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deus-ex-mona · 3 years ago

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Otome Domoyo.: Change 5

Hi, this is Chapter 5 of the Otome Domoyo. novel!

Chisalt index for this part: ★★★★★

Previous part (Change 4)

Next part (Change 6)

-One-

After the short Spring break, those boring and tedious days made their return again.

Takano Chisa sat at her desk with an expression of complete boredom, thinking that the fact that her classmates had changed as they entered their Second Year of High School did not matter to her at all.

After the homeroom period ended, everyone else left the classroom as they did not have any lessons that day. Chisa, too, had entertained thoughts about heading straight home, but she wanted to finish her drawing first. She was just passing time.

Having been unable to draw to her liking, she sighed and rubbed it out with her eraser. She had been drawing a picture of two boys, who were characters from her favourite light novel.

“What a nerd…” a boy muttered as he passed by, having caught a glimpse of her drawing. When Chisa glared at him in discomfort, he quickly ran away in shock.

(Shut up… this is fine, isn’t it… things like this.)

Chisa wondered why other people had felt the need to make remarks about her activities. She had not been bothering anyone. If what she drew made them uncomfortable, all they had to do was to not look at it. If they had the free time to butt in on the works of others, they should just make better use of their time and concentrate on memorising even a single word of their English vocabulary instead.

Chisa drove out the excessive feelings of irritation out of her mind and redrew the lines on the face she had erased.

No matter where she went, there would be idiots who would say pointless things, so she found no point in caring about them. She had learned as much a long time ago. They had neither literacy nor delicacy, so they did not mind trespassing into the territories of others. She had thus decided to ignore them, or, if they got too unbearable, to physically drive them off.

However, even though she had chased the boy off, Chisa was unable to completely shake off her feelings of discomfort, with wrinkles forming between her eyebrows. The hand that she had been using to draw the hair of her characters stopped moving, and she found herself unable to proceed from there. Her concentration had been completely broken.

At that moment, Chisa heard a reserved voice call out from the back of the classroom. “Um… do you have a moment?”

It was a girl from her class who wore a red ribbon. Chisa did not remember her name, nor had she planned to remember her name from the very beginning. She had never intended on talking to her anyway. She turned her gaze to the girl for a moment, before returning it to her notebook.

Most of the other students had left, so the only ones remaining in the classroom were Chisa, the girl with the red ribbon, and two girls who were chatting with each other.

“I was told to collect the printouts that are due today…”

Ignoring the girl who was talking to them, the two girls stood up from their seats.

“Rie, I have something that I wanna buy today, so let’s head out together.”

“Sure. Come to think of it, a new CD was just released.”

Talking happily to each other, the two girls quickly left the classroom. The girl who was left behind looked down as she remained standing where she was.

An awkward atmosphere filled the quiet classroom.

Chisa had no interest in the affairs of others. They did not matter to her. However, being in the small classroom together with them, she was able to see it even if she did not want to.

(That girl… Come to think of it, she was all alone at the Sports Festival, right?)

Chisa did not know the girl well as they were in different classes during their First Year. However, she remembered seeing her eat her lunch alone in the back garden during the Sports Festival. The red ribbon that she used to tie her hair had left a strong impression on Chisa—.

During the relay event that was held in the afternoon, the girl had been laughed at for dropping the baton. However, it had been because a girl in her class had deliberately released the baton before she had gotten a proper grip on it.

There would always be one or two people that would be hated no matter where one went. It was not an unusual situation.

(Well, that goes for me as well…)

Ever since she was in Elementary School, Chisa’s classmates did not talk to her. Even if they tried to talk to her, she would either ignore them or chase them away, so no one dared to approach her any longer. She did not mind it, nor did it bother her. She found it more uncomfortable to hang out and be all chummy with someone else.

When people gathered together in groups, they would speak ill of others to satisfy their fragile egos, or say words like “We’re friends, aren’t we?” to feel secure in the cages that they had created. Just thinking about that made Chisa feel sick.

In actuality, when Chisa had been an Elementary School student, she would occasionally feel ill and rush towards the bathroom, which had prompted some of her classmates to give her unpleasant nicknames and to make fun of her. If they did not shut up, she would take matters into her own hands, and shove either her fist or a rag into their mouths. Eventually, her classmates became so afraid of her that no one would say anything to her face.

Owing to that, no one lingered around Chisa, but she found it to be more comfortable that way. She could do as she pleased, without having the need to “play friends” with others.

That was why Chisa had never had a single friend, and she did not even know what it was like to have friends. She had never learned the definition of what a friend was in school. She found humans to be troublesome creatures.

She was sure that the correct answer would be to remain uninvolved with others.

After all, she did not know what people were saying about her behind her back—.

Chisa leaned her cheek against her palm as she glanced out of the window.

She did not care at all—.

The girl was looking down beside the desk without moving a single step. Chisa wondered if she was feeling depressed because she had been ignored. If that was the case, the girl should not have talked to them from the very beginning.

The teacher may have asked that girl to collect the printouts, but the blame for failing to submit it despite being instructed to fell onto the two of them, so they deserved to be called out by the teacher on a later date. When that happened, that girl should just pull an expression of feigned innocence. Such would have been what Chisa would have done.

If the two of them complained to that girl afterwards, she should just say “It’s your fault for not submitting it when you were told to do so.”, and that would be the end of it. Chisa found that girl rather stupid for calling out kindly to them, and feeling depressed when she was ignored.

Chisa thought of that girl as the walking definition of a goody two shoes, since that was exactly what she looked like. She felt that she could sympathise more with the two girls who left. That girl looked to be the type of good-natured person who subconsciously got on peoples’ nerves.

(I’d be bad at handling her too… Like, what’s with the ribbon…?)

Chisa figured that the girl may have thought of herself as a “tragic heroine”, like the ones that appeared in girls’ manga.

(Well… I do think it’s cute, but…)

That girl looked like a doll, and her hair was fluffy. That was probably why she was hated. Out of envy.

She was hated because she had something that others were unable to attain, no matter how much they wished for it, no matter how much they tried to get it. The fact that they were envious of her could not be helped.

Chisa wanted to ridicule them for their ugly actions. No matter how envious they were, no matter how much they harassed that girl, they were neither able to become her, nor able to become wonderful people in their own rights—.

(But… the same goes for me, huh…)

Chisa was unable to say that there were no small tinges of envy amidst her feelings of disinterest towards that girl. She was not the least bit cute, unlike that girl. She had never had a hairstyle that looked good with a ribbon. It had nothing to do with cuteness or beauty. She had never been told such a thing by anyone.

(I don’t particularly want to be told such a thing, though…)

“...That’s amazing.”

Chisa instinctively turned around at the sudden voice by her side. She quickly pulled her notebook close to her, shutting it to hide its contents. In the process, her elbow hit her pencil case, sending it tumbling to the ground.

That girl was standing next to her desk. She blinked in surprise as she bent down to reach for the scattered pens.

“Wha-what?!”

Chisa had not realised that the girl was standing so close to her, nor had she expected that she would call out to her. Her face tensed slightly as she found herself blurting out as such in her agitation.

“Here…” that girl picked up the fallen pens and the pencil case, holding them out to Chisa, who snatched them away from her.

“Ah… I’m sorry…” that girl apologised softly, her gaze drifting downwards as though she was depressed. It was the same expression she had made when she had been ignored by the two girls earlier.

Feeling as though she had done something terrible, Chisa grew irritated.

(She’s making that expression of a “tragic heroine” again…)

Chisa figured that the girl thought of herself as pitiful. She wondered if the girl knew that that conspicuous attitude of hers was what made others hate her. If she did not know it, Chisa considered the thought of telling it clearly to her, but she felt as though doing such a thing would be unnecessary. She felt that it would be best to not get involved with someone who seemed to be troublesome.

Chisa grabbed her bag, which she had hung next to her desk, and pushed her notebook and pencil case into it. She gripped the handle of her bag and stood up, pushing that girl away as she left her seat.

“Wait, Takano!”

Chisa involuntarily came to a halt when her name was called. She was a little surprised that the girl had remembered her name, even though they were just classmates.

Chisa had never made an effort to remember the names of others. They would be changing classes in a year anyway, thus it would have been pointless for her to do so. Once they graduated, she would never meet them again. They were just allocated to the same class for the time being. She was not bothered by the fact that she did not know the names of others, as she would not even call out to them in the first place.

Chisa turned around to see that girl holding onto her shirt. The girl’s expression morphed into one of surprise as she immediately removed her hand and hid it behind her back. Her lips, which were shiny and glossy with a hint of lip gloss, moved. “I’m sorry.”

(What’s… this girl’s name again…?)

There was no way for Chisa to recall it. She did not even try to remember it from the very beginning.

Chisa regained a little of her composure before replying to the girl in a low voice. “...What is it?”

“Takano, you haven’t… submitted the printout either.”

When the girl said that, Chisa finally remembered the printout that she had shoved into her bag. Having no room to talk about others, she pressed a hand to her forehead in resignation.

That girl’s gaze drifted downwards as she waited. She seemed to be serious about it. She probably thought that she could not leave until she had collected all of the printouts and submitted them to the staff room.

Chisa wondered why the girl did not just leave it as that. It was just an errand that the teacher had asked of her—.

Chisa heaved a sigh as she retrieved the printout from her bag and gave it to the girl. “Here.”

That girl looked relieved as she received it from Chisa. “Thank you.”

She had a soft smile on her face, remaining completely defenseless without any sense of caution.

(Why is she smiling…?)

Chisa did not understand her at all. She furrowed her brow as she came to the conclusion that she was bad at dealing with that girl after all. She felt as though she was looking at a strange and unfamiliar creature.

That girl had not received a present at a birthday party or anything. It was just a printout. Even if she collected all of the printouts and submitted them to the teacher, her value would not increase. It would be more expected for her to look bothered, as opposed to the happy expression that she now sported on her face.

“...Is that all?” Chisa asked without hiding her annoyance.

“Ah, yeah…” the tone of that girl’s voice dropped.

They had nothing to talk about. There was no reason for them to continue to speak to one another. She was just one person among their many classmates. Even so—.

“Um… Takano.”

Chisa felt a sense of irritation when that girl called out to her again as she was about to leave the classroom. Not bothering with a verbal reply, she merely looked towards her.

Even though that girl had stopped Chisa again, she was hesitating for an unknown reason, without telling Chisa what she needed her for.

“What is it?” Chisa asked with a frown on her face. She should have just ignored the girl, but she would have just made that expression of a “tragic heroine” again. It would have also made her feel as though she was bullying someone weaker than she was.

That girl was standing by Chisa’s desk, looking as though she was at a loss for what to do.

“Are you gonna confess to me or something?” Chisa asked sarcastically, owing to the fact that the girl had not given her a quick reply.

That girl raised her head and opened her mouth, as though she had made up her mind. “What you were drawing earlier… were characters from a light novel, right?”

Chisa looked at the girl in surprise. Why did she know about it—.

Chisa found herself unable to voice an immediate reply due to the unexpected words that the girl had spoken. She wondered if a few seconds had passed since she had started to stare at the girl in silence.

“...Did you read it?” Chisa finally asked, her voice taking on a slightly raised register. It was evident that she was rather agitated. Feeling terribly embarrassed, her face had turned red.

“Eh?” that girl asked softly.

“What I’m asking… is if you’ve read it?!”

“I saw a poster about it at a bookstore… so I figured that it must be popular,” the girl replied apologetically.

(So that’s what it was…)

Chisa stroked her chest and sighed. Even if the girl had read the novel and knew what it was about, it should not have agitated her this much.

“If you don’t know about it, this conversation is over,” Chisa spoke as she glared at the girl. Not wanting to talk to her any longer, she quickly walked away.

She wondered if that was the girl’s idea of a conversational topic. She had barged in on what Chisa had held dear to herself so easily.

(What a bothersome girl…)

Chisa wondered if the girl was looking down with that expression of a “tragic heroine” on her face as she remained alone in the classroom.

Feeling as though she had drunk muddy water, Chisa’s expression turned severe as she walked down the corridor. The next time that girl talked to her, she would definitely ignore her. Such was what she had resolved to do in her heart.

-Two-

That girl was apparently named “Miura Karen”. Chisa finally learned of it when she was forcibly put in charge of taking measurements during the physical fitness test. That girl seemed to be just like the protagonist of a girls’ manga, even up to her name.

After a month of being in the same class as her, Chisa’s ears had naturally picked up things that she did not want to know. She had no idea what Karen had done during their First Year, but she seemed to be hated. The girls in their class all ignored her, and would not talk to her. They only called out to her when they wanted to push troublesome tasks onto her.

Karen would eat her lunch by herself, and she was always alone whenever they moved classrooms.

Chisa overheard a lot of malicious gossip about Karen. Most of it was about her either flirting with or playing around with boys. It was so stupid that Chisa wanted to throw up. She did not know if Karen was flirting with boys, but she did not think of her to be someone who would play around with boys.

On the contrary, Karen was an astoundingly serious person. She did not have to run the errands that had been forced upon her, but she took all of them in stride. Due to that, whenever Chisa saw people mocking Karen behind her back, saying words like “She’s just trying to look good.”, she felt rather sickened, even though it did not concern her at all.

Chisa wondered why Karen did not just clearly tell them “I don’t want to.”. She definitely knew that even if she did things for them, she would not receive any gratitude in return. Doing so would not make an understanding person appear, nor would it help her to make more friends.

Everyone was just making use of others for their own selfish gains.

Best friends that could be trusted from the bottom of one’s heart? Lifelong friends?

What nonsense. Chisa turned up her nose at the possibility of finding such people in the world. Every person lived for themself. Even if it seemed like people were able to understand each other, it was simply an illusion.

It was futile to have expectations of others. If Karen was just going to end up disappointed, Chisa felt as though she should not have even tried to ask for it in the first place.

However, Karen herself did not seem to think so. She knew that she would just be ignored, but whenever she arrived at school, she would greet everyone with a “Good morning.”. The only people who happily returned her greetings were boys. That was probably the reason as to why people said “She’s flirting with boys.” about her.

As Chisa was about to take her seat, she noticed that Karen was looking her way.

When their eyes met, Karen called out to her. “Good morning…” The smile on her face seemed to be awkward, perhaps due to her nervousness.

After a beat, Chisa turned towards the window, radiating a sense of rejection off of herself. If she showed such an attitude to Karen, she normally would not call out to her again. She continued to ignore Karen, who was standing there as though she had wanted to say something, until she finally gave up and returned to her own seat.

(...If you have something to say, just say it already.)

“That girl changed her lip gloss, right…? That’s the new one that Sena’s advertising in that commercial, no?”

“Eh~ I just bought it myself. I don’t wanna use the same one as her~.”

The two girls who were conversing as such nearby were the two girls who had ignored and left Karen when she called out to them. They had probably said that their names were Aikawa Saki and Ihara Rie. The two of them knew that Karen was able to hear their conversation, but they both just laughed in amusement.

Feeling sickened, Chisa deliberately stood up from her chair, dragging it as loudly as she could.

Spooked by the sound, the mouths of the two girls clamped shut. They looked over at Chisa cautiously, questioning expressions on their faces.

Absolute filth to the ears—.

Spitting out as such in her heart, Chisa left her seat with a frown on her face. The homeroom period was about to begin, but she felt uncomfortable with being inside the classroom, which had the ambience reminiscent of a stagnant tank of water.

☆◯☆

Even as the months changed to June, the atmosphere in the classroom had not changed a bit.

Chisa, who remained in the classroom even after classes had ended for the day, gazed out of the rain-speckled window. It had been raining since that morning. As though it was due to the rainy season, the atmosphere in the classroom was damp and heavy.

(How gloomy…)

Chisa had an umbrella with her, but she did not feel like walking home in the middle of the downpour. There were others who seemed to share the same sentiment as she did, as there were many people who stayed behind in the classroom. She listened to their conversation as she continued to draw.

“Miura seems to have been playing around with boys since Middle School. A girl who attended the same Middle School as her told me so.”

“Does she like being pampered by boys that much?”

“Saki and Rie, didn’t you hang out with her during our First Year?”

“She just happened to be following us around. Right, Saki?”

“I wished that she’d stopped acting like we’re friends just because we talked a little. She’s always grinning dumbly and she’s so boring to talk to…”

Gathered at the back of the classroom were Saki, Rie, and several other girls from their class.

“I want her to stop greeting me every morning. She calls out to everyone, doesn’t she?”

“Doesn’t she realise that we’re all ignoring her?”

“Ahahaha, right? Isn’t she way too dense?”

Chisa snapped the lead of her mechanical pencil at the sound of the girls’ jarring, high-pitched laughter. She felt as though they should just hurry home already, as they had no further business here. If they wanted to speak ill of others, they should do it elsewhere instead.

However, the girls did not get bored of that topic, and their conversation continued.

“Being classmates with her in our Second Year too is the worst…” Saki spat in disgust.

“How annoying…” Chisa found herself voicing in irritation.

With the sound of Chisa’s voice being louder than she had expected, the girls in the back of the classroom were able to hear her as well. Their conversation came to a halt, and a blanket of silence enveloped the classroom.

“...What did you just say, Takano?” Saki asked after a beat of silence.

Chisa stood up and stepped out, looking at the group of girls. “I said ‘how annoying’.”

Saki’s expression hardened as Chisa enunciated each word clearly to her. Chisa returned Saki’s glare with a cold stare of her own.

“Whatever we talk about is none of your business. It doesn’t concern you, so can you just stay out of it?”

“Do you still not get it? I’m telling you to shut up. If you want to cause a racket, go do it elsewhere. Or what? Are you only able to spout bad things about other people with that mouth of yours?” Chisa spoke calmly as she edged her way towards the girls.

“Hey, aren’t you going too far?!” one of the surrounding girls protested.

“You say whatever you want about other people. But when it comes to yourselves, I’m suddenly going too far? Don’t you think that… that’s awfully convenient?” Chisa sneered. That girl shut her mouth, her face turning pale.

“It’s none of your business, so what are you getting so mad for? Or do you just feel sorry for that girl? That kind of ally of justice is the most…!”

Before Saki could finish her sentence, Chisa roughly grabbed the collar of her uniform. A scream sounded out, and the surrounding girls backed away in retreat.

Chisa pushed Saki away and slammed her fist with all her might right next to her frightened face. A loud bang echoed throughout the classroom.

Saki covered her face with her quivering arms, as though she was under the assumption that she would be beaten up. The other girls were frozen in their places, completely silent.

Saki turned her fearful gaze to the side to look at Chisa, who continued to laugh right beside her.

“It’s ugly, isn’t it…” Chisa stopped laughing and whispered into Saki’s ear. She covered Saki’s mouth with her hand when she tried to say something in response. “You satisfy your own ego and make yourself feel superior by looking down on someone else. You’re just dying to hurt and tarnish someone else. When you drag someone else through the mud, you feel so satisfied because it makes you feel that you’re not alone. It’s so low and so ugly, it’s unbearable to watch…”

Chisa put more strength into the hand that was holding Saki down. Saki’s face scrunched up as though she was struggling to breathe, and a desperate groan slipped out of her mouth. Blood drained from her face, probably out of fear.

Keeping a frosty expression on her face, a mocking grin spread across Chisa’s lips. “Don’t worry… I’m. The. Same. As. You.”

Tears welled up in Saki’s eyes as she was grabbed by Chisa’s hand. None of the surrounding girls opened their mouths, seeming as though they were reluctant to help her.

No one in that place was willing to take Saki’s place. That was all there was to it—.

(So even your “playing friends” has a limit, huh…)

Chisa heaved a sigh of boredom.

It was then that it happened.

“Takano!”

A voice called out from the direction of the classroom door. Chisa, Saki, and the other girls that were there turned around.

Standing in front of the doorway was Karen.

“It… It’s fine already…” Karen mumbled very softly upon catching a glimpse of all the occupants in the classroom.

Chisa numbly removed her hand from Saki’s mouth, slowly lowering it.

Saki took a few pained breaths as she slumped down on the spot, her energy seeming to have been drained out of her body. Having finally been freed, her face immediately turned red, probably out of shame and anger. She glared at Chisa, but she did not seem to have the guts to say anything, merely biting her lip in frustration.

With this, thoughts of talking behind someone’s back or of speaking ill of someone in front of Chisa would no longer enter their minds.

(That’s better than nothing…)

Chisa turned around and returned to her seat, where she put her notebook and pencil case into her bag, before heading towards the doorway.

No one spoke a word, merely following Chisa with their eyes.

Chisa left the classroom, avoiding Karen, who was standing there.

“Wait, Takano!!”

Chisa had thought that she would just ignore her and leave—.

A hand tugged at the sleeve of Chisa’s uniform. She brushed Karen’s hand off in disgust as she chased after her.

“...What is it?”

“Thank you… for earlier. You defended me…”

“Ha,” Chisa mockingly voiced in response to Karen’s words.

Karen was a goody two shoes to the end.

“Why I defended you… I don’t care about what others say about you. It’s none of my business, and I have no interest in it whatsoever. I just shut them up because they were being so annoying. Besides…”

Chisa forcefully pushed Karen’s shoulder, causing her to stumble backwards. Her eyes widened, as though she was surprised by the unexpected action.

“I hate people like you, who try to appeal to everyone, the most. If you understand that much, don’t talk to me,” Chisa spoke clearly, without trying to hide her disgust.

Karen closed her mouth, as if she was discouraged by Chisa’s words.

It did not hurt, nor did it itch to be hated by Karen. Chisa did not even want to be liked by anyone from the very beginning. She turned around and walked away quickly, with her eyebrows knitted close together.

She wanted to be free from the annoyances. That was all—.

She did not do it for the sake of another. Being misunderstood of that was even more of a nuisance to her.

-Three-

In the afternoon on her day off, Chisa went to the bookstore by herself. After picking up a few volumes of manga from a series that she was curious about, she made her way over to the shelves where light novels were displayed.

(That’s right, a new volume should be out…)

She had forgotten about it as she had not stopped by the bookstore for a while due to having been studying for her tests. When she thought about it, she recalled that the light novel would come with purchase bonuses.

She searched for the book, wondering if any of them remained, to find just a single volume left. When she reached out for it, someone else’s hand extended out from the opposite direction at the same time.

Chisa looked up and looked over at the other person, who also met her gaze. She froze for a moment as she realised that the other person was Karen.

As though she was surprised as well, Karen reflexively took a step back. She immediately closed her open mouth, seemingly having recalled that Chisa had told her not to talk to her.

“Why are you here…?!”

“To buy… books…” Karen mumbled nervously. That was a given. They were in a bookstore after all.

Chisa glanced at the novels that Karen was holding, wondering what she had intended on buying. She found herself becoming even more surprised by what she saw.

Karen was holding the light novels that Chisa liked. She had all of the volumes with her, along with all of the purchase bonuses. The boys that Chisa had been drawing in her notebook on an earlier occasion were characters that appeared in that very light novel series.

Chisa remained silent for a few seconds before giving Karen a quizzical look. “Could it be that… you’re reading these novels?”

Karen, who had been looking down, immediately raised her head and nodded happily. “Yeah!”

“Why are you reading them?!”

“Because… earlier…” Karen closed her mouth and quickly looked down, holding the light novels in her arms.

“If you don’t know about it, this conversation is over.”

Recalling what she had told Karen in a prior incident, Chisa found herself to be at a loss for words. Karen was looking at her, as though she was trying to gauge her expression. She looked like a child who had been scolded.

“So… you decided to go out of your way to buy and read them?”

Karen nodded again upon hearing Chisa’s question.

Chisa wondered if Karen was intending to talk about the novels with her after she had finished reading them. Feeling her temperature rise, Chisa held her forehead with her hand. A deep sigh leaked out of her mouth. “Haah…”

(She’s impossible…)

Normally, a person would have immediately known that Chisa was telling them to stay away from her. She wondered if Karen had a very brash personality, or if she was either just really dense or a natural airhead.

“But it’s not just that… I was also curious about it…”

“...”

“I often stop by this bookstore. I wanted to buy some pens and stationery… Then I remembered about it when I saw the poster… I tried to find the light novels, but I didn’t know where to find them, so I asked the staff…”

“You asked the staff?!”

“Yeah… Was that a… bad thing?” Karen nervously asked.

“Ba…!!”

Swallowing the words she had intended on saying, Chisa glanced at the covers of the light novels. It was not that it was a bad thing. The light novels did not contain any age-restricted content. It was just that the illustrations on the covers were so risqué that it took some courage to buy them for the first time. That was all there was to it.

As there would be a stage play adaptation of the series soon, there were posters of it hung up inside the store. It had gotten a lot of attention because the popular dance-vocal unit, Soda Mifuyu and Ibuki Kazuma, were starring as the two protagonists. It would not be strange if Karen had gained an interest in it as well.

“The staff told me where to find it really kindly, and recommended another series by the author that was also very interesting. I bought a few of those books and read those too…” Karen’s voice bounced happily as she spoke.

“...So?” Chisa prompted.

“So?” Karen tilted her head a little in confusion.

“...How did you find it…?”

“It was really interesting. I bought the next volume at the bookstore the next day and read it right away… Aomi and Tsukiya are both very cool, aren’t they? I really like the scene where Tsukiya cried on the rooftop. I was so moved when Aomi comforted him,” Karen smiled, her cheeks glowing in happiness.

Chisa almost agreed with her with a “You get it too, don’t you?”, when she stopped herself as she came to a realisation.

(How do I even talk about it in a place like this…?!)

Up till then, Chisa had never talked to anyone about her favourite works. She did not have any friends who shared the same hobby as her. She did not interact much with fans of the same works either. Even though she liked the works, getting involved with the people in the community was troublesome. Forgive her for not wanting to get into trouble.

“The new volume was released, so I thought that it’d come with purchase bonuses…” Karen glanced at the single light novel that remained on the shelf. The light novel came with a box containing the purchase bonus of an acrylic key chain.

“I’ll look for it at another bookstore. I was planning to drop by the shopping mall…” Karen smiled. She was giving it up to Chisa.

Chisa frowned deeply as she reached for the light novel with the purchase bonus. She shoved it at Karen.

“Eh,” Karen looked at the light novel and Chisa in confusion.

“If you want it, go ahead and buy it… Don’t hesitate.”

“But… You want to buy it too, Takano…”

“Do you wanna buy it or not?!” Chisa asked strongly.

“I-I want to buy it,” Karen answered honestly.

“Then why didn’t you say so from the very beginning? That attitude of yours is irritating,” Chisa gave Karen one last look as she took only the manga she had in her hand to the counter. She could just find the light novel with the purchase bonus elsewhere. If she went around a few other bookstores, there should be at least one copy left.

(I really should have made a reservation for it after all…)

That was what Chisa usually did. She had let her guard down, thinking “Well, it’s bound to be around somewhere.” that time.

Chisa felt someone tug on the hair at the back of her head, so it could not be helped that she instinctively brushed them off.

(I shouldn’t get involved with that girl…)

Chisa finished the transaction at the counter and left the bookstore. As she walked down the path towards the train station, Karen came out of the bookstore after her.

“Wait, Takano.”

Chisa frowned as she heard Karen call out to her as she pursued her. She pretended that she could not hear Karen and walked faster.

However, Karen managed to catch up to Chisa and grabbed her sleeve. She seemed to have run with all her might. She leaned forward, breathing heavily.

“...Seriously, what do you want?! Do you still need me for something?!” Chisa asked in a strong tone.

Karen looked up, holding a hand to her chest. Her hair was clinging to her sweat-drenched forehead. Her precious ribbon seemed to be on the verge of unravelling.

“Um… Takano, do you have some time after this?” Karen glanced up at Chisa as she tried to catch her breath.

“Huh?” Chisa looked at Karen in confusion, not knowing why Karen had even asked her such a thing.

“The author seems to be having an autograph session today. There may be novels with the purchase bonus there,” Karen showed Chisa the flyer in her hand.

Chisa’s eyes immediately widened as she grabbed the flyer with both of her hands.

(An autograph session?! I heard nothing about it…)

Chisa had not stopped by the bookstore recently, and she had not been in the mood to collect any information. According to the flyer, the autograph session seemed to be scheduled for 3pm that day.

Chisa took her phone out to check the time, to see that it was about 2.30pm. The autograph event was held at a bookstore that was not too far away. The bookstore that she was just in was under the same company as that other bookstore, so there had probably been flyers there as well. She wondered why she did not notice it.

“You managed to find this flyer, huh…”

“When I was buying the books, I asked the lady at the counter if there was another novel with the purchase bonus. She told me that it was out of stock at that store, but that I could find it here…”

Chisa had never thought that Karen would be the one to tell her about it.

“Did I do it… unnecessarily?” Karen asked, looking at Chisa’s bitter expression.

(Aah… geez…!!)

“Hey, let’s go!” Chisa grabbed Karen’s hand impatiently.

“Eh, but…”

“You like it too, don’t you?!”

“Yeah!” Karen nodded, a look of surprise on her face. “I like… I like it!!”

“Then, let’s hurry!!” Chisa started to run together with Karen, pulling onto her hand. Karen stumbled lightly, but she held her newly-purchased books firmly to her chest.

When they arrived at the bookstore where the autograph session was held, there was a queue in the aisle.

Karen pressed a hand to her chest as she took many deep breaths, a pained expression on her face. She seemed to be bad at running. Whenever they had to run marathons for Physical Education class, she was always running behind everyone else.

Even so, in her haste, Chisa had grabbed Karen’s hand and had run as fast as she could.

“Are you okay…?” Chisa asked Karen worriedly.

Karen nodded with a smile. Her cheeks were reddened, probably because her body temperature had risen.

Chisa finally managed to enter the product sales booth, but most of the goods had already been sold out. However, there were still a few copies of the light novel that came with the purchase bonus left. She bought a copy and got the author’s autograph before leaving the venue, only to find Karen waiting for her.

Chisa’s cheeks were flushed in her happiness to have had the opportunity to tell the author “I’m a fan of yours! I love your works!”. She had even gotten a handshake. As she absentmindedly basked in the afterglow of her excitement, Karen walked up to her.

“Did you get an autograph?” Karen asked.

Chisa nodded. She had been able to buy the light novel with the purchase bonus, and she had even gotten the author’s autograph. Never had she thought that she would be so lucky.

(I’m glad…!)

Chisa was unable to stop a smile from spreading across her lips. Then, she suddenly snapped back to reality and turned to face Karen. “...What did you buy?”

“I bought a can badge�� and some pens,” Karen took the blue and red pens that she had just bought out from the bag and showed them to Chisa. Then, she smiled. “I’m glad.”

Suddenly feeling a sense of embarrassment at having been so uncharacteristically happy, Chisa feigned a frown. She was not used to having others see her in a good mood.

“Let’s go…” Chisa stated bluntly as she started to walk. Karen hurriedly followed her.

Feeling curious, Chisa’s gaze drifted towards Karen. The edges of her lips were upturned, an obvious indicator of her inexplicably happy mood.

“Oh right,” Karen unexpectedly turned towards Chisa. “The acrylic keychain purchase bonus comes in two designs, right? Which one did you get?”

An acrylic keychain of either one of the male characters from the light novels, namely Aomi and Tsukiya, was included with the novel. It was randomised, so no one knew which character they got until they opened it.

“Takano, which one do you want?” Karen asked innocently. Chisa averted her eyes from her.

“It doesn’t matter which one I get… I like them both,” Chisa replied before continuing. “But…”

Chisa had only decided to continue the conversation with Karen on a whim. It was because she looked like she was having so much fun—.

Perhaps it had been because she was so delighted to have gotten the autograph of the author. Karen had also been the one to tell her about the autograph session, which allowed her to get a copy of the light novel with the purchase bonus.

“I’d rather get… Aomi…”

“I get what you mean! I… like them both, but I’d be really happy if I got Tsukiya.”

The taller boy was Aomi, and the smaller boy was Tsukiya.

(I thought as much…)

Chisa had no basis nor any reasoning for her assumption, but she just had the feeling that it was so.

As they walked, Karen glanced at Chisa. Chisa sighed, wondering what Karen was holding herself back from just speaking clearly. However, against all odds, Chisa found herself to be less irritated than she usually was. It was probably because she was in a good mood that day.

“...Wanna open it together?” Chisa was secretly surprised by her own proactivity in making the suggestion.

Karen seemed to share that same sentiment. Her eyes were widened in surprise as she nodded. “Yeah!”

They could not just open it in the middle of the street, so they entered a nearby fast food restaurant. They ordered shakes and sat down, before immediately taking out their purchase bonus boxes and opening them.

“...Which one did you get?”

“I got Aomi!” Karen smiled, showing off her acrylic keychain.

The character that was in Chisa’s purchase bonus box was Tsukiya. They seemed to have gotten each other’s favourite characters.

“Let’s swap,” Karen grinned, holding her acrylic keychain out to Chisa.

Chisa’s expression softened as she gave Karen the acrylic keychain that was inside her own box.

Karen happily swung the acrylic keychain with Tsukiya on it, mumbling softly to herself. “So cute.”

(The one that’s cute is you, isn’t it…)

She looked just like an innocent, untainted princess—.

However, that was not all. Karen did not give up when they were running with all their might to get Chisa’s light novel that came with the purchase bonus, and she did not falter, even when Chisa treated her coldly. Chisa was surprised by the guts that Karen had hidden within her.

When Chisa looked at Karen, she felt as though she herself had been boring and stubborn. She wondered if the poisonous atmosphere around her had been dispelled.

Chisa put the acrylic keychain into the box and placed it into her bag. She glanced over at the window seats, where girls from a different High School were laughing together. They seemed to be talking about popular idols.

(...Friends… huh.)

Chisa rested her cheek against her palm as she brought the straw of her shake to her mouth. She wondered if this was what it would be like to have friends.

Going to a fast food restaurant on a day off and drinking shakes together, talking about their favourite things, swapping goods, and making plans to go to a live or an event.

Chisa had always turned away in disinterest from things like this, but she did not do so without any feelings of envy. It was something that she had never been able to attain, no matter whether she wanted it or not—.

Wanting such things would only make her feel empty. She had always told herself that there was no need to force herself to experience the frustration and loneliness of not being able to get it. That was just the easiest thing for her to do. That feeling of hers had never changed. She would still continue to feel that way from that point on.

(I’m fine by myself…)

Chisa had just chosen to spend her day like that on a whim. She thought that it would not be a bad thing to experience something like “friendship” just once in her life.

Yes, it was just for that day. If she experienced it every day— she was sure that she would get tired and irritated of it eventually. That was how she had come to distance herself from social media.

It was always so repetitive. Chisa wondered if she was just not suited to make friends with others—.

“Takano, um… after this…” Karen, who was drinking her shake, lowered her cup and hesitantly opened her mouth.

“I’m going home,” Chisa stood up with her empty cup and picked up her bag, which was lying next to her.

“I see…” Karen made a small smile. Her voice sounded a little disappointed.

“Thanks for today… See you,” Chisa said, leaving their seat.

When she exited the store, she sighed heavily.

She was finally able to continue to spend her off day like she usually did, but somewhere— she felt a little dissatisfied.

☆◯☆

At the beginning of July, after morning classes had ended, Chisa left the classroom with a pack of sandwiches and a water bottle in hand. She climbed the stairs and opened the door. Strong beams of sunlight rushed into her eyes. It was hotter than it was inside, but it was noisier in the classroom.

Chisa walked over to the side of the fence, where she sat down and took out her phone. When she opened her pack of sandwiches while looking at her phone, the door opened.

“Ah,” Karen, who was about to walk out onto the roof, mumbled. She was holding her lunch box and her water bottle in her arms. She looked as though she was about to eat her lunch on the roof as well. She stood at the doorway, but, after a beat of hesitation, she made her way over to Chisa.

“Um…”

When Chisa remained silent, pretending that she was unable to hear Karen, Karen mustered up a little more courage and asked another question. “Can I eat here too?”

“...Do as you like?” Chisa replied bluntly as she chewed on her sandwich.

The rooftop did not belong to anyone. Karen sat down at an arm’s length away from Chisa and opened the lid of her lunch box. Fried shrimp and salad were neatly packed inside it. The rice dish looked to be pilaf. Chisa noticed how delicious it all looked. She did not know who cooked it, but she concluded that they were good at cooking.

“Ah, do you want to eat anything?” Karen showed her lunch box to Chisa, as though she had noticed her gaze.

Chisa almost answered her with “Fried shrimp.”, but she managed to hold herself back and turned away. “No thanks.”

For some reason, Karen withdrew her lunch box with a depressed expression on her face. Following that, the two of them ate in silence for a while.

(It’s hot… I should have eaten in the classroom after all.)

Chisa’s forehead felt hot, and her head felt blank. The lively voices of the cicadas echoed amidst the heat.

Chisa had spent her lunch on the roof during the Summer of the previous year as well. She was always alone during lunch breaks.

“...Come to think of it, there would be a stage play of that light novel series soon, right?” Karen suddenly stopped moving her chopsticks and spoke.

As Chisa chewed on her sandwich without replying, Karen continued to talk. “Takano, are you going to watch it?”

“It’s a popular stage play, so it won’t be so easy to get tickets,” Chisa answered her.

There were many fans of the light novels, but more important than that, Soda Mifuyu and Ibuki Kazuma, who were chosen to be the leading actors, were very popular. Since their fans would also be participating in the battle for the tickets, the probability of acquiring tickets seemed to have decreased. As it was their first stage play, there were many people who wanted to watch them. Most of the people who balloted for the tickets were disappointed by the notification of their loss. The winners of the tickets were just very lucky.

“I was completely destroyed too…”

Chisa had expected the outcome, but she was still disappointed when she saw the email that informed her that she had not managed to acquire tickets.

As Chisa leaned against the fence, Karen raised a hand to her chin and pondered. “I see…”

After glancing at Karen’s side profile, Chisa suddenly jerked forward from where she had been leaning against the fence. “Don’t tell me… you won?”

Karen nodded a little in response to Chisa’s question, which she had asked with a straight face.

“Really?!” Chisa asked, pulling Karen’s face closer to hers. Karen nodded again, looking to be under pressure.

“Why were you the one to win?!” Chisa yelled, holding her head with both hands. Calling it a platinum ticket would be an understatement.

“...Do you want to go together?” Karen hesitantly asked.

“Eh?!” Chisa looked at her in surprise.

“I… applied for two tickets, so… I thought… if you’d like…”

“You’re not gonna invite someone else…?”

“If I won… I was hoping to be able to go with you,” Karen mumbled, her words blending together as her face turned a bright red.

Chisa looked at her with wide eyes. “...You mean, me?”

Karen just smiled in embarrassment in lieu of a verbal reply.

Having no words to say to that, Chisa put a hand to her own face.

She wondered if Karen was just a glutton for punishment—.

Even though Chisa always showed Karen such a dismissive attitude, she always approached her with a smile.

“You’re really… surprisingly unguarded,” Chisa muttered to herself. Karen looked at her in confusion.

Chisa had found it troublesome to interact with other people, so she made sure to keep her distance from others, and always built walls around herself. She only followed her own hobbies, and she was not good at having fun conversations like the other girls were. When it came to choosing “friends”, there were other people who were easier to get along with—.

“I’ll go… I want to see the stage play!”

There was no point in remaining stubborn. Besides, it would be a shame to waste a platinum ticket.

“I’m glad…” Karen whispered in relief, a smile on her face.

“...You’re that happy about it?”

“Yeah. Because it’s my first time… watching a stage play with someone else. How about you, Takano?”

“...Likewise for me…” Chisa answered honestly after a moment of hesitation.

☆◯☆

It was on a Sunday in July that Chisa went to see the stage play with Karen.

Sitting in her seat as she watched the stage play, Chisa secretly glanced at the side profile of Karen, who was seated next to her in the dimly-lit audience seats. Her eyes were fixed on the stage. Chisa was sure that she was completely engrossed in the play. She was crying during the second half, probably because she had been so moved by it.

When it came to the curtain call, cheers rose and applause filled the entire venue. It rang out continuously for a while. Karen sniffed and repeatedly wiped her tear-stained cheeks, clapping so hard that her hands would probably hurt afterwards.

The characters of the light novel, Aomi and Tsukiya, were established to be dancers. The dance-vocal unit, Soda Mifuyu and Ibuki Kazuma, were the perfect cast for them, and the performance was fully enjoyable for the fans of the original work.

When the final announcement was made, Chisa and Karen stood up with the other audience members. As they left the hall, Karen was still in a daze, seeming to still be basking in the afterglow of the performance.

“It was really good! The two of them were so cool,” Karen smiled, hugging the pamphlet to her chest. There were still tear stains on her faintly-reddened cheeks.

Chisa’s face naturally relaxed as she looked at Karen.

“Let’s go back… Karen.”

She had just wanted to call her first name—.

Karen laughed lightly as she walked right next to Chisa.

Chisa was not used to going out on an off day with someone, nor was she used to walking alongside someone like this. However, she did not think that she hated it. This ticklish relationship— might not be so bad either.

“Can I… call you by your first name too?”

“Hm, I’ll make a special exception for you,” Chisa answered.

Karen smiled happily. “Chisa, will you be reserving a DVD?”

“I will. I’ll decide on where to buy it after seeing the purchase bonuses. What about you, Karen?”

“Yup, me too. I’m looking forward to it!” Karen laughed carefreely, the acrylic keychain that she had traded with Chisa swaying lightly from where it was attached to her bag.

Chisa smiled at the sight.

Just a little more—.

#honeyworks #otome domoyo.#takano chisa #miura karen #karenai circulation intensifies #instant ramen instructions comprehensions

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kittinoir · 4 years ago

Text

Phantoms Ch. 4

Read on Ao3

’…Marinette…’

Familiar shadows swathed her, oppressive and stifling. She couldn’t breathe. Why couldn’t she breathe? Fear pounded through her in time with her heart as panic set in. This loss, it was…

‘Marinette.’

She turned blindly on her knees towards the sound of her name, but to no avail. No one and nothing appeared to orient her. She groped blindly forward but her fingers found only empty air. She clamped down on her breathing, struggling to get it under control as she attempted to feel out the yawning abyss in front of her.

‘Marinette.’

She turned again - and shrieked as she beheld a pair of glowing blue eyes just feet from her face. The darkness swallowed the sound greedily, as though it had been eons since it had tasted life, if ever. Raw terror obliterated every thought she had, leaving her paralyzed, unable to do anything but watch as he stalked closer.

‘Marinette.’

Her name clanged through her, every bit as horrifying as it had been the first time she’d heard it from his mouth. She remained frozen as he reached out a hand, stroked a thumb over her cheekbone, across her lips.

‘No,’ she breathed as that hand slid into her hair. ‘I saved you.’ Shivers skittered down her spine, but the trembling wouldn’t stop. His face drew nearer until all she had to do was tilt her face up to kiss him. His breath was cold as it brushed her forehead, ruffling her bangs.

‘I missed you,’ he said as he drew her to his chest. She jerked as ten claws began to pierce her skin, the tiniest needle-like pricks. And then Marinette’s heart stopped altogether as Chat Blanc tilted her backwards. The solid ground dropped away from beneath them and they were falling into that abyss together as the bottom rushed to meet them.

Marinette gasped as her alarm went off, shoving her roughly into the real world. Her heart beat painfully in her chest as the shattered fragments of her nightmare vanished like dew in the morning sun. Only icy blue eyes lingered long enough to remind her who, if not what, the dream had been about.

“Marinette,” Tikki said from her pillow. “Akuma alert!”

Marinette turned to her phone, and sure enough, it was not her morning alarm that had awoken her, but one of the many alert apps she’d downloaded. She groaned as she read the time, and stifled another one as she glanced through her skylight at the sky. It was still dark, but a faint purpling of the horizon heralded the dawn’s arrival. Morning - and her civilian life - were fast approaching.

“Tikki, spots on!”

Marinette leapt from her bed through the skylight as the transformation took hold. She paused long enough to check her yo-yo for Nadja’s coverage, and then she was sprinting for the Louvre. Her dream must have still been bothering her, though, because she jumped when Chat Noir landed near-silently beside her, nearly falling flat on her face.

For a moment, it wasn’t Adrien looking out at her from behind the mask. For a moment, it was him - but then Adrien smiled, and he was gone.

“I was beginning to wonder if I’d done permanent damage,” he quipped, a challenge dancing in his eyes.

“Looks like Hawk Moth just needed a week to recover,” Ladybug said with a quick grin. She could feel herself relaxing into the familiar rhythm of their partnership, the line between Chat Noir and Adrien blurring even more, until the trust and support won out over the overwhelming anxiety she usually felt around her crush. At least behind the mask she could pretend it was just adrenaline.

“Think we need anyone else?”

Ladybug shook her head. “We should let them sleep.”

“Do you really believe any of them slept through that alert?” Chat Noir laughed as they leapt across an alley.

“Not really,” Ladybug admitted with a chuckle of her own. “But it’s an unnecessary risk - unless you think we could use the help?”

Strange. It felt strange, to finally be able to share leadership of their team. Strange, but good. She savoured it, the weightlessness of a shared burden, something she’d always wanted but had never been permitted to pursue. Balance was finally restored.

“Nothing wrong with asking for help,” Chat Noir said at last, “But I think you’re right.”

“Just like old times, then,” Ladybug said with a wicked grin.

Chat Noir glanced down at her. “Just like?”

Her heart began to pound as something flickered in her partner’s gaze, something unreadable, yet familiar, something that reminded her of a nickname he hadn’t used in months, of declarations and flowers, gentle kisses and lost memories. Of a tangled knot that had finally come undone, only to find the red string fraying at both ends. Of a future she could never have, and would not wish on anyone.

Before she could wipe it all away with a quip, the rooftop they had just landed on exploded beneath their feet, sending both of them flying in opposite directions.

For a moment, Ladybug froze as fragments of her nightmare shattered across her vision, fragments of falling and a cold embrace as she fell then, too, but then she was ripping her yo-yo free from her waist and loosing it towards the nearest balcony. She couldn’t help the gasp that burst from her as she beheld the monster that had caused the destruction moments before, beheld the sheer number of teeth and claws. Whatever this thing was, she couldn’t imagine what had created it - couldn’t imagine the person trapped inside.

But no, she realized as she got her feet back under her, perhaps monster had been the more accurate description. Senti-monster, that was. Apparently Chat Noir’s cataclysm had done more damage than either of them had anticipated; Mayura was the one doing the heavy lifting now.

The monster didn’t inspire much confidence. From the look of it, Hawk Moth was done playing around. He wanted the Miraculous, and apparently he was willing to slash them and everyone else to bloody ribbons to get them. It looked like it wasn’t just about the jewellery anymore. Some nights, when she couldn’t sleep, Ladybug tried to imagine what kind of horrible wish Hawk Moth was so desperate to make that he would do this to them over and over and over. What could he possibly want so badly? Sometimes what she came up with gave her nightmares. But her current theory - revenge - turned to dust in the wind at the sight of the monster. It only convinced her the only person he might want revenge against was her and Chat Noir, and he wasn’t about to waste his wish on that.

Ladybug bit her lip as the monster writhed, loosing a shriek that must have woken half the city. Lucky Charm now? Or later? Would there be a later if either one of them got too close to those teeth?

Too soon, she decided as she loosed her yo-yo once again. There was no telling what kind of powers it might have. She just had to hope whatever they were wouldn’t keep her from using her power later - or that she’d figure out a way to use it anyway.

Ladybug swung by the creature’s head, narrowly missing the needle-like teeth as long as her arm. She limped Chat Noir on the street below, baton out as she arched over the fangs. She felt more than she heard him summon his cataclysm, the not-quite-right tear in the world it created that tugged at the soul.

“What the - ”

Nothing could have prepared Ladybug as the thing <em>leapt</em> after her, following her as she arced around it. She glanced back just in time to see Chat Noir miss by centimetres, his hand sailing through empty space where a spindly leg had been moments before. He caught himself before he accidentally collided with something else, sparing his cataclysm. Still, the timer had been set.

Ladybug abruptly leashed her yo-yo, dropping into a tuck on the street and ducking into an alley. She didn’t wait to see if it followed before she sprung between the two close walls. She popped back up on the roof moments later and began racing back to the street, hoping her partner was making the most of the limited space she’d drawn the creature into. “Lucky Charm!”

Ladybug snatched the spotted can out of the air as she plunged back down into the street. Another other-worldly shriek rent the early morning air, punctuated by a familiar whoop or success. The cataclysm, it seemed, had landed.

“Bug spray.” Ladybug cast around for the other elements required to make the Lucky Charm work, but only the senti-monster itself lit up. She supposed it did look a bit like a millipede, if the basement-dwelling bugs had been about one hundred times bigger and sported jaws designed to tear people in half. The direct approach it was, then.

“I guess Hawk Moth didn’t appreciate my parting gift,” Chat Noir grunted as he slid to a stop beside her, baton out.

“I get the feeling Mayura appreciated it even less,” Ladybug said as she spun the bug spray in her hand.

Chat Noir grinned as the senti-monster surged over the roofs. “Ready to squash this bug, M’lady?”

She didn’t get a chance to respond before he took off in a dead sprint towards the monster, which was just as well because the familiar name had obliterated anything she might have been about to say. She took off after him as she collected the scattered fragments of her concentration, already convincing herself her racing heart had everything to do with getting within a foot of those long, sharp teeth and nothing to do with what Chat Noir had just called her.

It’s just a name it’s just a name it’s just a name. She chanted the words in her head as she slid beneath the monster and popped up behind it. It’s just a name. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just old habits. Nothing more.

But love would not be so easily lied to. It curled around her heart, and it was suddenly hard to breathe as she scaled the wall behind the monster to its most vulnerable spot.

It doesn’t matter, she reminded herself desperately as she readied the can. Even if it means something, I can’t…we can’t…

The distraction cost her. Ladybug shouted in surprise as the monster reacted faster than she’d realized it would. One of its fangs connected with her arm, and not even the Miraculous could completely prevent the damage it caused. Still, she emptied the bug spray directly into it’s mouth, even as a line of white-hot pain enveloped her left arm.

The monster reared back with another scream, but Ladybug stumbled as she landed. Blood, she realized distantly. That was blood - her blood - dripping onto the cobblestones.

Focus. She had to focus. She was going to lose her partner soon, and her own timer was ticking down. They had to end this, now.

A shout drew her attention, and she glanced over to see Chat Noir frozen, staring at her - at her arm. It was instinct to lash out to him with her yo-yo, to yank him out of harms way as an arm came crashing down where he’d been standing moments before.

“You’re hurt,” he said as he fell into a crouch beside her. She could hear what he wouldn’t ask: How bad? Can you still fight?

“The ladybugs will fix it,” she said, squaring her shoulders. Not good. Let’s finish this.

“Have you figured out where the amok is?” he asked, dragging his attention back to the monster. She pointed to the nearly invisible charm hanging from its tail end. “I’ll keep it occupied then.”

He leapt towards the head, baton swinging, and even she flinched as he connected with more force than she’d ever seen him use before. Ladybug spared a moment to hope, a little selfishly, that it sent Maryura’s ears ringing as well, before she took advantage of the distraction her partner was so graciously providing,

* * * * *

They had been thrown into billboards, struck by any number of creatures, chewed up, spat out, even been the victim of their own abilities before, but Adrien had never, ever seen blood.

And in the moment he’d seen it dripping from Marinette’s arm, his usual good humour, the very thing he used to keep the terrifying realities of what they did every day at bay, had completely deserted him - and a terrible rage had swept in.

Even now, as they sat in class, surrounded by their teammates and friends, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing in her direction, from stealing glances at her arm, as though he could still see the vicious wound there.

Worse. It had been so much worse to see it, and to know, truly know, exactly whose blood it had been. He was beginning to realize what he suspected his partner had known all along: knowing each others identities would only make their fight harder, not easier.

Still, he would not trade the girl behind him for anything. He had her back. That was all that mattered.

He would deal with the rest.

#phantoms #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #miraculous ladybug #miraculous

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bangtan-ballum · 6 years ago

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what i remember from the interactive introverts show in belfast (28.5.2018) SPOILERS

this is all from memory so quotes and the order may not be completely accurate but close enough.. *pretty detailed spoilers*

- before the show began and the playlist was on, 'dans siri' kept interrupting saying "this is dans siri he left me to go look at some memes i hope you’re enjoying the playlist" and it telling us there’s no recording allowed and to turn our phones off or "ill beat you up only i cant because i’m just an ipad"

- the playlist had bts mic drop and red velvet peek-a-boo and everyone started singing and dancing to it and i was shook so many were fans of kpop omg i was liVING.

- explaining his tweet "the weirdest thing happened, sorry if you��re here but omg that would be weird, we were sat on a bench and then this little boy wearing a fedora walked by, stopped, looked back and did this *tipped his hat* like was that directed at me?? there was no hello, nothing! and then he waited and did it again?!" he asked phil if he seen him and he said he did. dan said "phew if you didn’t i thought, i’ve just seen god, god just came to me in this form to judge me. and if he did id be going down (to hell). i am not prepared for that"

- talking about the stage and the amazing graphic design and the two big i's at the side of the stage and dan said "look at those long boys" then called them phallic

- a photo of dan inspired by my horse prince with the caption "ride me senpai" and phil said it was from his own personal files so he doesn’t know how that got there..

- phil saying they want to get to know us better but bc theres not enough time for them to take us all out for a coffee and a chat (how cute, and then everyone became soft for them and said aww) so they decided to try to get to know use all at the same time

- the audiences collective name was karen

- "you’re just not there yet. you need to get inside karen" *dan looks at phil in disgust* "phil...join karen, connect with karen" dan later goes onto say "get inside karen" and phil says "see you’re as bad as me"

things dan and phil will not be doing tonight:

- 'erotic role playing': *phil wearing a police helmet and carrying a baton* "officer(maybe captain) phil(maybe philly) here, danny’s been a bad boy" then dan appears holding handcuffs "please be careful with the handcuffs i have sensitive skin"

- the show will also not be a live viewing of dan and phil in their apartment. they then showed videos of them doing things round the house and phil was eating cereal out of the box and dan was on the toilet.

- the show will not be a giant party with all their friends and they put party hats on and then the voice said “no because none of the people replied to their messages bc they have no friends. none.” lmao

- the show will not be them stripping and they ripped their shirts off to reveal they had the same shirt on underneath

- "unleash the bees" then "sting me daddy" by dan ofc

- they tested themselves and had to say the same thing under the topic of "kitchen objects" and they both said whisk and said that they never say the same thing and that was only the second time they’ve done that and they were so happy about it omg

- when doing the simulation part dan was in his fur suit and had to go to the toilets but the men’s was locked and the options we had to choose from was to "ask someone for the passcode" or "use the lady door" (i know) and dan went on to say that this is why we need to diminish the concept of gender and everyone clapped and cheered omg i love him

- during the how many think we know the real dan and phil bit, dan said something about how we know certain thing (that i dont remember) and how we know some of their kinks

- dan being v concerned about how we kept cheering for satan and judged the people of belfast for seeming happy to be making a deal with the devil lol.

- during the sacrifice of dan (what context?) phil came out in a leather apron with gloves and said he is wearing his best serial killer outfit.

- phil getting ready to shoot a spinning dan with an arrow and says "forget katniss everdeen, this is philniss philerdeen"

-phil misses the board and hits dans hip and dan said “if that was 5 inch to the left then we would not have been friends anymore”

- dan trying to get off the wheel and phil asked if he needs to unstrap him and dan said "i’ve had enough of you unstrapping me" idk if he actually said that but i s2g that’s what i heard at the time and how i will remember it LMAO

- dan had to untie phils apron and the audience died and dan was done with all of us.

- phil saying it was distracting watching dan get out of his padded suit and then dan tried to sexily get out of it whilst phil was talking and phil stopped and stared at dan and said "im just gonna let him do it" and so in the end we all just watched as dan struggled to step out of it and then literally also tripped. then a few minutes later he realised he still had one of the shoe protectors on his foot (he called it a shower cap lol) and then took it off and awkwardly walked to the side to set it down then awkwardly walked by and laughed under his breath.

- according to the audience dan has a stress mushroom, apple and a girls motivation locked in the box under his bed. dan was extremely concerned as to why she thinks he has locked an apple in the box. and everyone laughed when the other girl said her motivation and dan said "i too have my motivation locked in a box and i’ve lost the key"

- phil saying the key to dans box was v 50 shades of grey bc of the red ribbon

- at some point they both said a word wrong and both times they did The Thing™ they do when they mock each other when they make a mistake.

- 'phantastic phacts' as a title on screen. phil says "like what we did there?"

- dan saying his phil trash #1

- phil saying “put your nipples away” (when a photo of a topless man appeared on screen) and said it in some type of accent LMAO i died

- dan saying they are super best friends and soulmates -im dead-

- wholesome howell and x-rated lester made an appearance (they swapped roles and were given topics and phil had to make good things sound bad and dan had to make bad things sound good) also when dans photo of him as an angel with a halo and a rainbow behind him, he looked at the audience, smirked and said "its very fitting" i would like the think he meant the gay ass rainbow behind him but y’know.

- dan saying to god "implode me daddy" when he had to make the topic of the world imploding seem appealing. phil laughed under his breath and said “never say implode me daddy again”

- *phil having to make meeting beyonce sound bad and he said bc hes so clumsy that he'd trip and kill her and was really dramatic whilst saying it and dan was stunned and just looked in shock at phil then us and said "are you as traumatised as i am right now"

- dan having to make stepping in a puddle while wearing socks seem good and screamed and said "NO that is literally the worst thing in the world..ok you dont appreciate dry feet until suddenly they’re not. once a day we should all put on a fresh sock and go to the kitchen and step in something moist just to remember-" phil interrupts shouting no and dan continues saying "do you ever feel like you need a drink. well, with a wet sock you can just- *lifts his foot to his mouth and everyone dies on the spot*

- dan and phil struggling to pronounce all the irish names and everyone was screaming how to pronounce it and dan made everyone be quiet and squealed "wAIT. just one person" LMAO and then the one time phil said a name right and everyone cheered for him

- dan would happily become an amazing dancer even if it meant phil would wake up with 2 left hands and 2 left feet because he says it wouldn’t make a difference in phils life bc hes that clumsy now it’d probably be the same with 2 left feet.

- phil would save dan from being bitten by a vampire even though it would mean that buffy the vampire slayer never existed. they talked about how the vampire could bite him and he could live forever as a vampire and phil said he would bring him bloody treats (then dan referenced to before when phil was x-rated lester*) and said "what kind of bloody treats?? omg it would be beyonce he killed beyonce and will feed me her corpse" then said "no what if they just want me dead" and then phil decided to save him.

- dan thinks this phil without the fringe is an impostor and he killed the real phil. he screamed a couple of times throughout the show to ask where the real phils body was and said will get him to confess eventually.

- "are you really just a lizard in a phil suit..because that would explain a lot" phil is a scalie confirmed.

- phil constantly squatting/slut dropping to the buzzer sound effect

- i cant remember the context but phil said something about him having layers and dan stopped and said “layers?? are you shrek? what do you think this is, shrek the musical?”

- phil had to say dans biggest fear and he said moths, and it was wrong so he got an electric shock and dan said "wHAT NO! ok right i have this thing where i hate anything underwater. like imagine you’re in the sea, what are you scared of? sharks? woop no, whales? no. but there’s a boat and beside the boat there’s a buoy and attached to that is sLIMEY CHAIN. EW NO. i’ve got submechanophobia. (i googled it i think that’s what he said idk) so its not moths, phil you know that!!"

in the deep chat bit:

-they talked about phobias. someone submitted saying she had a phobia of balloons and asked if she was weird and asked what they’re scared off. phil said "no you’re not weird. everyone has their fears. whats yours dan" and dan said "as we discussed before, things underwater, slimey things! uHH. but yeah i get that, its the anticipation of when its gonna pop and that’s stressful" and asked phil what his was and said "i’ve always had a thing where i was scared of the deep sea ever since i was a kid. also, not that its really a phobia but, horses. i don’t like them i don’t trust their intentions. like imagine waking up one day to a horse in your bedroom" lol

- they talked about procrastination. talked about how changing your environment, like "doing a very not dan and phil thing" and going for a walk (dan squealed at the thought) could help distract your mind, getting some fresh air and then going back to your work with a different mindset. then talked about how phil has the need to reward himself when he does something and said that he always says to himself that if he finishes a certain task that he will reward himself with a marshmallow. and then said that if you reward yourself with something that it could motivate you to finishing whatever you’re putting off. dan said phil is using the example of a marshmallow but that he really does this and that he tells dan not to let him have the marshmallows until he finishes whatever he needs to do. dan then said that even if your procrastinating school work or whatever to just write the first word, or try writing a few sentences bc atleast you’ve started it and if you start writing that you could get into the mindset and keep writing until you finish.

- they talked about making a youtube channel. someone submitted that he has started a youtube channel about reptiles and if they had any tips. and dan said "omg stephen. phil is probably already subscribed" lmao. phil praised him for starting a channel about something he is interested in and how its bad to start a channel just for the views and the subscribers. then said that instead of talking about what hes going to do, he should "just do it, show us that lizard" and dan said "yeah dont start off like "hi, so my name is [stephen], nice to meet you. ive always wanted to make videos about reptiles but i never rea-" lmao

- phil saying bitch in his disstrack oh my god

- the song at the end: "hey buddy can you give me some editing tips"

- when dan was playing the piano and phil was singing and said that even though they’ve been friends for so long they’ve never fallen out and then starting listing things they could fall out over eg. phils dying houseplants, how dan never goes outside, phils vision is blurry and dans a furry.

- for the most inaccurate prediction of interactive introverts someone submitted "2 hours of dan and phil twerking to the teletubbies theme tune" and then dan proceeded to twerk whilst singing it and saying the teletubbies names..

- d: "its basically two oscars tied together" p: "oh and they’re naked, look at those butts" d: "wow statues of two naked men tied together may not be the best thing to have when its meant to represent us"

there were some really soft things they said at the start and the end, and how we were there bc were happy(?) (i dont remember the exact context or quote but it was something like that, all i mind is that it was v sweet) and idk i just love them omg it was the best night!!

#ii spoilers #interactive introverts #ii belfast #dan #phil #phan #dan and phil

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