#sayas scratch

[kouma-machinations]

[nakanotamu]

[teabutmakeitazure]

The Lover's Threnody

>Chrollo x Fem! Reader

>Word count: 1.6k

>Warnings: none that are noteworthy (still, proceed with caution I am not putting a warning to avoid spoiling)

>a/n: Saya translates to shadow

Chrollo comes home to a promised candlelit dinner.

The door hinges squeak loudly when Chrollo closes the door behind him. He grimaces at the sound, mentally berating himself for not oiling the hinges when you had first asked him to. With a dejected sigh, he hangs his coat on the rack, turning to face the dark apartment.

A faint meow calls him from the bedroom, and Chrollo follows after the sound, almost desperate but equal parts surprised. He reaches the source just to see Saya, the one-eyed black street cat you had adopted about half a year ago lounging around on the bed.

He takes the liberty of seating himself on the bed next to her in the darkness, the curtains drawn and her one green eye staring at him innocently. In truth, if he dared to come any closer, she would hiss and scratch him, a reaction she never gave you.

Unfamiliar nostalgia fills his chest at the thought. He remembers it clearly. The day you brought her home, disrupting his evening reading to help give the cat a bath only to be asked to leave because of her aggressiveness. Truth be told, Chrollo was fond of the feline. Though he absolutely abhorred the way it would curl up around you in his presence, he found the one-eyed fiend kind of cute.

Still, he’d rather not risk anything and try to pet it. The last thing he wants is it to start hissing at him when it’s so peaceful at the moment.

Ah, technicalities.

Giving the cover under his palm one last feel, he gets up and heads to the waiting figure on the dining table.

The heavy silence weighs down his steps, darkness embracing him like snakes winding and curling around his limbs. It slows him down. Limbs get heavier and heavier to move but by the time his conscience is completely overwhelmed, he stands at the dining table.

Wasting absolutely no time at all, Chrollo takes out the lighter from his pocket and holds it against the wick of a candle. It lights up and Chrollo moves on to another until the assortment of candles he left on the table this morning are all burning.

He smiles when he sees your face on the chair opposite to him.

“Good evening, dear. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.”

No response.

He sighs. “I accept your silent treatment. I’m… deserving of it.”

Glancing towards the dark living room behind him, Chrollo eyes Saya as she roams around. When she misses a jump to the sofa, he takes pity on the cat and opens one of the curtains, letting the light from the busy street below somewhat illuminate the room.

Saya watches him as he walks back to the table but doesn’t come any closer.

Chrollo can feel the emptiness of the apartment seep into the walls and floors by how it lacks warmth. He’s certain that if he wasn’t wearing socks, he’d ask you to lend him some house slippers. Well, nevermind. What he needs to do right now is cook.

Though not a trifling matter, he feels a kind of annoyance. There are no leftovers, so he’s forced to cook and miss out on your cooking. He shouldn’t have promised you this dinner.

-

“You’re looking as beautiful as ever.”

He smiles as he places a plate full of pasta in front of you. In all honesty, he only made this dish because of how quick it’d be. Chrollo doesn’t want to be away from you for long after all. So, he quickly takes his seat opposite to you, chin resting on his intertwined hands as he keeps staring at the occupant opposite to him with a smile.

“You know, if I could, I would have asked you to make dinner. I’m not fond of the food I make. Though it is edible and not something I would dismiss as ‘bad’, I greatly prefer your home cooked meals.”

The candle flames continue burning in the dark apartment, silence making way for their almost inaudible crackling to be loud and the refrigerator's quiet hum to be equivalent to a scream before it stops, compressor quieting down.

“I know, I know,” he tuts. “Flattery won’t get me anywhere, but what might be so bad about complimenting what I like about my woman?”

A flame briefly flickers amongst the sea of candle wax before it once again becomes steady.

“Yes yes, my dear. No matter how you may object, there is nothing stopping me from flustering you. And besides,” he leans, in voice dropping low, “I find you quite irresistible when you stutter and flush like that. It reminds me of how absolutely alluring you look during our more passionate moments.”

Silence.

A chuckle spills past Chrollo’s lips. Amused, he leans back into his seat. “I understand. No flirting during dinner. However, you are forgetting that these so-called ‘cheap’ dialogues are what procured you as my lady in the first place.”

Chrollo picks up his utensils. The slight clicking sound causes Saya to perk up, and she looks to the dining table with her one eye. Staring at Chrollo’s back, she curiously moves closer, one slow step after the other. The candles are all that are illuminating the apartment and Saya’s purrs all that make up for any sounds.

The black cat stops halfway to the table, stationary and waiting, watching.

The ambience is somewhat off putting. A crime lord and his lover sitting in the dark silently having dinner, nothing but candles lighting up the table and the previous cooking process.

When the silence becomes too much, Chrollo looks up with a smile again.

“I know you would never admit this, but your cooking is far better than my own.” He fidgets with the black dress shirt, unbuttoning the first few buttons in the process. “I’m simply repeating things. I apologise. I do, however, believe that my life has significantly brightened up ever since you became a part of it.”

As he once again rests his elbows on the table, he swallows hard, a smile still maintained on his face and voice perfectly steady. “I could even call you my sun. There’s a reason why I seem to be biassed towards seeing you wear brighter colours. Whenever you wear yellow, I feel like the sun has been removed from the sky and placed right in front of me.”

He chuckles, smile momentarily narrowing his vision from how joyful it is. “Too cheesy? My, I hadn’t realised that my darling [Name] could be so adorable. I’m sorry. I’ll stop teasing.”

Saya tilts her head when he quietly continues eating. She blinks and takes a few steps forward, not a single sound made.

“You taught me this recipe, remember?” Chrollo doesn’t lift his head this time when he speaks. “I still feel guilty for ruining your kitchen in the process, but I did learn it. I suppose that counts as an apology.”

Plate almost empty, Chrollo looks at the remaining food longingly. “You should have written a recipe book. Maybe then I could have recreated something better.”

A candle goes out, leaving a puddle of wax behind. Saya eyes the loss of light curiously and takes a few more steps forward till she’s within a few feet of Chrollo.

“Do you remember the time you chased me with a rolling pin?” He laughs, cheek now resting in his palm while an empty plate sits in front of him. “You threatened to hit my head. Though I was confident that you wouldn't be able to, I couldn’t help but be afraid of the possibility that you may just do it. Ah, I shouldn’t have snooped around your search history. Your wrath… is frankly quite terrifying.”

Silence once again persists when Chrollo stops talking. It pulls down his smile into a frown, but the sensation of something curling against his leg startles him. Luckily, he calms down when he sees the cat that oh so passionately despised him rub its face against his calf.

“She named you Saya for a good reason. You’re quite the shadow.”

Hesitantly, Chrollo reaches to pet her. Inch by inch his hand gets closer and he braces himself to be met with claws but they never come. Instead, he feels her push her head towards his palm, eye blinking up at him innocently.

Chrollo instantly gives in to the sensation and begins petting the cat. Purrs fill the deafening silence of the apartment, and as though on cue, the rest of the candles die out one after the other when Chrollo rests his head on the table. Turning it to the side, he watches the cat purr to his scratches.

It’s the first time she’s let him touch her. Of course he’s surprised.

Saya soon pulls away from his touches and jumps into his lap. Chrollo straightens up at the action, grey eyes meeting a green one as the two stare at each other. Then, she reaches for his face. Despite his suspicions of facing any sort of violence from her, he lets her paws rest on his face, but he stiffens when it rests on his forehead. Right over the tattoo.

Almost pleadingly, the cat meows at him. Sadness drips from her tone and Chrollo can’t help but feel like he’s looking into a mirror. Desperate cries leave the poor feline’s mouth as her paw remains on his forehead, and it takes all the mental strength he has left at the moment to look away when he sees her eye turn glossy.

He turns to you for consolation, for any advice to handle the grieving cat but is met with the reason why both of them share the wretched emotion. This time, Chrollo doesn’t smile. A lump in his throat, a ball of thorns compressed and stuffed into his trachea, is all that he feels when the light from the open curtains falls onto the glass of the picture frame that sits opposite to him.

He was right. The smile on your face looks as beautiful as ever.

[mamaito]

What are your favorite visual novels? And Otome?

I prefer dark/taboo stories so most of what I'll mention is filled with it. I might've forgotten some cause I pulled this out from what I can still remember:

Rondo Duo -> Nukige yuri/futa, porn with plot. Considered as the most impressive artwork out there, everything is animated through flash. The plot revolves around this half french half japanese girl who was raised by an overly religious father, constantly chastising her and presumably being blamed for being a woman as they are considered an enemy of god for seducing men into sinning.

She encounters a demon who teaches her to experience sexual acts for the first time and the rest is history. She moves into Japan with her mother and goes to an all girls school and decided to corrupt them and introduce the act of sexual depravity.

Euphoria -> Nukige, porn with plot. Extreme content but amazing story, despite the things it depicts, it is actually a love story. It's about 7 people, 6 women and 1 man trapped in this facility and they are forced to commit extreme sexual acts with the mc just so they can escape this place, the more you choose the same participant, the sadistic it gets. It tackles the hidden nature of a person and encouraging this sadistic nature out in the open despite the mc not wanting to.

if you can stomach what this vn churns out then feel free. I don't like the majority of the fetishes this game has, the mc needs to fucking wash his dick and the two girls you can choose are useless from a plot stand point, you are better off pursuing the three women instead as they are more relevant.

Butterfly Affection -> Created by the same creator of Teaching Feeling. You find a strange creature in the middle of the road and you decided to bring it home and take care of it. Throughout the game, the creature will start to become more humanlike.

Boyfriend To Death Series -> Not a dating game, this is a survival vn where you try to escape from a bunch of psychopaths. Depending on what kind of survive you plan to do, you can straight up give yourself stockholm syndrome, etc. It is was entertaining, it scratched a need for more dark games.

Determinable Unstable -> Created by the same creator of Teaching Feeling. You encounter a creature named fear in the forest in an attempt to visit your grandfather's grave, the curiosity overtakes you eventually and try to communicate with her. You can customize her, but idk if this has been completed.

Sayonaro wo oshiete/Teach me how to say goodbye -> Nukige, porn with plot, infamous denpa horror. I also consider this as one of the best for it's story. You are a man who is just starting to be a teacher in this all girls school but one day you encountered a girl who you call an angel and start to have thoughts of her being violated.

Throughout the story, you're mostly trying to figure out what's real and what's not as you will suddenly get into a H scene and then it will return back to normal the next. The mc is schizophrenic btw, says and thinks the most outlandish things. There used to be an english translation but the elite bullied the guy who did it because it was not up to their standard in regards to capturing this game's wording.

Katawa Shoujo -> One of the classics out there, it is about pursuing a romantic relationship with a bunch of disabled girls and you, the player, is a young man who just recently found out he has a heart condition and is transferred to this school after trying to confess your love to a girl. It made me tear up.

Saya No Uta -> Nukige, porn with plot. Well known eldritch romance horror, you are a man who just got into a car crash and now suffer from a strange condition where everything around you smells and look like meat. He is unable to function through everyday life to the point that it's affecting his previous relationships negatively till he met a girl named Saya. In spite of his surroundings only she looks normal as he clings to her for sanity sake.

Minikui Mojika No Ko/The Ugly Duckling -> Nukige, porn with plot. This is more dark and about revenege than anything out there, it deals with a deformed young man who is bullied for his appearance at school and was lured by a female classmate into thinking he was getting confessed at, he eventually snaps and assaults her. What they don't know is that he has telephatic powers since at the very young age and it is part of the plot. What I like about this VN is that it has impressive animation effects, like the words floating around every character to give you insight on what they really feel and the entirety of it is just you looking down their feet most of the time, making you disassociate with the world.

There is no translation but let me give you a bit of it:

There is a monster in this vn. Yes. It is very unique.. It is a large, sentient dick. A long time ago, there was this overly lustful monk, and was said to have seduced the empress and chased out by the soldiers, but his manhood was too big and so decided to cut it. After that, the locals decided it'd be a great idea to deify this large rod as they claim it brings good fortune and medicinal properties and started a cult out of it. This gigantic member gives blue aphrodisiac when they give it a sacrificial maiden, but they found it too taxing and so made a group of their own maidens through inbreeding so they can toss the children they birth out to this deity.

The MC and one of the main interests are inbred. And only through this bloodline are they able to gain this power called Mojika(Mind Reading). My gripe with this one is that the MC keeps repeating himself, making it a slog to read through.

Morenatsu -> You know what this is about, I don't need to explain it. It has a good story and it really gives off that nostalgic and isolated village feel where you are an outsider of it. My only gripe is the bad ends which seems to be out of character for even the mc and feels out of nowhere, also fuck Kounosuke.

Kana Little Sister -> Eroge, incest. An emotional story about a forbidden romance between a brother and his sick sister. The H scenes are mostly towards your girlfriend and there is only one for Kana but it is optional. It changes the ending but it's not a requirement, really.

--

As for the otome games, here:

Cancel A Format -> Fanmade game for hetalia, you play as a girl with amnesia in a private island where a school is set in. It is where all the country personifications go to as cultural exchange and alliance forming. You are pretending to be a guy out of fear of being targeted for being a girl and enroll there. Mostly crossdressing and misunderstand hijicks ensues, it also has the saddest routes because my eyes constantly hurt afterwards.

Girlish Love Revolution -> Yes. This is a dieting otome game, I hold it up in an esteem way. This was also one that lets you get together with your actual brother, blood relative, and he is the best route. There is already an english translation for it's DS version. I got the hardest guy to get in the game on my first try.

Hatoful Boyfriend -> Pigeon dating game, no ironic shit. This is peak. Once you've finished all the routes, you will unlock the true route and this is where this vn is heralded as one of the best.

Kuni No Alice Series -> I've also mentioned this before, this is unapologetically problematic and we are all here for it. Alice in wonderland themed, while I want to explain to you the plot, it's other sequels don't seem to follow it and has turned into something episodic. The gist is that this entire world is a game, those with roles and those who don't have them. Go play the original if want to learn more, it already has a fan translation.

The men are filled with red flags and Peter is the superior husband because he has mud on his ears and don't listen to anything you say.

Monochrome Heaven -> Do not let the art style fool you, this has the most interesting plot line out there. Even the bad endings hold information for you to piece together what's happening and their relationships. I highly recommend this one.

You are an orphaned girl selling matches till a man approaches you, he takes you home to make you his wife within a limited time. If you fail, he will kill you so while you're in the house, you'll learn things about the family and why the men there seems to die so young.

My Vow To My Liege -> Chinese otome, takes place in the last years of the dynasty where you are a girl disguising herself as a man in order to get respect in being a ruler of a nation. This is filled with despair and many characters will die, I assure you. The story is amazing and GouJian is the best.

Nameless -> Has the best yandere for an otome game and the story can get very dark. Your dolls turned into humans, and by going through all of them, you will unlock a secret route which will reveal the true main interest.

Taisho X Alice -> Good protagonist, good characters, good story. Katakana Alice is number one. Not spoiling the plot twist but it is episodic, some connecting but has it's own story where fairytale characters have been genderbent for a good reason and the only one who isn't is this mysterious guy named Alice.

The Men Of Yoshiwara Series -> In a remote island, men and women have switched roles, the men in this island are born as courtesans and live in brothels while the women are free and work, they only go to these brothels to bear children. Despite the wonky translation, the story is very good and the characters are memorable. Every character has their own story, it has bittersweet endings in most of them and it has made me tear up.

My favorite is Kikuya but Ohgiya has the better translation between the two. In my opinion, this all in the matters of taste so if you prefer the men in Ohgiya then go for it, my man is in Kikuya so I am obliged to prefer that one.

TMGS/Tokimeki Memorial Girls Side -> I've said this on the previous ask, it is in fact, one my favorites. There is already a translation for the three games.

[inarizakits]

THE SIX YEARS I LOVED YOU THE MOST.

summary : the six years robaire hidalgo loved you the most.

genre : 'wag na lagyan, para surprise💝

author's note : I DID THIS IN ONE SITTING I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF OMG1!1!1!1 anyways, merry christmas everyone!! i hope you all are doing well right now this Christmas. enjoy this work i did, labyu ol💝💝 ( @intzue , @4townn )

one :: SEVENTH GRADE.

this was the first time hidalgo saw you. both of you were in the same class. he remembered how you stuttered so much, which was adorable to him. he didn't know, but there was something about you that made his heart beat fast.

he didn't assume it was love, no. he was too young for that thing. he wanted to be like his father, who courted his beloved mother when his father got a job. he didn't want to rush, as he thought that there is always time for love. and besides, he's still in junior high school.

he always denied his feelings. he denied how his palms got sweaty, he denied how he stuttered whenever he talks to you, and he denied how he tried to steal a glance from you.

this is definitely not love.

definitely not.

two :: GRADE EIGHT.

this time, both of you weren't classmates, but since both of you were close, you both managed to spend time in recess, and lunch.

and the cycle continued. he didn't assume it was love, no. he thought gifting you something for your birthday was normal with friends, and it was.

but why was he nervous when he gave you his gift? he didn't know either. maybe it was because the fear of you not liking it? but his heart warmed when he saw how happy and satisfied you were with his gift. ( which was a my melody plushie ). your expression was so genuine. it was almost impossible to fake it.

“ uy, haha. akala ko hindi mo magugustuhan 'yung regalo ko sa'yo, eh. ” he chuckles awkwardly, while scratching the back his nape.

“ baliw! favorite ko my melody, 'no! ” you said with confidence, while giggling softly, with the my melody plushie in your arms.

“ at saka, parang ang mahal nito. dapat hindi ka na nag-abala! baka kaya hindi ka na nakain sa recess dahil dito, ah! ” you said, a slight guilt in your heart was forming, as the thought of hidalgo wasting money just to by you a plushie.

“ ah— oo..pero worth it naman. nagustuhan mo, 'di ba? sapat na 'yung reaksyon mo. ang saya saya mo nga eh. ” he says with a genuine smile plastered on his face.

“ ililibre na lang kita— ” your words were cut off when he spoke.

“ hindi na, dapat ako gagawa n'yan, kasi birthday mo ngayon. ” he shakes his head in disapproval, but his expression was playful.

the feeling inside his heart grew day by day, but he kept denying it.

three :: NINTH GRADE.

his feelings grew. you can't even call it a crush anymore. he loved you. and he couldn't deny it any longer.

but fate decided to play with the both of you, you became the SSG President of your school, and your life became busier.

but he was there. and he was willing to help you with your president duties. he knows that being the SSG President of the school isn't easy, but he's there to make things easier for you.

“ bakit mo pa ako tinutulungan? it's not like i don't appreciate it, but i'm sure you have assignments? or an upcoming test? and, kaya ko naman 'to by myself. ” you said with a frown on your face. you didn't wanna burden him. you didn't want him to feel like he needed to help you.

“ hindi, 'bal. busy ako, oo. pero hindi sa'yo. kaya ko namang gawin 'yun mamaya. mas marami ka pang gagawin sa'kin, kung tutuosin. ” he says, with a genuine smile on his face.

“ i love helping you, you know that. 'bal. ”

“ nyenye, whatever you say. ” you said with a soft giggle.

four :: TENTH GRADE.

this is where he started courting you. despite both of you being busy with your own lives, both of you never forget to give each other time. both of you try to hang out by studying together.

“ akin na bag mo, surely, pagod ang disney princess ko. ” he says, before gently taking your bag from you. you rolled your eyes playfully after hearing his statement.

“ well, you're not wrong, pagod ako. ” you said with a playful pout on your face, and hidalgo went to pinch your cheeks gently.

“ favorite mo talaga pisilin pisngi ko, 'no? ” i raised a brow in a playful manner, earning a giggle from hidalgo.

“ totoo. your cheeks are so squishy, parang mochi. sarap i-pinch all day. ” he says while chuckling slightly.

“ kakasama mo 'yan kay jes, kaya ka nagiging conyo. hindi na ikaw ang robaire na kilala ko. ” you said in a playful tone.

he furrowed his brows and chuckled softly, “ lah, lord, ang oa naman ng disney princess ko. ”

“ mas oa pa rin classmate ko, ro. ”

five :: ELEVENTH GRADE

after a year of courting you, you finally accepted him as your boyfriend. despite all the girls that fawned over him, he chose none of them, but you.

it was always you. his eyes were always focused on you and only you.

every argument wouldn't last long, as he'd always set his pride aside, and always tried to fix any misunderstanding. he wouldn't let his temper get out of control, too.

a lot of girls would try to get his attention, seduce him, too. but none of those seduction worked, as you already seduced him. it's safe to say that you're the only one who can get him all acting lovesick.

“ baby, pahinging kiss. hindi ako makahinga, please. ” he whined, nuzzling his face on your neck.

“ ...kaka-kiss ko lang sa'yo kanina? ” you said, chuckling softly as you see the sight of him nuzzling his face on your neck.

“ not enough po 'yun, babyy. ” he whined like a child, but it just made him adorable, on your point of view.

“ 'di nanghihingi ng kiss mga astig, baby. ” you said with a playful tone.

“ ay talaga naman, 'pag talaga may girlfriend ka na maramot sa kiss oh. ”

“ eto na nga po, hahalikan ka na. ”

six :: TWELFTH GRADE.

“ ...ano.? magb-break na ba tayo? ro? ” you said, your heart breaking with every word you say.

“ 'wag, no, baby. ” he said, his voice trembling as he tried not to shed a tear.

“ cool off lang, baby. please. cool off lang po. ayoko ng break. ” he pleaded. as much as he tried not to cry, tears rolled down on his cheeks.

he sobbed on your shoulders, darn that misunderstanding. but even so, he still has hope for this relationship. he still have a hope that this relationship will turn back like it was.

“ masakit, baby. pagod na pagod na po ako. pero ayoko mag break. please. anything but that. ” he buried his face on your shoulder, his body slightly trembling.

“ kailangan lang natin nang time sa isa't-isa, hindi natin kailangan maghiwalay. hindi natin kailangan tapusin. ” every word he says was breaking his heart.

“ please? baby? walang tatapusin, walang maghiwalay. ”

in those six years that hidalgo loved you, never once his love faded, not even for a second. he's willing to fix any misunderstanding that comes in your way, even if it drains himself.

[kultofathena]

Iron Tiger Forge – Imperial Cloud Dragon Katana -1050 Differentially-Hardened Katana

The Imperial Cloud Dragon Katana from Iron Tiger Forge is both an excellent entry point for the new collector of Japanese swords or a great sword for building out your collection at excellent value –  It brings high quality fittings, blade geometry and a real clay tempered blade at a great price. The tsuba and kashira hilt fittings feature in finely rendered antiqued brass a pair of coiled and intricately entwined cloud dragons – a symbol of Imperial power, wisdom and courage.

The differentially-tempered blade is forged from 1050 high carbon steel and it has been clay tempered in the traditional manner to possess a genuine hamon to give it a keen and hard edge supported by a shock absorbing blade body and spine. Its habaki and seppa are brass and the tsuba, fuchi and kashira are crafted from antiqued brass. The wooden tsuka grip is fitted with panels of black lacquered genuine rayskin and are overlaid with well-knotted artificial silk ito in a pale gold hue. The artificial silk feels much better in the hand and more authentic then the many of the “scratchy feeling” lower grade chemical fiber ito used on many budget katana

The sword is matched with a wooden saya scabbard which is coated in fine textured black lacquer. This textured black lacquer is much more resistant to scuffs and scratches then the more common high gloss lacquer used on many reproduction Katana. The saya is finished with a knotted black and white flecked sageo to match and complete the sword. A cloth sword bag for storage and transport is included.

[angelica-song]

7 looks for 7 days until halloween 👻

___________BODY__________

I wore [Heaux] Yuqi in different shades unless stated otherwise. Also not sure which set of eyes I wore for each outfit but it was from a mixture of these sets:

[AD] Stardust - Evelyn Eyes [AD] Stardust - Layla Eyes [AD] Stardust - Dreamy Eyes

___________MUMM-DAY__________

Hair: tram M0408 hair [AD] Eyes: UniCult - Perish Eyes @FLF-o-Ween (free) Skin: [Heaux] Ara's Spookzilla Patches: Sweet Thing. Patchwork Eye wrap: {Rosier} / Saya Bandage Eyepatch @Hallow Manor Outfit: -Pixicat- Ukok Set @FLF-o-Ween Crown: Tokki. x miwa's airship - Lace Crown [AD] Voodoo: Dots - Voodoo Bunny @FLF-o-Ween Banner: Imperia - October awards 2023 @FLF-o-Ween (free)

Pose: Ana Poses - Anoka @TMD

___________TRICK-DAY__________

Hair: [monso] Kuromi Hair [AD] Skin: VELOUR: LOUISE FANTASY SKIN @Kustom9 Lipstick: TOP1SALON - HD BARHAT LIPSTICK @equal10 !NEW! Necklace: [ kunst ] - Zion necklace Hat: {Rosier} / All Seeing Witch Hat @Satan Inc (trick reward) Dress: S&P Kiss of Death @equal10 !NEW! Bracelet: ROZOREGALIA_JAORAN*BRACELET Book: Dots - Spellbook @Kustom9

___________WIZARD-DAY__________

Hair: tram M0725 hair [AD] Headband: =Zenith=Light Bulb HeadBand(Black) - RARE Glasses: kotte - melloween - glasses [AD] Earrings: Astralia // Evie Earrings @Satan Inc (trick reward) Outfit: NINI Planet. Wizard Academy [AD] Pet: [Rezz Room] Box Wizard Class

___________TREAT-DAY__________

Hair: [monso] Hoshino Hair [AD] Arm Tattoo: Stardust - Jeong - FATPACK Tattoo [AD] Headband: (Yummy) Macaron Fascinators Hairclips: NINI Planet. Strawberry Moon [AD] Stickers: ONEDAYs - STICKER #SET 4 @Spookzilla Hunt Top: Kiru - Winifred Lingerie [AD] Sauce: Kiru - Chocolate Sauce on Body [AD] Bag: NINI Planet. Halloween candy [AD] Tongue: kotte - candy tongue [AD] Gummies: kotte - body pack - gummy [AD] Lolly: kotte - flower lolly [AD]

___________FREAK-DAY__________

Hair: [monso] Saki Hair [AD] Eye makeup: voodoo. Basic Run Mascara @FLF-o-Ween (free) Nosebleed: { wistaria } @FLF-o-Ween (free) Hat: BOYS TO THE BONE narr clown suit @Kustom9 [AD] Outfit: BOYS TO THE BONE narr clown suit @Kustom9 [AD] Nose: :Moon Amore: Clown Circus / Fantoche Nose Balloon: :Moon Amore: Circus / Cursed Balloon Balloons: S&P Miss Penny Balloons @Satan Inc (trick reward)

___________SATAN-DAY__________

Hair: [monso] Lita Hair @Collabor88 !NEW! [AD] Horns: NANAO // Satanix Horns @Satan Inc (trick reward) Third eye: AG. Nebula's Third Eye @Satan Inc (trick reward) Skin: .SB. Mua Gacha Body scratches: {-MK-} x -[TWC]- Always Mine Cheeks: :: MOMOCHUU :: LeLUTKA hurt heart .blusher Choker: Palette - Lea Set Dress: ALTAIR* morgana dress @Satan Inc !NEW! [AD] Scissors: {-Maru Kado-} Cut well scissors [AD] Tail: [KRR] Coquettish skirt & Tail Demon vrs. @Satan Inc

___________SCARE-DAY__________

Hair: [monso] Moni Hair [AD] Hat: kotte - two eye monster hat @equal10 !NEW! [AD] Eyes: Stardust - Starry Eyes [AD] Dress: .little fox. - Vera knitted dress Gloves: kotte - monster paws [AD] Feet: kotte - monster feet [AD]

___________DECOR__________

@Kustom9 !NEW! {moss&mink} Bae Pendant Lights [ zerkalo ] Amber Pumpkin Basket

@Satan Inc (trick rewards) Junk Food - RIP Brownies Tentacio Terror bouquet

@FLF-o-Ween The Horror!~ Posterz - Ghouls (free)

OTHER {moss&mink} Senna Bathroom Clutter dust bunny . laundry room clutter +Half-Deer+ Heart Toilet

Fine credits click here ~

thank you all~ ♥

View On Flickr

[maguro13-2]

[Event : Sadness - Fumie Kumatani]

Sayaka : I'm just a girl going in between the east coast of Japan and West Coat of America, I thought I was going to hang out, but I realized that nobody I need to go somewhere that anyone one day. Happy, March 8th to me, Mr. A-List. Hmm?

[Record scratch]

Sayaka : Huh? What's all this?

Everyone : Happy Anniversary, Sayaka Miki!

Sayaka : What the--? Everybody celebrating my anniversary? When did that happened?

Kyouko : That's because March 8th is the day that everyone started to worship you in Seattle, pronto!

Sayaka : W-What!? Oh no! Oh God!

[Psycho music]

Sayaka : AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! (wakes up from dream) Aaaahhh! *panting*

Kyouko : Hey, Saya'. What happened?

Sayaka : When I came to Seattle on March 8th, I found everyone starting to worship me that is an idol and I was in a horrible nightmare of it! I saw Everything about worshipping me!

Kyouko : Oh is that so? The people from Seattle brought you a Cake. Here.

Sayaka : What's this? "Happy Anniversary, Sayaka". Signed by "Your fans from Seattle, Washington". Well, hey! Those crazy americans, they did remember my day! That's right, Sayaka Day was my day that is exactly everything, I'm popular in the Real World, A girl who was a villain/anti-hero, and I sang the anthem "Washington My Home". Yeah, that was my day when I came to the State of Washington on that day and between Tokyo, I am that girl, and March 8th was a holiday for me, only me that knows about Washington.

Kyouko : Yep. Also, aren't going to blow out the cake. It's your anniversary.

Sayaka : Why yes, of course. [inhales]

[KABOOOM!!!]

Sayaka : Where did you get cake that contain explosives?

Kyouko : I don't know, but what it pisses me off about it, is that I should've got a real cake from the Bakery in Bellevue!

Sayaka : This is your day, Sayaka. This is totally your day!

Kyouko : You think that there are some clothing device that I can find?

Sayaka : Of course, we are in our birthday suits.

Kyouko : Happy March 8th!

[WHISTLING+THUD!]

Sayaka : I knew that everyone would celebrate the day I came to Washington.

[Game Over (NSMB WII ver.) - Koji Kondo]

~ HAPPY MARCH 8TH FROM SAYAKA MIKI ~

[haradasaya]

WIP Wednesday

hello, and weclome, to episode 389192862917 of Saya's bullshit

So I was tagged by the wonderful @gingerbreadmonsters like every week for the past two months because I always ask her to tag me in her wip Wednesday's, and then I never end up posting anything because I'm a lazy bitch. But today is different! I actually have a wip to share! I've been working on it for months because I was so scared to not live up to expectations, as this was not only a request, but also my first ever fic request. And to the one who requested it of me, I am so sorry for taking literally a million and one years to get even a small snippet of this out. I promise that the rest of this fic is short to follow, as I'm actually motivated for once, and have time---though I still won't promise anything about getting it out at a reasonable time. This is me we're talking about here!

CW: Imperium; Imperium Asher and David; this takes place before the main plot-line, when David was still around, which is an angst tag in and of itself; along with Asher being hurt and David patching him up; there is a bit of aggressive profanity and talk between them, as I imagine that David wasn't as nice in the Imperium as he was in the Prime universe, and that's saying something; as well as some very mild nsfw implications, but nothing is explicit.

The door to their apartment slammed shut, and Asher was immediately pressed against it. The doorknob dug into his back, but he didn’t care, not with David’s hands on him like that, his lips attached to his as if to breathe his air. Asher was already light in the brain, and not totally because of the blood loss. David took advantage of the fact that Asher had minimal control over his limbs, though it wasn’t until Asher wasn’t able to clench on David’s hair did he realize that something wasn’t right.

Within seconds, the kiss was parted and David was lifting Asher’s shirt. Any other time, Asher would have made a joke about being in a rush to get his clothes off. David hissed between his teeth when he finally saw the scratch that was making Asher weak. Without a word, David lifted the shirt to take it off, and Asher did his best to comply. His arms didn’t want to move too far, and David made that same hissing sound before lifting Asher’s arms and pulling the shirt off of over his head. Asher did his best to smile, trying to play it off, but David held a hand up to him.

“Not a word. I’m gonna patch you up first, and then you’re going to answer my questions, got it?”

Asher nodded, unable to do anything but comply with his alpha’s wishes. It wasn’t very often that David asserted his dominance like that, not with Asher. He’d do anything David asked anyway, there was no need to control him like that. And yet, Asher couldn’t help but obey when David commanded him to lay on the couch and not move while he got the things he’d need to patch him up. To be completely honest, surrendering control of his mind over to David’s commands was easier right now than it would have been to try and come up with his own thoughts. He was oddly grateful for the power his mate held over him at that moment.

David returned a moment later, muttering to himself as he spread their scraps of medical supplies out over the coffee table beside him. Asher tried not to squirm under the pressure David was putting on the cut, especially with the antiseptic wipe he used to clean off a majority of the dirt and excess blood. It hurt like a bitch, sure, but it would hurt worse if David got impatient.

“When did this happen?” David practically growled, not looking up from the wound.

Asher did his best not to chuckle. “That bitch with the dark hair caught me off guard while I was busy saving your ass.”

David flashed him a look that said That’s not funny, but quickly returned his attention to Asher’s side. “I didn’t see her coming from that side, clawed me up real bad.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? We were linked, I could have helped.”

Ash forced his gaze to meet David’s. “Because you needed to be the one to take down that bastard they called a clan leader. I was fine anyways–”

“No, Asher, it’s not fine. This, this is bad. What would have happened if you’d bled out before this? I would have had no idea.”

Asher’s eyes fell to the floor, unsure what to say. If he quipped back, David would likely get upset at him. If he stayed quiet, he risked looking weak in front of his alpha and his mate. In retrospect, the answer should have been obvious, but that didn’t stop Asher from wanting to defend his pride.

“I’m fine, David. Please stop worrying about me, I can take care of myself.”

“But do you?”

His words caught Ash off guard. He’d expected him to have something angrier to retort. Instead he asked him that. Did he take care of himself? Of course he did, what could he—

“You’re always sacrificing yourself on my behalf, Ash. I know you think that it’s okay if you take the hits because you’re just my beta, but it’s not like that. I’m not more important to this pack just because I’m alpha, and you’re sure as hell not less important than anyone else in the pack anyways. As my mate, you are more valuable than anyone else—hell, than everyone else. Don’t you fucking get it?”

Asher stared, wide eyed at the man in front of him, still kneeling beside the couch, a hand pressing into his side where he’d begun to wrap up his scratch, dark eyes peering up into his. Asher noticed the worry lines etched into his forehead and around his lips. David had aged so quickly after becoming Alpha. He wasn’t just taking on the role of leader for his pack, he was taking his father’s place, something he never had the chance to grieve properly before being forced to lead his expectant pack. 

Asher welled with sorrow, and regret. “I get you, David.” 

For a brief second, it was as if David and Asher saw right through each other. As if they both saw what the other was thinking as clearly as if it had been said aloud. A moment of clarity shot through David’s eyes, before he blinked it away and returned to the task at hand. 

[studentofetherium]

In that case, underground idol recs?

Okinawa Electric Girl Saya is my oishi, so definitely check her out. a lot of her stuff is available on bandcamp, either from her own page or a label she frequents

HARU NEMURI is an obvious recommendation, i'm not as big onto her as others, but she's great. huge RAY fan, and their predecessor group, Tokyo Dots (they're hard to google)

3776 is one of the most unique musical groups ive ever heard, and Saijiki remains an utterly wild and bizarre album, even for pop music. Maison book girl are similarly avant-garde, playing a lot with odd time signatures in their music, and unusual instrumentation, making them stand out from any of their contemporaries. i love XOXO Extreme for being a 70s prog-inspired sort of thing, with their songs quoting the instrumentals of many different older prog bands, particularly Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. DAI DAI DAI, BiSH, and NEO JAPONISM all have cool stuff in their discography, with ∅, CARROTS AND STiCKS, and HERE NOW being my favorites, respectively. N-Feni is cool, tho i think they've since made their earlier stuff unavailable on streaming ("i have a little hangover" is the album to look for, might be under their old name). SAKA-SAMA are lit, too, for a more poprock sort of take on it (a lot of this is more punk-inspired)

so that's 12 bands! this is just scratching the surface with some of my faves. there's a whole lot of fun stuff out there, and what's especially cool is that most of this stuff isn't on major labels, as many of these are on independent labels or even self-release their music, meaning they don't have the same baggage as some of the more standard idol groups

[nakanotamu]

[thesimpsbasement]

My friend showed me your blog and I love your works! Could I request Prompt 4 or 9 with Miss Moneypenny from Moriarty the Patriot x gn! reader? (For the 100 followers event)

character : Miss Moneypenny x Gn!reader

Fandom: Moriarty the patriot, Yuukoku no moriarty

Genre: fluff

Prompt 4 and 9

-Mod Saya

“You look amazing tonight” Miss Moneypenny said leaning on the doorframe you were preparing for a party, an important one where nobles and important businessmen were attending and you were attending because you had connections and it would help out with getting information.

“Thank you,” you said with a smirk.

“We have a few minutes left make sure you have everything” she said then leaving 

Sighing, you looked at your watch and picked up the letter that you had not opened yet and started to read it.

“When the sun has fallen the people have gathered you shall meet your doom -from the kiss of death” your heart beat starts to beat faster feeling the ominous atmosphere slowly you made yourself out of the room still feeling threatened.

“Are you ok?” Sebastian  asked where he was leaning his back on the wall.

“I think we need to keep an extra eye out today” you said passing the letter to Sebastian then walking towards the carriage where you were escorted you knew being a noble didn’t mean you were safe either you only had power and sometimes that may not be enough for protection from danger.

As you got off the carriage Moneypenny offered her hand which you took but this was the last time you would see her until this large event was over feeling nervous your eyes darted around outside as if you felt eyes were already on you.

“I heard everything from Sebastian,” she reassuringly said.

Taking a breath in you tried to calm down then put your head up confidently and went in the sound of chatter and glasses touching each other echoed through the room. Everyone masking their emotions for their own benefit as if each one of their eyes were money itself .

You noticed a nobleman who is close with your family members approach you offering a drink which you gladly accepted and you smiled.

“Greetings to you sir” you said seeing he was accompanied by 2 other men which you didn’t notice before.

“Ah these two young gentlemen, they are my sons they just debuted into society” he added as you noticed they were twins.

“Well it's a pleasure to meet you two please call me (name)” you said then looking at the clock you noticed you had to leave this conversation.

“Well i’ll have to get going, I hope you enjoy the party” you added while rushing up the stairs near an indoor balcony where you could see everyone more clearly.

Before you could process anything, a loud scream from a further distance could be heard and everyone was panicking.

“She’s been poisoned,” someone yelled. You examined the situation from your position and you noticed three men in black seemed to be walking away from the crowd. They seemed suspicious so you kept your eyes on them however.

They started to split ways and you noticed one of them walking up towards you then the letter you read earlier started to make sense. Without looking back you started to run away from the man who started to walk towards you.

You made it outside through the back doors. You started making signs that Moneypenny and Sebastian would understand so they could come out of their hiding spots.

Suddenly you felt a pair of hands pull you into an embrace “come on we need to get to safety”

“Moneypenny its 3 of them i think they sent the letter” you said sort of panicked still

“Don’t worry about that right now” she held your hand tightly as you guys made it inside a shop then she led you inside and it seemed like she knew the shopkeeper. 

“Now where are we “ you asked looking around you noticed Sebastian and von were already in the room.

“Welcome my place” Von said enthusiastically which you smiled back at.

“(name) you are bleeding” Moneypenny noticed your arm.

“Don’t worry it’s just a scratch” you said, covering it remembering you must've been so scared that you forgot that you scratched your arm on a sharp surface while running.

“Follow me” you gladly followed her into a small room which was neat and you sat on the bed.

“Here give me your arm” she said as you held out your arm then looking at her pretty features.

“How are you gonna deal with those men” you winced at the pain from her dabbing the ointment on the scratch.

“It will be dealt with,” Moneypenny said, concentrating on your arm.

“I’ll take your word” you said, moving some of her hair behind her ear since you noticed it had been bothering her.

“I won’t let anyone hurt you”

.........................................................

Hope you like it and thank you

[kokorodachidanii]

Ten freshly-Gacha’d WOY OCs for Saturday

Pandora Pameron: Rilzdonite, age 12. Can use all kinds of forbidden magic with little consequences. Used one such spell to switch lives with the Queen of Rilzdon and even erase her from existence because she wanted to be Queen. The King suffered a fatal seizure not long after, and to this day some people still think Pan poisoned him (she didn’t). A few weeks after the King’s funeral, her crush, Lorgin Hensense, was wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of his mother, who just so happened to be the former royal advisor’s wife. And so, Pan joined forces with Harvax and Stok to clear Lorgin’s name, and rewarded them with personal bodyguards specially picked from the Rilzdonian Royal Guard. Still trying to convince H&S to be her trusty companions (read: loyal steed and court jester respectively).

Rhubarb: Ragdoll, age unknown. Was discovered by Wild Card at the bottom of a lake and brought back to the Insurgents’ place. Turned out to be sentient and tried to kill the Insurgents, but was stopped by WC just in time. Unfortunately however, they somehow survived their painful stint in the furnace and are now plotting their revenge. Rarely seen without a knife in hand.

DJ Halation: Human, age 24. Club Jubilee’s top-rated DJ.

Eiael Hensense: Rilzdonite, age 40. Was King Rilzdon’s advisor when he was still alive. Thinks Queen Pandora really did kill the King and challenged her to a duel. When he was inevitably defeated, he ended up murdering his own wife, Viela, and framing their 14-year-old son, Lorgin. Was exposed by Harvax, Stok, and Pandora, and was ultimately erased from existence.

Marina Sorano: Nekojin, age 16. Idol known as “Nya! Nya! Marinya!”. Her best friend is a black cat named Arlen.

Elise Heartwood: Human, age 18. Traveling saleswoman. Crafts all her wares from scratch, ranging from medicine to baked goods to dolls. A shy, sweet young lady who can be very self-conscious. Has the assistance of an invisible familiar named Esile. Besides said familiar, the Congenialites are her only real friends, and Oink even affectionately calls her “The Walking Blarpee’s”.

Orin Tomoe: Human, age 15. Owns a curry club on the outskirts of Okeydokia. 100% would date seven people simultaneously. To clarify, she’s crushing on Emperor Awesome, Ryder, Chad Starlight, Sourdough for some reason, Neckbeard, General Outrage, and Harvax-- all equally.

Shion Yorizuma: Monochronian, age 8. Shunned by her kind for dressing in vivid colors. Mistakenly believes she only has 17 days left to live. The gigantic slime is her pet. I’m not sure about that leaf.

Sayaka Yoshida: Human, age 15. A mutual friend of Ryder and Trudi Traveler. Can create infinite copies of herself at will. Has a satori yōkai (I think that’s what that thing is) named Satou who only gets along with Saya, Frederick, and Trudi.

Yukari Satsuki: Foquenian, age 23. Veterinarian. Selectively mute. One of Wild Card’s dozens of exes from before he and Clipper officially became boyfriends. (A-Team fans will get the reference.) Uses her blue staff to fly. Genuinely enjoys zapping people with her red staff.

[emmetohboy]

Favorites ‘22

It seems I produce this entry a little later each year. I'm perfectly fine with my reason this year. Or reasons to be exact—The Overstory by Richard Powers and A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders. I finished reading Saunders exhilarated and ready to start this writing. But after I organized my thinking, I made the happy mistake of picking up Powers. I could barely bring myself to put it down, until I finished on New Year’s Eve. Now a little more daunted than exhilarated, I plan to keep the musings here brief and get to my favorites.

 The small bit of thinking that I did organize centered around taking the baton handoff from last year’s final entry on the list, Dijon's Absolutely and recognizing how much the genre fluid approach to that magnificent record influenced my tastes in 2022. At times evoking D’Angelo and then later Thin Lizzy, the record was, according to Apple Music Replay, the record I listened to the second most last year. The top honor went to a record that arrived at the top of 2022, very shortly after Absolutely, Orlando Weeks' Hop Up. While not the genre fluid effort that many on the forthcoming list are, Hop Up does give me some of the best Peter Gabriel vibes I've felt in a while.

Three albums that threatened the top spot on my most-listened to list, and ones that do draw on and build from a wide swath of genres are the mesmerizing newest releases from Guitarricadelafuente, Sudan Archives and SZA.

And three that I found to be completely original, fresh takes were Aldous Harding's Warm Chris, the debut ep from Ogi, Monologue and 19 Masters by Saya Gray.

A few artists, old favorites if you will, also warmed long periods of my listening last year. I Walked with You a Ways by Plains feels like it’s packed with future standards. Reggae Film Star by Damien Jurado scratches the moody vibe like he always has, but this effort includes surprising and occasionally deconstructed song structures. Likewise, longtime favorite Marlon Williams returned, less a crooner and more of a retro pop star. Many critics didn't appreciate My Boy like I did. I think it suits him well.

So I've made no formal resolutions for 2023, but maybe unofficially, I’d like to keep the new voracious reading pace without sacrificing the writing output. The realist in me is not so sure I can do it. But isn't this what the unstained optimism of the first weeks of a new year are supposed to afford us?

LISTEN to the complete list.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 1 - Black Rabbit

"And to think I was impertinent enough to dream of visiting my home town without encountering anything paranormal related... Honestly, how rude of me!" the mysterious young lady muttered to herself as she followed the way that her spiritual instincts told her. She checked her phone to see what the time was, then fixed the black trench coat that complimented the thin green turtleneck that was tucked in her comfortable black jeans; Soon enough, the newly appeared phantasmagoric trail guided her in front of what seemed to be a bar that named "Black Rabbit".

You must be kidding me... She sneered at the name of the bar, not remembering the not so peaceful memories she had regarding black rabbits. First, there was the Black Rabbit from the Kujou mansion, the one that destroyed Mary's doll form temporarily - A selfless sacrifice, from what both herself and Yashiki-... Erh, excuse her, slip of the mind - Masamune, rather; They both still feel as though the Black Rabbit was the soul of the late Saya Kujou, who had previously succumbed to the Hanahiko curse. It must have been awful for the man, seeing his sister in such a grotesque way - Even though he was not yet aware they were related, such imagery is not to be taken lightly.

Does this mean she will now become the Black Rabbit for someone? Selflessly protecting those in need, the way Saya's spirit did for them? Granted, though she had arrived in her old hometown a few weeks prior, it was only recently that a certain kind of unease begun creeping into her soul; a feeling so familiar, that she's only ever felt during the Death Mark investigations she did with her brother, Satoru, and Yashiki. In spite of this familiarity, there was a much stronger emotion, eerily throbbing her heart - An unusually strong urge to protect - But protect who, exactly? The cursed, living humans? Or the unappeased spirits, still lingering on earth, in complete agony, waiting for their chance to pass on to the afterlife, the very same way poor Hanayome and her dog were dearly wishing to go to wherever the soul of her fiance was lingering, in death.

Perhaps those weren't the appropriate questions she should be asking herself. No, instead - What in the world should she even say, once she enters the bar and sees people there? Not only was she unbearable socially inapt, but bringing oh so casually a conversation regarding ghost-hunting was... Not quite acceptable for her age. 

Sighing, the young lady mustered all the social courage she could gather, and opened the doors of the Black Rabbit bar. Inside, only three people were present, looking just slightly younger in age compared to her; They were frivolously conversing about a topic only they knew. The lady internally cringed - Were the people she was supposed to protect... Freaking highschool kids?

She'd much rather face the Masquerade ghost again. No, scratch that, she hates spiders more than teenagers... It's a close call though.

"Kijima, you have a customer." the black haired girl alerted in a shushed tone, making the brunet boy look at the newcomer disturbing their little gathering curiously. "We don't really have customers... That's unusual." he muttered, stepping closer to the young lady. Great, already she is standing out. "Erh..." she sweatdropped, looking up at the tall and intimidating young man towering over her petite form. All three highschoolers had their eyes glued on her - How unnerving. "With the risk of sounding like an escaped lunatic - You wouldn't happen to be cursed and/or haunted by some kind of malevolent spirit, would you?" with the most awkward and uncomfortable side smile, the intruder, although beautiful, looked slightly demented from an outside perspective - Except, her words unexpectedly rung the Jackpot. "How... Did you know...?" his voice dropped by an octave, clearly shocked by what this newcomer, a woman he's never met in his entire life, asked him. How in the world could she know? Could it be that she can see the curse afflicting his body and soul? "Ha, would you look at that, I was actually right! What were the chances." she chuckled with unease. "I hate when I am right." her voice turned outright pitiful - This was going to be a ton of work. "The gist of it is that I have strong spiritual powers, and recently, I started feeling the lingering presence of unappeased ghosts unable to pass on, and clinging onto a humans - Basically, I felt the blooming of a most noxious curse." she continued with a little more strength in her voice, seeing the receptiveness of the on-lookers. "I would prefer to hear what is the problem before I speak any further."

The brunet boy grunted briefly, nodding his head in acknowledgement before he guided the new-comer at their table. "This is Amanome Seiji and Hazuki Kaoru. I am Kijima Akira. And, you are?" the brunet boy introduced everyone. "My name is Mashita Kisara and I come from H city. I'm not sure whether or not I should say that I'm fortunate, or quite the contrary, though I have a pretty long history of paranormal encounters and cases that I've debunked and solved with my brother and another person from a highly spiritual family." the young lady explained, leaning back on the chair seat, analysing carefully each of the young ones before her. "So you're a paranormal expert? That's great! We can investigate properly what's going on and rescue Ami!" Kaoru exclaimed in victory. Kisara rose a questioning eyebrow at the other girl - Was she always this obnoxiously enthusiastic when in regard to the supernatural? Well, that giddiness will soon vanish, when faced with an actual ghost that is actively trying to brutally massacre you. "Care to explain?" "Yes, Kijima, let's see how older women like these fairy tales." Seiji smirked, making his friend roll his eyes. "I think a little girl dressed in a traditional kimono cursed me. She said her name is Kakuya and she kidnapped Ami, my little sister, after making a car try to kill us. I know it sounds stupid, bu-" he explained, slightly irked and expecting her to laugh, yet he only saw a deep pondering on her face. "Kakuya... More like Kaguya, I suppose. A little girl, wanting to play... Why, that sounds just like Mary and how she cursed Yashiki. I think Kakuya could be a Doll... Spirit... Something." she thought it over out loud, nodding to herself with each preliminary conclusion she reached - It seemed like Akira was following her eagerly. Granted, his little sister was kidnapped, of course he would cling onto any piece of information and help he could get, especially regarding such a niche branch. "Spirits? What's that?" he asked, obviously confused. Sure, he met Kakuya, a rather peculiar young girl, possibly even younger than Ami - But... Ghosts? Spirits? Well, nothing was outside the realm of the supernatural, it seems. "What?! You don't know what Spirits are?! That means you don't read Moe's H City Featured Article in OOParts?"  Kaoru gasped incredulous, making Kisara blink at her perplex. "You know Moe? She got the Death Mark in H City from Hanahiko, which is when we met I saved her from the curse after we appeased the child ghost. Since then, she started writing about most of our Paranormal cases, and even helped us get information on the Jirogumo, Little Red Hood, at the abandoned Masquerade Love Hotel." she recalled Moe's story, making Kaoru's eyes sparkle with surprise and glee. "No way! That means the Heroine of the story is you?! You're The Crimson Knight?!" unexpectedly, Kaoru shot up to her feet, slamming her hands on the table and leaned down, her face dangerously close to her face; She fangirled in such a loud and high-pitched tone that Kisara couldn't help but flinch away. How annoying. "Erh... Yes, that is me. Play on words. Didn't want to give away my identity. It would diminish my professionalism towards my actual career. Ghost hunting isn't worth my future." her cheeks turned pink with uncomfortable embarrassment, inching away even farther from the girl fawning over her. "How did you get to that nickname?! What does it mean?!" she asked excitedly, barely contenting herself. How annoying. Kisara already feels highly repelled by her. Hopefully, she will chill out a little.

"The way Japanese symbols work is amazing, isn't it? If you add the 'Ki' and the 'Shi' from both my names, you get 'Kishi', the word for Knight." the young woman chuckled at her wittiness. "As for Crimson - Well, one look at my hair, and you don't need another explanation, do you?" yes, she was proud of herself. "My brother and I are rather creative." "That's so smart! Will you take me as your disciple and teach me more about the supernatural?!" she asked, but Kisara cringed at the thought alone, shaking her head.

"Ergh... No way." Kaoru deflated immediately; her otherwise cheerful and bubbly demeanor immediately turning disappointed and sour, as if she just found out her dog just died. "Ghosts are dangerous. They can kill you. I am not doing this as a leisurely hobby. In fact, I hate ghosts with all my heart. The amount of close brushes with death I had is far too high to count." with this harsh truth, Kisara hoped she would speak some sense into this day-dreaming girl. It failed. "Besides - I am a Veterinary Medicine student. I have my priorities." "What a pity. You'd have been an amazing investigator..." she mumbled, slumping back down in her seat. "A bit more respect for my actual career would have been much appreciated." Kisara sweatdropped in deep annoyance, pinching the bridge of her nose before shifting her gaze to Akira, who zoned away because of the silly talk. "So, Akira, basically... Spirits are what happens with a human that dies with a very strong grudge. They are left behind as twisted beings that can curse and kill you. Many of them feed on the despair of the people they cursed, and won't kill them right away." she begun the brief explanation regarding the educational topic into certain death. "There are only two ways to get rid of them, but there is only one I'd recommend, which is purification. That way, no more human casualties will happen." Akira, seemed to be in deep thought and was taking everything in properly. "That just sounds like some occult story, don't scare us like that, Miss Mashita!" Seiji made a weird face, making her instantly realise he was absolutely terrified of things he can't understand. "Forgive me for being the bringer of grim news, Amanome-san." she offered a brief, sympathetic smile his way. "At this moment, Kijima-san's curse is manifesting as grotesque mouths on his face. They can only be seen by the person afflicted with the curse, and those of a higher spiritual power." Akira seemed petrified at having the truth of the creepy mouths called out like that - To think someone could actually see them, how peculiar.

"Amanome-san, as someone from the outside of the supernatural spectrum, it is entirely understandable to be afraid, especially as, as I previously stated, these malevolent ghosts can easily kill you. Unfortunately, unlike with humans with a physical, tangible body... You cannot retaliate in the same brute way against specters. You must perform a purifying ritual and appease their souls; By saving them, you save yourself." still, she smiled reassuringly at the rather handsome chestnut haired young man, who seemed more amused than anything, though also highly uncomfortable with the whole spiritual world thing.

"Worry not, I am here to make sure nobody gets harmed. My vacation is already ruined anyway, might as well not let some clueless kids stumble around and die while trying to save another kid." she chuckled playfully, hoping to ease the atmosphere a little. It seems to have worked. "Treating us like kids isn't very nice, is it, Miss Mashita?" Seiji had a charming side-smile on his face, looking at the young lady before him with growing admiration. "Please, just call me Kisara. When you say Mashita, well... I think of my brother. It is a little weird." she scratched the back of her neck lightly. "Only if you call me by my given name also, Miss Kisara." he affirmed with a bemused grin on his face. Kisara couldn't help but smile sweetly back at him. She had to admit, he was quite the personality.  "I appreciate the respect offered with the honorific, but I don't think I'm that much older than you guys. Or... At least, I hope so." yes, it would actually be incredibly awkward if they would be, like, middle-schoolers or something; But who knew? Teenagers now-a-days looked about just about all ranges of ages. "Since you have no stated your age, I will continue addressing you with the much deserved respect - Which Hazuki rudely failed to giveth." although the evident beginning of a flirting back and forth wasn't lost on the rather annoyed Akira, Kaoru was completely oblivious to it; She seemed to have problems prioritising her problems.

"Amanome! Don't you know it's not nice to ask a lady her age?" Kaoru raises her voice at him, making everyone sigh. Kisara cleared her throat awkwardly, ensuing silence. "That... Actually made me feel far worse." she shook her head - What a silly child. "I turned 21 years old in winter. Your turn." "Very much legal." Seiji smirked mischievously, making Akira slap the back of his head in annoyance. "Don't be gross with a woman you just met." Akira reprimanded him. "We're 18. Hazuki is 16. Case close. Can we return to the real problem now?" he states, making Kisara nod in agreement.

"Yes, casual talk aside - Did Kakuya mention anything about the game she wanted to play with you?" the new-comer asked, wanting to get away from the weirdness of the previous small talk. "She told me to search for the Urashima woman." Akira answered her question, thought Kisara wasn't entirely familiar with her hometown's urban legends or any kind of remarkable murders that took place around this area, for the past many decades. "Has any of you heard anything of the Urashima Woman myth? Anything at all?" Kisara encouraged them to speak up. "So... Does that mean that the rumours are true? The Urashima woman is the most discussed topic on the Shinza Ward Ghost Story forums." Kaoru mentioned out of the blue. At least she can be useful when needed. "E-Enough of this!" Seiji grimaced, obviously not wanting to hear anything about that. "Trust that the Crimson Knight will protect you, Seiji." Kisara hummed playfully with the much appreciated undertone. "It's the ghost of a woman said to appear at Yamato shrine, and her name comes from the Urashima Lake contained there..." she began, then told the rumours of the Urashima woman, who died in that lake, and how, if you're lucky, should you throw a rock in the lake at midnight, you'll see her. She takes the appearance of a pregnant woman, walking a baby stroller, and that's how that college girl died, apparently. She didn't see the Spirit right away, but her body was found in the Lake; the cause of death being drowning, and the peculiarity of it was that her corpse was swarming with turtles.

"Heard worse. Seen worse. Experienced worse." Kisara's apathetic remark seemed to send a shiver down Seiji's spine. "Guess we're going to investigate this lake. It might prove to be problematic, but nothing we cannot deal with." how can someone be so dead-pan in the face of something as fickle as... Ghosts?! "Ah - Forgive me, Seiji, was the story too much for you?" she dared extend her hand towards him, brushing aside the stray fringe getting in his face. "What? Don't tell me you're REALLY afraid of ghosts?" Kaoru giggled like a schoolgirl, making Seiji grimace even more in annoyance at the mocking.

"You'd be a fool NOT to be..." Kisara muttered under her breath, annoyed at the overly enthusiastic girl who had no clue what she was dealing with. "My aversion to these sorts of things is more or less what you'd consider wheat allergy. Meaning, that's just how my body reacts, I can't help it if it does it." he scoffed, looking away, pissed that a silly little girl was making fun of him for having a completely valid fear. "When I heard you were the son of a boss, I was afraid you'd be scary, but... So you can be cute too, Amanome!" the girl grinned in amusement at the fair haired boy. "Why are you smiling? And why are you being overly familiar with me?" he glared at her, but she stood her ground, bickering further. "You don't seem to have a problem when Kisara does it." she shot back, making him chuckle lightly - No, rather, it almost had an impish taint to it. "Miss Kisara is an intelligent young woman who deserves my respect and friendship - Unlike some midget like you with no charisma OR brain to make up for your lack of feminine curves." although Kisara was getting very into this feud, loving this shady back and forth between these sharp-tongued fiends, Akira was quickly getting fed up with their childishness, for he got up and shouted at them both to shut up already.

With the deathly silence of a graveyard hanging through the bar, Kisara felt awkward enough to meekly throw a small talk question and mediate the vibe. "Erh... May I ask... When you said 'The son of a boss', what exactly did you mean?" "Amanome is the son of the Yakuza boss. He's not yet officially in the Yakuza, though." Akira shrugged, explaining the situation quickly, hoping to return to the ghost-talk. "Yakuza, hm?" Kisara looked up at the ceiling briefly, humming and nodding in understanding. "For someone who can easily solve any human-related altercation, the mere idea of being unable to physically deal with a being trying to come after your life - I can understand your fear. Being in control and solving any problem, as opposed to having to retort to silly rituals and stumble around the occult... I know which side I would choose also." she gave a reassuring smile to the boy, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. "I would take it as... An escape room game. Or a Nancy Drew Mystery. Personally, twisting my view in that way does help a lot." Seiji smiled, nodding in appreciation. "See? Someone GETS me!" he smirked in victory, before Kaoru started fangirling over this case and mentioned how they should hurry and investigate already. Akira called her out for enjoying this and basing her clothes on it too.  "Of course, I'm a Momoler. Plus, the Urashima Woman got Momo's concert cancelled. I can't forgive her." she scoffed, looking away in anger.

Momoler? Concert? What is going on? Is she getting too out of touch with mainstream media? With teenager idols and what not? Kisara turned to look at Akira, then at Hazuki, and Seiji - They all had different looks on their faces. While Kijima seemed to only have heard the name briefly prior to all this mess, Hazuki looked like the biggest Momoler fan. Seiji, on the other hand, was ready to make fun of the young girl.

"Am I too old to understand young people? I feel weirdly uncomfortable for not knowing who this Momoler is." Kisara affirmed, albeit with a little unease. "Don't worry, it's better if you don't know." he reassured her, incurring the wrath of the younger one. "What do you mean by that?! Momo Kuruse is awesome and she sings very well! She is the most popular Idol nowadays." Kaoru exclaimed a bit too offended. "If she is that popular, why have I never heard of her?" the blunt comment not only made Kaoru's jaw drop, but it made Amanome chuckle shamelessly. "She's not all that popular, clearly." the boy loved seeing how offended he could get the little brat. "Idol music isn't my thing, but if she's that popular, I should have heard of her, right? In that regard, the only idol I know is Ai Kashiwagi from Love & Hero. Granted, I only know her because I saved her from her Death Mark curse. She helped me refine my piano skills, as a thank you. I also get free VIP tickets to all her concerts. She's actually pretty good." it seemed as though the sky fell on Hazuki. "... Ah. Kashiwagi. Never heard of her." the young one grumbled lowly. "Jealousy doesn't make your lies more believable, Hazuki." the Yakuza boy smirked at her.

"Enough. We have to investigate." Akira got up from the table, fed up with the group being unable to hold an actual conversation for more than five seconds straight.  "Akira is right." Kisara nodded her head solemnly, raising to her feet also. "Seiji, will you be alright coming with us?" the sympathy wasn't lost on the Yakuza prince. "I don't mind coming along - I couldn't, in good faith, let a beautiful young lady such as yourself wonder around at night in dangerous places." Amanome got up from the table, gently leading the red head away from the obnoxious girl, and closer to the exit. "Didn't the news say something about the Yamato Shrine being closed at night right now? Wouldn't the trip be for nothing, under these circumstances?" "We'll just go there and check it out. Besides, you'd be surprised at the ways one can get through well guarded places. I've heard about die-hard fans sneaking into their favourite idol's dressing room." the little problem girl shrugged as if that was the easiest thing to do. "One of these die-hard fans doesn't happen to be you, does it?" Akira asks, as if reading my mind. "I bet she stole the clothes she's wearing from Momo Kuruse's dressing room." Seiji joined in the teasing, but it didn't seem to affect the girl at all. "Do you WANT me to curse you both to death?" she threatened with a smile on her face, only to get quickly cut off by the older lady. "Last time my friend cursed someone, he almost twisted his neck by slipping on ice. I'd be careful with those black candles, if I were you." for a few seconds there, Seiji's heard skipped a beat, or perhaps even more - Not only was Kisara's angelic smile filled with such satanic poison, but her subtly threatening words rung like honey mead lullabies in his ears. Now this is a fine woman. "Although I greatly enjoy seeing that dumb look on Hazuki's face - I should remind you, we are going to be dealing with cops." Kisara's sight immediately snapped up at the boy; Her bewildered confusion looked so adorable on her seraphic visage. "Cops are going to be patrolling the area, so be careful. It'll be a huge hassle if they catch us." unlike the other two, the new-comer's worry was evidently overflowing. "So... We're going to be meddling into borderline illegal territory." Kisara concluded, feeling a light squeeze of her shoulder. "Just make sure you don't stray too far away from me, and everything will be fine." clearly, he was enjoying playing the protector role for the beautiful lady. He had enough experience with legal matters, and more, with the illegal ones. He was perfectly capable of getting out of any problem, no matter the magnitude. "Don't worry, I know a route that can go around with no police." Kaoru piped in, getting in between the two rather forcefully, clinging onto Kisara's arm. "I'll make sure no policeman gives you trouble." "Why would you know that?" Akira asks suspiciously. "I like exploring haunted places." she shrugged nonchalantly. Sighing, Kisara uncomfortably shrugged Hazuki off her, stepping away from the trio. She didn't realise at first, but she enjoyed Seiji's presence so close to her - But the little girl needed to tame her obnoxiousness if he wanted to step anywhere close to her personal bubble. "Let's just go already."

Taking on the role of the lead, Hazuki grabbed Kisara's hand and dragged her throughout the whole journey to the park where Yamato Shrine resided. The walk there was tedious and felt much too long - Probably because nobody was saying a single word, and only their footsteps were heard. On few occasions, the poor red haired lady would look back past her shoulder, as if to gain some pity from the two boys walking behind her - She was not saved from the iron grip of the bossy Kaoru. 

It took so long for them to finally start investigating, that the Moon was already glowing up the sky, darkness filling the atmosphere with beauty and chills. Though Kisara loved night time, she never truly felt safe enough to feel comfortable strolling through the streets of the peaceful city - Even with Seiji and Akira there. When she was flanked by Satoru and Yashiki, somehow, she felt safe, even when they were deep in the forest, chasing around Shimi-O.

By the time they arrived at the park, they noticed a rather overly-dedicated guard. Based on how tall the gate was, and the level of athletics everyone possessed, the only one who could actually get to the Shrine unnoticed was Akira. "So what do we do?" the brunet boy grumbled, glaring lightly at the irksome guard. "We need to find a way to sneak past that guard and jump the gate." Kaoru quickly replied. "I suppose it's time for me to perform my magic." Seiji's devilish smirk was enough to speak the undertone - He confidently walked to the guard, attempting to negotiate. Alas, the man was so incredibly rude to him, that not even the Yakuza Prince could persuade him to turn a blind eye to their endeavours. "Guess even you can fail sometimes." Akira's comment seemed to mildly annoy his friend. "Now what?" Kaoru huffed at Seiji's failure. "I found this thing." Akira showed them the flyer about Kuruse Momo's cancelled concert. "I'll see what I can find out about this." thus, he went to ask about the flyer to the guard. Though there wasn't actually much to learn from a stupid pop culture related flyer, one little thing did catch his attention - The next day's guard was supposedly a die-hard Kuruse fan. "Well - So what? It's not like we can summon that girl out of thin air and make her charm the guard or something." Amanome pointed out. "I wouldn't worry about that. I've got a plan." Kaoru spoke with confidence. "What, you'll put a wig on and pretend to be an idol?" Seiji snarked her. "If it works, it works." the girl shrugged with non-chalance, "Enough bickering, you two." Kijima snapped. "Where's Mashita?"

For a few seconds, a silence of realisation hung over the trio - Kisara was nowhere to be seen. Were it not for the awfully adorable squeak coming from the gate, they wouldn't have noticed she had been inspecting the entrance towards the park - But that nasty guard did, and was ready to scold her. She hated having people being hostile towards her, let alone being roughed up by the arm and led away.

She has a history of snapping at the worst times, of snarking back teachers and principles in positions of power; There's only so many times a lion cub can endure being snubbed, before it bites their face off. "Don't you know it's not nice to treat a lady like that?" It was Seiji, slapping away the guard's grip from Kisara, and stepping protectively in front of her. "You may be a guard, but you don't have the right to inflict harm on my girlfriend like that. Staying outside the gate is not illegal. If you have anything to complain about, go ahead - I know the constitution inside out." that was possibly one of the most impressive things she's ever experienced in her life. It wasn't the same feeling she had when her brother was protecting her; It was something else, something that seemed to hold more malice. Was it the aura of a Yakuza prince?

Whatever it was - It was very endearing.

The guard scowled at the two, walking off. As Seiji's tensed body seemed to calm, he looked back at the damsel in distress. Before he could ask if she was alright, however, she leaned towards him, whispering into his ear. "There are no security cameras anywhere in this area. Anyone can easily sneak in from this radius, and nobody will find out." with a subtle shift in his posture, the boy allowed himself to take a look at the state of virtual security himself. She was right on all accounts.

"We'll send Akira to investigate by himself while we create an opening for him to jump the fence." the shrewd boy eyed his brunet friend with a rather wicked expression. "He's dealing with ghosts though... Will he be okay by himself?" instead of a reassurance, Seiji scoffed in amusement, putting his arm around the girl and bringing her closer to his side.  "That muscle-head isn't as dumb as he appears." he chuckled dryly. "In fact, I've got just the idea." in a flash, he took out his phone, texting at lightning speed; Akira's phone beeped. "All according to plan." "What did you tell them?" Kisara asked, confused at Kaoru's apparent giddiness.  "I figured, if you didn't mind me addressing you as 'my girlfriend' once, you wouldn't mind a second time." Seiji turned to Kisara, gently brushing her crimson locks blocking his view to her beautiful face. Watching her confusion grow ever more, he couldn't help but smile, coyly caressing her cheek. "Just focus on me only, and your part of the plan is fulfilled." "How is that going to help?" she asked, but instead of an answer, she received the most tender kiss on her forehead. He took a strand of her hair and played idly with it, before leaning down to speak ever the most shameless words. "Seiji...?" "If you say my name with such a mellow voice, can you really expect me not to go crazy for you?" the hum of alluring amusement, the tone of his low voice, an octave lower than usual, like that of a velvety baritone, made Kisara's pulse pick up. "Maybe you don't realise the effect you have on men, so let me enlighten you a little." he had pulled her so close to his body, that her hands were resting bashfully over his chest. She got lost in that warm colour, filled with golden flecks of adoration and what seemed akin to an incubus' charm. Kisara herself has never been subject to men flirting with her, let alone someone so confident speaking the filthy allure from the tongue of the sinner Asmodeus himself, the Lord of Lust. The otherwise mild young man leaned down slightly, just enough to whisper into her ear compliments that only one completely enamoured by another would dare utter so shamelessly; His breath was hot on the sensitive skin of her neck. "Your scarlet red hair, like the Empress cloud brocade, reminds me of how the angels paint the sky on each Spring evening, so beautiful, like the fire burning in my heart whenever I see or think of you." Kisara's pulse had gone up, and her heart was experiencing intense tachycardia. Her cheeks felt warm, and no doubt, they must be rosy like the petals of peonies. "You know... I heard ladies with hair kissed by fire are the most passionate kissers. Ever since you stepped in that bar, I've been thinking about testing those rumors. An innocent lamb, tempting the wolf so cluelessly - Whenever I see those emerald eyes of yours, sparkling with such mischief; and that vixen grin of yours... You don't know the effect you have on a man, Miss Kisara." the sultry way he spoke every word, his voice an octave lower than usual; baritone and velvety; It pulled Kisara in a trance she had no clue was possible. It was defying any ration or logic she ever deemed natural in this world - Oh, how wrong she was.

"Seiji..." so speechless, so demure, what an innocent and genuine lady; Able only to utter his name, through all those shameless words he addressed her, all of them holding nothing but the full truth. The Yakuza prince found Miss Kisara incredibly attractive, not only physically, but her personality also was very endearing.

For a few moments there, Seiji was lost in the romantic scene he himself created; The reverie of confessing his feelings to a beautiful young woman, who found him equally as likeable; Lost in each others eyes, a perfect painting depicting a mountain forest landscape, picturesque as no other; Earthly tones, gentle and warm, from the golden sun, to the variety of greens from the trees, and the wet brown ground broken from the large roots.

Alas, the fairytale-like moment was completely shattered by Hazuki's obnoxious shriek; Right, the plan, he had completely forgotten about it, how annoying. Still, the adorable whimper from Kisara, as she clinged on him after being startled, was well worth it. He quite enjoyed the closeness they shared... But not the following scenario.

She was enchanted so completely, trapped by his spell in a floating abyss of pure bliss, that she was completely caught off guard when Kaoru's unceremoniously high-pitched screeched ripped apart the skies, making the poor girl squeak out and instinctively cling onto Seiji's shirt. "Seijiro...! How could you?! I can't believe it?! Taking out this... This whore in OUR spot?! Nonetheless, on MY birthday?!" Kaoru's shrilled pitch made the girl cringe, not being fond of such noises. In fact, loud noises in general made her uncomfortable enough, and she sought refuge in the boy's arms, as Hazuki's face was twisted with the wrath of Hell itself.  "I've got no clue who you are, you crazy little girl. Why in the world would I want anything to do with an ugly midget like you, when I'm very happy with my gorgeous fiancee - Whom, mind you, not only did you upset, but also, blatantly insulted." his voice was calmer, albeit, he clearly didn't like the ease with which Hazuki called Kisara such an awful word. How dare she? Stupid brat. "Who cares about her?! You should stay with me! You get me pregnant, and then run away with another chick you find on the streets?! How dare you do something like this! Have you no shame at all?!" her voice attacked him with such rage that almost shocked the red head. Then again, rage was the easiest emotion to fake.

"I'll call the guard and take you away. Hysterical brats like you deserve to be locked away." Seiji waved her off dismissively. "What's with that look on your face...?! How dare you deny even knowing me?! Don't give me any of your shit! It's definitely YOUR child! Who do you take me for?! I'll... I'll make you acknowledge it, no matter what!" she inched towards the couple threateningly, but the guard came in to the rescue. "What's all that fuss about?! Take your quarrel elsewhere!" the guard tried to usher them away, but the girl's hysterical shriek made everyone cringe visibly. "SHUT UP! You know what?! It's YOUR fault to begin with! If I hadn't seen them like this... If you'd have just let them go inside that park...! IF MY TRAUMA CAUSES ME TO LOSE MY CHILD, ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY?! HUH?!" she yelled, almost not understanding what she was saying because of the pitch, making the guard sweat drop, not knowing what to do. Perfectly understandable. "P-Please, miss, there must be a misunderstanding. Please, calm down." from the corner of her eye, Kisara noticed Kijima safely hopping off the fence. She subtly pulled on Seiji's sleeve, making him understand the plan was a success and they could leave. Hazuki, however, was too lost in her act of bickering with the guard.

With a small side-smile, Seiji nodded his head and silently escorted the red head back to Kissouji Station, which was their assigned meeting place. Once arrived, the two looked at each other, and giggled like little kids. They looked so wholesome, from the outside, that even a granny would fawn over how cute they look together.

"That... Was kinda fun." Kisara admitted. "Except for all the yelling. Yelling makes me uncomfortable." she said, a little sheepishly. "Uncomfortable is one thing - Hazuki managed to almost rupture our eardrums." Amanome scoffed, half-amused and half-irked at the younger girl. "Still, we should do that again, some day. Sans everyone else involved today." The smile on Kisara's face made Seiji's heart skip a few consecutive beats. She looked so happy. "It's been thirteen years since I've last been here, but when I was little, I used to go with my parents to a little vintage cafe. It was next to this lotus pond, in this park filled with plum, peach and cherry trees. I remember going up and picking up a lot of fruit in a basket. My parents liked doing sweet fruit wine and tea. We even used some ancient Chinese recipe which used snow to brew them." she looked so joyful speaking of her time spent here - So beautiful, her eyes were sparkling like the twinkling stars up in the sky - Seiji could listen to her speaking even non-sense, and never get tired. "I will see if it's still around. I hope it is. We could go there for our date." "We just met today, and you are already using the term 'date' so loosely. My, my, Miss Kisara, how bold you are." his teasing only seem to make the girl chuckle. "If I was wrong in reading between the lines, then by all means, you could have corrected me - Unless, of course, you are just playing coy with me." the two, once again, ended up laughing; Once Hazuki also appeared, after her dragged out bickering with the guard, she looked between the two, very much confused.

"What's with you two?" she asked, only to get dismissed by them both. "You wouldn't get it." and "You're too young." came their answers.

Though she pouted like a bratty child, Akira joined them, saving the couple from the incoming tantrum of the girl. "Akira. You move fast, well done. How were things?" Kisara clapped her hands together, happy with the outcome. He was still alive, that was a relief. "We had a lot of trouble distracting that guard to get you inside. A certain SOMEONE had a rather impassioned performance and embarrassed us." Seiji grimaced, remembering how her shrill voice echoed throughout the park. "Ahhahaha, I got a little caught up in the moment. I'm pretty good, right?" she grinned, as Akira merely nodded and started telling them what happened. "I tossed a rock into the lake, but nothing showed up." he shrugged with no care in the world. "Oh, you actually threw a rock... Are you feeling okay? No stomach aches? I hope no bad ghosts follow you home." she said in a concerned voice. "I'm fine, as far as I know." he tried to stop the conversation, but Kaoru continued it. "Then it's fine, I guess. It might be wise to burn some incense when you get home, just in case." she suggested, making Seiji grimace. "Incense doesn't protect you from ghosts." Kisara coughed. "Can we move away from the occult topic? We have to find a way to sneak into the park." Seiji brought the most important point to the discussion. "And rather fast. We don't know how fast the curse will progress, so we have to be quick with this, otherwise, who knows what will happen to Akira, and more, to Ami." Kisara nodded in agreement, thinking back to her own encounters with the Mark. "I suppose. And as pitiful as it is, since I had such lovely company, we can't do a show like that every time." he continues, with the red head agreeing in tandem. "And besides, we can't let only Akira go inside all the time. He might need help, or one of us may see something the other doesn't." she added to the argument. "... Can you two stop completing each other's sentences? It's weird." Kaoru glared in envy. "Nope." Seiji popped his tongue. "If you're jealous on our perfect synergy, it's a you-problem." he made the vixen lady look away in amusement. "Besides, you said it yourself, didn't you? The guard on shift tomorrow is a Momo Kuruse fan. The odds will be in our favour tomorrow. If he's such a big Kuruse fan, he's probably not used to talking to girls." he wore a wide, mischievous smirk. "Hazuki already volunteered to... Use her... 'Wiles' to lend a hand." he suggested.  "Why not suggest Kisara?" she looked away with a scowl. "Isn't her woman charm supposed to be better than mine?" she continued, making Seiji nod. It was probably the only thing he'd ever be in agreement with Hazuki. "Well, of course it is. Miss Kisara's beauty can put a Seraph to shame. But, there are two main problems here. Firstly, you're a live-or-die obsessed Momo Kuruse fan too. You must know exactly what kind of things would make that type of guy happy. Obviously, if a man that age can be so into underage idols, he has some things for... What was that called... Loli? And besides, you even have the clothes for it." Seiji said his first point, but it seemed to be enough to make Kaoru nod and agree to do it.

"Very well. I'll do my best. It's for the Urashima Woman and Ami. You can count on me." she smiled reliably. Her mood swings were rather weird. "It wouldn't be such a hassle if we only had to access the shrine. We could do our business there during the day." Seiji states, a bit annoyed. "Unfortunately, ghost-activity is only ever active during night time. Particularly past midnight, with the highest peak at 3 in the morning." Kisara spoke as if she was reading statistics. Personal experience right there. Still, it made Seiji feel uneasy. "I-I haven't affirmed the existence of ghosts for myself just yet! And besides, it's entirely possible that it's just a pregnant woman on a stroll." the most human reaction was to reason the supernatural occurrence; Should Kisara not have been succumbing to the quicksand of supernatural, she would have been doing the same. Alas, she couldn't afford to stay oblivious any longer.  "Forgive me for saying something that is going to unsettle you, Seiji - But the aura of the Urashima woman is pungent and nauseous the closer you get to the Shrine. I could feel her malevolence and anguish with each step I took closer to the gate." she placed her hand gently over his biceps, rubbing it comfortingly.

Though a small silence took over them once again, Akira made sure no one would tell his aunt, Mrs. Natsumi, any word. Not her, not the police, and not anyone else. Nobody else had to know about their ghost dealings, or any borderline illegal thing they might be dwelving into. "All right, I'm off. I have an assembly to attend to." Seiji put his hands in his pockets, ready to leave. "Ah, wait! You didn't say the other reason!" Kaoru exclaimed rather loudly, gasping as she remembered that little detail. "Isn't it obvious?" he laughed darkly, barely audible. "Why would I want for some disgusting old pervert to look at her with his filthy eyes? Who knows what things that mongrel would be thinking of with that degenerate brain of his?" he finished with a bright yet threatening grin on his face, as a dark aura surrounded him. "And you don't care that it will happen to me?" Seiji's answer was blunt and negative. "I will walk you home, Miss Kisara. It's very late. It's far too dangerous for a gorgeous lady such as yourself to walk these streets alone." he put his arm around the young woman, ready to leave. "H-Hey, what about me? I'm a lone woman too!" Kaoru gaped at Seiji's clear lack of compassion and blatant favoritism. "So? Call a taxi. It's not my problem. Besides, if you're stupid enough to go investigate abandoned buildings at night by yourself, disregarding actual danger, than I'm sure you can deal with walking home by yourself." he shrugged, taking Kisara away from them.

"Are you sure you're okay with walking me home? You said you have an assembly. I wouldn't want you to be late because of me." the girl's sweet words only made him dismiss her worries. "Not a problem at all. If I tell my dad that I made sure a lovely woman such as yourself got home safe, then he'd just give me extra pocket money and praise me. He holds deep respect for women and made sure I'm the same. I guess that's why mum loves him so much." he grins casually, making her smile up at him softly.  "It's not very often that I hear that. I am happy to hear you have such a beautiful and happy family." she replied warmly.

The walk home was thankfully uneventful, and the two had a nice and casual talk, just like people their age do usually. With Seiji walking Kisara to her home, she made him promise to text her once he arrived also - And, of course, gave him her phone number.

 ˚₊‧꒰ა Kisara ໒꒱ ‧₊

"Huh. That's certainly cute." the boy smiled a little, seeing the newly added contact in his phone."Good night, Kisara. I'll see you tomorrow." with a nod of his head, Seiji turned to leave, only to get surprised with a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for walking me home, Seiji. Sweet dreams, and take care. I will be seeing you tomorrow." she said, before going inside her home, though not without seeing the little blush on his pale cheeks. How very cute.

In the meantime, she took a shower, ate a light meal and did some reading, waiting eagerly the familiar tune of the notification sound bringing her back to reality; A reminder that not only she should sleep, but that there are very nice people out there also, not just jerks. Even if that nice person is the criminal son of the Yakuza boss.

"I just got home, thanks for worrying. Good night.           Seiji x "

Kisara immediately grinned, giggling a little at the text, eager to reply back at once. How cute. Now, to add his number in her own contact list. 

⋆˙⟡ Seiji ⟡⋆˙

"Thank you again for walking me home. I'm glad you got home safe and sound. Sweet dreams, Seiji.          Kisara x

With a smile on her face, Kisara was able to go sleep, knowing very well that the next evening was going to bring forth more unfortunate ghost adventures.

Next Chapter >

[kultofathena]

Iron Tiger Forge Cutting Series – Taka Katana – 1095 Through-Tempered Katana

The first of a new collection from Iron Tiger Forge; a tatami cutting series that is purpose designed to meld a practical and powerful cutting session Katana with a price well suited both for new students of Japanese martial arts and sword collecting enthusiasts. The well-tempered and fine forged blade takes inspiration for its dimensions from the famed “Dotanuki” katana which emphasize sheer cutting power with a thickened and groove-less blade spine designed to bring as much mass as is practical to bear onto the target so that it strikes with decisive and fierce velocity and mass, a form well-suited for repetitive mat or bamboo cutting.In addition to this, the tip of the blade has a widened, wedge-like form designed to allow it to pierce with great ability whilst resistant tip damage.

The keenly sharp blade is mono-tempered with an attractive, but simple polish so that scratches from mat cutting can be buffed out and the blade restored to its original polish without needing special training or katana-specific tools and stones needed for other Katana with high-end “art polishes”.  The mono-tempered blade has more ability to slightly bend, flex and return true than a differentially clay tempered katana and is much more likely to return true and straight after a misaligned cut than a differentially tempered katana which can easily be bent from an cutting strike that is not executed with perfection. This makes it well suited for those who are learning or perfecting their form without the fear of bending and damaging a clay tempered katana. The blade is 1095 high carbon steel, a steel that has a higher carbon content and hardenability ceiling than many other lower high carbon steel katana and this aids greatly in keeping the blade edge sharper for longer.

Though a practical Katana, the fittings of the sword are still artful and full of the spirit of the Katana and the warrior class who wielded them. The tsuba, fuchi and kashira are cast from from tough and durable blackened iron and the highly detailed “perched hawk” tsuba is surmounted by seppa and a habaki of brass. The wooden tsuka is fitted with panels of black-lacquered genuine rayskin and is overlaid with well wrapped teal green ito grip wrap crafted from artificial silk, which does a much better job of having the correct feel and texture of silk ito than the more common and “scratchy” chemical fiber ito seen elsewhere. The sword is completed with a wooden saya scabbard which is finished with a textured black lacquer that is substantially more resistant to scuffs and scratches then the common high-gloss lacquer used on other katana. The scabbard has a koiguchi, kurigata and kojiri that are crafted from finely fitted and smoothly polished buffalo horn. These not only give the scabbard an elevated appearance, but have the practical utility in being more resistant to splitting from impact than wood and their presence helps the scabbard maintain its integrity against impact or pressure on its more vulnerable points. A sageo cord of matched red and black flecked artificial silk completes the sageo. Included with the sword is a cloth sword bag for storage and transport.