#tatsunaga ?

[paper-cities]

[crystalis]

i still wish sylvando's stats were distributed differently in dq11 or that he learned some fire spells .. he has like 330 magical might at level 99 or sometjing which is pointless becuase the strongest spell he learns is Swoosh and the output for that caps at like 200 magical might..

itd have made more sense for him to have less magical might and to put more into his hp, so it'd at least be closer to Jade's or something rather tham having the same hp as Erik at lvl 99. oorrrr he coulddve had some fire spells like frizz/frizzle/kafrizz which would make sense because he can breathe fire..

[liliyworld]

And I formed a little crossover marathon with Byron's family from Zeal. This family seemed to me to literally mirror Tatsunaga's family, which is pretty funny. That's what gave me the idea for the crossover! Oh by the way, I'm an awesome plastic surgeon, so Byron's face is whole and cute here.

Art 1:

Takuto: I think it's a great opportunity, but I'm not sure about the organization, yet. It's quite difficult to realize. Byron: I understand, but I'm here for a reason, I can help. Can we make a list and think of some interesting tasks? Why not? Takuto: Yeah, it's not the first time I've organized tournaments. Byron: I'm sure. "Byron: Sipping tea" Our kids seem to be getting along. Takuto smiled awkwardly: Almost all of them.

Art 2:

Suiko: It's touch sensitive, just touch the icon. Chris: Wow… something alien. Suiko: Well, you're close to the truth.

Art 3:

Corinne: “I'm not talking to him.” Tom: “I'm not talking to her.”

Art 4:

Rekka: Yes, yes, I have two decks, one with Musketeers and one with Angels. Misha: Hmm… I don't know what my Chronomaly would be. Rekka: Maybe Time Mechanisms? You should give it a try. Misha: Oh, I'd love to! Can you teach me? Rekka: Ha ha ha! I'm a strict teacher! Misha: Then I'll work hard!

[questersrest]

btw on my draconian quest run, i beat indignus first try, he's all offence much like tatsunaga and you can pull the same dazzle nonsense on him. he only attacks twice per turn though so he's far more managable than tatsunaga. he can cancel all your buffs but he doesn't do it enough for it to be annoying and it won't affect the effects on him like the dazzle.

when he readies his blade and then unleashes several attacks on random party members, it can potentially be very bad depending on who he hits. but as long as you put hendrik at the front so he's the most likely target, you should be good to just keep reviving him with both rab and serena there.

[runawayballista]

yuugure sketch #1

(originally posted in 2020)

here is 5000 words worth of self-indulgent weeby nonsense i’ve been fleshing out as i go. this started out as an excuse to write expy ninja yaoi but then i got way more invested in the backstory and worldbuilding instead

Shigeaki hated getting home at dawn. The only thing anyone wanted to do after a long night was to crash, but the gradually rising light made it impossible for him to drift downward into sleep, pulling him back toward consciousness with every brightening shade. He complained about it frequently, always in a sour mood the next day, until finally, one day Oetsu and Tatsunaga showed up at his apartment with a set of blackout curtains and swiftly installed them despite Shigeaki's sputtering protests. Exactly who gave them permission to redecorate his apartment, anyway? Tatsunaga had told him that at least this way, everyone could get on with their lives in peace the day after Shigeaki Kusafuka had a red-eye mission. Apparently it was endemic to the whole block.

As he kicked off his shoes at the front door and hung his scuffed jacket on the hook, he was starting to feel a little more grateful towards his friends. His small apartment was still comfortably dim, no bright stabs of light to interrupt the half-asleep reverie he was already falling into. He tugged his hair loose from the tie holding it back and collapsed promptly onto his futon, face pressed to his pillow. God. He could sleep for a whole day.

And then the birds began chirping.

Shigeaki rolled over, cracked his eyes open, and groaned. If they wanted him to sleep after a red-eye so badly, he was going to crawl in through Tatsu's window and kick him out of his own bed next time.

Well, there was nothing doing now. Shigeaki dragged himself upright and toward the tiny kitchen. He cracked open the can of instant coffee next to the sink only to discover it was down to crumbs. He peered into the narrow cupboards, but all he could find for food were four tins of sardines, a can of soup concentrate, and a box of oats with a thin but distinct layer of dust. When he opened the fridge, he was instantly assaulted by the cold smell of rotten food. Shigeaki slammed it shut immediately and doubled over, trying not to heave on the linoleum floor.

Right. Not only had he not gone shopping before leaving for a mission he knew would take him away from Yuugure City for at least a week, he hadn't even bothered to throw out the leftovers in his fridge. Now he was home, tired, and dirty, he was out of coffee and anything immediately edible, and his tiny kitchen smelled like liquefied cabbage. The cafeteria it was.

He was just locking the door behind him when he heard footsteps clanging down the aluminum stairs. Hnnghh no. It was too early.

"Yo, Shige!"

Oetsu's voice had a tendency to carry even when Shigeaki wasn't feeling a sleep deprivation migraine coming on. With a groan, he rested his forehead against his front door. In an instant, she had him in a headlock, knuckles digging into his scalp. Shigeaki let out another sound closer to a yowl and tried to wrestle away, but she outweighed him by half and was nearly a head taller to boot.

"Cut it out, Oetsu, I just got home!"

Oetsu let herself be shaken off without fuss as Tatsunaga caught up to her, his pack slung over one shoulder. The two were nearly a matched pair in terms of build, both clocking in at over six feet and looking more like bouncers than spooks. Oetsu's dark-tinted glasses only completed the look for her.

"Oetsu, give him a break," Tatsunaga sighed. She just grinned, holding up empty hands, and the sunlight glinted off her glasses as if in attestation to her innocence. He just shook his head and looked sidelong at Shigeaki. "Shouldn't you be asleep right now?"

"I'm being harassed by birds," Shigeaki muttered, combing his hair more or less back into place with his fingers. It had a tendency to stick up on its own when he hadn't washed it in a few days, and the last thing he needed was to walk around the compound with a massive cowlick. "Strongly considering pioneering tiny yakitori as a local delicacy."

"Oh, we'll just get you some earplugs," Oetsu said, then slapped a fist into her palm. "Oh, right! I brought you back a souvenir from our mission."

"You know you're the only one who does that, right?"

"That's what I keep telling her," Tatsunaga said as Oetsu fished a waxed paper carton from her hip back.

"It's right — aw, man! It got totally crushed!"

Sure enough, the flimsy paper container had caved in on itself during its journey, and judging by the bits oozing out through the sides, it had once contained tiny filled sandwiches of some kind.

"I told you those wouldn't keep," Tatsunaga sighed, shaking his head, and unslung his bag from his shoulder. "Here, I got you something else."

"You're just enabling her, you know," Shigeaki said. Tatsunaga handed him a brightly colored can wrapped in a paper bow. It was instant coffee, Shigeaki's usual brand. "Hey, getting someone's groceries is not the same thing as bringing back a souvenir!"

"You're probably out anyway, so just thank me." He shouldered his pack and nodded toward the stairs. "You getting breakfast too?"

"Yeah, that was the notion. Bring me some milk next time, huh?"

Tatsunaga rolled his eyes and turned for the stairs. Shigeaki left the can of coffee in front of his door and then hopped the railing, dropping partway down the stairs just behind Tatsunaga and Oetsu. The downward swing made his stomach churn unpleasantly, and he instantly regretted it.

He paused as they hit the landing, staring at the apartment at the end of the row. There was a modest little doormat in front and a woven reed talisman dangling from the doorknob. The place had been vacant when he'd left for the mission. It'd been vacant since Shigeaki joined.

"Did someone move into 2R?"

"Oh, hey, yeah!" Oetsu snapped her fingers. "The new recruit moved in yesterday, right?"

"Hm, yeah. Oyori did say something about that." Tatsunaga rubbed his chin, glanced at the newly if sparsely decorated door, and headed down the last flight of stairs. "I guess he passed the interviews after all."

Shigeaki wrinkled his nose, an expression that looked somehow grotesque in combination with effects of sleep deprivation. "What new recruit?"

"That kid from the Sen clan," Oetsu said. "Some kind of sword prodigy or something."

Shigeaki's mouth opened in a scoff. "The Sen kid? I thought that was just a rumor."

"Nope, it's the real deal. He's, what, sixteen?"

"Fifteen," Tatsunaga said. "Youngest recruit in the Black Masks' history, according to Captain Yui."

"Seriously? They're letting fifteen-year-olds in now?" Shigeaki rubbed his cheek, his expression descending into a scowl. "This is black ops, not a temple internship. What's next, letting literal children enlist? How does a fifteen-year-old pass the interviews? In what world is a fifteen-year-old stable?"

"Would it make a difference if he was sixteen?" Oetsu said. Shigeaki glared at her.

"No!"

"Stable is a high bar to set around here, all things considered. If he got past Captain Yukari, he's sound enough." Tatsunaga's usually serious face lit with a faint smile, a little grim around the edges. "You're not jealous, are you, Shige?"

"Why would I be jealous?"

"Oh, I don't know." Tatsunaga shrugged. "I mean, you were only eighteen when you joined up, and you were always pretty proud of that, so..."

Shigeaki's brows drew down in a sour look. "You were both over twenty when you joined!"

"Yeah, 'cause I had a few things I wanted to do with my life first." Tatsunaga paused as they exited the apartment complex into the courtyard, his mouth pulling into a frown. "Still, you have to worry about someone who wants to get into this line of work at his age."

"Exactly! That's what I'm saying. There's no way someone like that would actually be able to handle the work we do. Honestly, it's practically neglect to let him join."

"Nah," Oetsu said. "The captains know what they're doing. If the new recruit were really some kind of liability, they'd turn him away. Besides, it's not like the bias is in his favor to start with."

"Exactly," Shigeaki said through his teeth. It sounded like she was agreeing with him, but it didn't feel like it.

"I bet he's some kind of badass," she said, swinging one arm in an energetic downward chop. "I mean, those interviews are pretty grueling. Plus, there's no one who doesn't look cool with a sword."

"I won't lie, it would be interesting to see the Sen sword style firsthand," Tatsunaga said, tapping his chin. Shigeaki rolled his eyes fiercely and stalked off across the courtyard to the cafeteria. Oetsu and Tatsunaga kept on behind him without any apparent care for his obviously very not sensitive feelings.

"I heard he's pretty good with magic too. According to Oyori, he's got experience with spirit mediation."

Oetsu nodded with conviction. "Of course he'd be considered as a candidate. We don't really have that many people with extensive experience with spirits."

"Yeah, because that's not our job," Shigeaki pointed out over his shoulder. "We deal with people, not spirits. If you want to spend your days purifying the earth, you don't join the Black Masks."

The doors to the cafeteria swung shut behind them. The three of them headed for the counter, but Oetsu stopped suddenly, slapping both Tatsunaga and Shigeaki's arms.

"Hey, isn't that him? That's gotta be him, right?"

Shigeaki turned to look, and his mouth opened in disbelief. Oetsu was right, it had to be him — he was the only unfamiliar face in the sparsely populated room, and he was certainly the only one under twenty. But this kid was decidedly not a badass. He was a skinny little thing — Shigeaki might even be inclined to say shrimpy — his toes just barely touched the floor from the chair in which he sat. Dark hair hung around a pale face, looking ruffled and uneven, down to the bangs that hung heavily over his forehead. It had the looks of an awkward self-cut. His face had a generally dull disposition, serious and uninterrupted by any smile, and his eyes, though lidded, were focused on the book laid out in front of him. With the owlish way he blinked and the faintly bruised circles under his eyes, he gave off the distinct impression of someone about to fall asleep.

Next to the book was a small plate with a single slice of toast on it. Just toast, nothing else. Not even a smear of butter. What kind of teenager ate plain toast for breakfast? For some reason, Shigeaki found that detail the most offensive.

"Ooh," Oetsu said, her mouth twisting uncertainly. "Kind of anticlimactic-looking, isn't he?"

The new recruit turned to cough into his elbow, a wheezing, dry cough that suggested he ought to be in bed and not upright and in public. His wide-sleeved jacket wasn't oversized, but it seemed to hang off his frame nonetheless. Oetsu made a face, wrinkling her nose. Tatsunaga looked kind of disappointed, too, but he had the grace to try and hide it.

"I mean, appearances aren't everything, necessarily..."

"Yeah, but he doesn't really give off a sword vibe, does he?"

"You were the one who said anyone could look cool with a sword."

"Yeah, but I mean...he really doesn't give off a sword vibe, does he?"

The corners of Shigeaki's mouth drew up in a smile. All that fuss over this little wisp of a thing. He looked like he might be toppled by a stiff breeze. The captains must be getting desperate, or they were losing their touch. Shigeaki's hand drifted toward his hip pack. He hadn't bothered to change before heading back out. Tatsunaga caught the movement and gave him a hard look.

"Shige." His voice had a warning tone. Shigeaki scoffed.

"What? I'm not gonna hurt him." He withdrew a thin metal dart, twirling it between his fingers. "Relax, Tatsu. I'm aiming for the wall. I just want to see what happens."

"That is a terrible reason. If Captain Yui - "

But Shigeaki had already sent the dart sailing with a neat flick of his wrist. It whistled through the air at almost invisible speed, rushing to meet the wall.

Without looking up from his book, the new recruit raised his left hand and caught the dart out of the air. He looked at it with a slight frown, then followed its trajectory back to Shigeaki and the others. Aside from that downward tug of his mouth, his expression hadn't changed.

Shigeaki's eyebrow twitched, his expression morphing quickly from brief surprise to annoyed. He could hear Oetsu fail to stifle a snort behind him. Just who the hell did this kid think he was, exactly? Who did that? Who just caught shit out of the air without batting an eye? Besides them, anyway, because that was exactly the sort of shit Black Masks did. The show of skill grated on his nerves. He'd been hoping to rattle the kid.

The new recruit placed the dart at the very edge of the table and returned to his book as though nothing had happened. Shigeaki clenched his teeth, his lips drawing back in an expression that could only generously be described as a smile.

"Shige." This time Tatsunaga's voice was more plaintive than reproachful. Shigeaki ignored him and headed for the kid's table. Tatsunaga looked at Oetsu, sighed, and waved her away from the coffee bar.

"You practice catching flies with chopsticks, too?"

A shadow fell over the book, and the new recruit looked up at Shigeaki's tired smirk. Truthfully, he probably didn't look any less like shit than this kid did, but he at least had an excuse. The new recruit's brow furrowed slightly, and he frowned that little frown again.

"No."

What the hell kind of categorically uncool response was that? It wasn't even a comeback. Instead of returning the banter volley, the new recruit had just kicked it out of the court and walked away. Shigeaki was at a momentary loss for suitably cutting return fire, and when he didn't respond right away, the new recruit's brow only furrowed deeper.

"You can have your dart back."

He had so carefully deposited it on the edge of the table, after all. His voice was thin and reedy, only just loud enough for Shigeaki to hear — as understated and flimsy as the rest of him. The new recruit was watching Shigeaki with a guarded look now, as though trying to assess whether he was actually dangerous. That should've been Shigeaki's line. Who'd thought admitting another member of the Sen clan was a good idea, anyway?

"So you're the Sen kid, huh? You don't look like much to me."

The new recruit's guarded look was turning into something more dubious, although it was hard to tell exactly what he was thinking. There was something opaque about that dull gaze. His mouth pinched, and he asked plainly, "Did you want something from me?"

The kid was supposed to defend himself or get nervous or offended or something. "Excuse me?"

"If you don't want anything from me, then can you leave me alone?"

Shigeaki could hear Oetsu laughing behind him. He was having strong feelings about putting a brick through somebody's window just now. He was underslept and still coated in the psychological film of a mission that had gone on too long, and he would at least have gotten a kick out of rattling the new kid.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, can you leave me alone?" the new recruit repeated with infuriating patience, although the flat line of his mouth betrayed some sliver of displeasure. "I'm in the middle of breakfast right now."

"Yeah, okay, that's another thing, though." Shigeaki could not seem to stop himself now. He pointed furiously at the lone piece of toast that looked like it might as well have been nibbled at by mice. "What the hell kind of breakfast is that, anyway? One piece of dry toast? You don't even put butter on your toast? Haven't you ever heard of protein in the — hey!"

Tatsunaga and Oetsu each hooked one arm under each of Shigeaki's and neatly hoisted him off the ground. "Sorry about our Shige-kun," Oetsu said with almost cheerful ruefulness. "He didn't sleep last night and he hasn't had his coffee yet."

"Will you put me down?"

"Absolutely not," said Tatsunaga, and he nodded at the new recruit. "Sorry, really. We probably shouldn't have let him around other people this early. Since our friend is chemically incapable of being polite right now, can I get your name?"

The new recruit's expression had shifted to suspicious bafflement. If he wasn't sure how to take Shigeaki, he definitely didn't know how to interpret the three of them. "Tsugutora."

Tatsunaga flashed him a smile, if a slightly strained one. "Nice to meet you, Tsugutora. I'm Tatsunaga, that's Oetsu, and this underslept mess is Shigeaki. Don't mind him. Some people just get a little funny after missions." He gave Tsugutora a polite nod and a little salute with his free hand. "I look forward to working with you, Tsugutora."

"Same here!" Oetsu waved as she locked her arm tighter around Shigeaki, who was starting to act less like a bully and more like a stubborn toddler. Tsugutora blinked.

"Um...nice to meet you too," he said as Tatsunaga and Oetsu turned, carting Shigeaki out of the cafeteria. Tsugutora watched them leave, then glanced down at the dart that they'd left behind. After a moment's thought, he pocketed it and returned to his book.

===

By the time they dragged Shigeaki back to his apartment, his physical resistance was starting to wane, but he was making zero effort to help, letting his heels drag along the courtyard path with a surly limpness. Oetsu and Tatsunaga dropped him unceremoniously in front of his apartment while Tatsunaga fished in his pocket for his key. Shigeaki hit the walkway with a thud, his exhaustion-dulled reflexes failing to catch him.

"Warning, please!"

"Your legs are fine, you were just choosing not to use them," Tatsunaga said heartlessly, and pushed open the door as Shigeaki got to his feet, snatching the tin of instant coffee from the doorstep. Shigeaki stuck out his tongue as he sidled past into his apartment and headed for the kitchen.

"Well, I'm choosing to use them now to expedite the process of getting coffee into my body." The coffee in the cafeteria was objectively better than the instant grounds Shigeaki liked according to his friends, but it was okay to be friends with people with wrong opinions. The thought of waking his brain above the overtired buzzing was enough to lighten his mood. He grinned a little and turned toward the kitchen — and then Oetsu was suddenly there. He jumped, nearly dropping the instant coffee.

"What the hell!"

Oetsu's dark glasses glinted. "Shadow tag." She pointed down with a grin. Sure enough, the daylight from the doorway cast a shadow from Shigeaki now directly in Oetsu's path. He gave her a disgusted look.

"You spent mana for that?"

Oetsu shrugged. "Not all of us have the mana capacity of a little kid's bladder."

"I swear to god, Oetsu, if you keep standing between me and coffee, I can't promise what will happen."

"You do not need coffee, you need sleep," Tatsunaga said wearily. "You don't take care of these post-mission jitters, you're gonna wind up dead and everyone will know it was an inside job. Oetsu?"

"Hoi!"

Before Shigeaki could react, Oetsu had executed a neat half-spin and thrust her open hand at Shigeaki's chest. Her palm glowed briefly, and he rocketed across the small apartment and slammed into his bedroom wall, trailing particles of light in a straight line. He toppled forward onto his futon with a little wheeze. Oetsu whistled.

"You do need sleep. Not even a spark of defense."

"Why do you hit so hard," Shigeaki gurgled into his pillow, rolling onto his side. A faint aroma started to drift into the room, and he sat bolt upright. "Tatsu! What are you doing in my kitchen?"

"Making you some sleepytime tea."

"What? No!" Shigeaki scrambled to his feet. "That stuff is nasty! I am not drinking — hngh!"

Oetsu laid him low again with a palm to his lower back, this one with a little less excessive force. He went facedown onto the bed.

"Why do you get so punchy when you're tired?" Tatsunaga sighed. "Look, you get the post-mission jitters, you drink the sleepytime tea, you get some sleep, everyone is happy, or at the very least, less pissed off. If you can sleep on your own, great, no tea needed. But man, one way or another, you have got to sleep."

"It's disgusting," Shigeaki protested, lifting his head from the futon. "It makes my stomach feel all shivery. That's going to stink up my kitchen for like, a week."

Tatsunaga emerged from the kitchenette with a steaming mug. "You can drink the sleepytime tea, or Oetsu can Open Palm you into unconsciousness. One of those two will leave you a screaming headache tomorrow. Your choice."

Oetsu brandished her hand at Shigeaki cheerfully, mana sparkling at her fingertips. He sat up with a suspicious look at her, then turned it on Tatsunaga and the steaming mug. He looked like a child being faced with the inescapability of having to eat his vegetables. After an unhappy moment in which he seriously considered kicking the mug out of Tatsunaga's hands and diving out through the window, Shigeaki made a face and took it from him.

"It's offensive to even call this stuff tea," he muttered in final, weak protest.

"You exclusively drink instant coffee," said Tatsunaga. "You don't get an opinion."

Shigeaki stared down at the mug with resignation. The smell was cutting and acrid, and while it probably wasn't actually going to stink up his kitchen for a week, it still churned his empty stomach. Every agent in this apartment block had a box of those packets in their cupboards; it was widely used for general recovery and convalescence, especially in the case of mana exhaustion. The dead sleep it put you under tended to facilitate faster mana recovery, at the expense of — well, being in a dead sleep until it wore off. The powder could be mixed with just about any liquid, but it tasted almost as bitter as it smelled, and it was generally agreed that it was easier to stomach with hot water. Thusly, it had earned the nickname 'sleepytime tea' among the agents. Shigeaki resolved to get it over with as quickly as possible and chugged it down in one go.

Tears were starting to well up in his eyes by the time he finished with an explosive breath, and then he let out a shuddering sort of burp, sticking his tongue out. His stomach lurched, but the tea stayed put. "That was disgusting. I might still die. You don't know. I don't even feel..."

Shigeaki's eyes rolled back and he started to topple over. Oetsu caught the mug with one hand and his collar with the other, and gently lowered his head to rest on his pillow.

"I'll bring some earplugs next time."

"I'll bring a funnel," Tatsunaga muttered, taking the mug from her. "Seriously, that was embarrassing. I've seen him pick fights from time to time, but I don't think I've ever seen him try to haze anybody. I don't think I've ever seen him that...jealous. I'm pretty sure that was some seriously misplaced jealousy. What mission was he on, anyway?"

"Mm...don't know. Pretty sure it was a solo mission, though." Oetsu tossed the blanket over Shigeaki and patted his shoulder. "He's just got a fragile ego. He liked being the baby for a while, even while he was demanding to be taken seriously. I think it was the first thing he was ever really proud of, and he's always leaned on that. It's kind of a rickety foundation for self-esteem. And then this new kid comes along, three years younger than Shige was when he joined, and he feels threatened by that. If Sen can handle himself just as well as Shige at that age, it's like Shige has nothing to be proud of anymore. Ah, he's always making things into a competition."

Oetsu frowned at Tatsunaga, who was giving her a harrowed look. "What?"

"I know that's all true, but you really don't have to lay it out like that." He let out a slow sigh, rubbing the back of his head. "Probably better stay a while, make sure he stays down. Somehow I wouldn't put it past him. Will you go back and grab something from the cafeteria? Pretty sure he hasn't gone grocery shopping."

"Yo," said Oetsu with a salute and headed for the door. Tatsunaga looked at Shigeaki's soundly sleeping form, rolled his eyes with a sigh, and went to wash the mug.

===

Shigeaki came to slowly, becoming gradually aware of the dryness in his mouth and the heaviness of his limbs. He was usually a pretty light sleeper, and his thoughts slowly gathered into a fuzzy ball of alarm as he realized  he'd been drugged.

Yes, he had been drugged. By himself, with the fucking sleepytime tea. Shigeaki rolled over and wiped a smear of drool from his cheek, blinking heavy eyes. It was nearly pitch dark in his apartment, the blackout curtains shutting out most of the moonlight.

"Yo."

Shigeaki nearly jumped, but his body still felt like stone. It was only Oetsu anyway. She was sitting propped against the wall, one leg drawn up, and she gave him a lazy wave. Tatsunaga was slumped against the wall next to her, softly snoring. Shigeaki blinked bleary eyes at the both of them.

"Have you been here the whole time?"

"Had to make sure you got some sleep." She grinned at him in the dark, her dark glasses catching the scarce light. "How you feelin'?"

Shigeaki sat up slowly, rubbing his cheek. "Better," he admitted grudgingly, wincing as he cracked something back into place on his neck. "Was I a huge asshole yesterday?"

"Big time."

He grimaced, pulling his hands down his face. He needed to massage some of the feeling back into it. He had slept hard. "Sorry."

Oetsu nudged him with her foot, blowing a stray lock of hair out of her face. "Stop trying to play the tough guy all the time, Shige. You don't make it to retirement age if you burn out first."

Shigeaki was glad for the dark. He flopped back onto the futon with a thump. "Yeah, well," he said lamely, then followed to come up with a suitable followup. Instead he rolled his head to the side to stare at the opposite wall.

"My man, you are not a trainee anymore." Oetsu sat forward, drawing her legs in. "You are a whole-ass agent. Solo missions and all. What's a new kid coming in and breaking a record got to do with that? Only person in the world who can fuck that up for you is you."

Shigeaki pressed his face into his pillow. If there was anyone he hated being Seen by the most, it was Oetsu. "Gee, thanks."

"Anytime, pal." Oetsu patted his leg. It was probably fortunate, all things considered, that his body still felt too heavy to do anything petulant like kick back. There was a moment of quiet as Shigeaki let out a long breath and turned back to stare up at the ceiling. Oetsu let out a little hum.

"Stability's overrated. You know that, right?" She tented her fingers in her lap, and though Shigeaki couldn't see her eyes through through the dark lenses, he could always feel when she was looking directly at him. "You have to be a little fucked up to do this for long. You either come in fucked up or you get fucked up learning the job. The former's better, 'cause you probably already know what to do when you lose your shit a little bit. That's part of why you were able to adjust so quick. So, yeah, they want to make sure new recruits won't implode in on themselves after every mission, but everyone flies off the handle a little bit here and there. Prime example: cranky agent throwing darts at the new kid for fun."

Shigeaki covered his face with his hands. It was not dark enough in here.

"The point of the interviews and tests and all that is to determine two things: that they can physically handle the job, and that they are one hundred percent sure they want to join up. You really want to be here, you find a way to get the job done. If the Commander approved that kid's recruitment, it's because he convinced the captains of those two things. And you know that's no cakewalk."

Shigeaki was one of a number of agents whose first scars in service of the Black Masks had been received as part of their petitions to join. He touched his fingers to his left ear, feeling the small notch along the side. "You think someone's really capable of deciding that at fifteen, though?"

Oetsu shrugged. "You ever tried to tell a fifteen-year-old what they're capable of? Besides, it's not like our ranks are overflowing these days. Seems like he's pretty serious about it, at any rate."

If there was a single word Shigeaki would have picked to describe the new recruit — well, it probably would have been frail, but serious was next in line. The kid had looked way too serious. Shigeaki made a resigned little noise in the back of his throat.

"I guess I should probably apologize to him too."

"Probably," Oetsu said. "There's no point in alienating new recruits. We all need to learn to work together eventually."

Shigeaki got the uncomfortable sense that that was primarily directed at him. No, not sense; he knew that was exactly what she was trying to say.

"Yeah, yeah," he sighed. "But you've gotta agree — he doesn't really look like a sword prodigy."

Oetsu let out a honk of a laugh that somehow did not wake Tatsunaga. "Oh, yeah. I'll have to see it to believe it. I'm sure we'll get a chance to before long." She cracked her neck and settled back against the wall. "Go back to sleep, Shige. You've got a few hours before the birds come back to heckle you. I'm going to take a nap."

It was impossible to tell when Oetsu's eyes were closed, but her breathing slowed before long. Shigeaki turned over onto his side, bundling himself in the covers, and found he had no difficulty falling back asleep.

[romijuli]

Congrats to me for only getting my ass whooped by one boss under these rules, compared to MANY on my original run

[enbyboiwonder]

Builders 2 got here today!!

[ichigopanhpff]

Mitsuya x Fem!Reader Begin Again: Ch. 26

[Previous Chapter] -- [Masterlist] -- [Main Masterlist]

It's the final chapter! ; A ; Thanks for sticking with me to the end. From those who leave their likes, chapter reblogs, and screaming in the comments, I appreciate each and every one of you and your support.

"Begin Again" will have a sequel titled "Someday..." I'm still proofreading the first chapter before I feel ready posting it.

Warnings: Casual alcohol consumption, Suggestive sexual scene, Mentions of sex.

---

“Just relax, (Y/N),” Yuusuke tried to rouse her from her anxiety. “I called ‘em here to make peace.”

“A little warning would've been nice,” she hissed under her breath through gritted teeth.

“Um… who are they, exactly?” the lilac haired boy leaned into her ear and asked.

“Two of ‘em were victims of my lash out two years ago,” she answered with regret and looked away with shame. The three guys greeted everyone casually and ordered beer before sitting down. Their eyes then fell on Mitsuya.

“Who’s the looker with the piercing?” the redhead asked and sat down.

“(Y/N)-chan’s boyfriend,” Inase divulged and presented him with his hands like he was pinup model of a shelf product on display. The aforementioned boy nervously bowed and introduced himself.

“… Like, willingly?” the blue haired man incredulously asked.

“Okay. Can we stop?” she boldly shut down the teasing. “Is it that unbelievable there’s someone out there that actually likes me for who I am and wants to date me?”

The whole table fell into an awkward silence, the majority of them squeezing their lips tightly shut.

“Is… that a trick question?” the boy with the shaved head finally answered.

Huffing a tired and annoyed breath, (Y/N) tightly pursed her lips and made moves to grab her jacket to leave, only to have Yuusuke and Chiaki immediately pull her back down, apologizing on their behalf for taking it too far. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms with her boyfriend rubbing her back to calm her down.

“I’d say it’s good to see you three stooges, but y'know…” she unhumorously spat out.

“Be nice,” Jun warned. “Sho’s visiting from Hokkaido n’ he’s leaving in a few days.”

“Honestly, it’s so friggin’ cold up there this time of year! You really feel it in your bones,” the blue haired boy complained with a grimace. “I’m thinkin’ of transferring back down, but the girls up there are so damn cute and wholesome.”

“Slightly less cold weather…” The redhead weighed in one hand. “Cute, wholesome girls.”

“Decisions, decisions,” the shaved head man flatly replied.

After Inase suggested introducing themselves to Mitsuya, he learned the redhead with piercings was Kobashi Tatsunaga, with 'Tattsun' as his nickname. The one with the shaved head was Higuchi Mako; the blue-haired boy donning glasses was Tonomura Sho.

“Mako n’ Sho are stepbrothers, by the way,” Jun noted.

“We’re still tryin’ to forget even after nine years,” Mako groaned and took a big gulp from his beer mug.

“But we overall get along,” Sho smiled at Mitsuya. “So, how’d you meet (Y/N)-chan?”

“Sho, it’s Mi-tan,” Inase revealed.

The three widened their gaze with their mouths in the shape of an O as the mental light bulb went off in their heads.

“Son of a bitch.” Sho clicked his tongue and slammed a 1,000 yen bill on the table in front of the boy with the shaved head.

“Thank you for your business.” Mako briskly took the bill and neatly folded it before placing in his pocket.

“You two actually made a bet on this?” she asked incredulously and shook her head. “Some things never change.”

“When Yuu told us you had a boyfriend, we were wonderin’ whether it’d be him or not,” Sho divulged with a haughty grin. “You were readin’ his letters so fervently n’ wouldn’t shut up ‘bout him.”

“T-That’s—”

“Lookit how red her face is,” Mako guffawed. “Like Jun when he gets shitfaced.”

“You missed me that much huh?” Mitsuya joined in on the teasing. All she could do is look away, blushing madly with a pout.

"She practically memorized every single letter you wrote," Tattsun joined in.

"Tattsun!" she lowly shrieked as her face went full blown tomato red, her fists balled up at her sides while the tips of her ears radiated the scalding heat of humiliation. Her boyfriend tried his best to hide his amusement, but she could hear his snickers clear as day while biting down on his lower lip. She knew karma was going to come back and bite her in the ass, but not like this.

“Kei’s gonna be heartbroken when he hears this,” the redhead sighed and sipped his drink. “He’s had the biggest crush on you.”

“Dude, he’s in 6th grade. He'll get over it,” (Y/N) disregarded.

“You don’t haveta deal with his emo ass,” Tattsun grumbled. “He just got rejected by a girl in his grade few days ago.”

“You have my condolences,” she deadpanned.

“I haveta say: it’s been a while since the whole group got together like this,” Yuusuke mentioned and smiled.

“It’s been hard to get our schedules to match up,” Sho added and grabbed a skewer of meat from the plate. “I went to see Hisa yesterday with these two. We cleaned the headstone n' everything.”

“Must’ve just missed you then,” Jun said and handed his empty mug to a passing server. “We bumped into (Y/N) n' her old man when we went.”

“Wa—Wait, wait, wait,” Mako held his hand out to pause the conversation. His gaze shifted nervously between her and Jun with raised brows. “You... two good now?”

“For the most part…” (Y/N) quietly answered and sipped her oolong tea.

“I told her the whole story ‘bout Kitsune…” Jun finished.

“After he made me spar with him with an injured shoulder and unfair conditions, by the way,” she added with an acidic tone.

“But did you die?”

She balled up a piece of napkin beside her and threw it at the blond while he was mid-swallow of his beer, hitting his cheek. He merely glared and ignored her childish antics.

“What’s important is they made up,” Inase chimed in as the peacemaker.

“Speaking of making up…” (Y/N) set her glass down and bowed her head at Tattsun and Ryo. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you two and have done nothing but regret it. It’s inexcusable and I was an asshole… I don’t expect you to forgive me…”

The two college boys exchanged a look.

“You sure gave the shop a thrashin’ that time,” Tattsun crossed his arms and looked down at her sternly. “My boss docked my pay for 4 months to make up for the damage instead of firing me since he was shorthanded.”

“And your punches pack a wallop,” Ryo held his hand up to his cheek, still remembering the sting of her hits from two years ago. “You can make it up to us…”

“When you’re of age*,” Tattsun finished their thought with a soft grin, making her look up with a confused look. “Buy us a few rounds. Then we’ll be good.”

“When Yuu told us you were back in town, Tattsun and I talked it over…” the wavy blue haired boy elaborated with a kind look. “Honestly, we were really pissed. But... in retrospect, we deserved it for leavin’ you the way we did.”

“We can’t turn back time to undo things, so let’s leave what’s in the past where it’s supposed to be,” Tattsun concluded.

Her lip quivered as hot tears spilled down her cheek and sniffled loudly before wiping them off with her sleeve. She bit her lower lip and knew she didn’t deserve their kindness, yet here they were welcoming her back with open arms.

“Don’t cry,” Mako nervously comforted. “The other customers’ll think we’re bullying you.”

“You cry as much as Takemitchy,” her boyfriend pointed out with lopsided grin and handed her a tissue to wipe her face.

“It’s been an emotional few days, okay?!” she said through her sniffles and used the tissue on her eyes.

To celebrate their resolution, the timing of (Y/N)’s food order came right on time. The boys and Chiaki lively chatted amongst each other and caught up with their latest doings, leaving the two teens to listen in.

“I really am the worst, Taka…” she uttered out within his range of hearing. He reach over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze under the table.

He leaned in and spoke in her ear. “No, you’re not,” he firmly stated. “Were you a terrible person, you wouldn’t have come here to face your past. I'm proud of you.”

Mitsuya and her gaze met with a look of connection and rested their forehead on each other.

“Oi, oii, oiiii!” Ryo pointed out angrily and slammed his nearly empty beer mug down and pointed at the two, startling them. “They’re makin’ lovey dovey googly eyes at each other! This won’t do! This won’t do at all!”

Ryo, Sho and Jun immediately stood with a clatter, making Mitsuya jump a little in his seat. Sho clapped his hand down on his shoulder from across the table with force with intensity, his hazel eyes reflecting his inner malice.

“Come with us for a second.”

“Uh… (Y/N)? Help?”

“Oh, you’ll be fine,” his girlfriend disregarded and finished her tea. “If you end up throwing down with ‘em, I have the utmost confidence you can win.”

“Ohhhh. So you can fight too, eh?” Ryo remarked with a maniacal, toothy grin. The three college boys practically dragged the lilac haired boy out of the izakaya, leaving her with Chiaki, Inase, Yuusuke, and Tattsun at the table.

“Takashi will be fine… right?” she asked out loud, suddenly second guessing her decision.

“Well…” Yuusuke started and rubbed the back of neck uncomfortably.

“What’s your definition of ‘fine’ here?” Inase finished.

“Crap…” she groaned out and squeezed her eyes shut.

“I wouldn’t worry,” Chiaki confidently reassured. “If he loves you as much as he says, he’ll be fine. He can’t be a lover without being a fighter.”

“That’s probably the first intelligent thing I’ve heard you say since ever,” Yuusuke pointed out with a tone of surprise.

“Hey! Contrary to what you lot think of me, I’m quite smart,” she retorted with a huff. “I’m an honors student at my school, y’know.”

“N how much did you pay the administration?” Inase plainly asked, earning him a harsh smack on his arm from the pink haired girl.

The group of boys returned into the restaurant about fifteen minutes later. To her relief, her boyfriend seem to be physically unscathed. Reading the vibe between the four, they seemed to be okay, relaxed even. They spent the rest of their time eating and chatting before wrapping up for the night.

“You’re headin’ back tomorrow, right?” Yuusuke asked (Y/N).

“Bright n’ early,” she groaned. “That bus ride back’s gonna kill my tailbone from all that sitting.”

“Sad we can’t see you off,” Inase apologized. “We all gotta start plannin’ out our last year in college.”

“Can’t be helped,” she flashed them a lopsided grin. “That stuff takes priority.”

Jun suddenly called her and the moment she turned, her entire body was engulfed in a bear hug by him and got spun around. When he set her back down, his cheeks flushed red as she tried regaining her balance.

“Did he just…?” Yuusuke uttered with a tone of surprise.

“Yup,” Mako and Sho answered simultaneously.

“Softie,” Tattsun taunted.

“Oh be nice, Tatsu,” Chiaki scolded.

“Get back safe, okay?” the blond muttered and avoided eye contact while awkwardly scratching the side of his face. “Call me… if you need anythin’. Or if you wanna talk.” He gradually looked back up, only to see a scowl on her face.

“Creepy…”

“EHH?! How is that creepy?!” he shouted.

“You being nice to me’s actually gross,” she blurted out with dead eyes. “Don’t do that anymore.”

“You little punk, c’mere! I’m gonna hug you again!” he exclaimed to which she yelped with panic and threw makeshift snowballs at him, shouting at him to keep away. The commotion died down a short moment later and everyone went their separate ways.

“(Y/N)-chan, Mitsuya-kun, I’ll drop you two off,” Mako offered. “Since we’re goin’ the same way.”

“Don’t drive too fast, you bastard!” Jun yelled from a short distance. “I’ll kick yer ass!”

“I swear, that guy’ll scream at anything that goes faster than 25 kilometers…” Sho remarked and sighed.

“’Cus he’s a grumpy old man trapped in a college boy’s body,” she added, making the two brothers crack up.

En route, she dozed off and used her boyfriend’s shoulder as her pillow.

“That habit of hers never changes,” the driver noted and chuckled.

“Habit?”

“Whenever she eats too much hearty food during the colder seasons, she falls asleep,” Sho revealed.

“Reminds me of a friend I know…” he lightly chuckled. “He’d fall asleep after every meal.”

“Ah, Mako. Stop for a sec,” his stepbrother requested. The car pulled over to the side of the road and placed the hazards on. “I’ll be back.”

The head shaved boy quickly jumped out of the car and ran up to a sweets stand. A few minutes later, he returned with a bag of steaming hot creamyakis for everyone.

“Sho, you’re spoiling her again,” his brother tutted and took the one he handed before giving one to Mitsuya. The remaining one in the bag was left for her when she wakes.

“Just this much is fine, right?” the boy with the shaved head flashed a toothy grin. “It’s not like I do this everyday.”

The three bit into the fresh cooked treat and immediately huffed and puffed from the scalding hot content in their mouth before quickly chewing it to swallow. They collectively stuck the tips of their tongue out in hopes the cool air will soothe their mildly scalded tongues.

“May I ask something weird?” Mitsuya suddenly spoke up. “Was (Y/N)… happy when she lived here?”

The two brothers thought for a beat and bit into their respective snack.

“Hisa and the rest us tried our best to make sure she was,” Sho finally answered. “Since she didn’t have a lotta friends her own age.”

“Was she really though?” Mako wondered out loud. “Sometimes it felt like she was forcing herself to be so we wouldn’t worry.” He finished his creamyaki and wiped his hand with a spare napkin. “Somethin’ on your mind? I’m getting the feeling that's not what you wanted to ask.”

The teen searched his heart for a moment and crafted his words carefully. The last thing she needed was the stress of her brother’s friends knowing he used to be in a gang.

“I find myself at an impasse…" he began. "When Kitsune disbanded, how did you two find your way?”

“Oof, heavy question…” Sho remarked and finished his treat, thinking hard for his answer.

“I let it find me,” Mako replied and turned the hazards off before shifting the stick to drive again. “We were all lost after disbanding n’ it got worse after Hisa died. I bounced job to job after high school, getting lost in my worries. It wasn’t ‘til a family friend asked me ‘bout starting a business. After lotta back and forth, I realized I had a knack for shop management.”

“I went to Hokkaido to put some space between me n’ everyone to clear my head,” Sho confessed and looked out the window wistfully. “Honestly speakin’, I still haven’t figured out what I wanna do.”

“Guess what we’re tryin’ to say is there’s no right answer,” the blue haired man summarized. “As long as you feel what you’re doin’ is right, then it’s right.”

Sho pulled up to a traffic light, still feeling that uneasy anxiety from the boy.

“Mitsuya-kun, time's on your side,” he reminded him. “I dunno what your situation is, but I’m sure it hasn’t been easy. If there’s anythin’ I learned, it’s hold onto your beliefs and those who influenced them. That’s what gives you strength in dark times.”

His lavender orbs lit up the moment those words reached him. That moment of clarity he’d been waiting for was here.

Meeting Draken convinced him to become a delinquent to protect his family. How could he have forgotten something that simple?

He was immediately reminded of what (Y/N) said after they buried their time capsules: “Just because Toman’s no more doesn’t mean the bond you have are gone too.”

Toman’s his family and so was she.

“Mako-san… Thank you…” he softly replied and glanced over at his still sleeping girlfriend.

–

Thanking and saying their farewells to the Wayamas the next morning, Mitsuya and (Y/N) made their way to the train station on foot. They looked up to see snow starting to fall at a steady pace. Successfully making it on the packed train, the conductor announced there could be possible delays due to the weather over the loudspeaker.

“I hope this doesn’t affect our ride back,” she noted with worry.

After getting off at the Sendai station, the two made their way to the bus depot, only to have one of the workers announce via bullhorn all buses have been suspended due to hazardous conditions on the road.

“What should we do?” Mitsuya asked and adjusted the knitted hat on his head. “Head back to the Wayamas?”

Just as she was about to call, a passing group of kids complained out loud, saying the Namboku line was suspended due to frozen rails.

“O...kay. I guess that’s a no go either.”

“Jun and the rest of ‘em are on campus all day, so reaching out to them for a place to crash won’t do either…” she said and started weighing their options.

“Wanna try for a hotel?”

“If there’s any cheap ones around, sure…”

As they wandered around the city, they found most of the lodging were booked to capacity and after wandering in the cold snow for nearly two hours, they finally found one. However, they only had one room available and there was only one bed. Not having much of a choice at this point, the teens accepted it and the concierge handed over their key. Entering the room, the two exhausted travelers put their bags in the bathtub since it was wet from the snow and hung up their jackets to dry.

While Mitsuya got to making some tea to warm them up, (Y/N) turned the TV on to see how the forecast will play out.

“Oh jeez… it’s gonna be like this all day,” she sighed. “Guess we’re stuck here another night.”

“But at least we were able to get lodging at a good price,” her boyfriend pointed out with optimism and handed her a cup of fresh green tea before sitting at the foot of the bed with her.

“It’s all I can hope for…” she let out a sigh of relief and slowly sipped her hot beverage.

“You’re not nervous sharing a bed with me?” he asked.

“I trust you not to do anything without my okay,” she simply said looked into her cup with serenity.

Before they could continue their discussion, their stomachs growled out loud. Laughing with embarrassment, they finished their tea before heading out to look for some food. Not wanting to wander too far, they went into a curry shop and had their fill. Ducking into Parco, they killed some time window shopping before grabbing dinner at a donburi restaurant and headed back to the hotel for the night.

While Mitsuya was in the shower, (Y/N) was doing her best to calm her beating heart. Even though she said earlier on she trusts her boyfriend, she still couldn’t help but feel nervous. Sure, they’ve slept next to each other on separate futons, but on the same bed?! Mentally reassuring herself things will be fine, her shoulders jolted when she heard the bathroom door click. She turned to see her boyfriend with wet locks and wearing only the bathrobe.

“Bathroom’s all yours,” he noted and continued to towel his hair off. “Did you let everyone know what happened?” She nodded.

“Just got off the phone with my dad. He said he’ll wire some money for us to take the bullet train back tomorrow,” she explained. “I told him we’d be fine with the bus, but his instincts kicked in.”

“Can’t blame him for wanting you to be safe.”

“Maybe we’ll be able to see Mount Fuji on the way back,” she perked up with a grin.

Gingerly grabbing her personal items, she tiptoed into the bathroom and closed the door. Hopping into the shower, the let the warm beads of liquid cascade down her body, washing away any lingering feelings of cold on her body. Even though they were only here for 3 days, it felt so much longer. Her mind wandered back to when she talked with Hisa-nii alone.

“So I accidentally started up Kitsune again due to my carelessness…” she began and uncomfortably shifted her feet. “Just for a short while with a gang,” she quickly clarified. “And I know how you feel about them, but these guys were different. Their principles aligned with what we had. In a way, I wanted Kitsune to live through Toman. But just like us, they too, disbanded after someone died.” She flashed a brief sad smile. “Mi-tan was one of the founders, you see and well… You can guess how he’s feeling right now.” (Y/N) closed her eyes, feeling the light, cold breeze whip through the cemetery, trying to listen to the whispers around her. “You think he’ll be okay, huh? … I think so too.”

After a small beat of silence, she finally summoned the courage to talk about his friends. “I haven’t seen or spoken to Jun or any of them… Honestly, I’m afraid to.” She swallowed and looked down pensively. “I’ve thought of all the things I could’ve done and said differently, but here we are…” She let a breathy chuckle escape. “I don’t expect them to forgive me. And I’m okay with that.” Finally, she looked up with a sad smile at her brother. “I’ll bear this burden in my heart.”

The wind blew across again with more of a winter bite this time, making her squeeze her eyes close from the sting. “If by some miracle they forgive me, I’d call them idiots.”

Little did she know her past came kicking the door down the moment she finished that sentence. The moment she saw Jun’s blond hair, she inwardly cursed at her brother for bringing them there. He was the type of person who would confront someone immediately if there was an issue. But when it came down to it, her brother was the one who pushed them together to confront their own mistakes and weaknesses.

Even though he was no longer here, he was still guiding them in his own way. She’d always be grateful for that.

Turning the water off, she hurriedly hopped out and toweled off before slipping on her undergarments and throwing the spare bathrobe on, having forgotten her pajamas outside. Vacating the bathroom, she saw Mitsuya sitting on the bed horizontally with his head resting on his hand, watching a random variety show on TV. Looking to her left, she saw the hair dryer was already plugged in. Just as she reached for it, her boyfriend immediately sat up and grabbed it.

“Let me dry it for you,” he insisted with a small smile.

“You’ve always wanted to do this huh,” she side-eyed him with a raised eyebrow and sat at the edge of the bed.

“It’s habit,” he confessed. “Since I do it for Luna and Mana.”

The dryer came to life with the sound of a loud whirl in his hand and started wiggling it back and forth to diffuse the heat on (Y/N)’s wet strands. Using his hands to comb through the loose knots, she felt herself relax into his hand.

“You spoil me, you know that?” she said over the sound of the dryer; all her boyfriend did was smirk and brushed some hair aside to expose part of her neck for him to peck a kiss before finishing up. Unplugging the dryer, she rewound the cord and put it back into the bathroom before flopping on the bed again. Snuggling up to Mitsuya, he put his arm around her while continuing to watch the show.

“Close your eyes for a second…” he softly asked of her.

Giving her boyfriend a questioning look, she did as he requested. She felt him get off of the bed and sounds his padded footsteps on the carpeted floor; she could hear crinkling and bag rummaging to her left. Not long after, she felt the weight of his body shift onto the bed again.

“Okay… open ‘em.”

Slowly raising her lids, she saw a small wrapped gift box on the bed beside her and widened her eyes.

“I realized I never got you a White Day** gift…” he sheepishly answered.

“You know I’m not the type of person who cares about stuff like that.”

“You gave me handmade chocolates,” he replied with a light laugh. “I’d be a crappy boyfriend if I didn’t get you anything.”

(Y/N) picked up the small box and lifted the lid, revealing a gun metal silver band with a cross design similar to the one on his earring. He reached over and took it out of the box and tried putting it on her left middle finger.

“Eh? It’s too small?” he blurted out with shock. “I thought I measured it right.”

She took the ring off of her middle and tried it on the other fingers; it ended up fitting her ring finger perfectly. The two immediately blushed madly and looked away from each other. She could practically visualize steam shooting out both of her ears like a cartoon character.

“I-I guess it fits…” she squeaked out with a stutter and glanced down on the new accessory with a softened gaze. “T-Thank you, Takashi.”

The lilac haired boy reached over and firmly grasped her left hand. Bringing it up to his lips to kiss, his lavender gaze bore into hers.

“(Y/N)… I’m not the most reliable guy right now, but I vow to protect you and your happiness,” he stated. “Seeing you these past few days made me realize how much stronger I have to grow here…” He placed her hand over his chest. “So I can be deserving of you.”

She slid closer to Mitsuya to close the distance between them and drew him into an embrace with him reciprocating.

“I say you’re plenty strong,” she said softly in his ear. “You remind me of the things I’m thankful for… and gave me the courage to face the things I couldn’t alone.”

Loving (Y/N) felt so effortless with everything they did; every time their lips touched, he could feel parts of her being poured into him like a man satiating his thirst with water. Her very existence allowed him to be open and vulnerable with himself whenever he found himself needing to be strong to tough things out.

Simply put, they allowed themselves to just be as they are.

She pulled away from the hug to face her boyfriend, both leaning in to feel each other’s lips. He used his momentum to gently push her onto the bed so he was on top. This was the first time his heart’s felt this full. Staring at each other with a half-lidded gazes, he kissed her with more force this time to let her know how much he loves and needs her.

He peppered his lips down to her now exposed shoulders due to the collar of her bathrobe loosening up, sending a chill up her spine. She let out a breathy moan and ran her fingers up the back of his head to encourage him. Mitsuya then pulled his head up for some air with a loving gaze. His large, thin hands cupped the side of her face tenderly.

“(Y/N)… are you sure you want to do this?” he whispered.

She reached up with both hands and caressed his face with a gentle smile. “If it’s with you… yes.”

Leaning in, the lilac haired boy hungrily kissed her like he hadn’t in years, the desire to make her his growing by the second, but gradually slowed his movements and sat up.

“Takashi…?” she called out in confusion and followed suit. “What’s wrong?”

“I… I want to do this,” he huffed out and sighed heavily as he held her left hand. “I want to. Trust me. I really, really want to… But Jun made me promise…I’d wait until we’re older. I can’t break his trust.”

“Leave it up to Jun to do somethin’ like this,” she groaned and heaved a deep sigh. “I guess it’s for the best. We don’t have protection either.”

“Actually…” He shifted his body to the right side of the bed with a tint of embarrassment. “Draken… gave me some,” he shyly blurted out and looked away.

All she did was bite the bottom of her lip and snickered before burying her face on the covers, wheeze laughing uncontrollably while holding her stomach.

“I’m so glad you’re finding this hilarious,” Mitsuya deadpanned, continuing to feel the bed vibrate from his girlfriend’s guffawing.

“Sorry. Okay, really sorry,” she gasped between her giggles and wiped some stray tears away before facing her boyfriend again. “Total mood killer. But seriously, leave it up to big bro Draken to hook his buddy up. Did he give you a whole lesson in how to put it on and everything?”

“I read the instructions on the packet!” he responded strongly with a mad blush as she laughed some more. “And why do you know this stuff?!”

She waited for her laugh to die down before answering. “I accidentally found Hisa-nii’s porn stash one time and there was a short article on how to use a condom. They used a banana for the guy’s… you know,” she flatly answered with dead eyes. “I couldn’t look him in the eye for three days… or eat bananas.”

“What did you even say to him when you found it?”

“’Why are there naked ladies tied up under your bed?’” (Y/N) groaned out and facepalmed. “’N I said that right in front of Yuu-kun, Jun and Ryo of all people.”

The moment his girlfriend answered, the lilac haired boy completely lost himself in a fit of roaring hysterics and gasped for air, thumping his fist on the plush top.

“I was ten, okay?!” she haughtily defended and smacked her hand on the bed. “Context was not a thing I understood!”

“Clearly!”

After a beat, the two sighed and laid stationary on the bed. Mitsuya rolled onto his side and propped himself up with his elbow and rested his head on his elevated hand; his other one reached over and gently caressed (Y/N)’s cheek. He thought back to when he and Draken hung out a few days before the trip.

“How’s things goin’ with you two?” his best friend asked. They were sorting out some spare motorcycle parts for Impulse.

“Had a bit of a hiccup, but we talked it out…” he trailed off. “She invited me to go to Sendai with her.”

“Sendai?”

“Her half-brother’s death anniversary’s coming up…”

Draken let out a hum and continued to mindlessly rummage through the piles of metal.

“You gonna be alone with her?”

“We’re meeting up with her dad up there.”

“Damn, meetin’ the dad already huh?” he joked. “So much for eloping then.”

“The hell are you sayin’, idiot?” Mitsuya laughed.

“Mitsuya. You serious ‘bout her?” he asked all of a sudden, his tone solemn while pulling out one of the parts they needed.

“’Course I am,” he stated the obvious. “I love her.”

Draken flashed him a melancholic, but hopeful smile. “Cherish her. Don’t hold back what you feel. She’s stubborn, but she has a good heart.”

Having been unable to properly convey his feelings to Emma, the lilac haired boy understood his best friend’s intentions through his words.

“Thanks… for inviting me to come here with you…” he spoke. “I know this wasn’t easy.” She reached up and placed her hand on top of his. The ring he gifted her glimmered in the dimly lit hotel room. “This trip helped clear some fog in my head.”

“We need to be reminded to see the bigger picture when we’re too honed in on the details sometimes,” she pointed out. “Did you at least have fun?”

“If you wanna call getting grilled by your half-brother’s friends ‘fun’…” he trailed off and chuckled.

(Y/N) quietly nodded with a gaze of reflection in her eyes. “They’re my family… like you.”

The lilac haired boy leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips and planting another one on her forehead. The two decided to turn in for the night so they could wake up early tomorrow to head back to Tokyo. For the very first time ever, the two slept in each other’s arms, feeling the intimate warmth of their bodies protect them from what may come.

Life is a constant change of ebbs and flows. Things change and people change as time goes by. But no matter the circumstances, you can always begin again.

--

* Legal drinking and smoking age in Japan is 20 as that is the "adult" age. Recently, they passed a law deeming 18 year olds legal adults to get with the times (and to somehow fix their decreasing birth rate). The new law allows them to get married without their parents' consent, take out loans, get credit cards, etc. However, they cannot smoke or drink until 20 (this law still stands to protect their health), similar to the States (you're a legal adult at 18 to do practically everything, but you can't drink until 21).

** White Day (3/14) is basically Valentines' Day for girls. On V-day in Japan, girls are the ones who give boys chocolates and/or confessions. Though nowadays, V-day is slowly becoming more westernized (with boys and girls giving each other chocolates and confessing). White Day was basically created to make the girls feel special to have their own day to be showered with adoration, sweets and confessions (cue ichigo's eyeroll).

Taglist: @netzukochannn @toobsessedsstuff @owiee12 @wakasasucker @ilykii @contreviva @crowbird @mor-pheus @yourrdarling

[lubbee]

played ni no kuni for like an hour and i just found myself killing tatsunaga twice in dq11

epic gamer??

[eleven-of-light]

More Fun Lore:

Avarith doesn’t actually care about the stuff she took. She just enjoys people suffering. What a dick.

Jinxed Jade is a man-hater, which is Hilarious

Alizarin is TOO HUGE

Blizzybodies are just what happens when snowpeople have sex.

Gyldenbritches: “a great lover of booty”

Bloody hands are just. The hands of dead monsters. They summon their old friends...

Sootbonces and smogbonnets are straight up aliens.

Tatsunaga was drawn to hotto by everyone’s stinky bodies. Thanks Erik! (I’m paraphrasing but this is the funniest way I could say it)

Indignus’ main trait is being stupid loyal to mordy. Hey man where’s the indignus/mordegon fic we deserve-

Green Indignus was a general in “the army of an ancient evil”, which raises some questions about Indignus.

Bilhaws are ALSO aliens. (From another dimension.)

Royal Reptiles are wise rulers, I stan this specific dragon

Snotbonces and Bilebonces tricked people into believing they were holy beasts, which is INCREDIBLY valid

I love the entry for Grey Gordons, the writer of these entries can’t fucking stand them

IT EVEN SPILLS INTO THE HOOPERMAN’S ENTRY

Bathysfear just fuckin hates mermaids. You’re forgiven for forgetting him.

The first A3G15 was a king who put on a stupid suit of armor that became sentient

[swindlersstole]

.......................................peach time

its the last of the fruit gals! one Sumomo, the peach melba! because the idea of a four girl psuedo-magical girl team was inspired by Wedding Peach, I wanted at least one of the girls to be a callback to the series. Su’s name used to be Momoko after the titular character, but this was changed, again, when the girls were worked into Nanbaka. One of the main supporting characters of Nanbaka is also named Momoko, and her name symbolism is much more crucial than Su’s was in context. so now she’s Sumomo! the pun remains.

Sumomo, both aesthetically and in ways that I cannot express in Code Vein or Lily Story, was inspired by Sakuya from Okami. While her exact size varies depending on the universe she’s in, Su is pretty much always the chubbiest and most full-figured of the group. I’d argue she’s probably also the most conventionally beautiful of the four? This is an awkward comparison given the pink hair, but it’d be like comparing a mermaid to a human in terms of looks. Su is just a very serene and soft and sweet looking person, and she is the closest mankind will ever get to hugging a Moomin.

Actually you know that Venn diagram that’s between Moomin, Animal Crossing, and Ghibli? Just picture Su as being in the middle of that, that gets her Absolute Friend Shaped Vibes across. She is the Himalayan Salt Lamp of this squad.

Kind of like Zill, Sumomo is another character trend I’ve used a lot in terms of her abilities. As I think any baby’s first oc tends to be, her powers are voice and song based: Sumomo’s real voice has a hypnotic quality to it, and if she gives a command to someone, any command at all, it will be followed. To counteract this if her secondary ability, which is that she is able to perfectly replicate any voice or sound she’s heard before. By speaking in a voice that isn’t her own, Su’s hypno-voice powers don’t take any effect. She doesn’t like to use other people’s voices, though, especially not without a person’s permission, so she tends to talk exclusively in sign language (in modern AU settings like Addy’s Punk AU this translates to Su being selectively mute).

The effectiveness of Su’s hypno-voice is weakened when she uses it to sing, which is a good thing because she moonlights in the Maras Casino as live entertainment. My headcanon voice for her is that of Cassie Wei, the vocalist and main lyricist for the band Mili, who is ironically better known by her stage name ���momocashew”. (Mili itself has been a big influence on Su’s character in retrospect, in that Su is the most likely to fall in love with a robot).

They Never Specified What Metal Comes Out Of Hotto

In DQ11, Sumomo is from Hotto from a long line of musicians. Her vocal powers are a gift that runs in her family, most commonly passing down through the family’s women. Sumomo was guided and trained in her powers by her great aunt (who also had the gift) and her older brother Nasuka (who did not). She grew up a gentle soul, and of the four girls, had the most normal and tragedy-free upbringing. We can’t have sadness all the time, someone has to be well-balanced here.

Su’s involvement with the casino also came through her brother. As an adult, Nasuka left Hotto and eventually found his way to Puerto Valor, where he was hired to perform shows during the nights for casino patrons. The two had always been very close, and Su would visit him every so often while she was growing up, but it wasn’t until he married and settled down there that she eventually moved out to Puerto Valor with him to also properly begin her own music career, and to help him with his new family. (She’s the last one to permanently join the group, but she had a correspondence with the other girls growing up, so it wasn’t like she same out of left field)

Within the story of DQ11, Su had actually left Puerto Valor for a time with Nasuka to return to Hotto, both to introduce Nasuka’s newborn daughters to their family, and also just to help the village itself in the wake of the Tatsunaga attacks. They were stuck there for... a while given the events of Act 2 and also kind of Act 3, but they miraculously suffered no casualties, and eventually made it back to Puerto Valor safe and sound. Mordgeon said he would destroy mankind, and then Yggdrasil held up a photo of Sumomo and Mordegon said “I will make an exception because she seems very polite”.

[teefa85]

So...we’re back in business with Dragon Quest.  And unlocked the final dungeon!  Although...could have done without Tatsunaga deciding to follow Gades’ lead from the other day and shooting the medic with some well timed crits, then killing Hendrik, then re-killing him when Ryani used Zing successfully...then killing Sylvando in a series of two sets of turns to only one of his...

Somehow, I won that one, if me being in the final dungeon isn’t obvious.  Still, being cautious because who knows what Mordegan has in store.

[6hourgods]

Dragon Quest XI Tatsunaga Boss Fight

[questersrest]

tatsunaga is just a crap shoot in an all draconian quests run.

that thing attacks 3 times per turn, it only has one move that hits the whole party but if it attacks one party member twice, it can easily take them out. it has a regular attack, a desperate attack (guaranteed critical, a move where it breathes 3 fireballs at a single target which i assume counts as a breath attack, and a "war cry to end all war cries" that hits the whole party and can stun any of them into inaction, i don't know what kind of attack this is bc it doesn't seem physical, breath, or magic.

there is no way to keep up with the insane amount of healing and resurrection you need for this nonsense. rab learns dazzle and serena inherited dazzle from veronica. it won't hit work every time but with 2 of them casting and you can get serena's spells sometimes casting twice for an occaisional extra attempt. the dazzling won't affect the war cry but it will affect everything else he can do. the 3 fireballs each have an independant chance to miss but the overall damage is still significantly reduced when they don't all land.

the problems are:

a) dazzle won't work 100% of the time, you need to prioritise it above healing because it will most likely give you some time to heal but if all your dazzle attempts fail on one turn, it could all fall apart.

b) even when he is dazzled there's still a chance all his attacks could hit anyway and then it could all fall apart.

c) he can shock serena and/or rab or they could just miss a turn due to super shypox and then you might not even get to attempt dazzling.

d) dazzling seems to last 6-8 moves, it technically wears off at the start of the next move, and it's not something you can renew by casting before it's worn off. so with him moving 3 times in a turn with the dazzle on for all 3, then next turn he'll be dazzled for his 3 moves again. but if it's lasting for 6 moves, it'll still be in effect so you can't cast it again and wear off only just before his 6th move, potentially subjecting you to all 3 moves without dazzle on.

thus, while you're not dazzling or healing, get some kabuffs up with hendrik, insulatles with rab, and hymn of fire with serena, anything you can do to reduce the damage when tatsunaga doesn't miss.

if the stars allign, you can keep him dazzled most of the time and erik will eventially shred him with divide and falcon slash. won't take too long, this guy put all his points into offence.

i finished him off with hendrik as soon as i saw he was on critical health

[runawayballista]

yuugure sketch #1, part 2

(originally posted in 2020)

a lil omake for this. shigeaki runs into tsugutora on the town a week later and tries to do a nice thing. there was a second half to this scene but it kinda fizzled out, please enjoy 2000 words of shigeaki shade

It was a week before Shigeaki even saw the new recruit again. Not that he spent a lot of time looking; once he’d finished convalescing, there were a few local courier jobs on his docket, and he only saw Oetsu and Tatsunaga in passing. It was one of those weeks when their schedules just didn’t line up, and with nothing better to do on a restless night, he found himself wandering around one of Yuugure’s shopping districts. It was a nice night for a stroll, the still summer heat melting away now that the sun had set. There was a soothing breeze sailing overhead, carrying with it the mingled scents of the food stalls scattered here and there along the street. Shigeaki, who still had not managed to accomplish grocery shopping in the week he’d been home, stopped to buy a few chicken skewers from a familiar stall and meandered over to the walkway overlooking the river that ran through the city. The water was black under the night sky, but a series of floating bonfires dotted the length of the river, casting a warm, flickering light around them. That’d explain the crowds; the waterfires were a weekly event this time of year, attracting townsfolk and street performers. It was like a miniature festival every weekend, one that gave an extra breath of life into the city in the summer.

But watching bonfires was only entertaining for so long, and once he’d finished eating, he pushed himself away from the walkway railing and walked back in the direction of the lantern-lit street. Shigeaki was chewing on the last skewer to suck out whatever remained of the savory-sweet sauce when he spotted the new recruit. He was easy to miss in a crowd, small as he was, and there was nothing in particular about him that stood out. But Shigeaki recognized the hooded jacket he’d been wearing in the cafeteria, and he weaved through the crowd.

“Well hey, if it isn’t Tsugutora Sen.”

Tsugutora pivoted on his heel. He looked surprised to see Shigeaki — then his expression shifted into something wary, but with all the edge of a butter knife. Well, that was only fair, Shigeaki conceded.

“Shigeaki-san.” Tsugutora ducked his head. “How are you?”

Despite the guarded look, the kid was unfailingly polite. Shigeaki pulled the skewer from his mouth and offered him a lopsided grin.

“No need to be so formal, kid.” He waved a hand. “I’m surprised to see you out and about. Haven’t seen you all week.”

He sounded casual enough, but he hadn’t seen Tsugutora in the cafeteria once since their first encounter. Had he scared the new recruit away with his sleep-deprived stunt? Tsugutora didn’t seem quite that weak-willed, but when Shigeaki remembered to ask, no one seemed to have seen him. Tsugutora only shrugged, his gaze directed about six inches to the left of Shigeaki’s face.

“I just needed some fresh air, is all. And there’s a malassada stand here that I really like...”

That last trailed off into a mumble, and Shigeaki realized he was seeing Tsugutora embarrassed for the first time. Well, maybe the kid wasn’t so impenetrable after all. Shigeaki twirled the skewer in his fingers and winked at Tsugutora.

“Well, as it so happens, there’s a noodle stand here I really like. How about it? I’ll treat you.”

Tsugutora looked up at him without a change in expression. “No thank you.”

Shigeaki, who had already started to turn in the direction of the noodle stand, brought himself up short, nearly losing his balance. “What?”

Tsugutora shrugged again, his fingers closed around the lapels of his jacket. “I already ate dinner. And the last time I met you while I was eating, you threw a sharp object at me.”

Shigeaki closed his teeth in a tight smile. So the kid held a grudge after all. “Yeah, I remember. That’s why I’m taking you out for food. It was a pretty dick move, I’ll admit, and I’d like to make it up to you. Water under the bridge and all that.”

The corners of Tsugutora’s mouth turned down in a tiny frown. All of his expressions seemed to be so small. “No thank you. I’m good.”

“Oh, come on.” He gave Tsugutora an exasperated look that bordered on a glare. “I’m trying to offer an olive branch here. Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to.”

“Now you just sound like a little kid,” Shigeaki said with a scoff, and Tsugutora’s expression sharpened into an actual glower. The intensity of it was a little unsettling.

“Tsugu-chan! How nice to see you here.”

Oyori emerged from the bustling crowd, dressed in a violet yukata with a brightly colored floral pattern. Her long black hair was tied back loosely at the nape of her neck and draped over one shoulder, and it caught the occasional flickering light from the bonfires as she moved. She smiled her serene smile at Tsugutora, but when she saw the expression on his face, her gaze shifted to Shigeaki, and her smile went so frigid he actually shivered.

“And Shigeaki-kun.” She made his name sound like a curse. “I see you’ve finally met our newest comrade.”

“We’ve already met once,” Tsugutora informed her just as Shigeaki opened his mouth to speak. “In the cafeteria, last week. He’s trying to make up for his first impression right now by offering to treat me to noodles.”

“Is that so.” Oyori’s eyes went just imperceptibly wider as she smiled at Shigeaki, who was beginning to regret not accepting Tsugutora's immediate refusal. “And what first impression was that?”

“He threw a dart at me while I was eating breakfast,” Tsugutora said. Shigeaki nearly choked on his tongue. Oyori’s smile became fixed.

“I wonder why he’d do a thing like that.”

“I caught it,” Tsugutora added. Shigeaki couldn’t tell if he’d noticed that the temperature around Oyori had dropped by about 15 degrees or if he was just obliviously feeding into it.

“I threw the dart at the wall,” Shigeaki said. “I wasn’t aiming for you.”

“Then why did you throw it?”

Shigeaki considered that question and concluded that there was no way to answer it that would make him look any better in Oyori’s eyes, so he deliberately avoided them. “I was extremely sleep deprived and I wanted to see if you lived up to the hype.”

“So you knew I’d catch it?”

“Uh...sure,” Shigeaki said. Tsugutora’s brow furrowed.

“But then you said, ‘you don’t look like much to me’. Was I not supposed to catch it?”

“Okay, I don’t think we need to reenact the entire conversation,” Shigeaki said hastily, flapping a hand. “Like I said, I hadn’t slept and it was a dick move, which is why I am trying to make it up to you.”

Tsugutora looked dubious and now, just a little confused. Oyori put a hand on Tsugutora’s shoulder and gave Shigeaki a smile so brilliant it stung.

“Since he’s insisting on it, why don’t we take him up on the offer?” She patted his shoulder encouragingly. Shigeaki glared at her.

“I wasn’t inviting you,” he hissed at her, just loud enough for her to hear. She smiled back unfazed.

“I think it’s the least you can do.” She raised her voice. “Noodles, you said? Did you have a place in mind, Shigeaki-kun?”

Shigeaki threw up his hands in disgust, turned, and started walking in the direction of the noodle stand. Oyori let out a little laugh and followed, Tsugutora trailing behind.

“Oyori-san, I already turned him down,” he whispered, casting a furtive look at Shigeaki’s back. Oyori touched a finger to her lips.

“He insisted, didn’t he? Besides, it’s more polite to accept. He may be a tactless idiot with questionable taste, but you might have to work with him someday. It’s better to be on good terms if you can. No sense in making enemies at home, hm?”

“Are you on good terms with Shigeaki-san?”

Oyori smiled serenely. “Oh, we get along just fine.”

Tsugutora wound up between the two of them at the noodle stand. Its owner was a bustling, bright-faced young woman who greeted them all cheerfully, and Shigeaki by name. She took all of their orders with a hearty “you got it!” and Tsugutora watched with quiet amazement at the sheer energy she seemed to bring to every task. She even shook the noodles rather vigorously. Before long, there were three steaming bowls in front of them, a drifting tangle of tempting aromas. Tsugutora seemed to settle in a little more comfortably as he breathed in the fragrant steam.

“Thanks for the food, coz,” Shigeaki chimed, snapping apart his chopsticks. The noodle girl threw him a wink.

“You’re related?” Oyori said, looking genuinely surprised. There was a certain measure of family resemblance — the same jawline, the same particular shade of brown hair so dark it almost looked black — although they wouldn’t be mistaken for siblings.

“Yeah, on my mom’s side, twice removed or something. Yu-chan and I’ve been friends since we were kids.”

“Oh, really? It’s so nice to have family you can talk to.”

Her expression and tone were perfectly pleasant, but there was a slight jab concealed beneath it. Although Tsugutora appeared more or less oblivious, he seemed to sense some kind of tension and looked just a shade more uncomfortable. Then again, the kid looked like he might spook at small talk about the weather just now, so there was no telling if that was a useful metric or not.

“Yeah, well, it’s a pretty big family,” Shigeaki said expansively, and then, in perhaps his wisest move of the evening, occupied his mouth with some noodles. Tsugutora watched him for just a moment before breaking apart his own chopsticks and digging in himself. Worried it was poisoned, or just being polite? Shigeaki really wasn’t sure how much of his reputation the kid had learned about in the week since they first met.

Shigeaki heard a quiet little happy noise next to him, and he glanced over to see an actual smile on Tsugutora’s face. It was kind of a pathetic smile, tiny and drawn in like the rest of him, and it was gone in the next moment as he slurped up another bite of noodles.

Oyori let out an exclaim of delight at her food, and she waved a bangled hand at the noodle girl. “Do you make your own beef stock?”

Yu was already back to boiling noodles for the next customer. “Sure do!”

“What do you put in it? I don’t think I’ve had anything quite like it before. There’s something about the aroma that’s absolutely enchanting. Almost sweet.”

Yu grinned at Oyori and flashed her another wink. “Clove.”

Oyori clapped her hands with a little chime of her bangles. “Clove! That’s it! I don’t suppose I could convince you to tell me your recipe.”

The noodle girl threw back her head and laughed. “Not a chance! That’s a family secret. But I’ll serve it to you anytime you like, miss.” Dipping her strainer into the water to scoop out the noodles, she nodded at Shigeaki. “Work friends of yours, Shige?”

Shige shrugged in lieu of a response. Calling either one of them a friend was a charitable stretch. Curiously, hesitantly, Tsugutora asked, “How did you know?”

“Shige doesn’t have any other friends.”

“Hey!” Shigeaki hurled one of his chopsticks at her like a dart, but she batted it out of the air, bouncing it down to the ivory and navy cobblestones, and carried on the conversation cheerfully.

“Hope he doesn’t make too much trouble for you over there. But you look pretty young for that kind of work, huh?”

Tsugutora realized she was talking to him and ducked his head, looking embarrassed. But before he could answer, Shigeaki drawled, “Newbie.”

“He’s the youngest agent to be recruited,” Oyori said primly, though her smile was edged. Tsugutora ducked his head so low that he was in danger of submerging his face in his soup. Shigeaki plucked a new pair of chopsticks from the cup and opened his mouth for a comeback, but then remembered that he was supposed to be treating Tsugutora as an apology for being an asshole. If he kept this up, he’d be buying the kid dinner until retirement.

“Ooh, that’s pretty impressive! Don’t take my dummy of a cousin too seriously, though, you’ll only give yourself white hairs.”

Shigeaki was already preparing to throw another chopstick in her direction, but he stayed his hand and just glared instead. Tsugutora gave him an owlish look, his brow knit.

“Do you always throw things at people when you’re mad?”

Yu snickered, and Oyori covered a smile with the sleeve of her yukata. Shigeaki felt his ears redden and scowled at her, stabbing his chopsticks into his noodles with more force than strictly necessary. He was beginning to regret offering to treat Tsugutora. The kid was terrible dinner conversation anyway.

[swindlersstole]

catch me refusing to take off Gemma’s charm until Tatsunaga kills me for the seventh time again