto,” she breathes, springing from her seat as fast as she can to meet him at his bedside, “You’re awake.”

 “I’m awake.” He drawls. His eyes are half-lidded and clouded over, and she can only imagine how fuzzy his head must feel on the inside. Nonetheless, he does not appear to be in bad spirits. The way that same, comforted smile seems to persist tells her that much, at least.

 “I was so worried for you,” she murmurs, pressing her lips to his forehead ever so softly, like he was a delicate petal that would tear under her touch, “I had no idea what they’d done. Matsushina-san, she could have…”

 “What happened with Matsushina-san? Did something go wrong?” His smile does not dissipate as the words leave his mouth, troubling Kyoko. It would be a lot to expect for him to remember everything about the scenario instantly, but to not recall anything at all? That sends a bolt of worry through her chest. She has to try to avoid furrowing her brows.

 “Makoto… what do you remember about what happened to you in your day?”

 He seems to pause a moment, eyes flitting down to his lap as he mulls the question over. There is not much movement, but she can see the occasional flicker of emotion twist on his face before it is just as quickly replaced by something else. By all means, his day would have been normal up until Haia’s kidnapping attempt, so there should be at least some of it that he is able to recall. Still, after a few minutes of searching his mind, his gaze is devoid of recognition.

 “I don’t… remember,” he confesses softly, in a voice that reminds her of a frightened child, “I don’t… Weren’t we supposed to go on a date? I… remember that. And I remember that you asked for a Western-style breakfast this morning, but…”

 “Nothing apart form that?”

 He frowns. “Not a thing.”

 She bites her lip. “I was afraid you might say that. It must have been a strong sedative that they gave you, with a little something else added for good measure.”

 Makoto’s frown persists, yet a quirked brow joins it. “They?”

 “Matsushina-san and her brutes. I hate to confuse you when you just woke up, but… the reason that you’re here is because of me. Matsushina-san wanted to test me. She thought you would be a good motivator.”

 “I thought you caught Matsushina. And I thought he was a man.”

 “Haia Matsushina,” she explains, shaking her head. “His daughter. She thought she could avenge her father and his empire of criminality. My success with him made her want to test whether I was a worthy opponent… and in the end, that meant that she tried to press me to play her game by kidnapping you.”

 “Oh.”

 No other words, just that sound. There’s an expression on his face that she struggles to place, somewhere between the knit brows of troubled and the glazed gaze of still processing. One can only imagine how much it is to take in, but if he’s already asking the questions, she doesn’t feel as if it would be fair to leave him with nothing.

 “Did you catch her in the end?”

 Kyoko shakes her head. Makoto’s frown deepens. “Not your fault,” she blurts out, knowing that he will try to blame himself, “The police think she was already in Taiwan by the time she started testing me. They caught her brutes, at least.”

 “Are you disappointed?”

 “What do I have to be disappointed in?”

 “Well, that you couldn’t catch her… You can be a bit competitive when it comes to your detective work. You get frustrated when the criminals win a round.”

 She chuckles softly. Leave it to Makoto to call her out in the nicest way. He’s right, though. It does irk her when the enemy gets the upperhand for once. But, this time around, she finds that Haia is a problem she is more than happy to procrastinate against. When she looks at the man sitting in the bed, his hair ruffled from sleep, his gaze cloudy but calm, with no pain more than a few bruises dotting his arms and legs… All she can find that she cares about is that he’s there with her and he’s alive. A smile plays at her lips as she shakes her head once more.

 “I’m not worried about it right now. All that matters to me right now is that you’re safe.”

 A hint of a blush raises in his cheeks at the words, but finally, his face starts to crack into a grin. “Thanks for saving my life… again.”

 She leans up and presses another kiss to his forehead. “I save you; you save me. There is nothing I would not do for your sake. I’m sorry that my career put you in danger.”

 “No need to apologize,” he assures her, “Although I think we do need to get better security in order. It’s not like we’re exactly anonymous anymore.”

 She nods thoughtfully. “True. We can work on that when we get home. For now, I just want to focus on being together.”

 “Fair.” He laughs gently. “Do you wanna climb in my bed, so we can really be together?”

 “Like you even have to ask,” she replies, making him laugh even more as they shuffle their way into the most comfortable of snuggle positions.

 Well, the most comfortable of snuggle positions that one can take in a hospital bed.

[pugs-cats-bb-8]

Tactica-Kingdom 3

Why does it look like P2?

Now it looks like Arena.

Ann looks straight out of Scooby-Doo. 🤣🤣

So we went from the French Revolution to the Meji (?) Restoration/ feudal Japan to school with a door to hell...

Okay 🤠With hair.

They actually call them 🤠 people. I thought they were evil this time around.

They're roasting Ryuji 🤣🤣

He's made of fire?

Back to hell.

Ryuji ain't going to last if he keeps that up.

How the hell are we supposed to hit the enemy from down here? I'm pretty sure nobody brought their go go gadget boots.

Yusuke's willing to be friends with Ann even if she turns into a monster. 🤣🤣 Never change, Yusuke.

Bandaids?

Sad past time.

Class President, I can see that.

I love how Ren manages to look so pissed off but so cute at the same time. 😍😍

Poor Yusuke 🤣🤣

How old is Toshiro?

Ryuji gets some good lines.

I like the hell landscape.

I love how they sometimes speak without moving their teeth. That's a talent.

Is that Yoshida?

I love Ren's little nod.

I love how they seem to open doors with their elbow.

Can Futaba stop with her doom and gloom when you get hit? You could take 10 damage, have plenty of health left and Futaba's screaming about how you're going to die. It reminds me of dancing where if the meter dropped too low, people started yelling. It's horribly stressing.

I love how Haru holds the front of her hat.

My man's a robot?

The battle music can get on your nerves.

Toshiro fought, with what Persona?

I kinda figured that was too easy, but hoped it would be that easy.

Dude had a mental shutdown without having a mental shutdown.

So, he's going to be charged with attempted murder, right?

Only cowards say "if you didn't expose me. I wouldn't have pushed her in front of a train". It has very " I only hit her because she makes me mad". Or "He likes it when I hurt him". vibes

🤬🤬How damn brain dead are people?

I feel sorry for Ryuji. Makoto could've grabbed his ear.

Futaba and Yusuke can make coffee?

Ren doesn't seem like he has a lot of facial expressions. Which sucks, I want to see him react to stuff. At least it's better than Sun/Moon, where you have this stupid 😐😐 while Lillie's mom is getting dragged into the Ultra World. (I mean she does deserve it) but still, at least be shocked or something.

I hate the 🤠 people here.

I love the engine/gun shot star.

That is one freaky shadow.

Is this going in a 4 direction?

Mummy wrappings

Ernesto has a very cool design. (It reminds me of Loki with the colour scheme) {Sometimes women have men's names and vice versa} Probably hell to draw.

I honestly thought Toshiro was going to be the bad guy.

My man floats.

That is fucked up on so many levels. I think I've seen a game like this.

How is this game still T?

5K health!

It looks like EMMA and Neo Featherman mixed together. (I'm not going to count it as the 4th Kingdom till they get to a new location).

Choo Choo Charles flashbacks 🚂🕷

Ryuji almost got run over 🤣🤣

How can Lavenza see to drive?

I honestly thought this happened at the beginning of the game. Morgana's talking nonsense.

🤣🤣 Blue children

🤣🤣 Toshiro's going to get his ass kicked

🤣🤣 Poor Yusuke

I hope there's seatbelts.

15 save slots

Melty people.

So... Maruki?

So Toshiro's mind is the engine?

Who's drawing the pictures?

Lavenza drives about as well as Haru.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

I learned Skip & Loafer was a thing last week, I’m already caught up. I don’t usually have the time for binges anymore. But damn it, it’s so sweet and earnest it gets a full on appreciation post. Some light spoiling ahead. Starts with MC Mitsu. Rural girl moves to the big city isn’t new, but she actually tracks for me as someone who’s had the experience. She’s not a hick; she’s only in Tokyo because Mitsu has way more potential than Ikajima can support. That’s real, even the way you sorta have the town’s hopes on you. You get that nice, fuzzy quote from the lovely best friend Fumi early about eating good food pass or fail. It captures the vibe so well. Such a nice, strong skeleton to build a leading lady off of. Not exactly new territory but it’s been out of style for a while. There is that real edge of acknowledging the growing issue of rural depopulation in Japan. That said, if we’re talking new ground there’s a clear standout...

Nao-chan. Sweet, sweet Nao. Here she is launching into dropping some great wisdom about fashion and how it only needs to have as much of a role in your life as you want it to. One of our big wrinkles is that Mitsu goes to stay in Tokyo with her aunt who is trans. Great example of someone well past the finding yourself phase. Nao’s in her late 30s and she seems to have come out around her mid 20s. We know there’s some things like a falling out with her father and trauma from school days bullying but this is the type of series we may never actually see it. One of the cool elements is that Mitsu already presumably knows about all this. The two have long been close because Mitsu was one of the first people Nao felt like opening up to. Based on other examples I’ve seen, it’s pretty cool how casually everyone just refers to Nao as Mitsu’s aunt. Even ends up being a cute plot point.

What’s so well set up though is that Nao is honestly an amazing foil for Mitsu as well. There’s an implication she was the standout compared to her brother. A lot of hopes pinned on that salaryman career. But on someone who was treated poorly by back home. Either way, always cool and sadly too novel to have a trans woman in a maternal role. Especially an example where the junior is not also queer. She does a great job at it and when I compared these two to that Gilmore Girls vibe it was high praise. I need more of her adorkable boyfriend Goro too!

Last are these two dorks. Yuzu & Makoto. I adore blondie’s story arc. She’s naturally pretty and legitimately enjoys fashion...but hates all the nonsense that comes with the obvious popularity. It’s a hard line to tell that story without her coming off as a brat, and it’s hard to say it resonates without sounding conceited, but it really does for me. I’ve been there, talent or beauty or intelligence attracts envy. It doesn’t feel good to deal with that. You don’t want to rub it in you just hate it ended up being a problem. You do have those times people think it’s just, okay to treat you like a doll or be nasty to you because what do you have to complain about?

But for these two, they get over that hurdle. Makoto realizes she’s being unfair and that Yuzu just wants to enjoy a group of girls that aren’t obsessed with dating. Reminds me of Mugi in K-On a bit and that’s fun.

Give this series a go, it’s got a lot of heart. Will say the official release is worth it, especially if you’re here for Nao-chan. She...has a weird way of speaking that flummoxes the scans in some scenes. Bad enough it changes the meaning. The anime adaptation is great too.

[speakyskelly-1999]

omg look a time away from that moment

so i'll talk about sailor moon now

have i collected my thoughts. no

do i have coherent thoughts about it, no

shall i try to write a reasonably length review about it, maybe

and so with out further ado

sailor moon

so the only way i can conceve to like split this up is by characters and then do like a plot review at the end maybe. please note i didn't re read what i'd already put cos i can;t be asked so sorry if i repeat myself or contradict myslef (tbf the latter would be due to finishing the show). also this will have spoilers sorry

okay so

ugasi

based character. really feels her age. she's like such an ally. her development across the first season is just great. her crying, a feature i thought would be really annoying, was actually balanced really well. HER REACTION TO SEEING HER FRIENDS DIE FUCKING HELL. like i teared up and it broke my other friend. i didn't care as much for the endymion bit cos i'm here for the female friendships and not so much the relationship but saying that it was really well done. the fact that she was able to put everything on the line for the rest of humanity giving even given i still consider her to be a pretty selfish magical girl protagonist up until that point was amazing. i think that it for now moving on

Ami

i like her booksexual nature why did she need a boyfriend? okay but in all seriousness dispite being a more arcityple character than usagi she's still done really well. it's weird cos on paper i would normally describe her as a bit boring but she's surprisingly well rounded. and as much as i would have liked her to stay more ace coded, giving her the guy she likes and also being the only one in a 'proper' relationship at the end of the show, it did stuff to distinguish her from the others a bit more at the fact that she it a lot more sensible about her crush but that only extending so far. also giving her someone outside the group to care for rased the stakes at the end for her character

rei

man she's great. first it's helerious that she just has powers outside the hole sailor solider stuff. and it's kinda tragic how she just has to take the high road when it comes to usagi and mamoru. like it fucking sucks that the guy she really likes is just destined to end up with your friend who also likes him and just having no say in it. evidently hurting just as mush as usagi when he's captured but just not allowed to show it. her relationship with usagi is so good cos all they really do is belittle each other but then to be the last one left with usagi and taking out two (i think it was 2) of the enemies for her at the end. like her death was the most tragic. i was not expecting to like her as much as i did

makoto

'omg she has the name name as two different persona characters' was my first thought becasue it's never far from my brain at any given moment. asides from that i really like her. she's on the more simpler ends of the scale in terms of character and isn't used as much as i'd like her to be. but when she is the highlight it's great. the fact that she keeps falling for boys left right and centre is annoying that also the fact that they all remind her of the senior who broke her heart ins't great, like girl let it go. the fact that her death is the first one kinda sucks to me but also was the right things to do. overall she's just used surprisingly little considereing the number of episodes shes around for.

minako

oh man for the short amount of time you spend with her shes great. you can tell that she was originally a protagonist in her own comic before being booted over to sailor moon. her plot line about her time in london was fucking great character work. i love the fact that she does feel like shes been doing this for a while and thus feels a little bit like usagi's older sister when it comes to helping her out with stuff. i don't have much to say about her simply cos she wasn;t in many episodes but i deffo understand why she's one of my friends favorites (alone with rei) honestly they might be mine too.

mamoru

he's fine. look as a character he's pretty cool. the fact that he is slightly useless for a lot of the show, almost helping them out more when he's evil, is helerious. i think its cute that they're destinged to be together, however, this is not what i'm here for when i watch a magical girl. i don't expect the girl to get the guy. i think it was very well done and i don't want it to happen any other way. but he does cut into the sapphicness of season one.

luna

based home girl. put up with usagi. i love her. i don't have much more to say other than i really like her

artimis

he exists

jadeite

middest villian. i remeber his name and thats about all i care to remember. i like him for than artimis. not much more. and thats simply because i don't like artimis while i have little feelings towards jadeite

nephrite

started off boring but ended up being really interesting. his plotline with naru is quite wholesome (if you take it to be completely platonic love from him which is what i'm taking) he made more of an impact than his predocessor

zoisite

man just wanted to impress his boyfriend. love this guy

kunzite

man just wanted to be sent to where his boyfriend was when he died. loved his banter with Endymion. i hope he's with zoisite in the afterlife

queen beryl

she both does a lot and not a lot my feeling are pretty nutral. i do like how she was obsessed/loved endymion and was just but hurt he didn't like her back. that one off episode in the hot spring, she wasn't the only one in love with endymion.

queen metalia

if you can even call her a character. more just a manifestation of evil. gave queen beryl a cool power up that lasted all of 5 minuets

naru

fuck me man she goes through all that to end up with umino. like he's not a bad guy but yea.

usagi's family

her dad isn't really relevent bar the hot spring episode. i like usagi's relationship with her mum and brother it's nice.

[makowo]

Apologies, but… what’s DR Gaiden? Is that the Killer Killer manga??? (If it is, I would like to remind everyone that towards the end a person is beheaded so cleanly that their head REATTACHES ITSELF after falling back on their neck. No, I’m not kidding.)

No. unfortunately it is NOT the Killer Killer manga. the manga is actually pretty good and i liked it when i read it, so stupid but so funny

the word "Gaiden" is used to refer to side stories to a main series however, which is why this awesome ao3 fic series that's most likely got a longer total reading time than all three games + the anime, is called DR Gaiden.

(Image ID: The AO3 statistics of DR Gaiden. It has 1,352,107 words, 216 works, is confirmed not to be completed yet, and has a total of 44 bookmarks. Across every single one of these works. End ID)

DR Gaiden is a currently ongoing series made by Wi.iF.an2.00.9 and Mo.ilo.ru, and despite its name, it follows Makoto and Kyoko throughout the entire series as they face the challenges given in the wake of The Tragedy, and forge a perfect happy ending out of it. It's a canon divergence AU, where trauma is basically nonexistent/resolved immediately after formation in one fic, and LGBTQ+ people are at BEST a background prop.

Yeah, I don't even know if Sakakura is gay in this I'm gonna be honest. it's like the most christian series ever without having any explicit christian imagery in it. There's some INSANE reaches for straight ships in this, it's really fucking obnoxious. But that is the LEAST of the problems in this, tbh.

(Image ID: An excerpt from "The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Maki Moves In!" It says this: "Babe? Isn't that kinda misogynistic? Kaito thought, frowning as his brow furrowed." End ID)

Characters will say the most unrealistic shit ever. It feels like every five lines I'm going "they would not fucking say that." There's an anti-abortion message in this series, did you know that? It's revealed that Makoto almost got aborted but apparently his Ultimate Hope talent is a real, literal thing, and he stopped his own abortion by it. Uh. Manifesting? It was weird, it was really weird.

There's also some very interesting fics around. Like the one where Makoto proposes to Kyoko, but the ring won't fit over her glove, so she does the only realistic thing to do in this sort of situation; Throws her gloves into the fireplace and proclaims that she's "completely and utterly his." The backlash to this was apparently so bad that it was later rectified in a fic where Kyoko is suddenly nervous again about not having gloves.

There's some other stuff too, but I won't get too into. Just know that there is an accepted commission in this where the main fankid, an UNDERAGE CHARACTER, I believe around in her early teenage years at the time, in an. I'll just say explicit fic. You can go search for it yourself if you're curious, but I'm not talking about it here.

Then ofc, there's the infamous autism therapy fics. One is the initial diagnosis, and the second is the month of therapy thereafter. And they both suck so so so fucking bad.

There's ofc more to cover, way too much to cover tbh, but that's just. a sample of this series. This shouldn't have been this long but I have very strong feelings about this series, and it's hard to not ramble about.

[crqelsummer]

the next class 1-a! (and others)

THE NEW CLASS 1-A!

A pretty quick list of kimiko's classmates! i've actually had this list for some months now, but it was more a point of reference than a proper list because I haven't really wrote anything for OHA yet. Getting there though!

Kirishima Makoto - Class Rank: 1 Quirk: Shrapnel Age: 15 Height: 5’5” Chosen Track: Hero Course (Bombing King)

Notes: Makoto is a talented young woman with a bright future ahead of her — if she can just keep the yelling down a minimum. Young Kirishima is a rule-breaker through and through, and isn’t afraid to make that other people’s problem. She has a strong sense of justice that when challenged, can get explosive. Snarky and a smartass, the pride she carries just might be her downfall when push comes to shove. (Kiribaku)

Sero Haruko - Class Rank: 2 Quirk: Acid Tape Age: 15 Height: 5’8” Chosen Track: Hero Course (Here - Yuly)

Notes: Haruko is a jokester at heart, but a capable young man that’s determined to make a name for himself in the hero world apart from his parents. Talented and flashy, he still has a lot to learn before he’s ready to be out on his own, but his creative abilities are what makes him shine in class. With so many uses of his almost double quirk, it’s just a matter of time before his power skyrockets. (Seromina)

Tokoyami Rin - Class Rank: 3 Quirk: Light Frog Age: 15 Height: 5’7” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Rin, while she chooses not to speak often, is an expressive girl with her sights set high. Coming from a mostly quiet family in the media, she’s noted as being a boisterous personality who’s friendly to everyone who comes across her. The eldest of three, Rin is responsible and caring to a fault. Light Frog, the apparition she was born with, has a personality of her own, but she translates many of Rin’s thoughts for her. (Class Rep) (TokoTsuyu)

TetsuTetsu Daisuke - Class Rank: 4 Quirk: Iron Fists Age: 15 Height: 6’0” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Daisuke is a prideful young hero with a talent for smashing things. An excitable boy, he’s reckless at times but can always get the job done, even if his mind wanders sometimes. He’s a huge fanboy of the big heroes and often drools over the idea of getting his own hero merch someday. The middle son of Real Steel and Battle Fist, he has a lot to live up to, but damn does he do it well. (Vice Rep) (Tetsukendo)

Togata Junko - Class Rank: 5 Quirk: Transformation Age: 15 Height: 5’7” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: The baby of the Togata family, Junko’s personality is loud and proud, if not bordering on oppressive. While she’s not exactly the strongest with her quirk (and thinks more in the here and now rather than planning properly), she does want to make a name for herself. She’s quickly becoming a fan favorite by most, even if she tends to think later and act now. Reckless and full of wrecks, no one can say Junko doesn’t put her best foot forward. (Miritama)

Maekawa Moriko - Class Rank: 8 Quirk: Fairy Age: 15 Height: 5’4” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Moriko is a prideful, talented and oftentimes spiteful young girl who makes it her mission to remind everyone who she is and just how high her potential really is. A long time bully of Kimiko’s and a massive know it all, not many see many redeeming qualities about Moriko, but beneath all the bravado there’s a hero there waiting to be unlocked because all she really wants is to be enough for someone. Y’know, just as soon as she can stop pressing everyone’s buttons.

Yaoyorozu Seiji - Class Rank: 12 Quirk: Phase Rush Age: 15 Height: 5’3” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Seiji is a quiet boy and is often quite shy. Explained by his ADHD, he’s often underestimated by classmates and instructors alike, but his Quirk makes him a talented student nonetheless. Able to phase through almost any material, he can accelerate fast enough to simply move through them with a scary precision that makes him one of 1-As strategists. Still, he’s terribly abrasive at times with a large ego to match, and usually fades into the background because its easier than dealing with the class drama. (Kamimomojirou)

Matsuo Iwao - Class Rank: 14 Quirk: Teleportation Age: 15 Height: 5’8” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Iwao, if he were anyone else, would be expected to be a far more powerful hero. Teleportation is a crazy powerful ability that he dreams of using to its furthest extents. However the limitations of his Quirk hold him back a lot of time, his personality even moreso. The youngest of four, Iwao is constantly trying to prove himself, leading to pushing himself way too far, way too fast — or holding back when he shouldn’t. However, he’s still a massive jokester that gets people laughing and eases tension a lot of the time.

Aoyama Elle - Class Rank: 15 Quirk: Light Hands Age: 15 Height: 5’5” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Elle is a stunning person, inside and out. Half French, she’s a well cultured girl who travels quite a bit, experiencing the world as she pleases. This does lead to some amusing interactions with her Japanese classmates, but she’s ready to work towards a better future with an almost dangerous work ethic. Sporty and bright, Elle puts on a show every time she uses her Quirk and her mind, making her one of the prides of 1-A. Still, her overconfidence often gets her into trouble, something she’s still working on these days.

Shinsou Yuto - Class Rank: 16 Quirk: Thief Age: 15 Height: 5’7” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Yuto is a distinctly off putting person, considering all it takes is for someone to answer him, and their Quirk is his. Questionably fighting for the right reasons, he can be painfully honest and at times, straight up insulting. But he’s self-aware enough to work on himself, even if the road there is paved with a lifetime of social expectations he just can’t quite grasp. He can be quite nice at times, once people earn his trust, and is even downright caring to his classmates once he gets to know them. (Monoshin)

Midoriya Kimiko Class Rank: ? Quirk: Flashfire Age: 15 Height: 5’6” Chosen Track: Hero Course (Jet Set Run)

Notes: Kimiko is someone who’s…not quite sure who she is yet. Defined by the years of bullying she’s experienced due to her weaker Quirk, she can often be found by Makoto’s side and is quieter than most. Though it does get her down sometimes, she’s always willing and ready to put herself on the line when push comes to shove. Smart, calculating and just a little awkward, Kimiko is a triple threat — especially when it’s revealed at the Roaring Sports Festival that she does in fact have a Quirk, one that’s almost world ending. (Tododeku)

-

CLASS 3-A!

Iida Ryosei Class Rank: 3-A Quirk: Moonwalk Age: 18 Height: 5’8” Chosen Track: Hero Course (Odd Future)

Notes: A powerful rescue hero in the making, Ryosei is the eldest of the 1-A descendants, and takes this very seriously. Responsible and occasionally overbearing, he’s has a knack for keeping his younger friends out of trouble — but isn’t exactly afraid to get into it if it means saving them. He’s poised to become next Ingenium, and while it troubles him, he’s ready to make his family proud. (Iidachako)

Ojiro Reiko Class Rank: 3-A Quirk: Elastic Age: 18 Height: 5’4” Chosen Track: Hero Course (???)

Notes: Shaping up to be one of the more popular heroes, Reiko is capable of stretching her limbs out to wild extents. Kind and sweet, she’s shaping up to one of the more popular UA students of the year, and the media loves her winning personality. Bright and bubbly, she makes for a great friend and better role model. The winner of her third sports festival, she and Ryosei keep up a good repertoire with each other that often turns competitive. (Ojitooru)

Togata Keisuke Class Rank: 3-A Quirk: Animal Form Age: 18 Height: 5’4” Chosen Track: Hero Course (???)

Notes: The youngest of the Togata twins, Keisuke is a jokester with a heart of gold. He’s a little bit of a clown and uses his Quirk to make people laugh, but is quick to catch up if he ever falls behind. He tries to stay out of trouble, but it tends to follow him around regardless of how hard he works to stay out of it. Nonetheless, he’s poised to become a great hero with a bright future as he’s part of UA’s Big Three this year. (Miritama)

Togata Chikao Class Rank: 3-B Quirk: Permeation Age: 18 Height: 5’5” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: The eldest of the Togata twins, Chikao is a little more responsible than his counterpart. Perhaps this is because Keisuke’s troubles usually cover his up, but he’s a helpful young man that is often just as boisterous as his siblings. Talented and strategic, he tends to be a little shy and can shut down sometimes when things become too stressful. However, he’ll always show up if someone needs him, he refuses to leave someone in peril regardless of the trouble. (Miritama)

-

OTHER STUDENTS -

Kirishima Takato Class Rank: N/A Quirk: Quirkless Age: 17 Height: 5’11” Chosen Track: Business

Notes: The eldest son of the Kirishima family, Takako is relatively high spirited for his outlook on life. Diagnosed Quirkless, he set his sights high to eventually be the first Quirkless owner of a hero agency, and his analytical mind has him set up well to make it a reality. Usually keeping Mako out of trouble, he does get down about his lack of Quirk sometimes, but never lets it keep him down for too long. After all, he’s the kid of Ground Zero and Red Riot damn it! (Kiribaku)

[caffernnn]

Just dropping by another au idea that i will not elaborate like, I'm thinking of a rise of the guardians! AU (hopefully at least you've watched the movie, like the books have more elaborate lore on the guardians but we're not gonna dive deep into all that)

anyway so, STYLE FIVE as the guardians. Like, each guardian (santa, Easter bunny, tooth fairy, sandman, and jack frost) represents a concept of childhood which is their core, the very thing that they must share with the world (also their abilities and duty stem from this core, lime how the tooth fairy is the guardian of memories and collects the teeth which contain glimpses of childhood memories etc.)

Sooo....

Santa claus = guardian of wonder = nagisa

Tooth fairy = guardian of memories = makoto

Sandman = guardian of dreams = rin

Easter bunny = guardian of hope = rei

Jack frost = guardian of fun = haru

I don't wanna say that the free boys correspond to the guardian character, but rather the concept they represent so... yeah. Thoughts? I really didn't give much thought to this so it's fair if you don't either 😭

OKAY HI HELLO I LOVE THIS!! I adore that movie and wanted to watch it again before responding to this, so here we are 😌

Having Haru step into the same position as Jack makes so much sense with how long it takes him to find his center or understand how he could be qualified to be any sort of guardian (being given high regard and responsibilities without knowing himself or the “why” behind it is just another way of being invisible, to him), and the answer lying in people seeing/believing in him most when he’s doing what he loves, having fun, and having an quiet sense of pride in it. Guardian!Haru works to bolster all of the other virtues the guardians are looking after (hopes, dreams, wonder, memories) by inspiring authenticity, in a way. That’s his strength, his center — he puts his all into the few things he does because he enjoys those things, or he knows what he’s doing will help in equally important goals/pursuits (aka, even if an action doesn’t bring him direct and immediate joy, that effort might help someone else have fun, and sharing in fun/joy is a very precious thing).

I love the roles you chose for them because it works so well for each of them?? Like, it makes sense for Nagisa to be a guardian with endless ideas and huge eyes, encouraging people to be constantly curious. It makes sense for Rei to be a guardian for hope, for trying again, for seeing each hard misstep as a lesson moving forward, and hard seasons and nights survived as changes for bright mornings and new beginnings. It makes sense for Rin to protect the dreamers, the hopeless romantics, the people with aspirations and borderline impossible ideas bigger than themselves, pushing them to find something to hold onto in the whirlwind that’ll drive them endlessly forward. It makes sense for Makoto to be the grounding and steadying force in all of these virtues that push people forward by preserving the reminders of who they once were, where their old dreams and hopes and wonders lead them in the past, what inspires them to have fun or dare to live in the first place. They’re the protectors of tomorrows, of yesterdays, of the joyous possibilities and intriguing impossibilities of todays. AND THAT IS SO FUN

There’s also just the interesting character dynamics that emerge from those respective values, all working together but distinct enough to still cause some friction. I can see Haru and Rin butting heads like they did in ES (and other times, but most noticeably here) where Haru perceives things through preserving the fun of the present, while Rin often has his eyes glued to the path forward or to the sky. One forgets what it’s like to aspire for more, and one forgets what it’s like plants roots or settle where you are. It isn’t a set dichotomy, but Nagisa’s guardianship over wonder meshes more with Haru’s domain of fun (relishing in all of the whimsy of the present), and Rei’s propensity for hope leans more into Rin’s domain of dreams (both rooted in the delight of striving for change, for more). Makoto’s position in all of this becomes complex because he understands both pulls, because memories aren’t just objective points from the past planted on timelines, but stories formed by who someone is now and all they imagine themselves to be. Memories are proof that even in the perilous march of time, even in the inevitability of change, we’re allowed to preserve bits of those things we loved and carry them with us for strength wherever we may go next. His center makes him the glue, or the thread that connects them all together (and for angst reasons, it may not always work, but dang if he isn’t trying).

I don’t have much thought on character positions for them (like, taking over different holiday mascot roles as opposed to being their own original guardians or something), but the sheer vibes of it all and what they can all learn from each other are just !!!! Chef’s kiss, dude

(and if somebody constructed a loose plot with Ryuuji or Hiyori or Sousuke taking on the role of Pitch Black where they have to maybe break away from their reign over [and reliance on] isolation/fear/nightmares I’d be 👀 intrigued)

[kessielrg]

[Super Danganronpa 2 AU] Pixel Perfect: Chapter 1

Chiaki is given a one-up. Or, in which Izuru wonders if letting her die would have been more merciful than this. And Hajime can’t stop apologizing.

Summary: In which Hajime slips Makoto a note during the ending of D3, and finds a secret treasure.

Notes: Something new to help make writing a bit easier again. Based on a plot bunny I've had for almost a year now that is in no way original. Chapters are going to be short (around 1k) because working on something big like 2 Die 4 You (which has an average-ish 2.3k word count per chapter) takes a lot out of someone with a writer's block. And i like Chiaki and Hajime's relationship and want to explore it more. Wrenches included. Thanks for reading!

Rating: K+

AO3 link: here

-

The Remnants of Despair had done it. They were able to stop the Hope Video from completely brainwashing the world. For once, all Makoto Naegi had to do was watch. Smiling to himself, Makoto left the broadcasting tower with the assurance that the future was going to be bright and full of hope for the previous Despairs.

He almost didn’t notice when they started to come out of the tower. One by one, now joined together with friendship and forgiveness, it was Hajime that caught Makoto’s eye. The two gave each other nods of acknowledgement. The Ultimate Hope for their respective peers.

That is, until Hajime slipped something into Makoto’s hand. He wasn’t able to look at it right away. That only happened once the 77-B class was well on their way again and the world was in a quiet peace once more. Makoto found that it was a piece of paper in his hand. On it were some numbers that  took Makoto a solid minute to figure out. When he did, he found himself just as dumbfounded.

“Coordinates?”

-

Makoto didn’t know much about planes and how they worked. He couldn’t even tell right away if they were even going in the right direction. If he didn’t have Byakuya in his ear, he might have been a touch nervous. “Just because you’re on the Future Foundation’s good side now, it doesn’t mean you should still be undertaking unlisted missions just because you can.”

“I know, I know.” Makoto admitted. “I am still on a short leash too, I get it. But this is something I need to do. I can feel it.”

Byakuya gave an exasperated sigh.

“Just  get it done.”

Makoto smiled.

The plane landed not far from the coordinates. Makoto had to make the rest of the trek on foot. It wasn’t that hard of a hike. If anything, this area looked pretty well maintained up until a year or so ago. Some ivy was growing in the path, the trees were a little bushy but otherwise healthy. It reminded Makoto of a nature trail. Where it ended surprised him though. Nature trails usually didn’t back into a large bunker.

The bunker was guarded by a single keypad lock. It was far too simple. Makoto checked the paper Hajime had given him. Carefully, Makoto approached the bunker and entered the keypad number. A slow hydrologic hiss greeted him. The door to the bunker started to roll open, allowing light to peer into the structure for the first time in awhile. Makoto took cautious steps forward. As he entered, motion sensor lights flickered to life. He followed them as they came on. The lights led him to a large open room- placed in the center was a glass container filled with a dark blue liquid.

Makoto moved closer.

It became clear to him that the glass container contained something within. He had to get pretty close to realize that it was something humanoid. Makoto all but pressed his face to the glass in trying to understand what was going on here. When he recognized a face, he leapt back in shock.

“No way…”

He went back over to the glass container and looked over the body once more. The shock of it all outweighed the shame that the poor young woman was naked. But it was her. It had to be.

Slowly, Makoto pulled out his phone and put it to his ear.

“Hey Byakuya? No, I’m not in trouble again. No. Not that either. I think I found something that also needs to be relocated to Jabberwock Island…”

-

At first, in hearing the helicopter come, former Class 77-B thought they were in trouble again. They sent out Hajime as a peacekeeper. 

…and also because he lost a game of rock, paper, scissors.

Hajime patiently waited for the helicopter to land and cut off its engine. To his honor, the great Byakuya Togami stepped out. The Former Ultimate High-School Level Progeny looked around his surroundings with a measure of disgust. His eyes fell to Hajime and seemed to grow darker.

“Of course they sent you.” Byakuya spat.

Hajime raised an eyebrow.

“Is there something wrong with that?” he spoke, the tone of which not quite his. Byakuya grunted.

“I have a mission for the Former Ultimate High-School Level Nurse and Former Ultimate High-School Level Coach.” he said. “A mission intended for only their eyes at the moment. Do you understand, Izuru Kamukura?”

Something in Hajime changed. His stance was a bit wider and his eyes flickered with both recognition and hatred.

“Don’t call me that.” he told Byakuya. Despite this, he turned and went to back to his peers. They lingered just outside the airfield in hopes of spying on what was going on.

“What’s going on, Hajime?” Ibuki quickly asked first. “Are they going to let us stay or not?”

“He wants Mikan and Nekomaru.”

The news took the peers aback.

“Why?” Ryota wondered.

Hajime could only shake his head. “Dunno.”

Mikan and Nekomaru took a look at each other. Then, unanimously, they gave each other a nod and entered the airfield. Byakuya did not look happy that he had to wait.

“Finally.” he huffed once they were close enough. “Whatever you two are about to see, and whatever reaction you might have, you must know that it must be done as quiet as possible. Do you understand?”

“We’re always quiet!” Nekomaru thundered.

Byakuya did not look amused.

“Uh huh.” he murmured, both otherwise kept to himself. Byakuya then gave a snap of his fingers, directed at the helicopter. On cue, two medical staff came out with a stretcher between them. There was a body on the stretcher, covered from head to toe with a foil blanket covering them. The stretcher was gently placed on the ground and the medical staff then went back into the helicopter.

Mikan and Nekomaru exchanged a glance. They walked closer to the stretcher and noticed that the head was actually uncovered. As they got closer, the duo found a familiar face smiling back at them.

“Chiaki?!”

The smile was pained, but it was her.

“Hey.” came the croaking reply. “Talking hurts, but-”

“D-don’t!” Mikan immediately squeaked. “We need to get you to the hospital immediately!”

“Without letting the whole island know.” Byakuya reminded them. “We can’t give out a false hope at a time like this. You two must understand this.”

“Right.” Mikan and Nekomaru nodded in unison. The two then looked to each other.

“I’ll get everyone away from the airfield.” Nekomaru told Mikan. “You just get Chiaki to the hospital nice and safe, alright?”

Mikan nodded, certain of her mission.

Byakuya took a look at the airfield entrance. Their peers were so tightly packed that you would have assumed they were an elite force sent to protect someone. In some ways, they likely were in a past life.

Without so much a trace of irony, Byakuya told them, “Good luck.”

[victim-of-subtraction]

“Dad!”

Ken came running from the middle school, a bright smile on his face. He seemed to have more of those ever since they had moved to Inaba. Ever since life had changed for them.

Shinjiro ruffled the kid’s hair, feeling a smile tug at his lips. “Hey, kid. Ready to go- wait, where’s Goro?”

Ken shifted his weight between his feet, looking down at the ground. The kid was nervous and Shinjiro knew it.

“Uhm... He got into a fight...” Ken mumbled, and Shinjiro felt his blood turn to ice. His kid had gotten into a fight? Was he okay?

“...Where is he?” Shinjiro asked again, and Ken looked over his shoulder. As if on cue, Goro came out, head ducked and shoulders hunched.

When the kid came to the gate, he looked up. Shinjiro tensed. He looked terrible. A black eye, cut lip, dried blood under his nose.

“Goro...” He whispered, then brought him into a hug. “What happened?”

Goro scowled, tiny hands curling into fists. “You should have heard them, Dad. One of them said Saki-san deserved to die, and then they threatened Ken! They told him to watch out, that he might be next. I couldn’t just let them get away with that!”

Shinjiro took a breath. He couldn’t act recklessly. He needed to handle this responsibly. He wasn’t a high schooler anymore, wandering the streets and getting into all sorts of trouble for the hell of it. He was an adult, with a loving husband and children he would die for. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. But first, let’s go home and get you cleaned up. C’mon, you two.”

That night, at dinner, they were all sitting around the table, watching TV.

“Every day’s great at your Junes!” Ken murmured into his noodles. Goro rolled his eyes.

“Must you always sing that? It’s getting annoying.”

Ken stuck out his tongue at his brother, wrinkling his nose. “It’s catchy!” He protested.

“It’s annoying.”

“You’re annoying!”

“Boys,” Aki interjected, glancing at them both warningly. “Knock it off.”

Shinjiro couldn’t help but smile. When had his Aki get so responsible? Probably right around the time they adopted Ken. Aki had had an entire freakout in their apartment, fretting over not being a good role model. The fact that he was worried, Shinjiro had said, proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was a good role model.

And now here he was, a dad of two and a husband about to celebrate his two-year anniversary.

Unfortunately, Aki still wasn’t the most aware. He was responsible and calm and honestly reminded Shinjiro of Makoto sometimes- as odd as that was-, but he wasn’t the best at noticing big details.

Like the black eye and split lip on Goro’s face.

“...Wait. Goro Sanada, when the hell did you get that?” He asked, gesturing to the shiner.

Goro pulled a face, noodles halfway to his lips. “Uh-”

Ken came to the rescue, slamming his chopsticks into his broth. “He defended me! A bunch of boys were being awful, and Goro protected me!”

Goro leaned back, shoulders tense. “They said Ken might be the next victim of the murders. Said the high-school girl who died deserved it. I couldn’t- I couldn’t just let them say that, Papa!”

Aki nodded, lips pursed. “...You aren’t in trouble. But next time, report it to a teacher instead of resorting to using your fists. Okay?”

Goro hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.”

“You’re icing that tonight, by the way.”

Goro groaned, a smile on his face. “Dad!”

AUGH I ❤️ THEM

ur writing is too good bro it has me giggling

[heaven-s-black-box]

Notes- ONS Quirk List

Return to File

Recovery date: March 17th, 2020

Description: Where the Seraph of the End universe meets the My Hero Academia universe they co-exist; here are the quirks and affiliations of the ONS affiliates.

Notes: Unfortunately this series of entries was corrupted and recovery is unlikely, apologies for the inconvenience. This is an abandoned work

Series Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Back to directory

Hero course

First years

Yuichiro- Seraph of salt: When he loses control (usually in anger) anything he touches turns to salt

Mikaela- Blood bond: Can temporarily or permanently bond with someone by drinking their blood  he can sense when they’re in danger, in pain, and other stuff 

Shinoa- Reaper: If she touches someone she can freeze them or kick their soul out of their bodies, unfortunately she has to unfreeze them or put them back in their bodies or they stay that way

Kimizuki- future's strength: He can take some of his future strength to become stronger in that moment, he has less energy later and has to sleep it off

Second years

Makoto- Poseidents wrath: can control certain amounts of water, he becomes waterlogged after

Kruel- Blood rule: She has control over anyone who ingests her blood’s body, they can still think for themselves

Third years

Kiseki-o- Devil’s coffin: When he counts to ten, he can summon a coffin to trap his enemies

Gekkoin- Devil’s shot: manifests a bow and arrow

Support course

First years

Akane- Quirkless

Yoichi- Hound: Turns into a 6ft brown dog, he easily loses control 

Mitsuba- Quirkless

Third years

Noya- Take over: Can temporarily switch consciousness with another person, however the other person will have full control over his body and they can only be so far from each other

Ashera- limbo: Drags you into your own mind, it gives him migraines though and he’s left defenseless 

General studies

Second years

Horn- Beast: Turns into a figure made of a smoke like mist, if she isn’t careful she’ll get blown away

Chess- Queen’s view: can choose to view her surroundings like a chess board, she can only see from the queen’s perspective

Rene- Twilight lullaby: Can put people to sleep with certain melodies, it sometimes makes him sleep and his allies also fall asleep

Lacus- Knight’s move: Can teleport anywhere he has an immediate mental image of, there’s a distance limit and it has to be an accurate image

Teachers

Class 1-A: Guren- Of humans and demons: Can turn into a demon at will, however he sometimes loses control

Class 3-A: Shigure- Puppeteer: Can create strings from her fingers that allow her to move her opponents at will, it hurts her and they can still fight against her

Science: Mito- God’s hand: She can break anything she hits but if she’s not strong enough it’ll also hurt her

Nurse: Sayuri- angel’s tears: Can heal minor surface injuries with her tears, they have to be fresh tears

Foreign languages: Norito- Eyes of the mist: creates a heavy mist that shows anyone caught in it their greatest fear, if he’s standing in it or enters it he is affected

Class 2-B: Shinya- Blue moon: Creates a smell that reminds people of a calm blue moon night, he can’t always control it and has accidently put his class to sleep

Battle: Byakkomaru- White beast: Turns into a 8ft white tiger, however it makes his back hurt

Support class: Kureto- Quirkless

Math: Aoi- Memory key: Can remember anything and can recall it whenever, however after too much usage she begins to lose control and it gives her a headache

General education: Ferid- Quirkless

History: Crowley- King’s armor: He can form a suit of crystal armor, it encases him starting from between his shoulder blades and he regularly has to get excess crystal removed

Support class: Mahiru- Quirkless