#seimei university

[frobby]

Fukigen na mononokean doesnt really fit cleanly into the gagmangaverse but it would be really funny if it did because ashiya is implied to be related to ashiya douman

[sealer-of-wenkamui]

A couple of things about Limbo and Danzou, because I am constantly thinking about those two:

First of all, a possible hint at why Limbo is so fixated on her. Kashin Koji of course is her creator, and their dialogue mentions that they have a deep respect for Seimei, and not only that, their Valentine's scene brings up that Seimei was involved in the precursors to Kashin's own karakuri, and are made from the same craft. Given Douman's obsession with Seimei and need to surpass him is the whole reason he became so twisted in the first place, I doubt its a mere coincidence that the creator of the doll he's fixated on would bring up Seimei. Combined with how he found her in a helpless state where he could easily toy with her as much as he pleased, its no wonder he was quickly drawn to her and went to great lengths to hurt her so much.

The second thing I found interesting is Danzou's line for things she hates. There's no prerequisite for this line, so she's bringing it up before her interlude and heian-kyo (and apparently people were initially confused what she was referring to by the dark sun, though of course now its obvious she's talking about Limbo, that said, it IS mentioned at the very end of Shimousa, so the connection was always there- specifically the lines "He has taken in the dark god as his own personal sun, and transformed the wicked god into his own magical energy." and "Fear the curtain of night. Tremble before the dark sun.")

Anyway, I think this was an excellent way of conveying how deeply intertwined the two of them are, her story is in part about her breaking from from Limbo who continues to haunt her. This is Servant Danzou, who is based on PHH Danzou, not Shimousa's, so there's no way she would remember him, and yet he's hurt her so deeply that she has this innate fear of his symbol, the dark sun. (I wonder if the virus he implanted in her also plays a role in that...?)

Which is also why I'm disappointed Heian-kyo kinda half-assed the end of her and Limbo's entwined arc, it has a perfect lead up between Shimousa, her interlude, and the beginning of the chapter, but falls off and forgets about her for most of the middle/end. Honestly, it should have been a Danzou-centric chapter precisely because she's the one with the deepest connection (other than Seimei obviously)/most harmed by him and while she thankfully DOES get to be the one to finish him off, she didn't really do much during most of the chapter and it feels like they barely talked.

[diavolito]

Another glorious anniversary to celebrate, it's 6 years since the day when our king was crowned two-time Olympic champion🥇🥇

[blank-beloved]

ritsu: i have made the Perfect Fighter absolutely no one ever: you fucked up a perfectly good normal kid is what you did. look at it. it's got [incomprehensible static of so many things wrong]

[lys-lilac]

[RMD] Whispers of Yuletide Promises: Kasumi X MC

[A/N]: Hey there it's been a while! This work of me was lying in my folders for so so long, something which I worked upon last Christmas haha. Thanking my lovely @sterkeyra for taking so much of her time not only to proofread, but also suggest corrections to make it much better. So I will share half the credits with her, hehe. (Jenjen I love you!) Anyway, enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

(The characters in this work are fictional and from the title Romance MD: Always on Call by Voltage Inc. No copyrights intended.)

(out of context cute pic cause idk but I love them :p)

It was another day in the Seimei University Hospital as the subtle chill of the air was evident, hinting at the upcoming Christmas season. A sigh leaves MC's lips, as she stretches her body after work, looking at the spark of festivity in the staff's and patients' faces, sipping her coffee. Toshiki notices how she is looking around the Christmas celebration in the hospital, with a cup of coffee in his hand as well. The children, the cards they are making and the people wearing the red hats... He can see the glimmer in her eyes as she is looking all around. So he whispers to her.

"I am glad to see you so happy. Is Christmas your favorite holiday?"

A gentle pat lands on her head, which makes her snap out of her thoughts as she looks up towards the source of these sweet words.

"Ah, Dr. Kasumi, good work."

"Thank you. I am grateful that we both did a good job today. And, it is really nice to see the Christmas celebrations in our hospital. I can't wait to see what the New Year celebrations as well. But I have more important things on my mind right now."

"Yeah? What's that?"

He whispers softly, so only she can hear him.

"I keep thinking about hugging and kissing you. Could I perhaps ask you to give me one kiss before we go home? I'm not sure how long I can control myself otherwise."

"?!"

Her face flushes instantly as she looks at him with wide eyes and mouth hanging open.

"Uh... do you realize where we are?"

He laughs and whispers to her.

"What's on my mind right now is way more important than the fact that we are in front of our colleagues. So, is it too much to ask for a quick kiss? Or am I going to be punished if I do this? I don't really mind the punishment, if I can get to kiss you. And, by the look on your face, it seems you might have similar ideas in mind as well. So just let me go ahead with my plan."

"Since when did you become like this... Just three days ago I heard a certain someone, chewing off Dr. Hosho's ears for flouting public morals…"

"That was in the past. You can't blame me for the way I am behaving today. This is all your influence. You are just way too cute and your beautiful eyes are too distracting. It's driving me wild and making me want to kiss you again and again."

"D-Don't say such things in workplace." She covers his lips with her hands, to which he laughs softly, removes her hands from his lips, and whispers in a playful tone.

"See, there you go again with your sweet and cute shyness. Who knows how much of it would I be able to handle before I just snap?”

"S-Snap? What…"

"It means I might just grab your jaw and sneak a kiss right here and now. But, I won’t  make you uncomfortable at work.

"I understand that, you dummy!"

"Does that mean I can go ahead and kiss you one more time?"

"No. We have so much work, we have to buy a Christmas tree too, so. Bye." His suggestive words had taken a toll on her and she could just run away to hide her loudly beating heart from him. He laughs softly and goes after her.

"You can't really get away from me. I will keep on chasing you until you accept my kisses. I don't care how many things are on our to-do list today, as my top priority is to wrap my arms around you and make you all mine. So come back here, MC."

*A few hours later, she signs off work, and soon enough, she's out of the hospital, and waits for him at the hospital entrance. Shortly after, he takes his leave from the hospital as well. He takes his car out of the parking lot and brings it over to the entrance, where she was waiting for him.

"Get in."

She nods and gets inside, as he shuts the door watching out so that she doesn’t hit her head, and soon starts driving. But in his mind, all that was swirling was a kiss from her. He behaved at the hospital, so he deserved it as a reward. At least that’s what he thought.

"Toshiki."

Hearing her voice, he snaps out of his thoughts and looks at her, as the car comes to a halt at the redlight.

“Mm, I am listening.”

" I have something to discuss with you. Come closer, it's confidential." She gestures with her hand lightly. He laughs softly at her cute gestures and responds. He leans towards her and gets very close to her,  her breath practically tickling his ears. But he is waiting for her to share what she wanted to secretly tell him. She smiles seeing he fell into her trap, as she uses her thumb and index finger to hold his face by his cheeks, and pecks him.

Her sudden peck flusters him, as he gets all red and embarrassed. He feels like hugging her tightly, but at the same time, was too stunned to move at all. It was rare for her to actually initiate affectionate gestures like this

"That's definitely a cruel prank. Just remember that I will take my revenge on you for this tonight."

"Ahem. The light's green." She looks ahead as she pulls away, as if nothing happened. He smiles lightly, and they drive away.

"It's getting a little hard to keep my mind off you right now. Your kiss from earlier is still stuck in my mind, so can I tell you one last thing before we begin shopping for that Christmas tree?"

"What."

"If you keep on acting so shy and cute like this, then you should prepare yourself to live with the consequences of an overly romantic and love sick Toshiki Kasumi. And trust me, you don't want to live with that kind of me. I am definitely going to pester you and annoy you by being all cute, playful, affectionate, flirty, teasing and passionate."

"...!"

She tries her best to not blush and runs to the mall as a method of escape, as he parks the car. He chuckles and follows her.

The mall was decorated beautifully as it was Christmas season. Every inch and corner was worth stopping and gazing for. Whether it was apparel shops, bakery or even festive décor shops, everything was adorned with lights, elucidating a cozy atmosphere, serving as a source of warmth for the winter. As MC looks around, a shop catches her eye, selling Christmas trees and other festive items.

"Hm, this one is cute… it's not that big, and will look good on the table beside the TV. What do you say?"

He stops to take a look at the Christmas tree she is pointing out. He checks its height and tries to envision it in his living room.

"That truly looks like the perfect Christmas tree. Yes, I think we should go ahead and get this."

"Okay, I will purchase it right away." She smiles, and goes in the direction of the cash counter, but stops midway. Her eyes land on something and she runs to examine it. He notices her running now towards something, and follows her.

"Did something catch your eye? I can make a guess that it's probably a decoration item or something related to the festive mood. Did I get that right?"

She smiles hearing his hunch and nods vigorously.

"Correct! There is Christmas themed cutlery?! I am sold."

"I Knew it. There is nothing that can attract your attention more than something cute and Christmas themed. So are we going to add this cutlery set to the cart too? You seem to be obsessed with this."

"I- I will do some deliberations, wait."

His shoulders tremble seeing how she was just waddling here and there, almost sparkling from joy.

"So now you want to do some deliberations? You are just obsessed with everything here."

"Yes! Okay, I am taking this mug, that cutlery set, and this set of plates too..."

"I have a feeling you are just going to end up buying everything here at this point. I'm really curious about how much of your shopping is left. I mean, you have already bought the Christmas tree, Christmas themed decorations and now this as well. This is too much. You are even making plans about the decoration of the dinner table aren't you?"

"To be honest, I am a bit too much into the festive mood this year. Don't mind me." She rubs the back of her head in embarrassment and looks at him. His gaze softens seeing her and he answers.

“I don't mind you. In fact I think this is the cutest thing ever. As long as you are having fun, it's all good. By the way, you are not the only one feeling excited about Christmas this year. You are infecting me as well, heh.”

"Thank you." She feels relieved yet happy to be spending her time with him like that, and gives their intertwined hands a squeeze.

“Let's go home. I fear I might get into a Christmas coma now if I see any other decorations.

He laughs hearing her and answers, as he takes the bags from her hands.

"You mean a Christmas fever right? It seems like your Christmas fever is reaching its limit and it's about to make you ill."

"Hmph. Do you think I am that crazy? You know what... Maybe I should just wrap you up in a gift wrapper and parcel it to Dr. Sen. He will be over the moon for that."

He couldn’t help but chuckle and decides to give a taste of her own medicine a bit. He looks at her with a devilish smile on his face.

"Then I also have another idea. Maybe I should tie you up with a ribbon and place you under the Christmas tree as a gift to myself this year. Let's see which one of us is crazier."

"?!"

She was about to say something when his phone rings, and looking at the caller ID, his expression turns serious. He notices her expression but before she can say anything he holds a finger to his lips telling her to be quiet and he picks up the call.

"Yes, this is me. What’s the emergency?"

As he listens to the caller's voice from the other end, a serious expression settles on his face. She looks at him as she thinks they might be called in due to an emergency, so she switches to her professional self as well.

But soon after, he sighs as he frowns a bit, talking, making her worried. His face seems troubled as he talks on the phone still. She can clearly tell from his expression that whatever the doctor on the other end is saying, it's making Kasumi worry. His eyebrows are knitted together.

"What is it..?" She holds his hand to calm him down.

"...I have to go London now."

She just blinks at him with a blank expression, as she wasn't able to process the news. Why so suddenly?

"What... what do you mean you have to go London now?"

He looks at her and nods with a somber expression on his face. She can see his lips drawn into a tight line, and his gaze away from her.

"I got a call from the hospital asking me to come to London. A high risk patient came in and they need me there urgently. I have to catch a flight right now, and can’t be back until tomorrow."

"..."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, she nods in understanding.

"Don't worry. You will save the patient. I am sure."

*He can see the concern in her eyes and notices that she is also starting to worry for the patient. Seeing her change in expression when she was bubbling with joy just moments ago, makes him sad.

"Thank you. I will see what I can do. But I'm sorry to have just rushed you like this. I thought we would have more time today but it's a sudden emergency situation and I can't afford to let the patient down. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry. I understand…”

She thinks about asking to join and assist him in the surgery, but since it was on a short call, and she also had a surgery to perform the next day, she stops herself and smiles.

"Have a safe journey."

He looks at her and notices how she is holding herself back for his and the patients’ sake as well and smiles*

"I really appreciate how thoughtful and caring you are being right now. Please take care of yourself until I come back home. That is my order, understand? You can't miss your surgery just because of some emergency case of mine.”

"Don't worry. I will save the patient too. Leave it to me, and go."

"I trust you. Go ahead and make sure the patient is saved. Don't worry about me. You take care of yourself and the patient, okay?"

"Yup."

He can tell she is slightly upset with him going suddenly and it is making him feel bad. So he wraps his arms around her and whispers softly.

"I will be back as early as possible, don't worry. I will also call you as soon as I reach home so that you know I am back and safe. In the meanwhile, please take care of yourself. You are the only one I have my hopes set on for your patient's care. You will be the only one to see this through now."

Her hold on him tightens a bit, as she hugs him back, and then lets him go. She couldn’t let him get bothered with her emotions when there were serious matters to take care of at present.

"Mm. Let's go home. You have to pack up too."

They return home, and after some time, she sees him off to the airport. When she comes to his apartment, she sees the Christmas decor lying on the table, and sighs. The reason why she was so pumped for Christmas was because she was getting to spend it together with someone for the first time after so many years. But oh well, their job was important. She shakes her head to dispel away the negative thoughts, but can feel her heart ache as she starts to miss him already. The silence around her seems so cold, that she wants to call him just to hear his voice. But she doesn't as she knows how crucial his surgery would be, and he needed to be focused as well. So she forces herself to focus on decorating the tree perfectly.

The moment the lights illuminate the room, she can feel the magical and mystical atmosphere of Christmas surrounding her. She looks up, closes her eyes and prays for him to have a smooth and safe journey to London and hoping that his surgery would go well. Soon, she goes to sleep.

[Next morning]

She starts to wake up from her deep sleep. As she opens her eyes and looks around, the first thing she realizes is the glow of the Christmas lights. All the decorations from yesterday were still there on the tree. She feels happy and relieved to see the decorations in the morning. Her eyes flit towards the clock, making her think if he already had reached or not. So, she keeps her phone there, waiting for his call and goes to get ready for work in the meanwhile. Soon after, she reaches the hospital, and tries to make her busy with work.

As the time keeps flying by, a visible frown starts to appear on her face, seeing there was not a single call or text from him. Every type of thought riles up her mind. What if something terrible had happened? She keeps trying to suppress these thoughts and tries to be positive about everything.

As she knew how closed off he gets when he loses a patient, she can feel her worry increasing now. She keeps trying to suppress these thoughts and tries to be positive about everything. She couldn’t work properly the whole day, let alone noticing the banters of the peanut gallery trying to cheer her up.

[That evening]

As she completes her tasks for the day, she signs off work. She feels the anxiousness rising in her, as she realizes that the day has passed again without a call from him, so she decides to call him. She feels a little hesitant at first, but calls him anyway. Soon, it gets picked up. She can feel the tension lifting off her chest, as she sighs out of relief, hearing a familiar voice from the other end.

"Toshiki…"

The other end of the line was silent for a moment, followed by a soft chuckle.

"I guess I am just as anxious as you were."

"...why are you sounding like this? What happened?"

She knew he was hiding something, so she waits for him to answer. From the way she seemed to have held her breath she seemed worried. He smiles softly, thinking how worried he made her, and answers honestly.

"Nothing much. I guess the surgery is just taking much more time than I expected, due to some unforeseen complications that appeared.”

"You got me scared... Don't worry, everything will be okay. Are you alright?"

He feels relieved when she believes him and is able to calm herself down. He smiles and whispers softly.

"I am just a bit tired and exhausted. I am trying my best to make sure the surgery turns out okay. But I have to admit, I was getting a little worried too. The surgery is taking a lot more time than I thought it would. Hopefully you are right and everything will be alright. And don't worry. I'm not going to let down the patient or myself. I will do what I can to make the surgery go well. You take care as well okay? I will definitely call you as soon as the surgery is over."

"Sure..."

She stops herself from probing him more and ends the call. He also ends the call and sits for a bit, trying to collect his thoughts. He feels happy that he managed to pacify her concern without having to flat out lie to her. But he also knows that he probably just smudged the truth to someone who is very smart and aware of things. He knows he can't fool her for long. But he also thinks this was necessary for her to not worry too much, so that she focuses on her work properly. He takes a deep breath before he goes back to his work.

As he faces the sterile hospital surroundings, a palpable sense of loneliness settles in. The faint jingles of distant carols only amplify the stark contrast between the festive spirit outside and the clinical reality within. Each patient becomes a reminder of the distance from loved ones, as the weight of duty on Christmas Eve hangs on his shoulders. The soft glow of a desk lamp casts long shadows, emphasizing the solitude that accompanies him. He can feel the emptiness inside. The loneliness is not just limited to the empty hallways and rooms of this hospital but has seeped into him as well. He feels a profound sense of emptiness and longing for some company on this festive Christmas Eve. The loneliness was killing his heart.

Meanwhile, MC reaches home as her mind was occupied with only Toshiki. Seeing an empty apartment on a festive season doesn't fail to make her remember how she is used to always stay cooped up in her room with either work or spending time with herself. She grapples with the bittersweet struggle of preparing a festive meal for two, the missing half haunting every joyful decoration. An unopened gift waits beneath the tree, a symbol of shared moments postponed. Her phone buzzes with holiday wishes from family and friends, yet each cheerful message accentuates the void of the absence of him. Amid the laughter and festivities, an unspoken ache lingers, a connection strained by the miles that separate them on this Christmas night.

She gets lost in her thoughts as she sees the festive nightscape. The Christmas lights were the only things that welcomed her home that night. Everything looks perfect, almost too perfect, yet empty as it couldn’t replace the warm and cheerful presence that she is missing beside her, with him being far away in London. As she looks down from the window of his apartment, she feels a sense of longing for her beloved that holy night.

[3 hours later, same night]

Back in London, almost several hours pass as the surgery gets over. It's successful, as he comes out of the operation theatre, and it's already midnight. He couldn't help but be reminded of how he used to work himself to death during the festive seasons so as to not feel lonely. He couldn't help but reminded of his nagging friend Mitsuharu, who made sure he enjoys every day and is not left out.

In the quiet moments, his mind involuntarily drifts back to a time when Christmas was a tapestry of warmth and joy. He recalls the comforting scent of freshly baked cookies, the twinkling lights adorning the family tree, and the contagious laughter echoing through the cozy living room. Each memory becomes a sepia-toned vignette, a stark contrast to the antiseptic hum of the hospital. In those brief reveries, nostalgia dances with the harsh reality of the present, creating a poignant symphony of longing for the holiday magic of yesteryears.

The memory of his mother planting different flowers for him in winter and the snowdrops blooming around their home brings a smile to his lips. He remembers the memories of snow falling and he and his mother enjoying the snow together. He realizes how these good memories of his childhood were something which is missing on Christmas, and how his adulthood was, missing those memories. As he walks out of the hospital, he feels the warmth and the magic of Christmas in his life missing.

[Next morning]

Toshiki's eyes flutter open feeling the sunlight hitting his visage. He feels a little relieved when he realizes the surgery is over and he did not have to lose a patient. He was worried about that. But he realizes how he is missing every small moment in the morning after a Christmas night with her. The empty spot next to him in bed, the small moments of having a Christmas morning coffee with her, the feeling of her hand in his hand as he would wish her a Merry Christmas, the small gestures of love in the morning... All these small things were missing.

"MC…”

His fingertips graze over the spot next to him in bed. As he was deep in his thoughts, he suddenly remembers a conversation he had with his friend Mitsuharu about Christmas. They were talking about the meaning of Christmas and as always, Mitsuharu was not able to understand or appreciate much of what he was saying. He always felt that Mitsuharu could never truly understand the real essence of Christmas.

Soon, he gets ready to board the plane. Kasumi’s thoughts were all about Christmas and about the missing pieces of it inside him. He begins questioning the meaning of Christmas in his mind. He was deeply troubled by the thoughts of so many people suffering, so many missing out on the joy and happiness of Christmas. A time meant for happiness and togetherness is becoming a time of despair and loneliness for so many. How could he possibly feel happy in a world where such a condition was the reality?

[13 hours later, that evening]

As the plane lands in Tokyo, he can now feel the darkness of reality seeping in him as he proceeds towards the airport exit. He is worried that this darkness may affect his meeting with her. But, he keeps his emotions hidden behind a mask of his calm and composed self.

*He reaches his apartment soon, as his hand is now over the door handle. Maybe a hug from his beloved would calm him down? Toshiki muses, as he unlocks the door. The sight of the beautifully illuminated Christmas tree and the living room makes him pause, as he feels a little surprised by the scene. For a second, he feels happy to see how well she has kept the house decorated, only to realize that the person that he wanted to be welcomed by the most was missing.

"MC?"

Maybe she is outside? His thoughts seem to linger on her absence from the scene, as he walks about the living room, looking around at how beautifully everything has been set up. He even checks the kitchen in case she is there, but it was in vain. The feeling of her missing seems to be pervading the whole scene. The Christmas decoration seems to not be able to bring the warmth it used to bring when she was there. The beautiful scene lacks her presence. She should've at least let him know that she would go out, he wonders.

He takes his phone to look for text messages from her, and is surprised to find none. Maybe she went somewhere to do something? Maybe she got called in by the hospital? Or maybe she wanted to surprise him by showing him the decorations? This was becoming more and more disturbing and troubling for him, as the time ticked by.

As he was lost in his thoughts and worries and was about to call Takado to ask about her, a text message arrives for him, making a small ding sound. He looks at it quickly, thinking it could be from her, but to his disappointment, it was from Matsunaga - a patient has requested to meet him at the nearby amusement park, and he has to go as the patient is very important.

Kasumi was surprised at the news of such a patient request. How was he supposed to go and see some patient when she was missing? But maybe, she went to Asuka's or Missy's and forgot to tell him? He settles on this thought, and sends her a quick text, as he steps outside his apartment.

[That night, amusement park]

He reaches the amusement park and is amazed to see the colorful illuminations everywhere. There is so much to see and so many places to explore. It is like the park has turned into a fairy land. He is surprised by how much the park has been transformed. But instead of being lost in the beauty of it, he starts to wonder why the patient has asked him to come here. Maybe the patient wanted him to see this? But whatever the reason is that the patient has called him here, was unable to distract him from thinking about her.

He sees people with their families, friends and loved ones everywhere. Everyone was enjoying the festivity. This sight brings a sense of loneliness inside him. Everyone was enjoying the day with their loved ones around them. And here he was, all alone. No family with him, no close friend by his side, no MC by his side. His isolation seems to be making the festival a bit difficult for him to bear. He was trying to stop his negative thoughts looking at the illuminations, but the feeling of loneliness was only making it more difficult.

"Isn't that pretty?"

He snaps out of his thoughts, as hears a familiar voice, and feels a familiar presence near him. Was he hallucinating? Probably... cause he heard her voice. He slowly turns to find the owner of the voice. His heart skips a beat finding that it was indeed his beloved, his MC, looking so beautiful with her gaze on him, that she could be the most beautiful ornament in that entire festivity. She was all covered up in a fluffy jacket and was wearing a scarf around her neck, as she smiles at him.

"Welcome back, Toshiki."

For once, the dark emperor had no words. His face lights up to her beautiful greeting. He is unable to reply back, as they both look at each other with a feeling of happiness. The moment was like a spell of kindness that they both are casting over each other, making them both drown in a strange euphoria where there were no words to describe the feeling. Nothing felt like moving, But it just felt perfect. He felt an almost unbelievable sense of love and closeness between them.

"MC, you-"

"Ah, that's right. It's late, but belated merry Christmas."

Kasumi smiles as she gives him a small box. He takes the box in his hands, observing it a bit. He feels a little hesitant to open it but after a few seconds, he decides to open it. Soon, he sees something shining brightly with its beautiful brilliance... a promise ring. He is amazed at how well crafted it looked. He looks up at her, with a feeling of gratitude and appreciation in his eyes. She laughs awkwardly seeing him, as she caresses her hair.

"Well, I know that this might seem cringe, as we are not allowed to wear rings at work, but- I just wanted to give you something which reminds you that you always have me by your side."

"..."

"Um... are you angry, as I orchestrated all this, and didn't inform you? You haven't said a word to me."

He only smiles hearing that, shakes his head and holds her hands more tightly. Instead of answering, he wraps his arms around her, capturing her attention with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Gently, he places a warm kiss on the tip of her nose, the laughter in his voice painting the moment with affection.

"Your nose is red and rosy like a reindeer's..."

"Mm?"

She blinks in surprise as she feels a soft sensation on her nose, not knowing exactly what happened. At her startled expression, he couldn't resist any longer. He pulls her close to him and kisses her nose, her cheeks, and her eyes. Her reaction to his moves is making him go all out. Soon, he pulls away, looking at her, and hugs her.

His thoughts begin to wander with a sort of peace. He realizes that it's not selfish to want things for him. He was a human, after all. But who made him human, was her. Instead of overthinking about the people who meet with tragic incidents and don't get to spend their holidays with loved ones, it's far better to focus on working so that they get better soon. And at the same time, it's okay to desire for happiness, for a loved one. It doesn't make him selfish. He begins to realize the importance of enjoying the happy moments of life. It was only when he had met her that he realized that there was no harm in wanting things for him. A love like hers, like a pure ray of sunlight, has a way to make his thoughts brighter and better. Meeting her made him realize that there’s nothing wrong to be wanting things for himself. It showed him that true love wouldn’t make him selfish; and that it would be okay to ask selfish for your beloved. It was okay to desire for happiness with her.

Maybe this was the intention of his friend Mitsuharu too. He didn't want Toshiki to spend Christmas all alone by himself, so he pretended to not like Christmas parties and all, and instead hung out with him by dragging him to his home.

As his thoughts continue to wander through this idea, he realizes that all this time he was overthinking and overanalyzing things. Instead of enjoying his life and letting happiness happen to him, he was worried about thinking too much on things that didn't matter. Now he is realizing that he doesn't have to be so self-critical. Instead of being so cautious and strict towards him, he can let his guard down and let happiness happen; he too can be a little selfish and desire to have a little happiness for himself. Maybe that's the way to enjoy life more and fully.

She looks at him as she finds him delved in thoughts.

"Toshiki? You okay?"

"Yes, I am fine. Don't worry about me. I was just going through some thoughts but now I realized how pointless these thoughts are. It is pointless to overthink about things and always think that things will be bad. Instead, one can sit back and enjoy things sometimes. That is a far better thing to do."

"Is that so? That's good..."

He can feel her uneasiness about him. She is still feeling concerned for him. So, he thinks of something to make her feel better. He has had his realization, he has had his moment of introspection, now is time to bring her back from her uneasiness.

"But, before I let myself chill out and relax, there is something I wanna do."

"Mm?"

He smiles shyly and brings her close. He brings his forehead to her forehead and speaks quietly to her.

"You know, I haven't thanked you for the promise ring that you gave me. But I wanted to thank you. I don't have words to describe its beautiful craftsmanship, but I can tell you that this ring holds a special meaning to me. So, thank you very much. I will be keeping this with me always, and I will always have you by my side."

"Oh... I am happy if you liked it. No need to thank me."

 She smiles and extends her hand to him.

"Let's go home and make up for the Christmas time we missed yesterday."

He smiles and takes her hand, intertwining his fingers in hers. To him, she is the warmth of his heart. All the worries and stress melt away to make way for a sense of peace and love that has taken over him. He feels like he has found the ultimate happiness in his life, as he walks with her hand in hand. The rings shine on their fingers; the beauty around them is just an added bonus, for he does not need anything to look beautiful with her beside him. Her presence alone makes everything beautiful and magical for him.

--------------

[himshoo]

Satsuki has my heart so im here to present to you my brainrot/hcs on her story cause she has so much potential

The general story shes based on:

Her father Taira no Masakado led a rebellion on the Kyoto court and got killed (later became a vengeful spirit)

The rest of the family was ordered to be executed but Satsuki Hime and her brother Yoshikado escaped

Satsuki gains onmyōdō sorcery by performing rituals at the Kifune shrine and seeks to avenge her father

The aramitama (spirit) instructs her to take on the name Takiyasha-hime

She forms an army of youkai with her powers and soldiers who agree with Masakado’s cause

Ōya no Tarō Mitsukuni (also has onmyōdō) investigates, Takiyasha-hime disguises herself but reveals herself when he comments on Masakado's death

Later she sends her youkai army to attack Mitsukuni but ultimately is killed by him

(there's another version where she gains powers through frog magic, also pretty trans to me that she took on a new name that signified a sense of purpose)

my take on her possible story in the Yohaji universe

everything happened except she managed to survive Mitsukuni and retreat (does not defeat Mitsukuni)

eventually, the siblings are allowed back into society due to a decision by Nyudou’s dad

starts school in year 2 middle school

struggles to interact with others due to her former social isolation.

by highschool she somewhat assimilates to society though she is sometimes awed by the mundanity of life as life before was dominated by survival and seeking revenge. Like her close friends probably assumes that she had gone through something.

Yoshikado as a possible character

If Tanaka Mai is ever gonna explore Satsuki even to the smallest of extents I think she should include her brother because he is her only surviving family, like even in the background or something. I do also think she should include Masakado and Mitsukuni because they're more plot-relevant but im a sucker for family dynamics.

So he's my interpretation of him

was a samurai like his irl counterpart

equivalent to early 20

Was stern and protective in youth but softened once reentering society

still hates being in public

Satsuki was too young to remember most of their family so he made sure to tell her what they were like

Originally I imagined him as still being stern but I think there being a clear distinction in his personality before and after reentering society is probably better. It signifies the change in environment as he does not have to focus on survival and instead is now enjoying life.

Thoughts and other stuff

Above is a wood print of Takiyasha-hime summoning a Gashadokuro which is the same type of youkai Kuniko is and the artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi has a similar name to her. Though I'm not sure if thats actually where Kuniko's name came from but its probably why they were paired up that one time.

It is strange that in the story she is referred to as Satsuki Hime a youkai whose type is listed as 'Takiyasha-hime'. I was expecting a youkai that was a human transformed after death considering a major point is that Takiyasha-hime is painted as this hero who is seeking to avenge but is ultimately killed and failed to fulfill her father's desire for rebellion. Like her past as a human who practiced onmyōdō which she adopted a new name for and her transformation into a youkai has so much potential, especially in her possible relation to Kuniko as they both used to be human and Haruaki as someone who has uncontrollable onmyōdō.

Also, this was during the Heian period which is the same period as Seimei and further Masakado’s rebellion was against the Kyoto court, so to my delusional self this means her character will get expanded upon in the actual story. Like why have a character linked to Kyoto, Onmyōdō (which Seimei practiced) and the Heian era, if you are not gonna use her or refer to the story shes based on.

I need her to get screentime and references to her story please she has so much potential.

anyway the cringe is catching up to me so thats all

The sources of my info

some of them kinda plagiarise each which is something

https://www.artoftheprint.com/artistpages/kunisada_multiplepatternsofkimono.htm

[derschwarzeengel]

Very irritated, because ooh boy, the antis have finally discovered the manga/anime Loveless and are immediately calling it "grooming".

Congratulations, you completely missed the point and nuance.

The video essay in question is here.

Some responses in the comments that I agree with:

Knowing the state of online antis and how they operate, yeah, leaving usernames uncensored for those who are discussing the anime/manga's nuance is definitely going to lead to harassment from people who watched the video.

As for the second two comments: Yes, you two, you get it.

Loveless is stated by the mangaka to not actually be BL (Boys' Love). It is a shoujo/josei series, and while its protagonist Ritsuka is 12 years old, it is very much not for kids. The story tackles domestic abuse, sexual abuse, grief, trauma, and the main arc revolves around a murder mystery.

Soubi lost his cat ears and tail after being raped as a teenager by his mentor and father-figure, and he was then paired with Seimei to be Seimei's Fighter in yet another emotionally abusive relationship.

Ritsuka has been domestically abused by his mother in the two years since Seimei's death (which happened when Ritsuka was ten), and he has amnesia concerning his brother. The manga later reveals that he was molested by his older brother Seimei.

Soubi and Ritsuka's relationship is noted as abnormal in-universe by other Fighter/Sacrifice teams, even though nothing explicitly sexual nor romantic happens between the two of them. And it's noted as abnormal in-universe mostly for Soubi attaching himself to another Sacrifice after Beloved's death. What Soubi and Ritsuka's relationship actually is, is them learning how to break the cycle of abuse they both grew up in.

The series also has a very interesting take on how it addresses gender identity and gender roles. Personally, I recommend reading the analysis essay  ""I Can't Get Excited for a Child, Ritsuka": Intersections of Gender, Identity, and Audience Ambiguity in Yun Kôga's Loveless" by T.A. Noonan, published in Fall 2010 for MP: An Online Feminist Journal.

[youkaigakkou-tl]

does seimei have clairvoyance as his divine magic? does that mean even human can have divine magic??

that's Haruaki's guess at least, and he's often (at least partially) right about stuff like this so 🤔

my personal interpretation (very biased) is that it's saying Seimei isn't entirely human and is at least some part god or youkai, because it would explain why he's so weird and also a lot of the weird dialogue choices (ranmaru telling douman "you're only human don't be reckless") but this is pretty interesting to think about so heres the 2 opposing theories

Theory 1: Seimei is entirely human

Seimei being entirely human and still able to use a form of youkai magic is possible, given the story's shown that gods and youkai aren't actually that different, since gods can become youkai and both are affected by Haruaki/Seimei's exorcism power (albeit to different degrees). it wouldn't be a stretch to say that humans and youkai aren't all that different either, given all the ways a human can become a youkai, and also the fact that they can interbreed. the only difference here it seems, is that humans don't have spirit energy, which is what divine magic runs off of. but then in this scenario it wouldn't be that weird for there to be a human born with spirit energy, as an outlier. (and also, just went back to read ch76, human life force = youkai spirit energy????)

but then at this point it gets into like, what makes a youkai a youkai? it's like irl science etymology, it's not like some higher power decided that "nekomata" are called "nekomata", its people assigning the name to the category "cats that have 2 tails". so if there was a human that had spirit energy, the one universal distinction between youkai and humans, wouldn't that just make him some kind of youkai? (shit. how did this veer off into "seimei isn't human" anyway. dammit.)

there's also the possibility that Seimei's clairvoyance has nothing to do with divine magic or any sort of youkai/god magic, but if that's the case why have Haruaki bring it up at all?

Theory 2: Seimei is not entirely human

by the way these 2 theories have no real bearing on "is Haruaki entirely human?", which is its own separate hypothetical that i have spent way too long thinking about.

Seimei not being entirely human does have precedent in the irl myths surrounding the guy, and is also the occam's razor in this situation i think.

but this would also mean that the "sees the future" and "exorcism powers" parts of his skillset come from different sources, given that in this case the clairvoyance would come from being part youkai/god and the exorcism powers... who knows lol?

well. this is working off the assumption that the exorcism power isn't based in spirit energy or any sort of youkai magic, given that its stated to "cleanse spirit energy" and also inferences from renren arc:

the only way this would have worked is if Haruaki and Amaaki looked the same to Kurai's spirit energy sight, whether Haruaki knew it or not. this is ALSO working off the assumption that Kurai knows what Haruaki looks like to his spirit energy sight, since they've met at the underground culture festival previously. (otherwise, if Amaaki at the Nyuudou mansion looked different from how Haruaki looked at the culture fes, Kurai would have noticed immediately)

OF COURSE, this is working off a 3rd layer of assumptions that Amaaki to the spirit sight looks like a regular human. it's just as possible that Ame and Haru look the same to the spirit sight but they're both different from how regular humans look, which would also fulfill "to the spirit sight, Haru = Ame ≠Yamazaki" (but also, if Haru did look significantly different from other humans to spirit sight, i think Takahashi would have strapped him to a dissection table by now) (ah shit now this started veering into "is haruaki human" territory)

so basically. his exorcism power probably doesn't come from spirit energy/youkai magic. (this is such a "no shit sherlock" statement on its own but i think it helps to iron out the possibilities)

this split in the skillset also makes a lot of sense, since Haruaki very much has the exorcism power but not the clairvoyance. (although. is this assumption actually true? does he actually not have clairvoyance? there is that scene in ch82 where he suddenly sees heian era Seimei. its so easily written off as general soul nonsense or part of the general kyoto nonsense, what with Byakko's disembodied voice calling for him as well, but with the knowledge now, it looks kinda 🤨. there's also the start of miki arc, where he has that dream about Seimei fighting the shutendouji, which could be 1. just a dream, 2. soul nonsense again, 3. clairvoyance??? 🤨) also, in ch87 after meeting Seimei, he sends Haruaki to Sano, which we now are told is a whole other type of divine magic!!

anyway. this scene is funny bc out of all the possible flashbacks, this one? since to the reader, in a meta sense, "haruaki's soul is going to get fixed" isn't a prediction at all its just what's going to happen. and also to the reader, Seimei is a inscrutable little shit who can do whatever he wants to do and say whatever he wants to say and trying to figure out why and how is a fool's errand and so you give up.

(but it is curious why this panel specifically, and why this quoted text, when right on the previous page Seimei was outright saying "i know how you're doing in the present and i know what's going to happen to you in the future")

(ive also seen people surprised that Haruaki remembered that encounter since he didn't have his memory soul piece yet. i didnt think it was that weird, since clearly even with just the 2 soul pieces he was conscious, heard where Sano was and went looking for him, and his short term memory was working since at the end of the same chapter he remembered Seimei telling him to "give his regards to Douman" minutes prior)

ok this went in all kinds of directions back to the questions in the actual ask...

does seimei have clairvoyance as his divine magic?

this is what Haruaki thinks is going on, and the manga puts focus on it either because he's somewhat right or there's another point to it.

does that mean even human can have divine magic?

given the story hasn't had much focus on humans, and all the human characters that get any focus are weird outliers (Haruaki, Seimei, past Douman) i think a more feasible version of the question to think about is "does that mean even Seimei, a human, can have divine magic", to which i think the "Seimei is human/nonhuman" thing could go either way without messing with the themes of the story, and there's not concrete evidence for or against either. in conclusion: idk lol

[singular-yike]

Hi there! I remember in one of your previous analyses that you'd love an opportunity to talk about shikigami (I think). As someone who is also quite curious about it, would you mind divulging on the subject?

Oh of course, thanks for reminding me!

Shikigami: From History to Len'en

Shikigami, like barriers (which I also did a Len'en-focused analysis on), is one of those things I feel like many who are into Japanese media, especially traditional fantasies, have a general idea about, yet don't really have a grasp on their real-life conception and history.

So, just like in the barriers post, let's take a look at what shikigami are all about, in real-life history and in the Len'en series!

Origins of Onmyōdō

To understand the origins of shikigami, we first have to have a cursory understanding of the complex art of Onmyōdō (陰陽道 lit. "the way of Yin and Yang").

Roots in Chinese Philosophy

Onmyōdō, as we understand it, has its roots in the Chinese philosophical Theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases (陰陽五行思想).

Yin and Yang (陰陽) can be described as the fundamentally opposite but interconnected forces that constitute as well as cause change in everything in the universe.

The Five Phases (五行) is a conceptual framework which is used to classify and explain a wide array of phenomena, including the movement of celestial bodies, the interaction between internal organs to, the rise and fall of political regimes and the properties of medicine, amongst other things. The five phases are, in order, fire, water, wood, metal, earth.

The Theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases then combines the two, and was associated with and used for a variety of (what were at the time considered) natural sciences, such as astronomy, calendar making, time keeping and divination.

Development in Japan

When transmitted to Japan alongside Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, it was accepted by the Japanese people as having actual power, and its associated practices like divination and manipulating fortune were accepted as well.

As these beliefs and practices fused with the native Japanese beliefs (what one may classify as Shinto) and Japanese Buddhism (remember that Buddhism also had its own major developments in Japan), a system of beliefs and practices that were uniquely Japanese was born.

This was Onmyōdō, and it was a state-controlled craft. Onmyōji (陰陽師 lit. "master of yin and yang") were the practitioners of this craft who belonged to the Bureau of Onmyō (陰陽寮), and they offered their services to the royal family and the noble elites.

The Historical Shikigami

Examining the Word "Shikigami"

Now that we can finally take a look at the historical shikigami. They are known by a number of names: shikigami/shikijin (式神・識神), shiki-no-kami (式の神・識の神), shi-ki (式鬼) or shiki-kishin (式鬼神).

No matter the rendering, there is a common element throughout most of them: 式 read shiki or just as shi. It means "to make use of", and refers to the onmyōji's control over these beings.

The specific beings that these names list are kami (神 gods/spirits), oni (鬼) and kishin (鬼神). The last term refers to a myriad of concepts, from wild and rampaging kami to divine spirits to any supernatural thing that causes mysterious phenomena.

Below: Famous onmyōji Abe no Seimei (in black) accompanied by two of his shikigami (below Seimei).

So, from the name, we can tell that shikigami refers to the gods, spirits, supernatural beings and even just supernatural forces under the onmyōji's control. Additionally, it is said that the process through which an onmyōji summons these spirits is also called shikigami..

Types of Shikigami

Shikigami are in fact invisible to everyone except their master, but can take on forms that are visible to the average person. In general, shikigami can be classified in to two ways:

One is according to the form they appear in, such as human-shaped (人型), bird/beast-shaped (鳥獣型), youkai-shaped (妖怪型), etc.

More interesting, perhaps, is classifying them based on how they were created:

First are "mental-action shikigami", (思業式神 shigou-shikigami) they are manifested through the onmyōji's thought, and are said to directly reflect their master's ability.

Next are "personified shikigami" (擬人式神 gijin-shikigami), they are produced by imbuing a doll, often made of paper, straw or plants, with spiritual power. Those which obtain a will of their own are considered higher-rank, while those that do not are considered lower-ranked.

Below: A straw doll used to summon a shikigami into.

Final final type are called, literally, "gods of evil deeds and revealed retribution" (悪行罰示神 akubyoubasshi-kami). It's rather unwieldy and not exactly clear what it means.

So instead, I'll call these "shikigami through karmic retribution". They are typically beings who committed evil deeds in the past who are defeated and subjugated by onmyōji, becoming their shikigami.

The final type, perhaps obviously, are considered particularly dangerous, as an unskilled master can be overpowered by the shikigami, allowing it to cause harm to its master and others.

Functions of a Shikigami

Basically, there's nothing a shikigami cannot do, as they are (provided that the onmyōji is powerful enough) completely bound to the will of their master.

Here I'll just briefly list a few of what shikigami were said to be used for throughout history and myths:

Defeating harmful and devil spirits

Possessing someone to cause them harm

Placed at key locations as protector deities

Pass on messages and deliver objects

Reconnaissance

Housework, house-watching and personal care

Yeah, basically anything you can think of.

Onmyōdō in the Present Day

Persistance and Development

Onmyōdō and onmyōji, along with the Bureau of Onmyō, persisted throughout Japanese history, slowly gaining popularity amongst the general populace as well. It has its ups and down, even losing its official status once, but it never faded away.

One particularly famous Onmyōji that should not go unmentioned is Abe no Seimei (安倍晴明), said to be a genius in the art. Many of his exploits are left behind as legends, and he himself is a popular topic of many modern fiction stories.

Below: Mitori's Pentagram "Bellflower Seal Crush", based on a seal of the same name invented by Seimei to ward off demons.

Fall and Modern Status

It was not until the after Meiji Revolution, in 1870, that the new government passed a bill to ban Onmyōdō as a superstition, under the support of pure Shintoists and the exclusionists, who rejected Onmyōdō based on its Chinese roots.

After this, the Onmyōdō of old basically disappeared from Japanese society. Later, when the ban was lifted, Onmyōdō was already reduced to a point where it would never return to the level of prestige and power it once held during the Heian period.

Nowadays, there are two schools of Onmyōdō left, the "Tensha Tsuchimikado Shinto" (天社土御門神道) and the Izanagi School (いざなぎ流).

Tensha Tsuchimikado Shinto

This school was established by a family that traces it lineage back to Abe no Seimei, the Tsuchimikado Family.

Thanks to its fusion of Onmyōdō and Shinto, it was able to survive the ban on Onmyōdō by leaning on its Shinto side. Though it would lose official support regardless and turn to private practice.

The Izanagi School

A unique folk religion developed independently in the archaic Tosa Province (modern day Kōchi Prefecture). It has elements of Onmyōdō belief and practice, but aren't recognised by Tensha Tsuchimikado Shinto.

Popular Culture

The colourful stories of onmyōji from various legends, especially of them binding youkai to their control and excercising other mystical powers, captured the popular imagination and lead to a myriad of fictional depictions of them.

It is here that the most common depiction of shikigami emerges, as youaki bound by onmyōji, or spirits summoned into paper dolls by them. And it is here that we loop back to Len'en.

Shikigami of Len'en

The most info on shikigami in the Len'en series can be found in Garaiya Ogata's BPoHC profile:

A shikigami receives spiritual power from its master, and can act using the accumulated spiritual power from them. How much spiritual power they can save up and what they can do with said accumulated power varies from shikigami to shikigami. [...] However, the master's spiritual power is naturally limited. [...] However, since a slight amount of their master's power is constantly consumed to keep their shiki up and running. Multiplying too much will overburden their master, ultimately deactivating the shiki.

It would seem that shikigami run on a fairly unique set of rules in Len'en, that of an exchange and balance of spiritual power between master and subject.

The master needs to use their power to somehow activate and maintain a shiki contract with the subject, which creates a link between the two and allows the subject to draw on their masters power. In the case that the master runs out of power, the contract immediately deactivates.

The amount of spiritual power a shikigami stores seems to be somewhat proportional to how powerful they are, as seen in Kuriju Kesa being technically weaker than Kaisen Azuma, but still seen as more useful thanks to the former being better at storing spiritual power from Garaiya.

We don't really know much else about shikigami in the series, though there are a few things that we can speculate upon.

Bound Evildoer Shikigami

First we can examine the most prominent master-shikigami pairs, that between Garaiya and Kaisen & Garaiya and Kurjiu.

Below: Garaiya with Kaisen and Kujiru in animal form.

It's possible that these two are what I called "shikigami through karmic retribution", as they were apparently "pretty mischievous" in the past, prior to meeting Garaiya.

This is particularly likely with Kaisen, as one of their inspirations, the Chinese mythological creature known as Jinchan (金蟾 Lit. "gold/golden toad"), actually has pretty much this play out, just framed under Daoism instead of Onmyōdō.

In the folktale Liu Hai Tricks Jinchan (劉海戲金蟾), it is said Liu tamed a malevolent and greedy three-legged toad after fishing it out of the east sea. It became Jinchan and was henceforth the immortal's companion, following Liu wherever he went.

So yeah, basically "evil youkai does bad deeds" → "good person comes around and tames it" → "evil creature now serves the good person somehow".

With Kujiru, it's not as direct, since their basis, Kesa-gozen (袈裟御前), was the victim in her story, rather than the villain or a villain redeemed. Still, if JynX wanted to somehow collapse both the villain and the victim into one, they certainly can, so I can't really say that this disproves Kujiru as a "shikigami through karmic retribution".

Bonus Note: Jinbei

There's really not enough information on Jinbei to say much about them as a shikigami, but it's interesting to note that they don't (or at least don't only) draw power from their master.

Rather, they draw power from and supply power to the Mugenri Barrier, the current Senri priests (Yabusame and Tsubakura) as well as a yet undisclosed source.

On a personal note, Jinbei gives me the vibe of a spirit that was summoned into an object. Similar to the personified shikigami, though not summoned into a doll, but into the very jinbei that they're always wearing.

Conclusion

There's still much that we don't know about shikigami in Len'en, so other possibilities still exist with both Kaisen, Kujiru and Jinbei.

For example, Kaisen and Kujiru can also be spirits summoned into the youkai, akin to how the Touhou series conceptualises its shikigami. Or Jinbei could be a youkai who's subjugation contract is renewed with every new Senri priest.

Basically what I'm saying is that canonically all we have is the Garaiya profile and the two related 2021 interview answers that I've linked.

In any case though, I hope you at least got something out of the first part about the historical shikigami, and how they are classified and used even to this very day.

As usual, I hope you enjoyed~! :)

[djunk411]

A cool thing about Samurai Remnant is that as a period piece, it's easy to imagine the Masters becoming servants as well, without the usual pseudo-servant nonsense. Been thinking about what their classes would be.

The obvious route for Iori is Saber, but I feel like he'd also work as a Berserker given his extra scenes in NG+ and the "bad ending".

Chiemon is obviously an Avenger, though given his use of his banner as a weapon, maybe Lancer could work as well? Though I am kind of iffy on him having left enough of an impact on human history in-universe to become a servant, but hardly the first to bend that rule.

Zheng I don't know enough about IRL to comment too much on and FSR doesn't really give a good window into him historically, so just gonna say Lancer based on his in game fighting style and move on >_>

Dorothea could be a Caster, but I like to imagine her as a Rider using her trading ship, especially with that scene of her using its cannons against Ushi's bull.

Yui I'd go with Saber or maybe even Caster, but that feels a little surface level since most of what we know about her doesn't feel like it translates to well into class stuff.

Tsuchimikodo is definitely a Caster and I don't think there's much else to say there. As an aside, I wonder how he and Douman would interact? Their personalities seem compatible, but not sure how Douman would feel about him as a descendent of Seimei...

Dayu's tricky, since I don't she neatly fits into any known class. The jokey answer is to say Rider, but honestly if I had to pick I'd actually give her Ruler. Just feels right.

[vyragosa]

You don't need to answer this, I'm just curious, since you're the douman expert, if we get a Douman interlude, what do want the interlude to be about?

honestly sincerely for realsies absolute realsies?

rika. commonly known as seimei's wife and the betrayer, or even douman's "brother" in the figure of the hunter that went after seimei's mother

we actually do need the slighest beginning of a hint of whether or not she exists in this universe which i don't actually doubt she does given how nasu treated vivianne in relation to merlin, but most importantly we need more informations about the women in douman's life and by that i mean an actual continuation since we have a really good going (murasaki's comments, sei knowing douman's heart more than anyone else and making them feel more included) douman is also an entity who has been by the side of wronged women historically such as cursing cheating men or abandoning their pregnant wife, multiple stories like so and the one where their actual noble phantasm is based on as well (a father avenging his wronged daughter who committed suicide)

if the interlude is about seimei it would make sense as an introduction, but it would feel deeply overkill? just like moriarty cannot be solely about holmes, only after we have known BOTH of them, the rivals so far have never been one-track mind so it makes sense that we would Learn of seimei through this rika and as continuation

basically, by learning of the other people in those historical figures' life we gain so much more! so douman should get the same! especially with being such a nebulous person!

[murfpersonalblog]

Power Types in Fandoms

I was up in the middle of the night arguing with my ceiling about fictional characters, Death Battle style, and decided to make a ❗rudimentary❗ list, from weakest to strongest Power Types. Because it's a gradient, each progressively higher power type can (and often does) contain the abilities of lower types.

⚔🤖💉🤺🤰🧜‍♂️🔮👽

⚔ Standard Fighters

OP warriors with maxed out skills, but main character plot armor saves them from outrageous situations

Conan the Barbarian, Tuxedo Mask (Sailor Moon), Link (Zelda), Yujiro Hanma (Baki), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Robin Hood, Odysseus (Greek mythology), Xena Warrior Princess, etc

🤖 Tech/Mech Warriors

Fight with technology; but caught slipping butt naked with ZERO gear (wifi signal, power generator, fancy gadgets/weapons, power suits, etc) and they don't stand a chance without hax/plot armor

Low Level tech (borderline realistic/futuristic gear)

Ratchet & Clank, Doom Guy (Doom), Master Chief (Halo), Batman, Power Rangers, etc

High Level tech (science & magic blur)

Gundam, Xenosaga, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Iron Man, Guts (Berserk), Sailor Moon, Perseus (Greek mythology), etc

💉 Roid Rage

Ate/drank something, or got bit/injected/dunked/exposed to something out in nature or in a lab--scientific, biological, or magical-- that permanently altered their bodies, genes, & abilities. Often "immortal/indestructible," depending on the universe.

Scientific (Lab Accidents/Hijinks/Procedures)

Frankenstein*, The Powerpuff Girls, S.H.I.E.L.D. (Black Widow, Hawkeye, etc), Captain America, The Hulk, The Flash, Harley Quinn (& The Joker, kinda), Dr Manhattan (Watchmen), Dr Robotnik (Sonic), TMNT, etc

Biological (technically Scientific, sure)

Spider Man, Morbius, Poison Ivy, Witchers (Geralt of Rivia), etc

Magical/Supernatural (technically Biological?)

Black Panther, Luffy (One Piece), Aquaman*, Achilles (Greek mythology), Danny Phantom, Werewolves*, Titans (Attack on Titan), Homunculi (Wrath & Greed, Full Metal Alchemist), Sephiroth (Final Fantasy)

🤺 Androids/Cyborgs

Deliberately created part man, part tech/mech. Can be/look more or less "human," or barely at all. (More or less "immortal/indestructible," depending.). "Science" & magic blur.

Androids (Dragonball), Wolverine, Dororo, Sekiro, Robocop, Bionic Woman, The Terminator, Frankenstein*, Homunculus (FMA), The Borg (Star Trek), Darth Vader, etc

🤰Mutations

Born to regular human parents, but with unexpected supernatural abilities and/or appearance. These abilities are random AF and their power can fluctuate wildly depending on the character/universe.

Mutants (X-Men), Killer Croc (Batman), Namor (Black Panther), Aquaman*, etc

🧜‍♂️ Hybrids

Born to at least one (1) human parent, but with unexpected supernatural abilities and/or appearance. The non-human parent can make their abilities fluctuate wildly, depending on the character/universe.

Animal/Creature Hybrid

Centaurs, Minotaurs, etc (Greek mythology), werewolves*, etc

Magical Race Hybrid (Low Level--dwarves, elves, sorcerers, etc)

Luke Skywalker, etc

Magical Race Hybrid (High Level--undead, spirits, gods/demons, aliens, etc)

- 1/2 vampire Dhampirs: Blade, Alucard (Castlevania, Helsing), etc

- 1/2 demon Cambions, yokai, etc: Abe no Seimei, Merlin, Inuyasha, etc

- 1/2 god Demigods: Hercules (Greek mythology), Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian mythology), Sailor Pluto (Sailor Moon), Kratos & Atreus (God of War), etc

🔮 Magicians

(Human) magic users who can either manipulate the senses, control spirits and/or the elements, bend/break the laws of nature (gravity, matter, shapeshifting, physics, space, time, etc), or all of the above. Includes: magicians, mages/sages, witches, wizards, sorcerers, mediums, psychics, hypnotists, exorcists, ghost hunters, etc. (Depending on the universe, these terms might be used interchangeably, or only for specific types of abilities.)

Manipulate the senses

Hypnotists -- (Naruto (low level ninjas))

Control/commune with spirits/demons (and/or the elements)

Exorcists, mediums, psychics, witches, etc -- (John Constantine, Van Helsing, Talamasca & Mayfairs (Anne Rice), etc)

Control the elements & bend/break the laws of nature

Dovahkin (Skyrim), Benders (TLAB), Alchemists (FMA), etc

All of the Above

Harry Potter (witches/wizards), The Avatar (TLAB), Jedi (Star Wars), Naruto (high level ninjas), Onmyoji (Shintoism), Cultivators (xianxia), etc

👽 Extraterrestrials

Transcendent beings not of this world/planet, terrestrial plane, or dimension. Are not subject to Earthly laws of nature (gravity, matter, shapeshifting, physics, space, time, etc)--e.g.: many alien races are physically much stronger than humans because their planet's gravity is heavier, etc. Depending on the type of world, being, character, or universe, their abilities can fluctuate wildly.

Aliens

The Doctor(s) (Doctor Who)

Vulcans, Romulans, Klingons, oh my~! (Star Trek)

Saiyans (Dragonball)

Kryptonians (Superman, Zod, etc)

Spirits/Undead

Undead: Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, etc

Fae:* fairies, elves, goblins (Labyrinth), giants, kitsune, etc (depends on the lore)

Angels/Demons

Fae* (depends on the lore/mythos/religion)

Demons/Yokai, etc: Hellboy, Darkness (Legend), Sesshomaru (Inuyasha), etc

Djinn/Genies* (depends on the lore)

Shinigami: (Bleach, Black Butler, Death Note, Yu Yu Hakusho, etc)

Angels: (Constantine, Good Omens, Maiar (LOTR), etc)

Gods

Q (Star Trek), Chthulu (Lovecraft), Majin Buu (Dragonball)

Dragons (depends on the lore/mythos/religion)

Fae* (depends on the lore/mythos/religion)

Sun Wukong (Journey to the West)

Zeus (Greek mythology), Amaterasu & Susa No O & Izanagi & Izanami etc (Japanese mythology), Odin & Thor & Loki (Marvel/Norse mythology), etc

👽🔮🧜‍♂️🤰🤺💉🤖⚔

Again, this is just a rudimentary list of characters/fandoms off the top of my head; and I'm sleep deprived. I likely forgot a lot of powerups, retcons, AUs, and more--oops.

[honeybeewhereartthee]

PINK KKOMAS KOHAKU OUKAWA 86

Spoiler for my stories

You approaches them.

MC: ello, I gotten the place ready.

Reaper: woah really?

MC: ye. Anyway. We can go there now.

You snap your hand and everyone teleported to the location. You all teleported to a glass room leading to a door.

MC: go there and you'll see what reaper been preparing for you all.

Reaper excitedly held hadey and seimei hands who's holding frost hand, the other two reaper follows the four with a soft smile as reaper open the door leading to a beautiful spring glass garden, a huge place with spring frozen in place.

Reaper: I- I plant those! So I made sure to give everyone a good view!!

Frost catch a petal from Sakura tree falling: it bee a while since I last seen a season outside winter.

Seimei runs around : woahhhh flowerssss.

Eternity: so this is spring... It to scented..

Hadey: the beloved season of our dear winter blossom. What a pretty sight.

Blood look at everyone before he survey them, making doll glare at him being awkward to the other reaper again.

Grave: what an odd child...

Blood, chuckle: I'm older than you.

Grave: hmm? The universe is truly strange and amazing if that's the case.

Blood, nodding: one of the victims of chaos.

Doll: what the fuck. Blood. stop being weird!

Blood: sorry I can't help but be intrigued.

Eternity, stared at blood oddly: ????

Blood: well, I'm done measuring.

Blood went towards you to whisper something about changing the outfit of others. You nodded and thought about it.

MC: excuse us.

You wave your hand and the reapers and spirit surrounded by bright light before spider Weds surrounded them and sooner as the light disappear they all change their outfit.

Hadey: woah. Is this a spring outfit?

Doll: they went and did a magical girl transformation... (✿☉｡☉)

Sea, raise his brow not understanding what doll meant.

Doll: anime stuff. (>0<；)

Sea:... (˘･_･˘)

Doll: don't look at me like that !

Sea: (・–・;)ゞ

Doll: ԅ( ͒ ۝ ͒ )ᕤ hey now!

Bee who come out from a portal but kicked by someone else when his to slow, turn out it's the other bee holding a baskets.

Bee,runs toward you will i crocodile tears: (｡•́︿•̀｡) omae. This evil me is a booly again!!

Bee(?) Glared at Bee: Shut up.

MC: don't fight you two.

Hadey: (o_O) is that another pink kkomas?

Eternity: obviously.

Frost stares at the two (bee and bee (?)) :....

Reaper remembers something: ahh... Ahmmm. Sorry! I'm going to intruduce them!!!

Grave: hmm? You seems quite embarrassed. What could be the problem.

Reaper: there isn't senior grave. I just don't know how to say that other me is married to someone I treat as parental finger...

Eternity, stares at you and the two who's trying to Provo their side about who's being boolied and who is not being bullied: you don't have to worry far too much. It's not like your them in more sense.

Frost:...

Seimei: why are you staring at those two? (◕દ◕)

Frost: they seems familiar to something... Or someone.

Seimei: your not confuse with me with them are you?

Frost: huh...? No. I already made the bad mistake before. Through it's not really a mistake because everything is fix when That happened.

Seimei: oooh.

Reaper, stare at frost with tearful eyes: y-your not mad at me???₍ᐡඉ ̫ඉᐡ₎

Frost, pats reaper head: why would? ♡(ӦｖӦ｡)

Reaper: other me is married to another version of our mc.

Frost: the world is vast, the universe is vast. There's more to the universe that you yet to seem I seen those before. There's different me in the universe and different you. And different mc. Some have tragic stories than others. I don't think I would confuse and be mad in such silly thing... I been through that already. It's not a good time.

Doll who suddenly realize something: AHHHHHH. YOUR THAT MOFO WHO KIDNAP MY OWNER. YOU SON OF A BITCH I WILL PUNCH YOU!!! ԅ( ͒ ۝ ͒ )ᕤ

Before doll could cause harm sea already held him down

Sea: bad.

Doll: THAT MOFO ALMOST KILLED MY OWNER.

Frost: ??? (?・・)σ

Blood: the mc you once kidnapped is his world mc.

Frost: ohh. Fufufu. That's seems such an well expected.

Eternity: WAHH. Judgement. Should punish this person for causing trouble in another au.

Hadey: hey now, that guy already died once.

Eternity: he did that to himself.

Grave: we can bury him for one cycle.

Hadey; hey now....

Reaper, hugs frost: you don't hate me?

Frost, hugs him back with a smile: of course not.

Seimei, joined the hug: our winter blossom is so cute. Worried about silly things!

Reaper: sorry it was so awkward when I thought about it all those months...

Reaper suddenly remember stuff and then bright red: ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄-⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄ i-i don't wanna remember stuff either...

Eternity: he probably seen how babies are made.

MC buts in: you mean like magic?

Eternity: obviously not--

MC, shows blob, mofumofu and kitty: my babies. Made of magic. Blob the cute bunny very innocent never done any bad deeds (in the background, you can see bee(?) Choking an air as if that's a bluff), mofumofu his hanii creation made of blood and magic! Very cute little guy! And here's kitty my precious new one, they never did anything bad either an obedient and nice kid who likes to learn new things (in the background you can see blood smiling creepily as if not amused by the description)

Eternity who sees the background people reacting: →_→huh. So your married yet don't know how babies are made.

MC: (◕દ◕)you mean fu--

Your mouth is shut by embarrass bee.

Bee: omaeee!!!

Eternity, stare at him (bee)up and down, look away: bottom. →_→

Bee:... What does that mean .

Blood: it mean your the one receiving.

Bee, embarrassed: ... ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄-⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

Bee(?): It mean your a wimp.

Bee:... (·•᷄‎ࡇ•᷅ )

Bee, hugs you: OMAE IM BEING BULLIED AGAIN.

You comfort Bee as Bee(?) Put down the food and the basket to the field before going back to Bee and you. Slapping bee across the face after he sees his other haft being too touchy.

As you and your hanii have fun in the background with your three babies.

Reaper brought his reaper friends and spirit to the picnic blanket.

Reaper: I hope you'll love the experience. (>0<；)

Frost stared at the two bee again:...

Hadey: its wonderful, so don't worry about it my friend!

Eternity: stop being creepy frost.

Frost:...

Seimei:what's wrong?

Frost: it's nothing.... It's probably my imagination.

[kokiafans]

KOKIA in flashback - 2008

We have made it to 2008, the year of KOKIA's 10th anniversary! She celebrates this milestone and her new-found independence accordingly with multiple (!) new albums: the anniversary album The VOICE (with a Japanese and European release), the album Fairy Dance which she records in Ireland, and Christmas gift, a Christmas album (with once again a Japanese and European release). We also get the complete collection 1998-1999, gathering all her songs from her Ponyo Canyon era.

She also returns to Europe, this time performing not only in Paris, but also Brussels, Belgium. She draws 1,800 people to her performances in France, expanding her scope there.

At the end of the year, she travels to the United States for her Music Gift project, where she hands out 10,000 copies of the single Music Gift by herself dressed as Santa in New York City, in memoriam of the 9/11 attacks. She includes a new version of remember the kiss on this; Remember the kiss (dedicated to "New" NY).

◆ Lives and events ◆

February 16 ＋0°C snow music festival 08 (Niigata, Tôkamachi, Echigo-Tsumari gathering hall Kinare) ※ Charity event for recovery after the Chûetsu offshore earthquake

February 23-24 KOKIA Live in Naeba Prince white notes Vol.2 (Naeba Prince Hotel Chatelaine)

【KOKIA European Tour 2008】 March 22 - Best-of, Paris, La Mutalité March 23 - VIP, Paris, Café de la Danse March 25 - Intime, Brussels, Le Botanique

【KOKIA The VOICE~10th Anniversary concert】 April 11 - Osaka, Osaka Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan, arts hall April 16 - Tokyo, Tokyo International Forum Hall C

April 21 20th peach blossom viewing festival (Niigata, Kariwamura 2nd gymnasium) ※ 2 performances in 1 day

May 11 Sakae Minami music festival '08 (Aichi, Yaba Park)

June 28 (July 13/August 16/September 14/September 15) Afternoon tea party with KOKIA (Tokyo, Club PASONA Omotesando) ※ Event exclusive for members of the KOKIA fan club, club ancoro. 5 tea parties in total

July 12 KOKIA special concert in Ario Nishiarai (Tokyo, Ario Nishiarai) ※ 2 performances in 1 day

July 26 Gion Kashiwazaki festival fireworks stage ~restoration support concert~ (Minatomachi beachside park, sunset dome)

August 2 SURFSIDE RADIO '08 in Fukuma beach (Fukuoka, Fukuma beach SURF SIDE CLUB) ※ Live recording broadcasted by CROSS FM

August 3 Marinoa City Fukuoka presents FM Fukuoka Summer Special ~Summer Mari '08~! (Marinoa City Fukuoka) ※ Live recording broadcasted by FM FUKUOKA

September 27 Fairy Dance~KOKIA meets Ireland~ (Roppongi STB139 Sweet Basil) ※ 2 performances in 1 day

September 28 Troubadour LIVE for TENSEI (Tokyo, Katsushika Symphony Hills) ※ charity concert to help Tensei Iwata, who is battling a disease called idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy)

October 4 TOKYO Music Marathon music festival in Tokyo International Forum supported by Victor 80th anniversary (Tokyo International Forum Hall C)

October 13 KOKIA Special Live in Ario Soga (Chiba, Ario Soga) ※ 2 performances in 1 day

November 2 Azabu University festival 2008~KOKIA concert (Kanagawa, Azabu University)

November 8 Ritsumeikan University School Festival UK with JP~2 way love special screening after the presentation, KOKIA LIVE & TALK (Shiga, Ritsumeikan University Biwako Kusatsu Campus)

November 16 KOKIA Christmas gift Concert 2008 (Tokyo, Dai-ichi Seimei Hall) ※ Extra performance on November 20

November 21 My Space cafe presents at Spuma escala party vol.2 (Shibuya Spuma)

November 30 LOVE FM AIR-STAGE World AIDS day Fukuoka (Fukuoka, Tenjin IMS, IMS Plaza) ※ Live performance broadcasted by LOVE FM

December 15 Apple Store Shibuya in-store live (Apple Store Shibuya)

December 23 Uta no Chikara tour '08 ('The power of song') (Fukuoka, Gate's 7)

December 24 ZIP-FM Xmas Square KOKIA LIVE (Aichi, SUNSHINE SAKAE) ※ Live performance broadcast ZIP-FM

December 25 Uta no chikara tour '08 ('The power of song') (Annex Hall of The Museum of Kyoto)

December 26 KOKIA Kokoro no akari live ('light in the heart') (Annex Hall of The Museum of Kyoto)

◆ Releases ◆

February 20 Release of original album The VOICE (Victor Entertainment and others) ※ CD to commemorate her 10th anniversary. Simultaneous relesae in Japan, Europe and Asia.

July 16 Release of concert DVD The VOICE 10th anniversary concert (Victor Entertainment)

September 24 Release of the album Fairy Dance ~KOKIA meet Ireland recorded in Ireland (Victor Entertainment) ※ First album recorded overseas

October 22 Release of the French edition of Christmas gift (Wasabi Records)

October 22 Release of the French edition KOKIA COLLECTION (Wasabi Records) ※ Collection box of 3 albums: Christmas gift, The VOICE and aigakikoeru (listen for the love) (French edition for each). The French release of Christmas gift is ahead of the Japanese release.

November 12 Release of Christmas album Christmas Gift (Victor Entertainment) ※ First Christmas Album

December 3 iTunes Store exclusive distribution of the EP Love Tears (Victor Entertainment) Mini album with 4 songs, including Arigatou... (from KOKIA 2007) ('Thank you...') and Watashi ni dekiru koto ('the things I can do').

◆ Other releases ◆

January 23 Release of the single Tatta hitotsu no omoi ('Only one thought') (Marvelous Entertainment) ※ Opening theme of the animated TV series GUNSLINGER GIRL - IL TEATRINO-

September 17 Release of best-of album KOKIA complete collection 1998-1999 (Ponyo Canyon) ※Album collecting the best of from her Ponyo Canyon era.

◆ Books ◆

April 11 Release of the KOKIA 10th anniversary book KOKIA 10th memorial book ※ Lavish memorial book talking about her 10 years as KOKIA and half her life as Akiko Yoshida. Includes a DVD with bonus footage and her first directed movie, Ojiichan no chuuripu ('Grandpa's tulips').

◆ Other ◆

May 27~ Sang the main song for the 'promise version' of the TV commercial for Mitsuya Cider

Fiscal year of 2008 Winner of the Ningenryoku taishou ('Grand prize of social grace') Won due to the song Watashi ni dekiru koto ('the things I can do'), created to encourage people struck by disaster

December 9 Appearance in the Nippon TV national network series Dare mo shiranai nakeru uta (songs no-one knows that make you cry') ※ Episode introducing and self-accompanied piano performance of Watashi ni dekiru koto ('the things I can do')

December MUSC GIFT project Handed out copies herself in New York of her CD MUSIC GIFT, including Remember the kiss~dedicated to "New" NY, the song that she initially wrote after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and recorded anew in New York with the choir from the New York church

The album The VOICE wins the Domestic World/New Age Award at the ADLIB sponsored ADLIB Awards 2008

◆ Videos with links to watch ◆

Opening theme Tatta hitotsu no omoi ('just one thought') for the 2008 series GUNSLINGER GIRL -IL TEATRINO- 

[mahvaladara]

Orochi: So... you want master Seimei to exorcise this 'demon' from your sister?

Gabriel: Yes.

Orochi: So she doesn't go to "Hell"?

Gabriel: Yes.

Orochi: I think you're in the wrong place, father. The Vatican is several miles away from here!

Seimei: 9693 kilometers to be correct.

Gabriel:... Amazing, you are a genius master Seimei!

Seimei: -lifts phone- No. I just googled it.

Gabriel: You have internet and a smartphone? Out here?

Seimei: Yes -lifts brow- This isn't the middle of nowhere... we have a convenience store down the road from here. Chi here catches the bus just down the slope to head to University.

Gabriel: I thought you were a hermit!

Seimei: No. I just don't like people.

Gabriel: You're Abe no Seimei! The legendary Onmyoji! You don't like people?!

Seimei: I gave up my humanity to save both this asshole-

Orochi: Oi!

Seimei: And whole of humanity, all so you guys can every few cycle rotations try to blow each other up. And I'm only talking about the two world wars, so don't even get me started in Japan's colorful historical conflicts, or the wonders of the internet and the dark web, we'll stay here all day. I'm honestly starting to consider this guy had the right idea wanting to eat the world.

Orochi: Meh. You guys would probably give me indegestion.

Seimei:...

Gabriel: I am so confused right now and I speak perfect japanese...

[lys-lilac]

[RMD] Toshiki Kasumi x MC: Her Jealousy (oneshot)

I don’t know how I get such crazy ideas (of course you will get those thanks to the numerous jealousy stories of the boys) so bear with me haha~ Also, I tried writing this in diary format, so let me know if you like it!

[A/N: All the characters belong to Voltage Inc. Only the story plot is a work of mine.]

══════⊹⊱≼≽⊰⊹══════

MC’s Diary

~4 pm~

This was any of the other normal day in the EICU office. This would have been if not for the exchange which was occuring in front of my eyes. 

Sometimes I myself think about how much weird I am when it comes to mangas, Sekai and medical knowledge. But the current emotion I am having can be counted in the general list right?

It had been several days since the new academic year started. Which meant classes for young interns and med students has already resumed in the Seimei University Hospital. Looking at the enthusiasm and excitement about gaining new knowledge in the field of medicine all over the university fills me with a sense of nostalgia. The scene of me running with medical journals, asking various questions to the professors is still fresh in my mind.

But a new academic year means various responsibilities, especially to me since Dr. Kasumi has gotten busier taking lectures in the university along with performing surgeries and attending meetings as well. Our schedules have become so much mismatched that we can’t even clock out together. Kasumi would mostly stay at the hospital, and even at home, we can’t see each other much. The only time we are together is in the operation theatre performing surgeries. I can’t blame the situation though, but yes, it makes me feel lonelier these days.

Kasumi’s office and even the EICU sometimes becomes a center of chaos with the amount of new students barging in to submit assignments or ask questions. Even though Matsunaga set a particular time of the day for these upon Directors’ request, the crowd wouldn’t dissipate that fast. Only Dr. Takado’s scolding and Dr. Kyogoku’s evil stare does the trick. Sensing the direness of the situation, I mostly devote myself to studies in the library or assist Dr. Tsuchiya and others in surgeries. 

Now, coming back to the situation in hand, I went to the lecture hall after completing a surgery to invite Kasumi for lunch, only to see many female students gathered around him. It seemed like he was explaining a particular topic. As I decided to pry in what he was teaching, an uneasy feeling crept to my heart. Even though my craze for understanding the topic was large, the close proximity of the girls with him, his professional gaze radiating through those glasses, and the prominent blushes on those girls’ cheeks made me recede my steps.I know I was the same in my classes as well, but I didn’t know it will make me feel weird. Hoping to at least get a beef bowl from the hospital cafeteria, I returned with subtle pangs in my heart.

Oh common, WHO IN THE WORLD GETS HUNGOVER FROM SUCH A TRIVIAL MATTER?! My idiotic expressions were able to catch the attention of the docs later. I was very glad they tried to cheer me up in their own ways, whether it was Dr. Takado giving me his limited ramen, Dr. Ekuni his sweet treats, Dr. Hosho rewarding me with a latte after surgery or Dr. Kyogoku bickering a little less than usual, it still went in vain. Due to this, I even ruined my conversation with Kasumi when he asked me to grab dinner in the evening. Now that I think about it, the audacity of me to ignore his attempts to talk and even excuse myself saying I already had plans?! JUST UNFORGIVABLE. Dear Sekai, I would have needed your comfort but I think I need something else. My internal monologues with you are not helping at all T-T

I thought maybe ignoring him could let my uneasiness end, but that was not the case. It became even worse. Now thanks to me everyone thinks I have gotten into a fight with him.

~10 pm~

Let’s just admit today was not my day. I had made up my mind to be on call tonight, but got driven away by Dr. Takado UGH. I also talked with Asuka about this, and she said me to figure it out myself with a giggle on her face. Although that reassured me that it’s nothing serious, still my mind working like this is killing my productivity and distracting me. 

Let’s just admit, I think I am a LITTLE jealous of those girls. Wait. Wait wait wait. WHY DO I SOUND LIKE A CREEP NOW?! ( : ౦ ‸ ౦ : )

Does this mean I am obsessed with Kasumi or what? To that extent that I am unable to continue my daily activities? Do I... Do I crave physical touch? UGH SOMEONE SLAP ME   ლ(¯ロ¯"ლ)

Anyway, I don’t think he will be back home tonight as well? I made some curry just in case, but oh well. If he’s having dinner with his stude- GAHHH STOP!!!

I will just pull an all-nighter and study! I am pretty sure that will help me to distract my mind from having these absurd thoughts. Let’s hope Dr. Kyogoku cools down tomorrow otherwise I.... zzz.

P.S. (the next morning) ~6:00~ 

I just arrived at the hospital with Kasumi (he came home yesterday yayyyyyyy  。゜゜(´Ｏ`) ゜゜。 ) and more importantly, I am relieved he got some sleep. I am so so glad I made curry yesterday for him! Although he seems to be in a good mood today? I remember falling asleep on the couch writing yesterday’s events but today I found myself on our bed with him. Aside from sleeping like a log, I don’t remember anything else? Was I making a funny face? Drooling? Perhaps was in an Egyptian position while sleeping? He kissed my forehead at the parking lot and even though he changed into his professional outlook, I could still see his shoulders shaking as if he was laughing. Dr. Kyogoku’s worry from yesterday has turned into wrath with twice the intensity.

Haahh, seems like there’s a new mystery to solve now  ┐(︶▽︶)┌