#riku saki

[soranatus]

Richard Chen’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Part IV

[yansimstorythatiwillnotworkon]

#7

Tuesday

Currently, Amai was teaching Taro how to properly knead the dough for some sort of mini apple pie recipe. As it turns out, it took a lot of effort and physical strength, which Taro seemed to be significantly lacking in. He looked over to Amai, who was patiently waiting with a smile. Her ball of dough was smooth and already sitting covered in a lightly buttered bowl.

She gave him an encouraging nod and he continued, using all his strength to properly roll out the dough. This was in the dining part of the cooking club. In the actual kitchen part, the other members were quietly talking with each other. Everything seemed fine up until Ajia returned back from the bathroom.

“Seiyo.” Ajia calls, her voice quiet although that didn’t ever signify if she was angry or not. “Did you put hot sauce in my rice mixture?” She asks, glaring up at him.

The blonde presses his lips into a tight line. “...it was just a drop. A-And it wasn’t on purpose! I was just… being sloppy, I’m sorry.”

“And why did you mix it in?” Ajia follows up, her nails almost digging into her own hips as she scowls at him.

“Because I thought you wouldn’t notice..” Seiyo replies sheepishly, hanging his head a bit to avoid Ajia’s gaze.

Ajia brings a hand to her head with a sigh and retrieves the bowl with her mixture. “Seiyo, it’s orange.” She says through gritted teeth.

Shoku clears his throat, still smiling. “Come on, now, we’ve got snacks to finish.” He says, his tone almost warning.

“Right..” Ajia sighs, turning her back to Seiyo, although still clearly irritated. The blonde looks guilty, but turns back to his own snacks anyway.

Taro exhales quietly, thankful that the back and forth hadn’t escalated. Amai nudges him slightly and whispers. “Sorry about that. They argue often.”

“It’s no problem.” Taro smiles at her. “I’ve heard some of their arguments in the hall.”

Amai giggles quietly. “You poor thing.” She looks back down to her finished crusts as she’s putting them in place. “I adore them, but that’s certainly one thing I don’t miss, hehe.”

Just as Amai finished saying that, Kenko came over. “Hey, Amai. I wanted to talk about the sale.” He says, folding his arms after wiping them on his apron.

“Yeah? Do you have all of your treats planned out?” Amai asks, wiping her hands as well and grabbing the bowl of apple pie filling near her.

“We all have at least three choices ready for the picking. But, uh…” Kenko hums, pulling a hand up to his chin. “Actually, that’s what I wanted to tell you about. We have everything planned out and we’ve got enough ingredients, but we might not have enough hands.” He explains.

“Ah..” Amai pauses in thought, almost spilling the filling. “I… didn’t think of that. A bake sale is a really big upgrade from last year after all…” She mutters in thought.

As Amai’s thinking, Shoku walks over with his tray in hand, smiling at her. “We could always grab some more volunteers. If it turns out that a whole bake sale is too much work, then we could even ask some students experienced with cooking to help out.” He adds on, “We could even open the club for those interested in joining for the week to try to get more folks to join.”

Amai smiles, clearly pleased with Shoku’s ideas. “All wonderful ideas! As a matter of fact, before you all get knee-deep in your cooking, why don’t you all go grab some helping hands to make your process quicker?” She calls to the rest of the club.

“Ooh, Kokona will love to help!” Saki says, immediately abandoning her tray of treats in order to run to the Drama Club.

Kenko sighs at her immediate leave and pushes the tray closer to the middle of the counter so that it didn’t fall off. “I’ll see if Himari or any of the other girls want to help. I heard they’re quite fond of baking.” He says with a calm smile, walking the opposite way from Saki.

Eventually, everyone but Amai and Taro left to go grab new recruits. Amai made sure to tell her club to gather everyone into the Home Ec room since it had more room than the Cooking Club. Shoku would take the reigns with the club for now while Amai tended to Taro.

“So, Taro.” Amai starts, slipping the mini pies into the oven. “On the topic of baking, do you have any lunch with you?” She asks, brushing off some loose flour from her apron.

Taro’s eyes widen a fraction and he groans. “God, apparently not.” He sighs, frowning. “I honestly think that Monday is just the day of the week that I forget my lunch. It might be written in stone somewhere.”

Amai giggles, raising a hand up to her mouth as she did so. “It’s a shame to hear that that’s a habit, hehe. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it, though.”

With a light scoff, Taro comments. “Yeah, well, that’s what my sister told me in grade school. The only difference is my mom can’t give me a smack over the head whenever I actually do forget.”

“Well, I’m sure Osana will do it for you.” Amai said as she looked to her list of treats. After a moment of silence, Amai realizes that that might have been an iffy topic to bring up for Taro. “Ah. I’m sorry. It wasn’t my place to say that.”

Taro smiles. “Don’t worry about it. At the end of the day we are still friends. And honestly, I feel like that’s a pretty good page to leave that chapter on.” He says, nodding to himself.

Amai hums in satisfaction. She brings the note over to their table and smiles along with him. “I’m impressed to hear that. It’s refreshing to see someone who takes something like that so well! Someone mature like you is destined to attract another lovely lady soon!” She assures him.

With a blush, Taro chuckles a bit. “Th..Thanks, Amai. That actually means a lot coming from you.” He says, a bit embarassed at the praise. “Ah, so… what’s next on the list, then?”

“Well, our apple pie bites are in the oven right now, so our next treat should be…” Amai looks to the next option on the list. “Ah, brownie bites. These are actually Shoku’s favorite.” She rolls up her sleeve and flexes her arm with a cute smile and wink. “We’d better make him proud, then!”

__

Amise sighs, she and Ayano walking towards the Home Ec room. She glanced at Ayano, who was gripping the bow of her uniform tightly in her hand with an evidently enraged expression on her face. “You really oughta fix your face. Shoku’s sweet, but doesn’t exactly appreciate those who ruin the mood of the event.”

Ayano turns her glare to Amise, who doesn’t seemed very phased by it. “They were practically flirting.” She growls, only illiciting another sigh from Amise.

“Is that right?” Amise hums, before muttering. “You’re awfully impressionable, aren’t you?” She asks, a bit too quiet for Ayano to hear. The slightly shorter girl was too upset to be curious, anyway, though.

Amise clears her throat, hinting to Ayano to fix her face before they entered the Home Ec room. Ayano sighs, letting her face fall to its normal lack of expression after a moment. The two enter, and Shoku turns and smiles at them.

“There you are, Amise! And Ayano! I’m glad to see that you’re visiting us as well!” He says, beaming as he holds a hand to the crowd of students that littered the room. He points to each of the four counters and explains, “There are four main stations. All of them either making sweet treats, healthy treats, western-style treats and japanese treats.”

Saki had obviously gathered together her friends and boyfriend, her counter consisting of Kokona, Riku and Daku. Kokona already had a bunch of experience in the cooking club since she attended the club last year, so both she and Saki were teaching the other two what they knew.

Kenko’s counter had Himari, Sukubi and surprisingly Scilla, who was usually alone. For a moment, Ayano wondered why Sukubi would be at the ‘healthy treats’ coutner but it’s likely that they promised him something sweet if he worked on something healthier.

Ajia’s counter is where she, Osana, Kyuji and of course Raibaru were working. Ayano recalled learning that Osana and Kyuji both were incredibly interested in Cooking, so they likely saw this as an opportunity to sharpen their skills.

“I’ll be taking Uekiya, Otohiko and Kokoro back to the Cooking Club for the extra space.” Shoku said. “You two can go ahead and pick whichever station you like best, or come to the Cooking Club with me. Our station will have varied treats. Maybe a mix of all four.” He claims with a shrug, leading his few to the Cooking Club.

Seiyo’s counter held Hana, along with Cassian and Frankie, who were both transfer students from America. Ayano supposed in that case it made sense for them to stick with his treats.

Ayano immediately trailed to follow him, but Amise hung onto her sleeve. “Nooot so fast.” She says, her voice hushed. “That’s not a good idea for you, Ayano.”

Tearing her arm away, Ayano frowns. “Why not?”

“Because you might faint. Again.” Amise responds, putting a hand on her hip.

“...I.. I had a conversation with him yesterday.” Ayano mumbled, not needing to know that Amise assumed she would faint again if Taro came too close to her.

Amise gave her a shocked but doubtful look. “Really? As in a normal, back and forth conversation?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. “No light-headedness with full words?”

Ayano shut her mouth, avoiding Amise’s gaze. Reluctantly, she quietly specified. “He talked to me.”

Sighing, Amise nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I expected.” She stands in front of Ayano and holds her hand to the Home Ec room. “You stay here and socialize. I’ll make sure that they don’t spontaneously make out in front of five other people.” She says, her sarcasm not much helping Ayano’s anxiety.

Reluctantly once more, Ayano sighs and walks back into the Home Ec room. Immediately as she did, Kenko turned to face her. “Hey, Ayano. Are you any good with knives?” He asks, smiling calmly at her.

“Uh.. yes, I think so.” Ayano replies approaching the counter he was stationed at.

“Great.” Kenko sighs in relief. “Sukubi is better at mixing and decorating and Himari is making trips to the Gardening Club for us. And Scilla…” He looked over to the silent boy, who spun a pair of scissors on the counter top with a curious expression. “...I think he prefers scissors over knives. Which isn’t going to work.”

Ayano nods in understanding. “Don’t worry. I can take care of anything that requires a knife.” She says as Kenko smiles and slides a cutting board with several vegetables over to her.

He then turns to Scilla and hands the glasses-wearing boy a handful of green onions. “Here, if you can make little rings with these up until the white part, you’ll have been a big help. You can use the scissors for this.”

“Oh.” Scilla pauses, taking the onions and sliding the scissors down until Kenko nods at the size. “Okay.”

Ayano immediately went to cutting the vegetables one by one. She did have to learn to cook for herself, and her mother taught her all about knifework in the kitchen. In only a couple of minutes, Ayano had just about finished cutting all of the vegetables on the board. She took the ends of them and tossed them into the bucket next to her counter that would apparently be used for compost for the Gardening Club later.

“Gosh, you’re done already, Yan-Chan?” Kokona calls, looking amazed at the neatly cut vegetables on her board. “That’s super impressive!” She says, forgetting to stir for a moment but starting again as Riku turned down the fire.

Kenko smiles. “It really is. You can come back and chop off some more veggies when Himari comes back with the next bunch. For now, though, you can help with one of the other stations if you want.” He offers, pleased with Ayano’s help as he takes her place and begins sorting the cut vegetables.

Ayano looks around briefly, before seeing Kokona’s excited grin aimed her way. With an inward sigh, Ayano walks over. “Do you all need help over here?”

Kokona nods excitedly and Daku speaks up. “We need help to keep Saki from eating all of the ingredients.” He says, taking away the ‘tasting spoon’, as Saki had labeled it, away from her before she continued eating the caramel.

“I only had, like, two spoonfuls! You’re supposed to be on my side!” Saki huffed, although the twiddling of her hair made it quite clear that her first statement was a lie.

Daku smiled briefly, “You’re being obvious about it. Maybe if you can sneak someone without anyone else noticing I’ll stay quiet.” He says, which was enough to give Saki hope of getting away with her crimes.

Kokona rolls her eyes. “Way to give her false hope. Now I’m never going to keep my eye off of her!” She claims.

Riku shook his head with a smile before looking to Ayano. “We’re making chocolate-coated caramel candies, I believe.” He explains briefly, before turning to the others. “Saki and Daku are working on making the caramel and Kokona and I are working on the chocolate.”

“If you could coat the molds in chocolate, that’d be super helpful, Yan-Chan!” Saki directs, passing her three different candy molds.

Ayano nods in understanding. “I’ll handle it.” She says, moving to her own corner to work as the others chatted amongst themselves. Occassionally, they would ask her something, but she would answer quickly in order to let them know that she was busy. Thankfully, they took the hint with no grudge.

__

“Ah, crap.” Taro attempts to brush some flour off of his uniform, but just ends up spreading it more. “..uh…” He gives Amai an unsure look.

“Aw, I should’ve thought to get you an apron! Gosh, I’m so sorry about that, Taro.” Amai frowns, looking around for a spare. “I’m sure we’ve got one around here somewhere from last year..”

As Amai looks around, Shoku walks over and slips off his own apron. “The last one we used was the spare for Toga. How well do you like pink, Taro?” He asks.

Taro chuckles, looking a bit embarrassed. “Well, it certainly wouldn’t be my first choice. Is there anything else you have available?” He asks, his attention being drawn to Shoku as the taller male handed Taro his own apron.

“You can use mine until we’re able to offer you a spare. Pink might be my… third favorite color, personally.” Shoku comments as Taro takes the offered apron.

“Thanks a lot, Shoku.” Taro smiles, slipping off his jacket and putting the apron on over his button-up. “I’m going to toss this into the washer.” He says, briefly waving bye before he leaves for the Home Ec room.

A few seconds pass after he leaves, and Kokoro quietly speaks up. “..on Taro?” She mumbled to Amai. Shoku immediately turns his head to her, having heard her question due to being closer to the pink-themed girl. He looked shocked, and turned back to Amai, curious as well.

“What was that, Kokoro?” Amai asks with a polite smile.

Kokoro pouts her lips a little shyly, carefully patting the sifter with her palm to make powder sugar rain lightly atop the cooled off brownies beneath her. “I…I just asked if you had a crush on Taro.”

“Oh, my.” Uekiya holds a hand up to her mouth gracefully, looking shocked but not surprised at the typical question of Kokoro’s.

Amai giggles lightly. “I know you love that sort of drama, Kokoro, but I’ve known him for less than a week. I don’t think much if anything could bloom in such a short amount of time, hehe.”

Shoku exhales silently, visibly relieved to hear that as he got back to work on his own batch of brownies. Uekiya giggles a bit at the expression that Amai thankfully hadn’t noticed, and Shoku blushes a bit in embarrassment.

“Hm.” Kokoro pouts her lips again, this time in thought. “Okay. Sorry.” She mumbles, avoiding Amai’s gaze shyly.

After a longer moment, Kokoro’s phone rings and she immediately puts down the sifter to wash off her hands. “Be right back.” She says, louder than her previous muttering as she dashes out of the room to answer it.

From what Amise could assume, she asked Amai that to see if she and the other girls could do anything regarding those rumours. Since Amai had denied any feelings with a straight smile as always, there was no doubt that she had no feelings for Taro. So, the bullies had to think of another way to spin a rumour. If Amise knew anything about them, Kokoro was probably going to ask Taro next while he’s on his way back.

“U-Uh, Amise…” Otohiko steps closer to her subtly as he quietly calls for her. He shows her his hand, which had a small cut on it. “..I, uh… some blood got in the mix bowl. I-I cut my hand but I didn’t realize I was bleeding at all. Do you.. think Amai and Shoku will be mad if they find out?” He asks, looking down at the bowl in his hands with a frown.

Amise smiles, “Don’t worry about it. I can take care of it. You should just go wash your hands for now.” She says, low so that none of the other chattering folks could hear her.

Otohiko nods thankfully and quietly leaves the room. After he does, Amise quickly makes a small cut on her hand with a nearby knife. “Oops!” She says, looking into the mix bowl. “Oh, god, that’s no good. Amai?” She calls.

The brunette quickly walks over, noticing the blood in the mixing bowl. “Oh, gosh. Are you hurt? Is the cut deep at all?” She asks, grabbing a nearby towel for Amise.

“Well, it doesn’t hurt much. I didn’t even realize I was bleeding, honestly.” Amise says, holding out her hand and allowing Amai to wipe the cut briefly.

Shoku steps behind them and dumps out the mixture before washing out the bowl. “We have enough ingredients and treats ready for lunch time. This bowl really doesn’t make much of a dent in the rest of what we have prepared.” He explains casually.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Amise sighs in relief as Amai tosses the towel into a nearby clothing bin. “I’m sorry if this inconveniences you, though.” She says, holding her cut hand.

Amai smiles. “Oh, don’t worry about it. Accidents happen! You should go to the Home Ec room and wrap that up. Ask the nurse for some bandages if you need to.” Her smile then falters a bit as she crosses her arms. “Ah, but, you probably don’t want to do any kneading with those hands now. If the wound isn’t covered properly, it could get more blood in the pastries or get unecessary material in your wound.”

Amise nods. “Got it. I’ll go get this cleaned up, then.” She says, walking out into the hallway. As she turns the corner, Taro spots her and waves.

“Hey, Amise. You’re friends with, uh..” He pauses in thought, not recalling Ayano’s name for a moment. “..uh, Yan..Chan? Is… Is that her name?”

“Ayano. Aishi.” Amise replies, smiling at him. “I’d say so. Why do you ask?”

Taro clears his throat, looking a bit unsure of his next statement. Regardless, he does end up spitting it out. “Uh, so… Do you know if… if she doesn’t like me? I mean… um..” He raises a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it nervously. “It’s not- not like I think she’s a bad person or anything. I’m just… worried that I might have done something to disturb her?”

Amise frowns, lifting a hand to her chin. “I don’t recall you doing anything to her. Do you?”

“No, I don’t. It’s just… when I’m in her general area she gets incredibly quiet. Just now I walked into the Home Ec room and she was having a conversation with someone. But she noticed me immediately and went radio silent! I wasn’t even near her.” Taro explains with a frown, looking anxious at the thought of somehow getting someone to dislike him.

“Oh…” Amise hums in thought, before smiling and letting her hands rest by her side again. “I don’t think that she dislikes you. She’s just generally very… hard to talk to. She especially can’t stand close proximity.” Raising a hand to her chin again in thought, Amise continues. “I recall bumping into her once, and she practically ran from me! I think she’s just not used to human contact. Which is…”

Taro frowns, more so in pity than distress, though. “..sad.” He sighs. “Gosh, and I’ve bumped into her twice already. That’s embarassing.” He shakes his head, looking ashamed of himself. “I hope I haven’t single-handedly made her dislike by bumping into her. She seems like a nice girl!”

Amise chuckles lightly. “She can be. All you have to do is give her time.” She explains. “And… maybe let her be the one to approach. It’s easier to converse with her when she’s the one who initiates the conversation.”

Taro sighs, but smiles hopefully. “Got it. Thanks, Amise.” He nods to her and heads on back to the Cooking Club.

Taro was very impressionable. He’s always tried his best to see the bright side in everything, so it wasn’t hard for Amise to change how he views someone as strange as Ayano. Amise has yet to get a thank you, but perhaps Ayano will appreciate the work she’s doing for her.

__

“You good, girl?” Frankie, or fully, Francesca, bumps her hip into Ayano’s, likely harder than she intended. “You went suuuper quiet just now.” She says, coating the jalapenos that Ayano had sliced in some buttermilk and then dropping them into a flour mixture.

Ayano hums quietly, noticing that Taro had left. “..yes. I was just thinking.” She replies, continuing to slice through other ingredients.

Frankie nods quietly in response, although her tapping foot indicated that she wanted to say something. “...uh, so..” She pauses, deciding how to word what she wanted to say. “You know, I recently joined the Martial Arts club. And… I was sorta complaining to them while we were training about a problem I had. And then they were saying about how you did a big fat favor for, like… all of them, and how reliable you were to them. So..” Frankie hesitates with an awkward frown, “..uh, do you think you can help me with something?”

Ayano figured that that was coming up, regardless of the amount of time it took for Frankie to finally spit it out. “It depends, but I’m open to trying.” She says casually, dropping the rest of the cut up chicken into the bowl of buttermilk.

Frankie smiles. “Good stuff! So…” She hums in thought, slowly putting her thoughts together. “..okay, so, there’s like, this dark-haired bitch who keeps harassing me. And has been harassing me since last Monday.”

“...right.” Ayano nods, pulling her lips into a straight line at Frankie’s wording.

“It’s, uh… ugh, who is that girl from 1-1..?” Frankie snaps her fingers together in thought.

Cassian, who shared a class with Frankie, spoke up. “That little short, black-haired punk?” He asks, looking offended.

“Yeah!” Frankie nods, shocked that someone else could identify the student.

“That’s Lori!” Hana speaks up, turning to Ayano. “She’s basically on parr with the delinquents with how little she obeys the staff and student council.”

Ayano turns to wash her hands and calls back. “So, why hasn’t this girl been suspended or expelled, yet?”

Hana shrugs. “Who knows. The guidance counselor might have a soft spot for the delinquent types.” She claims, before continuing. “I heard that Lori is super infamous for starting fights outside of the school for the smallest shit! Like, one time I think that one of the students bumped into her on the way outside of the school and she only rocked their shit!”

Cassian cringes. “Yeah, no, that was me.” He sighs at the memory. “You wouldn’t believe what she said to me..!”

Cassian and Hana were pretty infamous for being problematic on their own, mainly towards each other by arguing. Only when it came to gossiping and trash-talking other students they’d actually talk like normal human beings.

Ayano and Frankie tuned them out and continued on with their conversation. “Yeah, but on that note, I’m having some serious trouble with her. Literally several times, I’d have to book it home so that she didn’t drop kick me.” Frankie rants, sighing in dread at having to do it again today. “I’m not really sure what her problem is with me, but she doesn’t bother talking to me about it or anything. She just pops up and starts throwing hands!”

Ayano crossed her arms, lifting an eyebrow in thought. “So, do you want me to fight her?” She asked. Despite how violent Lori seemed, Ayano was sure that she could put the girl in her place.

Frankie frowns at the suggestion. “Ah, I dunno. Despite how small she is, she’s, like, hella strong. I’d like for you to get her to leave me alone, but I’m not sure if I want you to get three black eyes in the process. Y’know?”

“I think I can hold her off while you head home at the very least. But constantly fighting someone every day before I get home might be exhausting.” Ayano claims. Her mind wanders to if Taro were to ever see her fighting. He’d probably think of her as some violent brute. “...or embarrassing.” She mumbles.

“Well, I guess I’ll be vague, then.” Frankie crosses her arms. “Get Lori off of my back for good whenever you can.” She says briefly. “Please. Getting jumped every day after school is obviously not fun.” Frankie holds out her arm, which had a bunch of bandages and bruises peeking out from beneath them.

Ayano nods. Doing something like this for Frankie, who not only was pretty popular but very well-liked could do wonders for Ayano’s reputation. Not to mention that Frankie herself would make an incredibly ally- or “friend”, Ayano should say. She’d be very useful if Ayano ever really needed it.

Seiyo speaks up, having finished a big batch of fried goods. “Frankie, try one of these.” He says, offering her the basket.

The fried jalapenos seemed to catch Frankie’s attention and she popped one into her mouth. She furrowed her eyebrows in thought before looking at the bowl that held their flower mixture. “Okay, outside of salt and pepper what did you add in here?” She asks, taking one of the chicken tenders and trying that, too.

“Uhh, paprika… garlic powder, onion powder… I think that’s about it.” Seiyo said, shrugging.

Frankie shakes her head. “Yeah, no, I see the problem. So all of those are fantastic, but it only adds so much flavor to the breading.” She says, walking over to the fridge and pulling the jalapenos back out. “So, first and foremost. Jalapeno juice in the buttermilk every time. There should be no exceptions. Even if you’re frying jalapenos. Maybe even some lemon shavings if you really want that zesty flavor.”

“Cassie’s feeling the zest at all times.” Hana snickered, earning an unamused expression from blonde in question.

“Oh, shut up. With that palm tree ponytail.” Cassie hisses back. “Maybe if you grew up with four sisters you’d have a better taste in fashion.” He snaps at her, earning a small snicker from Frankie before she continued with lecturing Seiyo.

Ayano finished her part at Seiyo’s station, so she moved on to Ajia’s table, which held her last pair of rivals and the one who relieved her from that stress.

“Do you need any help over here?” Ayano offers, folding her hands together in front of her with a neutral frown.

As Osana looks up to her in slight surprise, Ayano feels some… uncomfortable feeling in her chest. Was this the first time she’d bother to socialize with Osana? Or attempt to? Did she ever talk to her or did she just plague her mind for the entirety of last week? Regardless, there was a horrible feeling of… nervousness at Osana’s regular friendly gaze.

Osana didn’t know anything about what happened last week. She had no idea how many plans Info-Chan had walked Ayano through that could have taken her life. That fact was… chilling to Ayano. There was no reason for Ayano to hate Osana any more than holding a slight vendetta against her, but for some reason she hated looking at her. What right did she have to stand here in front of her when she was the cause of all of her stress last week?

In Ayano’s mind, Osana was already dead to her. Maybe her being alive instead of rotting in a garbage bag reminded Ayano of looking at… a ghost?

“No, we’re alright.” Ajia insists, continuing to neatly fold the sushi rolls she was making without looking up at Ayano. “The work you’ve done is impressive. You should enjoy the rest of your time before classes.”

Ayano nods in understanding. “...right. I will, then.” She says, before walking out of the Home Ec room. She could wait outside the Cooking Club and watch Amai’s behavior. Maybe throw a rock at a window if she tried something stupid.

Before Ayano could get too far down the hall, an irritatingly familiar voice called out to her. “Hey! Uh- A-Ayano!” Osana called, somewhat awkwardly walking over to her. “...hi. Um..”

Ayano lifts an eyebrow at the orange-haired girl. A bit surprised and even more uncomfortable that Osana had bothered approaching her. When Ayano didn’t respond, Osana’s face went a bit pink in embarrassment.

“Uh, so.. I just wanted to talk to you about Taro?” Osana brushes a fringe of her bangs behind her ear in slight nervousness as she continued. “I don’t know if you know this, but Amise told me that you have had feelings for Taro for a long time and were working up your courage to confessing to him some day.”

Ayano nods silently, and Osana nods as well, glad that she’d given some form of response. “So, Taro and I have been… friends for a long time. I’m not saying this because I feel like I own him or anything, but since you seem so talented and responsible, I just wanted to say that I’m glad that Taro… might fall into good hands.”

Osana smiles even thought Ayano didn’t respond to that and continues. “I was in a similar situation, but… the moron never showed interest in me, hehe. I guess I feel like we’re in similar shoes? You seem more… confident than me, so you probably don’t need my emotional support or anything, but… good luck! You’ll need it with that guy.” She says, seeming content with how she’d worded that.

Despite Ayano’s initial shock at the rant of Osana’s, she slowly looked away, feeling conflicted. “...thank you. I… appreciate your support.” She says, her hands held awkwardly at her sides. “Um. Good luck with Kyuji.”

“Hehe, thanks!” Osana beams, putting her hands on her hips. “I think we’re doing well so far!” She says, seeming happy with the ending of the conversation. “I’m gonna get back to that food, though. Talk to you later?” She waves, going back into the Home Ec room.

Surprisingly, Raibaru hadn’t bothered following her out. That could have been the perfect chance to stab her and drag her someplace else if Osana was still a concern of Ayano’s anymore.

Ayano frowns. She didn’t like that Osana was so… social. How could she even be so happy without Taro as a love interest in her life anymore? That just goes to show. She never needed Taro like Ayano did.

Ayano turns around, slowly walking down the hall again.

Yes, that’s right. Even now, her pathetic rivals prove to Ayano that she’s the only one worthy of his love and attention.

__

Ayano didn’t get any tasks done on Tuesday. But she did manage to chat with a number of people. Apparently, Ayano was better at knife work than she thought she was. That’s what all of her other peers said at least.

Nothing thankfully happened with Amai and Taro. It seemed that all they really had to talk about was the cooking lessons. But still, such close proximity could… ruin Taro’s view on Ayano. Amai may begin to look more appealing.

Ayano still had three more days left before Amai would apparently follow in Osana’s footsteps and try to confess on Friday. Everything would work out in her favor, surely. And with a better reputation, Ayano’s plans would be flawless.

She would make sure of it.

[saga-jihen]

Zombieland Saga fanart illustrated by Riku Nishi, the artist behind the manga adaption of  Oda Nobunaga to Iu Nazo no Shokugyou ga Mahou Kenshi yori Cheat Datta node, Oukoku o Tsukuru Koto ni Shimashita (“Mysterious Job Called Oda Nobunaga”) serialized by Manga UP!

[katestrophic]

You look lonely. I can fix that.

(Closeups under cut)

[frobby]

prosekai i7 au where tsukasa is tenn and saki is riku 

[sakis-sweets]

Can you give relationship analysis in the drama club? Like what's their relationship with each other, ex Kokona's relationship with the other drama club members

Kokona

Kizana - looked up to her at first, then got to see her "behind the scenes" and still respects her as an actress but no longer idolizes her, grows more and more upset with her personality the more she works with her

Tsuruzo - initially disliked him but grew to prefer him over Kizana though she thinks both of them are kinda insufferable

Riku - they're dating <3

Shozo - respects him, likes working with him, loves watching and starring in the short films that he makes

Tokuko - wishes she would stop arguing with Kizana bc it distracts from practice

Kizana

Kokona - thinks of her as a cute little amateur with potential but wants her to be more unique, but expresses this badly, likes that kokona looks up to her and fails to notice when she stops

Tsuruzo - likes and respects him, is convinced he's in love with her, would agree to date him if he begged a la Love is War

Riku - likes his accent (and his money) and would probably try to get his help with funding the club

Shozo - wishes he would focus entirely on acting instead of making short films, feels that being spread across so many skills is hurting his acting talent (but understands that acting on stage is different from acting in front of a camera and his style of acting better suits the camera)

Tokuko - doesn't feel that she's competition but would never admit how much effort she actually puts in to staying on top

Tsuruzo

he would probably agree with kizana on most points but only on evaluating people's acting skills, doesn't necessarily care about any of them as people

Riku

Kokona - <3

Kizana - respects her talent, wishes she would stop badgering kokona so much for her appearance but has agreed not to tell her off on kokona's behalf, also doesn't like that kizana seems to be after his money

Tsuruzo - likes and respects his talent, listens closely to all of his melodramatic speeches and loves them

Shozo - agrees with kokona

Tokuko - wishes she would stop arguing with kizana bc it got old really fast

Shozo

Kokona & Riku - likes that they like his films, tries to give them acting advice (that ultimately hurts their stage performances)

Kizana - sees her as a means to an end, doesn't like how she wants him to perform but stays in the drama club anyway bc he likes the people and is learning some things that he considers useful

Tsuruzo - also doesn't agree with tsuruzo but likes him more bc he's nicer about it

Tokuko - shozo is counting down the days until kizana leaves akademi and tokuko takes over the drama club, believes that tokuko is better (mostly bc he's angsty at kizana)

Tokuko

Kokona - tried to talk shit about kizana to her once, kokona didn't like it, now they don't talk much

Kizana - obvs very competitive towards her

Tsuruzo - listens to his coaching more than kizana's but doesn't try to get him to side with her bc that's already a lost cause

Riku - was more receptive to her shittalk about kizana but ultimately too neutral for her to really latch onto

Shozo - appreciates his support and pretends to support his short films as well but ultimately she's too focused on her goals to really care

[demifiendrsa]

Weekly Shonen Jump 55th anniversary appendix in Weekly Shonen Jump 2023 issue #33

1968 Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #1 Otoko Ippiki Gaki-Daisho by Hiroshi Motomiya 1969 Dr. Toilet by Kazuyoshi Torii 1970 The Gutsy Frog by Yasumi Yoshizawa 1971 Tezuka Manga Award 1st Edition Samurai Giants by Ikki Kajiwara & Ko Inoue Boy of the Wilderness Isamu by Soji Yamakawa & Noboru Kawasaki 1972 Astro Kyudan by Shiro Tōzaki & Norihiro Nakajima 1973 Play Ball by Akio Chiba Hochonin Ajihei by Jiro Gyu & Jo Big 1974 Akatsuka Manga Award 1st Edition 1975 The Circuit Wolf by Satoshi Ikezawa Doberman Deka by Buronson & Shinji Hiramatsu 1976 Toudai Icchokusen by Yoshinori Kobayashi Kochikame by Osamu Akimoto 1977 Ring ni Kakero by Masami Kurumada Susume!! Pirates by Hisashi Eguchi 1978 Cobra by Buichi Terasawa 1979 Kinnikuman by Yudetamago 1980 Dr. Slump by Akira Toriyama 1981 Captain Tsubasa by Yoichi Takahashi Cat's Eye by Tsukasa Hojo Stop!! Hibari-kun! by Hisashi Eguchi 1982 High School! Kimengumi by Motoei Shinzawa 1983 Fist of the North Star by Buronson & Tetsuo Hara Ginga -Nagareboshi Gin- by Yoshihiro Takahashi 1984 DRAGON BALL by Akira Toriyama 1985 City Hunter by Tsukasa Hojo Miraculous Tonchinkan by Koichi Endo Sakigake!! Otokojuku by Akira Miyashita 1986 Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada 1987 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki The Burning Wild Man by Tadashi Sato 1988 Bastard!! by Kazushi Hagiwara Jungle King Tar-chan by Masaya Tokuhiro Rokudenashi BLUES by Masanori Morita Magical Taluluto by Tatsuya Egawa 1989 Weekly Shonen Jump reaches 5.000.000 copies in circulation Dragon Quest: The Great Adventure of Dai by Riku Sanjo & Koji Inada Video Girl Ai by Masakazu Katsura 1990 SLAM DUNK by Takehiko Inoue Chinyuki by Man Gataro Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi 1992 Hareluya II Boy by Haruto Umezawa 1993 Tottemo! Luckyman by Hiroshi Gamo Hell Teacher Nube by Makura Sho & Takeshi Okano 1994 Midori no Makibao by Tsunomaru Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki 1995 Weekly Shonen Jump reaches 6.530.000 copies in circulation Sexy Commando Gaiden: Sugoi yo!! Masaru-san by Kyosuke Usuta 1996 Hoshin Engi by Ryu Fujisaki Yu-Gi-Oh! by Kazuki Takahashi Kochikame 20th Anniversary & Chapter 1000 1997 I's by Masakazu Katsura Seikimatsu Leader den Takeshi! by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro ONE PIECE by Eiichiro Oda 1998 Rookies by Masanori Morita Whistle! by Daisuke Higuchi HUNTERXHUNTER by Yoshihiro Togashi 1999 Hikaru no Go by Yumi Hotta & Takeshi Obata The Prince of Tennis by Takeshi Konomi NARUTO by Masashi Kishimoto 2000 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean by Hirohiko Araki BLACK CAT by Kentaro Yabuki 2001 Bobobobo Bobobo by Yoshio Sawai BLEACH by Tite Kubo 2002 Strawberry 100% by Mizuki Kawashita Eyeshield 21 by Riichiro Inagaki & Yusuke Murata 2004 Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata Gintama by Hideaki Sorachi Katekyo Hitman Reborn! by Akira Amano D.Gray-man by Katsura Hoshino Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation by Yoshiyuki Nishi 2005 Neuro: Supernatural Detective by Yusei Matsui 2006 To Love Ru by Saki Hasemi & Kentaro Yabuki 2007 Sket Dance by Kenta Shinohara 2008 Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan by Hiroshi Shiibashi Toriko by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro Bakuman. by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata 2009 Kuroko's Basketball by Tadatoshi Fujimaki Beelzebub by Ryuhei Tamura Medaka Box by Nisio Isin & Akira Akatsuki 2010 ONE PIECE New World Begins 2011 Nisekoi by Naoshi Komi 2012 Haikyu!! by Haruichi Furudate The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. by Shuichi Aso Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma by Yuto Tsukuda & Shun Saeki 2013 World Trigger by Daisuke Ashihara Isobe Isobee Monogatari by Ryo Nakama 2014 Hinomaru Zumo by Kawada My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi 2015 Black Clover by Yuki Tabata 2016 Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs by Tadahiro Miura Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge BORUTO by Mikio Ikemoto & Ukyo Kodachi The Promised Neverland by Kaiu Shirai & Posuka Demizu Kochikame 40th Anniversary and Serialization End 2017 We Never Learn by Taishi Tsutsui Dr. STONE by Riichiro Inagaki & Boichi 2018 Jujutsu Kaisen by Akutami Gege

2019 Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto Mission: Yozakura Family by Hitsuji Gondaira 2020 Undead Unluck by Yoshifumi Tozuka MASHLE by Hajime Komoto Ayakashi Triangle by Kentaro Yabuki Me & Roboco by Shuhei Miyazaki BURN THE WITCH by Tite Kubo SAKAMOTO DAYS by Yuto Suzuki 2021 The Elusive Samurai by Yusei Matsui WITCH WATCH by Kenta Shinohara Blue Box by Kouji Miura 2022 Akane Banashi by Yuki Suenaga & Takamasa Moue

[a-den-of-demons]

Sakie's First Client (Closed RP w/ @cyber-riku-rose

Sakie swallowed nervous as she approached her sugar daddy. This was her first job as a succubus in training. Granted she was only half demon, but she knew what to do. She was trained and wasn't a virgin. Approaching Cyber with a tight outfit that showed off her 11/10 form, she purred, "Hi daddy. I am here to do whatever you want~."

[soranatus]

Richard Chen’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Part III

[kadenha]

shehips and headcanons.... hope you guys fw with it..

if you guys can't see what's going on in the shipping chart well uh

OTP:

Horo x Shozo

Yaku x Ayano

Kaga x Uekiya

Hanako x Hazu

Oka x Miyuji

Gita x Himari

Sakura x Beshi

Kokona x Riku

Pippi x Ryuto

Shoku x Amai

Like:

Aoi x Shiromi

Kuroko x Akane

Kyuji x Otohiko

Kenko x Hojiro

Unagi x Sakura

Saki x Ajia

Saki x Tokuko

Osana x Amai

Mai x Midori

Friend/family:

Hazu and Otohiko

Horuda and Sakura and Himari

Kenko and Seiyo

Sakyu and Inkyu

Rojasu and Sukubi

Yaku, Horo and Meka

dislike:

Budo x Ayano.

I CANNOT FIT ALL OF YM SHIPS IN THE CHART BECAUSE THE SPACES ARE SO SMALL AND SOME OD THEM ARE SO FAR TO EACH OTHER 😭😭

[yansimstorythatiwillnotworkon]

Kokona Haruka

Name: Kokona Haruka

Gender: Female

Class: 1-1

Club: Drama

Persona: Social Butterfly

Reputation:

Overall: +33

Liked: +50

Respected: +50

Feared: 0

Crush: Riku Soma

Strength: Weak

(Despite what I claimed before, this is awfully long.)

__

I'll spoil it now. Out of all of the other characters that I may or may not kill, Kokona Haruka is NOT one of them. I won't go into detail, but she has been someone very close to my heart since I first learned of YanSim.

Onto the important stuff, though. I think Kokona is a character that is the number one best character in Yandere Simulator. I'm content with her being just some NPC as of now, but only because I feel like any other editing to her character could mess it up.

Since she was a beta rival, she has a pretty decent life, decent lore, and decent relationships with her peers. I even think that she could make a great main character of a YanSim story that was meant to be more horrific than just violence.

I don't think much of Kokona needs to be explained since I'm just adding more specific bits to her already explained lore somewhere in YanSim's history. Some of these specifics are:

Kokona's personality, which is social and friendly, but still a bit anxious and nervous around people she doesn't know well. This is likely due to her father being the same way because he only ever interacted with whoever the loan sharks sent to collect the money. (Maybe, I admit I don't know much about how interactions like these work.)

Kokona's history, which consists of her mother divorcing her father. This led him to take several loans and, in turn, fall into debt. In middle school, she started doing jobs and favors for money, but a little closer to the end of her time in middle school, she ended up dating several of her classmates for money, amongst other (non-sexual 🙏) things. As of high school, she's started going on dates with whoever would pay, which has helped a little bit for her father's debt.

And finally, Kokona's relationships. This being with Riku, Saki, Kizana, Musume, and likely Kashiko as well (due to her wanting to ruin Riku and Kokona's relationship specifically). Kokona and Saki have been friends since middle school, and it was back then that Saki learned of her secret. Since she was her best friend, she's since been updated on every decision Kokona makes, and sometimes follows after Kokona to make sure nothing happens. Sometimes, she helps her by doing similar acts to Kokona.

Riku had a big crush on Kokona to begin with due to simply liking her appearance. After joining her club, he learned more about her and came to love her personality as well. After learning her type, he specifically wore his hair the way she'd like as well as with glasses in order to win her over. After he confessed, he didn't keep this up, but he does still insist on doing so on dates with her. Kokona hasn't formally accepted his confession due to feeling guilty about what she does without him knowing, but she does still allow Riku to confidently say that they're dating.

Kizana has always been such a superstar in Kokona's eyes. She was popular, talented and confident, everything that Kokona wanted to be. So, (unlike Tokuko) she started following in her footsteps, like copying her body language when she's around her and trying her best to be confident in front of her, even if she's shot down. Kokona is a sweetheart, and whole-heartedly believes that no one acts a certain way for no reason, so she personally excuses any irritation Kizana holds towards her. (The similar hair is on Kizana, Kokona loves drilled pigtails since middle school.)

Musume always obsesses over people she believed or knew had a dark secret. (Think- Horuda; Knows- Kokona.) And Kashiko has simply hopped on that train due to loving to ruin relationships. She believes that since Riku and Kokona are so sweet together, it'll be even better when she screws up their relationship.

(I apologize for this length. I even said I was going to keep anyone outside of the main characters and rivals short.)

[saga-jihen]

Zombieland Saga fanart illustrated by Riku Nishi, the artist behind the manga adaption of  Oda Nobunaga to Iu Nazo no Shokugyou ga Mahou Kenshi yori Cheat Datta node, Oukoku o Tsukuru Koto ni Shimashita (“Mysterious Job Called Oda Nobunaga”) serialized by Manga UP!

[katestrophic]

I can't pay 50k for some oc x canon art but I can pay you in exposure

[ash-wilson-fanpolmamki]

The distribution of students by class (This is not my idea btw).

I had the idea for a long time to translate into English and post this post, but for some reason I thought about it for a long time. In general, this idea is not really mine, I was inspired to do it by one person (I admire they headcanons, heheh), however, I don't know how to mark them on the blog-...I'm sorry.🥹

So, I hope I haven't fucked up anywhere and the characters don't repeat themselves anywhere, or there are no undesirable logical mistakes, but here's how I distributed the students into classes:

(15) Class 1-1: Ayano Aishi, Seyo Akanishi, Tsuruzo Yamazaki, Shin Higaku, Ryuto Ippongo, Pippi Osu, Beruma Dinkuri, Borupen Saishiki, Otohiko Meichi, Iruka Dorufino, Hoshiko Mizudori, Tsubaki Uesugi, Horuda Puresu, Ajia Ashitomi, Homu Kurusu.

(15) Class 1-2: Chojo Tekina, Hanako Yamada, Shiromi Torayoshi, Mantaro Sashimasu, Yaku Zaishi, Juku Ren, Tokuko Kitagawa, Midori Gurin, Kokoro Momoiro, Supana Churu, Dairoku Surikizu, Kokuma Jutsu, Sumire Suzuki, Efude Nurimono, Beruma Dinkuri.

(15) Class 2-1: Osana Najimi, Shozo Kurosawa, Enpitsu Byoga, Beshi Takamine, Sakura Hagiwara, Himari Fujita, Kyuji Konagawa, Shoku Tsuburaya, Riku Soma, Maka Tansei, Mina Rai, Hokuto Furikizu, Gaku Hikitsuri, Dora Tamamoto, Hana Daidayama.

(15) Class 2-2: Kizana Sunobu, Oka Ryuto, Asu Rito, Megami Saiko, Inkyu Basu, Hazu Kashibuchi, Kenko Sukoyaka, Saki Miyu, Shima Shiya, Miyuji Shan, Hayanari Tsumeato, Rojasu Norubiru, Sukubi Dubidu, Dafuni Bureiku, Kaga Kusha.

(15) Class 3-1: Amai Odayaka, Osoro Shidesu, Raibaru Fumetsu, Mai Waifu, Geiju Tsuka, Budo Masuta, Gita Yamahato, Horo Guramu, Itachi Zametora, Hojiro Zameshiro, Uekiya Engeika, Umeji Kizuguchi, Kashiko Murasaki, Akane Toriyasu, Aoi Ryugoku.

(13) Class 3-2: Taro Yamada, Sakyu Basu, Toga Tabara, Daku Atsu, Gema Takagaki, Kokona Haruka, Kiba Kawaito, Fureddo Jonzu, Meka Nikaru, Unagi Denkashiza, Kuu Dere, Musume Ronshaku, Kuroko Kamenaga.

I've been redoing this list a lot, but I've made it roughly the way I wanted it to be. It's much nicer to the eye when all the students in the classes are distributed not like in the game (even if all the students in the game are assigned to classes in a more convenient way for the players, I still don't like it...), but in their own way...

In the end, I just want to add that thanks to this person, what inspires me and sharing their wonderful story!🩵 (@yansimstorythatiwillnotworkon ...I kind of figured out how it works, yeah).

[gyaru-wish]

What I think Yandere Simulator Characters would have for breakfast.

Ayano: A toast and coffee.

Taro / Hanako: Scrambled egg with bread and coffee with milk.

Info-chan: Miraculously, a loaf.

Osana: Waffles and yogurt.

Raibaru: Fruit salad and milk.

Sakyu / Inkyu: Freshly baked bread with jam and cheese and cranberry or grape juice.

Kuu: Fried egg and tea.

Horuda: Sandwich.

Toga: It's hard to say. It's something different every day.

Hazu: A bagel and some fruit juice.

Kyuji: Just yogurt.

Otohiko: A muffin and latte.

Amai: Pancakes and Coffee with cream.

Shoku: Fried egg and orange juice.

Seiyo: Bacon, sausage with fried eggs and coffee with orange juice.

Saki: Strawberry crepe with chocolate and coffee with milk.

Kenko: Salad and water.

Ajia: Sashimi.

Kizana: Salad and coffee.

Tsuruzo: Omelet and orange juice.

Riku: Blueberry pie and apple juice.

Kokona: Sandwich and water.

Shozo: Bread with cheese and yogurt.

Tokuko: Toast and lemonade.

Oka: Bread with marmalade.

Shin: Air.

Chojo: Monster Energy.

Supana: Air.

Daku: Apple cinnamon pie and milk.

Kokuma: A bowl of random fruits she finds on her fridge with yogurt.

Geijuu: Air.

Borupen: He angrily smashes some grapes with his bare hand and eats that.

Enpitsu: A croissant and a latte.

Maka: Lucky charms but instead of milk, she uses Orange juice.

Efude: Miyuki cereal and some packed juice.

Miyuji: Scrambled eggs and milk.

Gita: Coffee.

Beshi: Kiwi with honey and water.

Dora: Cheese sandwich and strawberry juice.

Kiba: Sausages with bread and juice.

Budo: 7 boiled eggs and Gatorade.

Sho: The thing he ate on dinner yesrerday.

Juku: Chips.

Mina: Fish, rice, salad, eggs and water.

Shima: Corn Flakes.

Fureddo: Instant ramen.

Rojasu: Large sandwich.

Sukubi: 9 hamburgers.

Dafuni: Pancakes with fruits and coffee.

Beruma: Two toasts and coffee.

Kaga: Some weird ass meal he invented.

Horo: Coke.

Yaku: Miyuki themed cookies and soda.

Meka: Smashed potatoes.

Homu: Air.

Asu: Watermelon slices and Rockstar energy.

Itachi: Nutritionally balanced meal.

Hojiro: The same thing Itachi had for breakfast the day before.

Unagi: Protein shake.

Iruka: Scrambled eggs, an Apple and berry juice.

Mantaro: Two boiled eggs and protein shake.

Uekiya: Water.

Himari: Smashed apples.

Sakura: Egg whites and almond milk.

Sumire: Tea.

Tsubaki: Sandwich and grape juice.

Gema: Air, sometimes some anime themed snack.

Ryuto: Chocolate.

Pippi: Instant ramen.

Midori: Kaga's weird ass meal but make it green.

Mai: Whatever thing a cute anime girl eats.

Osoro: A banana. That's it.

Umeji: Three cupcakes and monster energy.

Hokuto: Gatorade.

Gaku: Two onigiri.

Hayanari: A ciggie.

Dairoku: Meat and smashed potatoes. He eats lunch on breakfast.

Megami: Whatever thing her father orders ti their chef.

Kuroko: Traditional food.

Akane: Cat shaped onigiri and hot chocolate.

Shiromi: ...

Aoi: Burger and milkshake.

Musume: Air.

Kashiko: French fries with Cheese.

Hana: Green drink.

Kokoro: Froot Loops and milk in a Hello Kitty mug.

Hoshiko: Air.

•✦•┈┈┈┈┈┈•✦• ❀ •✦•┈┈┈┈┈┈•✦•

I missed doing one of these posts 🥹

[writingwhimsey]

Married to The Enemy- Shingen Ch. 53

Chapter 53

Back In the Sengoku…

“Mom. Dad. This is my lover, Yukimura. Yukimura these are my parents.” Saki introduced, a bright smile on her face.

Instantly, Yukimura’s cheeks turned red. “Saki….are you really sure that’s how you should be introducing me to your parents?” He asked, clearly flustered.

“Oh, he is as reactive and adorable as you said he would be.” Saki’s mother said, grinning.

“You don’t have anything to worry about.” Saki’s father said. “Hina and I didn’t get married until Saki’s little brother was born.”

“Where is Haru, anyways?” Saki asked.

“Staying with your aunt.” Hina, Saki’s mother answered. She then turned to Yukimura. “So, have you been taking good care of our daughter?” She asked.

“Keeping our girl happy?” Her father asked.

“I…I try.” Yukimura answered.

Saki’s father was walking over to Yukimura and clapping him on the shoulder. “That’s all I can ask for.”

Saki was grinning. “He’s a big dope, but he’s my big dope and I love him and he makes me so happy.

“Hey, who are you calling a dope, you dummy?” Yukimura asked without thinking. He was just so flustered. Crap! I just called her a dummy in front of her parents!

Hina was laughing as she looked at her husband. “Look at how cute he is when he’s all flustered!” She declared. “Reminds me of a certain other big dope. What do you think, Riku?”

“I don’t know what big dope you’re talking about my dear, but he seems like the perfect match for our Saki.”

Yukimura looked at the pair, surprised. Saki was just grinning at him as she walked up to him and took his hand. “Come on, let’s show them to their room, huh?”

“R-right…” Yukimura agreed. He honestly wasn’t sure how to take Saki’s parents… nor could he let himself completely relax. He wanted to make a good impression on them…even if he did feel like he already blew it. He would salvage this.

“So, where is Lady Ava?” Hina asked. “I thought we might get to see her again. I also wanted to thank her for those kimono she made for us…”

“She and Lord Shingen decided to go on a proper honeymoon finally.” Saki answered.

“Oh, good for them.” Hina said.

“Seems this move has worked out for both you and Lady Ava.” Riku agreed.

“You just better not make Saki wait before you take her on a proper honeymoon when you two get married.” Hina said, giving Yukimura a sly smile.

Saki and Yukimura were both blushing. “Mom! You c-can’t just say things like that!” Saki scolded her mom.

“Now, now, Hina, you know you can’t rush these things.” Riku told his wife.  

“Oh, I am just teasing.” Hina replied, waving her hand dismissively. “A wedding isn’t important. What’s really important is that you two better be working on giving me some grandchildren.”

“Mom!”

Yukimura was blushing even harder. He was sending up a silent prayer that he could survive this visit.

In the modern day with Ava…

I let out a groan as I slowly opened my eyes. “Hey there sleepyhead.” Shoko greeted me and I could hear the smile in her voice. “You have a nice nap?”

I rubbed my eyes and stretched. I somehow still felt tired. “How long was I out?” I asked.

“About three hours.” Oba-san answered. “Sweetie, are you feeling okay? You haven’t been working too hard on those commissions you’ve been doing have you?”

“I’m fine.” I answered. “I’ve just been…ah…really tired…lately.” My sentence was interrupted by a yawn.

“How long have you been so tired?” Shoko asked, leaning in close to me.

“Hmm…about a week.” I answered. “I can’t seem to go a day without needing a nap.”

Oba-san and Shoko were sharing a look. “Are you having trouble sleeping at night?” Oba-san asked.

“No. I’m honestly able to fall asleep as soon as I lay down.” I answered.

“You know, I’ve been that tired before.” Shoko said.

“Me, too.” Oba-san said. “It’s been quite some time, but I do remember being that tired.”

“Really?” I asked both of them.

Shoko nodded. “The last time I was that tired, I was pregnant.”

I blinked at Shoko. “Wait…you don’t think…you can’t be suggesting…”

“Ava, I heard that bed in my guest room squeaking every night of the beach trip.” Shoko told me, a grin on her face.

My cheeks began to heat up. “Okay, so we’re typical newlyweds…”

“Ava, honey, when was your last period?” Oba-san asked.

I took a deep breath and thought about it. When WAS the last time I had one? “Crap…I don’t…I don’t remember.”

Shoko grinned. “I knew it.”

“I guess I’m going to need to go to the drug store…” I said.

“No need.” Shoko said, leaning over and picking up a shopping bag and plopping it in my lap.

I looked at Shoko before opening the bag and looking inside. “You….you went and got me a pregnancy test because I fell asleep while watching the movie?”

“Yes. You fell asleep before the movie even started.” Shoko replied.

“Yeah, you didn’t even make it through the previews.” Oba-san said. “And you don’t have a fever or anything.”

“Okay…maybe you guys have a point.” I replied. I was looking at the box, reading the directions on the back.

“You pee on the stick and then wait three minutes for the results.” Shoko told me. 

“You’re just an expert on these, aren’t you?”

Shoko shrugged. “They’re pretty straightforward.” She said. “Two pink lines indicates a positive and one is a negative.”

“So much more simple than back in my day.” Oba-san said. “If you used an at home test back when I got pregnant with your mother, it was a much more complicated process. It looked like a miniature chemistry set. It was honestly easier to just go to the doctor.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Well, at least it’s pretty easy then.”

Shoko was standing up and then reaching for my hand and pulling me to my feet. “Come on, let’s go find out if you’ve got a bun in that oven!”

I allowed Shoko to pull me to the bathroom. “You better not be planning to follow me in here.” I told her.

“Of course, not.” Shoko replied, grinning at me as she practically shoved me into the bathroom.

I shut the door for some privacy, but I could sense Shoko standing outside. I took a deep breath as I opened the box and took out the test. “Alright…let’s do this.” I told myself. I could feel a mixture of nervousness and excitement at the thought of this test coming out positive.

Shingen and I had been talking more and more about kids lately. And he would be such a good dad. Of course, talking about kids and actually having them were two entirely different things. But at least I knew that if it comes out positive, Shingen will be happy and will be by my side through all of it. 

I opened up the test and took out the stick, removing the cap from the end. I did my thing and then sat the test down on the sink. I pulled out my phone and set the timer for three minutes. I couldn’t help but to keep glancing down at the test.

“Shoko…” I called.

“Yes?” She asked from outside the door. “It hasn’t been three minutes yet, has it?”

“No…but what does it mean when the three minutes isn’t up and the second line is already showing up?” I asked.

“It means I’m gonna be a great grandma!” Oba-san called excitedly.

“Yes, that means very positive.” Shoko answered. She was then opening the door and walking in. She looked at the test on the sink. “Yup. You are sooo preggers.”

By the time the timer went off on my phone, the line was exceptionally dark. “I can’t believe it…I’m…I’m really pregnant…” I muttered as I placed a hand over my belly. There…there was a baby in there…a baby Shingen and I made together.

“Ava…” Shoko gently prodded.

A huge smile broke across my face. “I’m pregnant…Shingen and I are gonna be parents!”

Shoko, Oba-san, and I were all hugging and jumping around. “Oh, this is so exciting!” Oba-san declared.

“Oh…I gotta think of how to tell Shingen!” I declared.

“Hmm, do you want to wait until you guys get back to your place?” Shoko asked.

“I would…but Shingen can read my face like a book. He’s gonna be able to tell I have a secret.” I replied.

“Shingen has a sweet tooth right?” Oba-san asked.

“Oh, I think I see where you’re going with this, Mrs. Shiba.” Shoko said.

“Are you suggesting a special treat?” I asked.

“Yup.” They answered together. They then told me of their idea.

“Oooh, yes I like that.” I said with a smile. “Let’s get to work on it then.”

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